Ahmed Abdul Ghafour al-Samarrai, a cleric in the Association of Muslim Scholars, read the edict during a sermon at a major Sunni mosque in Baghdad. He said it was necessary for Sunnis to join the security forces to prevent Iraqi police and army from falling into "the hands of those who have caused chaos, destruction and violated the sanctities."
It seemed to be a recognition by the Sunni minority, which dominated under former dictator, that Iraq's interim government is slowly retaking control of the nation and paving the way for a U.S. withdrawal.
The "hands of those who have caused chaos, destruction and violated the sanctities" would be the foreign jihadis still blowing up Iraqis. Though they failed miserably to disrupt the recent Shia religious celebrations (see the April 1 article).
The Sunnis have decided to turn on their former jihadi friends who relied on the Baathists to hide them in sunni neighborhoods. Without the assistance of the Sunnis, the jihadis will be hunted down more easily.
While the low-level rabble terrorists will be hunted down and killed, expect Zarqawi to bolt for a foreign land, as he lamented last year when he noted that Iraqi democracy meant that he'd have to go elsewhere to fight America.
Who will be left to resist with the Sunnis switching sides and the jihadis fleeing or being hunted down? Will some die-hards keep fighting? Will Syrian and Iranian supported thugs still fight? Even so, Iraqi forces will win against this rump resistance.
As I've said, the end could be much faster than we believe.
