Sons of Iraq

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The Sons of Iraq (Arabic: أبناء العراق Abnāʼ al-ʻIrāq), also known as al-Sahwah (Arabic: الصحوة, lit. 'the awakening'), were a coalition in the Al Anbar governorate in Iraq between Sunni tribal leaders as well as former Saddam-era Iraqi military officers that united in 2005 against Al-Qaeda in Iraq. A moderate group, they received extensive funding from the US. The group's creation was spearheaded by US General David Petraeus to defeat AQI in Al Anbar by providing hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies to tribal leaders and fighters. After arriving into power, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki relied on sectarian policies to consolidate his power. Maliki denounced the Sons of Iraq as a national threat, actively dismantling them and refusing to integrate them into Iraqi security services. Sunnis formerly serving with the group were faced with options including becoming unemployed or joining the Islamic State. This turn of events is considered a key factor that contributed to the...

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