Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter

NEWS ABOUT: Awakening Councils

Awakening Councils stories: 23 news summaries

1 - 20 of 23 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

Switch to grid view »

 13 Assassinated 
 Outside Baghdad 

Al-Qaeda blamed for killing of Sunni politician and family

Nov 17, 09 3:22 AM CST
(Newser) - The killing of 13 men and boys west of Baghdad over the weekend has sparked fears of a fresh eruption in sectarian fighting. The victims, including a Sunni politician and several of his relatives, were snatched from their homes and shot by men in Iraqi army uniforms, according to authorities.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Baghdad • Sunni leaders • Awakening Councils • al-Qaeda in Iraq

(Newser) - The imminent withdrawal of US troops and the lack of funds to keep Sunni Awakening members on the payroll has led to rising violence there, the Wall Street Journal reports. The steep decline in oil revenues has left the Iraqi government broke, and former insurgents hired by the US... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Baghdad • troop surge • US military • troop withdrawal • Awakening Councils • Iraqi militias • Iraq war • Sunni Awakening • oil revenue

(AP) - A suicide bomber walked into a crowd of US-allied Sunni paramilitaries in Iraq this morning and detonated his explosives belt, killing nine and wounding 30 others waiting in line for their salaries, Iraqi police said. The explosion took place outside the military headquarters in the town of Jbala, about 35... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • suicide bomber • Awakening Councils • Sunni Awakening • paramilitary • Jbala

(Newser) - As the US military prepares to withdraw from Iraq's cities, security officials in both countries have observed that a smaller but more lethal insurgency seems to be gaining ground. Several recent bombings, believed to be orchestrated by al-Qaeda in Iraq, have killed 123 people in Baghdad and elsewhere, while members... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Shiite • US military • Sunnis • al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia • Awakening Councils • al-Qaeda in Iraq • Sunni Awakening • insurgency • Iraqi Army

 In Iraq, US Allies 
 Fight Each Other for Control 

Arrest of Sunni leader fuels tension

Mar 30, 09 9:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - A showdown this weekend between Iraqi security forces and Sunni fighters known as the Awakening, both US allies, could signal challenges facing Iraq as the US prepares to leave, the Washington Post reports. After Iraqi and US forces arrested an Awakening leader Saturday, Sunni fighters swarmed a Baghdad neighborhood. "... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Shiite • Iraqi soldiers • Iraq security • Awakening Councils • Iraq war • Sunni Awakening

(Newser) - The US turned over tens of thousands of Sunni fighters to Baghdad this weekend to take government jobs and mend fences with ruling Shiites, but many Sunnis are skeptical, the New York Times reports. After helping tame al-Qaeda in Iraq, the militiamen say few jobs are being offered in return.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Shiite • Sunnis • Awakening Councils • Iraqi government

US Gives Iraq Control
of Sunni Guards

Former insurgents will be given jobs in government

Mar 21, 09 5:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - Baghdad took control today of 90% of the former insurgents employed by the US military to combat al-Qaeda, Reuters reports. Turnover of the roughly 84,000 “Awakening Council" Sunnis, who were paid about $300 a month to patrol neighborhoods, will test Iraqi reconciliation as the US prepares to... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • US military • Sunnis • Sunni insurgents • Awakening Councils

 6 Dead in 4th Day 
 of Baghdad Bombings 

Four days of escalating violence leaves dozens dead and wounded

Nov 6, 08 6:53 AM CST
(AP) - A series of bomb blasts across Baghdad killed six people and injured more than 20 others today, the fourth consecutive day of heightened violence in the Iraqi capital. The deadliest attack came near a checkpoint in central Baghdad, while another targeting a government convoy killed six city workers. A string... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Baghdad • bombing • Iraq Civil War • bomb explosion • Awakening Councils • al-Qaeda in Iraq • Sunni allies

 Pakistan to Arm Local Militias 

Insurgency strategy, successful for US in Iraq, boosts American confidence in ally

Oct 23, 08 10:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pakistan plans to give weapons to thousands of  tribal fighters along its border with Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports—a strategy that has helped the US in Iraq. The move to link the militias—called lashkars—to anti-Taliban efforts is a boost to US confidence in Pakistan’s military efforts,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Afghanistan • War on Terror • Taliban • Pakistan • Awakening Councils • al-Qaeda • Pakistan army

Forces Key to Iraq Security Lose Steam as US Hands Off

Shiite government isn't incorporating Sunni Sons of Iraq, or, worse, hunting them down

Sep 30, 08 1:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - As Iraq's Shia-led government assumes greater control of security, US soldiers fear the sudden disintegration of the 54,000-strong Sunni force that had been key to improving conditions there, the Washington Post reports. The government has pledged to hire 20% of the so-called Sons of Iraq, but that still leaves... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Sunni • Shia • Iraq government • Iraqi security forces • Awakening Councils • Iraq war • Sons of Iraq

