Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 7, 2008 10:43:19 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US

Posted Nov 29, 07 7:44 AM CST in World 

(Newser) – Almost 6,000 Sunni Arab civilians in Iraq turned against Al-Qaeda yesterday and signed a pact to help US forces police possible insurgent escape routes. As insurgents seek to gain a foothold in the semi-autonomous north, American officials hailed the alliance, which is the Iraq war’s largest single volunteer effort, AP reports.

The new fighters will be paid $275 monthly—comparable to a typical Iraqi policeman’s salary—and will cover about 200 security checkpoints starting next month. One mayor cited local murders by the insurgents, and vowed: “I will not let them continue their killing.” Thousands of Iraqis have helped American forces dampen violence, and thousands of refugees are returning home to Iraq from Syria.

Source Associated Press

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Refugees: Iraq's Unspoken Crisis

    Jun 26, 08 6:56 AM CDT
    Refugees: Iraq's Unspoken Crisis New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof travels to Jordan to report on one of the unintended consequences of the Iraq war: a regional refugee crisis. About 2 million Iraqis, mostly Sunnis, have fled since the war, living mostly in Jordan and Syria in deplorable conditions. "They are the new Palestinians," writes Kristof, "the 21st-century Arab diaspora that threatens the region’s stability." More »

  • Syria Remains Key for Foreign Fighters in Iraq: US

    Mar 12, 08 3:08 PM CDT
    Syria Remains Key for Foreign Fighters in Iraq: US Syria is a key jumping-off point for foreign militants in Iraq, with 90% entering through the Syrian border, the Pentagon reported yesterday. “It is not clear that Syria has made a strategic decision to deal with foreign terrorists using Syria as a transit point,” the report notes. Meanwhile, Iran's support of Shiite insurgents also remains troublesome, the AP reports. More »

  • Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500

    Aug 16, 07 12:35 AM CDT
    Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500 The death toll from Tuesday's series of suicide truck bombings in northern Iraq may exceed 500, with scores more lying injured in hospitals, CNN reports. The attacks were reportedly launched by al-Qaeda against the Yazidi, a pre-Islamic sect, spotlighting the religious warfare that US troop surge sought to quell. More »

  • Cheney: 'I Erred on Insurgency'

    Aug 1, 07 5:21 AM CDT
    Cheney: 'I Erred on Insurgency' Dick Cheney admitted yesterday that he was wrong when he said the Iraqi insurgency was "in its last throes" in 2005. "My estimate at the time was wrong, it turned out to be incorrect," the VP told CNN's Larry King. He said he had been optimistic that elections and a constitution would "undermine the insurgency," but "that clearly didn't happen." More »

  • White House Proposes $43B in Mideast Military Aid

    Jul 30, 07 3:48 PM CDT
    White House Proposes $43B in Mideast Military Aid More than $43 billion in US military aid is earmarked for the Middle East, Reuters reports, part of a strategy to fight terrorism and counterbalance Iran. The outlays, which require congressional approval, include $13 billion to Egypt, $30 billion to Israel, and an unspecified amount to Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today. More »

Iraqi refugees pack their luggage on a bus at al-Sayda Zeinab, southern Damascus on Tuesday Nov. 27. 2007 ahead of their return trip to Iraq. In the first-ever convoy financed by their government, hundreds...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by the U.S Air Force, Sunni tribal leaders sign a security pact in Hawija, 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007. Nearly 6,000 Sunni Arab residents...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by the U.S Air Force, Sunni tribal leaders congratulate each other after signing a security pact in Hawija, 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Nov. 28,...   (Associated Press)
Iraqi refugees that have just arrived from Syria unload their luggage from a bus in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007. Hundreds of Iraqi refugees boarded buses leaving Syria on Tuesday and heading...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

Iraq  • Iraq war  • al-Qaeda  • insurgents  • US Army  • Syria  • Kurds  • Iraqi refugees  • Sunni leaders  • Kirkuk



Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »