Sunni Tribes in Anbar, Kirkuk Prepare for Battle
In the wake of the Hawija incidents where Sunni protesters were killed and injured by military forces, tribes and towns throughout the provinces of Anbar and Kirkuk are arming themselves, writes Ali Abel Sadah.
After the federal army stormed the protest square in the town of Hawija and killed and injured dozens of civilians — supposedly searching for weapons and outlaws — Sunni tribal youth in Anbar, Kirkuk and Mosul have rushed to take up weapons to defend themselves, as stipulated in the “directives of leading Sunni cleric in Iraq Abdul-Malik al-Saadi,” who “authorized [Sunnis] to fight in self-defense.”
Armed units that do not belong to the regime were established in the protest areas to protect protesters, should they be subjected to an attack similar to the one that occurred in Hawija. Saed Murad, a volunteer who took up arms in Ramadi, said, “Dozens have registered their names on the list of the Sunni army.”
