The Iraqi government announced on Monday it would put 12,000 neighbourhood guards on its payroll, a move welcomed by US forces promoting a programme of raising mainly Sunni Arab “concerned local citizen” militia. The order means that armed, predominantly Sunni Arab men will be paid by the Shiite-led government, often in communities that were until recently violent flashpoints of an insurgency.
The Iraqi government has been seen as lukewarm toward the US-backed militia programme, under which 60,000 men, mainly in Sunni Arab areas, have been given ID cards and permitted to carry guns and man checkpoints. Washington says the programme is one of the main tactics that has led to a dramatic reduction in violence across Iraq over the last several months, but many Shiites have expressed fears that it has created dangerous, unaccountable militia. The US military refers to the patrol members as “concerned local citizens” or “CLCs”. The vast majority are Sunni Arabs, although some units are Shiite and some are mixed.
| Now let's get jobs for the other 48,000 men in recognition for their service. They can do reconstruction, local security, etc., just keep them on a payroll and keep them out of trouble for the next year or two. Ditto for Shi'a men in the same jobs right now. |
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