Sunni Sheik Joins Americans

The AP reported today on a change of alliances in Iraq.

Not long ago it would have been unthinkable: a Sunni sheik allying himself publicly with American forces in a xenophobic city at the epicenter of Iraq's Sunni insurgency.

Today, there is no mistaking whose side Sheik Abdul Sattar al-Rishawi is on. Outside his walled home in Ramadi, a U.S. tank is on permanent guard beside a clutch of towering date palms and a protective dirt berm.

The 36-year-old sheik is leading a growing movement of Sunni tribesmen who have turned against al-Qaida-linked insurgents in Anbar province. The dramatic shift in alliances may have done more in a few months to ease daily street battles and undercut the insurgency here than American forces have achieved in years with arms.

The American commander responsible for Ramadi, Col. John Charlton, said the newly friendly sheiks, combined with an aggressive counterinsurgency strategy and the presence of thousands of new Sunni police officers on the streets, have helped cut attacks in the city by half in recent months.

Al-Rishawi, whose father and three brothers were killed by al-Qaida assassins, said insurgents were "killing innocent people, anyone suspected of opposing them. They brought us nothing but destruction and we finally said, enough is enough."

Al-Rishawi founded the Anbar Salvation Council in September with dozens of Sunni tribes. Many of the newly friendly leaders are believed to have at least tacitly supported the insurgency in the past, though al-Rishawi said he never did.

His movement, also known as the Anbar Awakening, now counts 41 tribes or sub-tribes from Anbar, though al-Rishawi acknowledges that some groups in the province have yet to join. It's unclear how many that is, or how much support the movement really has.

But violence in some districts of Ramadi previously hit by daily street battles has dwindled to a degree so low that American soldiers can walk on the streets in some areas and hand out soccer balls without provoking a firefight - apparently a direct result of the sheik's influence.

The mindset in Iraq is often that of siding with the Strongman, helping the side they believe will eventually win. That some prominent Sunnis are starting to align themselves against al Qaeda is an encouraging sign. Especially when it makes a difference in safety on the streets for the Iraqis and for our troops.

Al-Anbar province and sections of Baghdad have been--and continue to be--the hotspots on the Iraqi front of this war. If this change in alliances can begin to build some momentum, then things will start looking more promising for a lasting peace in Iraq (and the return Stateside of a lot of our troops over there).

But "if" is still a pretty big word...