Sheiks meet in reconciliation effort on Camp Taji

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Cupp | Sunni and Shia sheiks from the areas of Bassam, Aqar Qaf, Salamiyat and Fira Shia, Iraq discuss the issue of creating volunteer neighborhood watch programs in their villages during a reconciliation meeting facilitated by 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, at Camp Taji, Iraq, July 16.  

TAJI, IRAQ

07.18.2007

Story by Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

By Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp
1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI, Iraq -- Sunni and Shia tribal sheiks from the Iraqi villages of Aqar Qaf, Bassam, Salamiyat and Fira Shia moved closer to reconciliation July 16 here during a meeting facilitated by the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment.

The sheiks, who are putting aside their differences to band together to end violence and bloodshed in their villages, met to discuss ways to start neighborhood watch programs made up of volunteers to protect their communities and improve the security situation there.

According to Lt. Col. Kenneth Kamper, commander, 1st Bn., 37th FA Regt., whose Soldiers currently operate in the sheiks' villages, one of the major reasons for the meeting has been that the sheiks are tired of attacks on innocent civilians and coalition forces in their neighborhoods and want to put an end to the presence of al-Qaida and other insurgent groups operating there.

"This is a monumental meeting," said Kamper. "This is the first time in more than three years that these tribes have sat down to talk—leaders from the west side who are Sunni and those from the east which are Shia."

"This has been a very positive step on their parts, and it's important to have them involved in the government process that will lead to volunteers providing security for their own villages," Kamper added. "It has been the result of about six weeks of work to bring them to the table and for this first meeting we're offering them a neutral ground here on Camp Taji."

Although most of the area of Aqar Qaf falls within the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment's area of responsibility and Bassam includes a large portion of the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment's area, the sheiks who met this day were specifically ones whose tribes lie within the 1st Bn., 37th FA Regt.'s area of responsibility.

Following on similar efforts in Anbar province and other places, such as Falahat, Iraq, where neighborhood watch programs are showing success in reducing violence with volunteers manning traffic control points and reporting insurgent activities to both coalition and Iraqi security forces, the sheiks opened the discussion on how best to implement their own volunteer program.

During the meeting, sheiks determined that each village would be responsible for providing its own volunteers for security within their own respective village. There will also be areas, or fault lines, where combined Sunni and Shia volunteers will work in places that borders for villages overlap and areas such as on bridges and at traffic control points.

In the longterm, some of the volunteers will actually become policemen and will make up the nucleus of a police station after receiving official government training, inducting them into the Iraqi security forces, according to Kamper.

The reconciliation of the sheiks will open the doors for villages working with the Iraqi government and coalition forces to pursue future projects to improve the quality of life for villagers.

"There has to be a stable security environment or we won't be able to make any great progress with service projects," said Kamper. "(Reconciliation) will build a foundation for working service projects and issues. When the Sunnis and Shia can come together and agree on security and it improves, eventually we will be able to fix water and work other projects and begin making dents in the services gap."

Kamper said that the meeting was very positive and that he believes the sheiks will make progress in their process of reconciliation.

"Overall, I feel really good about seeing that the two sides are clearly engaged in a dialogue and are committed to working together," said Kamper. "The key thing is that each of the leaders have pledged themselves to support the Iraqi government and to resist al-Qaida and militias."

• Date Taken: 07.18.2007
• Date Posted: 07.18.2007 11:32
• Story ID: 11338
• Location: TAJI, IQ