 Sectarian Arrests Threaten 
 Iraq Security 

Sunnis fear al-Qaeda resurgence as Shiite authorities detain Council leaders

Sep 23, 08 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sunnis of the Awakening Council, which helped the US fight al-Qaeda in Iraq, are in hiding to avoid arrest by the Shia-led government, USA Today reports. Such political harassment could allow al-Qaeda to regain footing in volatile Diyala province and elsewhere, US officials say. Iraqi government members insist their actions... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • democracy • sectarianism • Awakening Councils • Diyala Province • al-Qaeda • Sunni Islamic Party

OPINION

 Return to Iraq: 
 A Fragile Peace 
 That's Jarring 

Troop surge, Awakening Councils have brought fragile peace

Sep 21, 08 9:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - When Dexter Filkins left Baghdad in 2006, it was a city of shuttered buildings and fearful citizens, in a land that looked as though it would never recover from war. But, writes the war correspondent in the New York Times, “to return now is to be jarred in the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
troop surge • peace • Awakening Councils • Iraq war

 Maliki Is US Pawn No Longer 

Iraqi drifts away from US—and toward Iran

Sep 16, 08 1:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - With just four months left on America’s UN mandate to police Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki is playing hardball. Once seen as an embattled US puppet, the Iraqi PM has consolidated his power, and is turning visibly away from his former backers in Washington, the Los Angeles Times reports. He’s... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Iran • Sunni • Shiite • Nouri al-Maliki • Awakening Councils • Status of Forces Agreement

 Iraq Cracks Down on
 US-Allied Sunni Fighters

US commanders fear reversal of hard-fought peace

Aug 22, 08 6:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - Iraq's Shiite-dominated government has begun a crackdown on groups of US-backed Sunni fighters, the New York Times reports. The government fears the fighters, part of what is called the Awakening movement, could be waiting to turn their guns on Shiites. In several parts of the country senior members have been... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Diyala • Iraq government • Sunni insurgents • Iraq Army • al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia • Awakening Councils • counter insurgency • Iraqi militias • Sunni allies

US-Backed Militias Curb
Iraqi Women's Rights

'Sahwa' stabilize areas but rule with medieval customs

Apr 6, 08 1:43 PM CDT
(Newser) - Women's rights in Iraq are devolving under the rule of US-backed militias, Newsweek reports. These Sahwa or "Awakening" groups have stabilized regions, but rule with medieval laws and customs: In some areas, women are commonly kept at home, forced to wear headscarves, or are married into polygamous relationships, Newsweek... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • insurgents • Baghdad • women's rights • burka • Awakening Councils • Sahwa

US Air Strike Kills 6 Sunni Allies

Tensions already high with Awakening

Mar 22, 08 2:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - US helicopters opened fire on two checkpoints manned by a pro-American group today, killing six members of the Sons of Iraq and injuring two civilians. The attack could exacerbate already strained tensions between the US and the Awakening Councils it employs, CNN reports. The US said that its helicopter opened... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Iraq death toll • Awakening Councils • Concerned Local Citizens

Sunni Militias Threaten Strike Over Late Pay

Unrest among key
US allies could affect joint security efforts

Mar 21, 08 9:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - US-allied Sunni militias are threatening to go on strike over late pay. At least two of the 49 Awakening councils that  have been enlisted in the fight against al-Qaeda in Iraq have already done so, reports the Guardian, and the dispute over their $10-a-day payments threatens the partnership that has... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Sunni • Sunni militants • strike • labor strike • Awakening Councils • Sunni allies

Baghdad Blast Kills 5 US Troops

Leader of Sunni Awakening killed in separate suicide attack

Mar 10, 08 1:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Five American troops are dead after a suicide bomber struck today in the Mansour district of Baghdad, the BBC reports. The soldiers were patrolling a busy shopping center when a young man wearing an explosive vest engaged them in conversation shortly before detonating, said a military spokesman. Three other service... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Baghdad • suicide bombing • surge • Iraq violence • Sunni leaders • female suicide bomber • al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia • Awakening Councils • al-Qaeda in Iraq

Female Bomber Kills
Anti-Qaeda Sunni Sheik

Diyala-area Awakening leader hit in attack

Mar 10, 08 7:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - A female suicide bomber assassinated a Sunni Awakening leader in his Diyala province home today, the AP reports, killing the sheik’s bodyguard, cousin, and 5-year-old niece along with him. The woman had come to see the sheik yesterday, saying her husband had been kidnapped and was begging for help.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • suicide bomber • Baquba • female suicide bomber • Awakening Councils • Concerned Local Citizens • Diyala Province • al-Qaeda in Iraq

Sunni Fighters Growing Tired
of US Neglect

Disputed killings, lack of support weakens plan to reduce violence

Feb 28, 08 12:06 PM CST
(Newser) - The mostly Sunni volunteer forces that have drastically improved Iraq’s security are losing patience with US handlers, the Washington Post reports. Desertions are under way in key provinces over lack of resources, political disagreements, and disputed accounts of US troops killing members of the so-called Sunni Awakening. “Now,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Shiite • Diyala • Sunnis • Awakening Councils • Concerned Local Citizens • al-Qaeda

1 - 20 of 23 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


from our news partners