Sunni Awakening | |
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![]() Flag of the Iraq Awakening Conference | |
Leaders |
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Dates of operation | 2005–2013 |
Group(s) | |
Active regions | Iraq |
Size | |
Allies | |
Opponents | ![]() |
Battles and wars | Iraq War |
The Sons of Iraq (Arabic: أبناء العراق Abnāʼ al-ʻIrāq) or al-Sahwah (Arabic: الصحوة, lit. 'the awakening') were a coalition in the Al Anbar province in Iraq between Sunni tribal leaders as well as former Ba'athist Iraqi military officers that united in 2005 to maintain stability in their communities. A moderate group, they were initially sponsored by General Petraeus and the US military.
After arriving into power, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki played on religious divides to consolidate his power. Maliki denounced the Sons of Iraq as a national threat, actively dismantling them and refusing to integrate them into Iraqi's security services. Sunnis formerly serving with the group were faced with options including becoming unemployed or joining the Islamic State.[4] This turn of event is considered a key factor in Iraqi failure to stabilize and its 2013–2017 Iraq war.[5]
Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights
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