Iraq PM assures jobs for Sunni anti-Qaeda fighters
19/03/2008 14:20 BAGHDAD, March 19 (AFP)
Iraq PM assures jobs for Sunni anti-Qaeda fighters
Iraq's Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visited the Sunni bastion of Adhamiyah in Baghdad on Wednesday and promised to offer jobs to Sunni Arabs who were fighting Al-Qaeda there.
Maliki was participating in a function in the northern Baghdad neighbourhood to mark the birth anniversary of prophet Mohammed.
This was his first visit since he became the premier in 2006 to Adhamiyah, a bastion of Sunni Arabs loyal to executed dictator Saddam Hussein and a former Al-Qaeda insurgent stronghold.
Maliki, whose visit is seen as a major step to boost national reconciliation in Iraq, said the government will "open the doors of all the establishments to welcome" the men who are fighting Al-Qaeda.
"I am proud of the efforts of the sons of this neighbourhood. We will welcome our sons who are challenging terrorism and injustice. They will have suitable jobs. What they have done is amazing," Maliki said.
Hundreds of young Sunni Arabs have allied themselves with the security forces in the district to thwart Al-Qaeda attacks in an area which was a key insurgent flashpoint after the toppling of the former regime five years ago.
These men are part of the overall Al-Sahwa, or awakening groups as they are known across Iraq. These groups have been fighting mainly alongside US forces against Al-Qaeda militants.
The US military pays them around 300 dollars a month.
Dozens of Iraqi soldiers surrounded the premier, who was accompanied by Interior Minister Jawad Bolani and senior Iraqi commander Qasim Ata, for the Adhamiyah visit.
