Local fighters have helped liberate Iraqi cities from terrorists
UNIPATH STAFF
Photos by IRAQI ARMED FORCES
The war against terrorism is complex because the enemy is entrenched among civilians and uses innocents as human shields. Daesh terrorizes populations by savagely murdering and humiliating innocent people and spreading its propaganda through social media. However, the terrorists fail miserably in gaining the support or acceptance of local residents. The criminal behavior of the foreign fighters shows no respect for local norms, and they have no remorse about spilling innocent blood and insulting respected figures in the community. As a result, Daesh faces a critical challenge in recruiting fighters and finding local support. Daesh frequently conducts operations to capture and kill local citizens to further intimidate the population. However, these crimes make people more determined to reject Daesh and establish tribal forces to liberate cities and prevent Daesh’s return to their hometowns. Unipath interviewed Iraqi Lt. Gen. Rashid Falaeh, commander of the tribal battalions, about these forces and their role in defeating Daesh.
UNIPATH: What is the rationale behind the tribal battalions in Iraq?
LT. GEN. RASHID: Actually, it is not new for the Iraqi tribes to fight terrorists; they fought bravely and defeated al-Qaida in Iraq in 2006. At the time, U.S. and Iraqi forces weren’t able to defeat the group alone. The tribesmen joined after al-Qaida attempted to humiliate the sheikhs. In 2014, terrorists reached the outskirts of Baghdad, where all Iraqis teamed up to defend their cities, including the Sunni tribesmen who fought courageously to liberate and defend their towns. Frankly, the tribesmen were fighting Daesh before these units were established. But they were not fighting under centralized command and control and with support fire or logistical coordination. Additionally, sometimes these forces fought without notification or prior arrangement with armed forces in the area, which complicated the battlefield and made it vulnerable to friendly fire. After establishing this command, we were able to move operations to higher levels, assign weaponry and better organize our forces. These men fought and held ground in a way that is comparable to our conventional forces and, in some instances, they fought alongside their brothers in the Iraqi military.
UNIPATH: Who leads these tribal battalions?
LT. GEN. RASHID: The leaders are those with experience serving the tribes, but not necessarily the tribal chiefs. Among them are former military and security forces officers, whether retired or not enlisted in the new military. About 30 percent of the commanders are former officers. They left the profession to work in the private sector, but find it essential now to bear the arms and liberate their towns from the disgrace of terror and enforce security and stability for the future of their children and the unity of their nation. This proves their loyalty to their nation despite the differences of political views that Daesh once exploited to recruit and use them.
UNIPATH: Where do these battalions fight?
LT. GEN. RASHID: These forces stretch across the theater and provide support to military units in the area. We have six battalions in Amiriyat al-Fallujah, four battalions in Garma, four battalions in Hadetha, and we have battalions in Habaniya, Khalidya and Baghdadi. But our main force of 11 battalions is positioned in Ramadi. In addition, we have battalions still in training camp. We prepare them to handle the security of the cities that the Armed Forces are about to liberate. The training is conducted in Iraq military bases and concentrates on enforcing security and stability, providing assistance to local residents and identifying the suspects, as well as basic training about weapons and soldierly conduct.
UNIPATH: Is there a relationship between former
awakening leaders and the battalions?
LT. GEN. RASHID: No relation at all, but our forces include many former warriors who fought al-Qaida in Iraq in the past. As I mentioned earlier, the tribal men are brave and known as knights and courageous fighters who reject injustice. These values are what made them volunteer to defeat the Zarqawi gangs in the past and that motivate them to fight Daesh today.
UINPATH: Are these forces organized by single tribes
led by sheikhs?
LT. GEN. RASHID: No. Because we are a modern state, we shift the loyalty of the tribe to the loyalty of the nation by creating units from multiple tribes outside the narrow scope of tribes and clans. We don’t view a man based on the stand of his sheikh but on his love of Iraq. For example, we are aware of the betrayal by the sheikh of the Jumaila tribe in Fallujah; however, that never impacted our decision to make tribe member Jumaa al-Jumaili deputy commander of the tribal battalions. That’s because al-Jumaili is known for his bravery in fighting the terrorists and an example of a good citizen. We are not asking the sheikhs to hold an AK-47 and maintain a post on the front lines, despite many of them doing so. We ask the sheikhs to denounce and condemn the crimes of Daesh on public forums and encourage their followers to defend tribal values and norms that Daesh tries to violate. I must mention that there are six tribes that played a significant role to defeat terror and made huge sacrifices to defend their territory, like Al-Jaghaifa, Albu Issa, Albu Fahaid, Albu Alwan and Albu Namir.
