Iraq Sunni tribes build police force, fight al Qaeda - Yahoo! News
In defiance of the conflict that is tearing apart much of the country of Iraq, there are groups that are working with the Americans to create a stable society. Just a year ago Anbar provence was a scary place, both for Americans and Iraqis as terrorist controlled the region. Starting last summer, Sunni tribal leader Sheikh Abdulsattar Abu Risha, got together other tribal leaders and created the Anbar Salvation Council. The group has been able to recruit 20,000 police for the streets of the Sunni dominated province.
"The situation (in Anbar) was unbearable before, people were tortured, shot dead, bodies littered the streets. We couldn't even leave our homes to bury the dead," Abu Risha told Reuters from Ramadi by a crackly satellite phone.
While the province is still plagued by car bombs, according to US military officials their numbers have fallen.
"The number of attacks and incidents across the entire province has dropped significantly," said Brigadier-General Mark Gurganus, the U.S. Marine commander in charge of ground operations in Anbar, without giving details.
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