The Awakening movement was essentially the Sunni Arabs (or most of them, anyway) surrendering. It is good that the Iraqi government is making an effort to keep these armed men happy while watching for efforts to plot a coup:
In his television interview, al-Maliki, who is a Shiite, said the U.S. military and the Iraqis had been discussing the crackdown for the past six months.
U.S. authorities were initially skeptical of the allegations until "documents were presented in the joint (U.S.-Iraqi security) committee" showing that the Fadhil leadership was involved in crime and underground Baath party activities.
"The issue was not for political or media purposes," al-Maliki said.
He said the operation sends a message "to those who are following the same path taken by the gang in Fadhil that their fate will be the same."
The crackdown followed widespread complaints by Awakening Councils, which the U.S. calls Sons of Iraq, that the government had stopped paying their salaries despite a promise to the U.S. to do so.
U.S. and Iraqi officials said the pay delays were due to bureaucratic red tape and would resume shortly.
On Thursday, the Iraqi military spokesman for Baghdad told The Associated Press that council members in the capital would receive their pay this week, including those in Fadhil who handed in their weapons last Sunday.
Give them every reason to stay surrendered. And reason to worry about consequences if the don't.
UPDATE: Hopefully, this show of force keeps any hopes of rekindling their war suppressed:
The U.S. military on Friday said its planes had fired on four armed men seen planting a roadside bomb late on Thursday in the north Baghdad district of Taji, killing one of the men and wounding two others.
Initial investigations showed that at least one of the men was listed among the U.S.-backed Sunni fighters, who call themselves Awakening Councils -- "Majalis al-Sahwa" in Arabic -- but which the U.S. military calls "Sons of Iraq."
"Hostile acts will be engaged. While we value our Sons of Iraq brothers, these men had broken faith with their fellow Sons of Iraq, the Iraqi people and us," U.S. Major-General Daniel Bolger said in a statement.
Carrots and sticks are necessary, as appropriate. Pay those who cooperate. Kill those who try to fight us. And watch them all to nip any of the latter behavior in the bud and encourage the former behavior.
The Sunni Arabs wised up to surrender while we were in Iraq in strength so that their defeat didn't turn into slaughter or exile as is the traditional fate of losing sides in this part of the world. Let's hope that a couple years of not being hunted down isn't giving Sunni Arabs in Iraq delusions of running the show again.