UNIPATH: Have any tribes served with special distinction?
LT. GEN. RASHID: Almost all the tribes have served honorably, but I don’t want to be viewed as being biased toward one tribe over another. I want the Iraqi people to be proud of all their tribes for their bravery in fighting Daesh. Nevertheless, I would like to note the heroic resistance of Albu Issa in Amiriyat al-Fallujah. These brave men played an upright role in stopping Daesh’s advance toward Baghdad and refused to negotiate with the terrorists. This happened during the peak of Daesh’s invasion, when it was moving and destroying anything in its path and demanding obedience under penalty of death. Daesh asked them to let its fighters pass through its territory toward Baghdad and cover their backs, and in return Daesh would forgive them for the past. Albu Issa’s response was loud and clear: The path to Baghdad led only over their dead bodies. This honorable stand earned this tribe tremendous respect among Iraqis. Their pride and dignity wouldn’t let them betray their nation to these savage killers.
UNIPATH: How are these forces trained?
LT. GEN. RASHID: Most of them were former military, but we provide fast-track training courses at the Habaniya military training base by Iraqi trainers. Others were trained by U.S. forces. I would like to recognize the tremendous support of our partners in the U.S. forces for their continued support in training and mobilization of this newly established force and for their commitment to the security agreement to stand behind the Iraqi people to support the political process in the new Iraq.
UNIPATH: How do you select and vet fighters to make sure they are not terrorists trying to infiltrate the units?
LT. GEN. RASHID: This is our greatest challenge, because Daesh is trying to shake the trust among Iraqis and ignite sectarian war to weaken the nation. A few days ago, we detained a terrorist suspect who came as a volunteer, and last month we detained a suspect who passed the prescreening and attended 10 days of training before he was identified. But this never shakes our faith and unity. Iraqis already defeated the terrorist plot to make us kill each other in 2006, and we will continue to do so. The preliminary interrogation of both suspects indicated that Daesh wants to cultivate spies and suicide bombers inside the tribal battalions to stab tribesmen in the back. No one can predict people’s motives, but we have a precise security database and the support of the military intelligence, and we depend on the tips of trusted citizens who know their tribesmen.
UNIPATH: Is there a story of a fighter you would
like to honor?
LT. GEN. RASHID: As I mentioned earlier, I don’t want to favor one story over another because all of our tribal warriors have stories of bravery and honor that make the forthcoming generation proud. But I would like to tell the story of an elderly man on the Amiriyat al-Fallujah front. His name is Haji Hayl Al-Esawi. This man, despite his age, insisted he fight on the front line. He lost two of his three sons last year in the battle against Daesh. When his commander asked him to leave the harsh living conditions at the front to the younger fighters, he smiled humbly and replied, “I owe Daesh vengeance and must seek retribution for my sons from the terrorists; otherwise my tribesmen won’t respect me.” He maintained his post on the front lines and gained the respect of all fighters. Recently, he received news of the death of his third son in the fighting but refused to leave the fight to engage in traditional mourning. He said that whoever wanted to offer their condolences, let them come and fight Daesh with him. His loyalty and strength empower the young fighters.
UNIPATH: What challenges face this force?
LT. GEN. RASHID: First, we must make it clear to some politicians that this force was not established to aid an election campaign or to back one political entity over another, nor to invade Baghdad or Karbala. Second, we must make it clear to the local politicians of Ramadi that this force belongs to all of Anbar, and we must support it for the sake of security and stability. And please don’t pick out isolated and personal mistakes to discredit the great efforts. Unfortunately, some politicians view things from a gain and loss perspective and not through the national security angle. When this force was established, we thought out of the box and gave Anbar residents an opportunity to join us. We didn’t receive any lists from sheikhs wanting to negotiate personal gains, and we didn’t accept lists from politicians trying to own the loyalty of the fighters. The huge challenge is the future of this force because it depends on political decisions and the government’s willingness to deal with it. The majority of the volunteers are concerned that their fate will be similar to the awakening fighters who were let go after securing their towns and became easy targets for the terrorists. But we already have a statement from the prime minister and commander in chief to integrate this force into the military and local police in the near future and employ the elderly in the local government and municipalities. Another issue is the economic challenges we are enduring. I would like to ask for financial and moral support from regional and Western nations as we fight terrorists on their behalf.
UNIPATH: How successfully did this force achieve
its primary goals?
LT. GEN. RASHID: It is too early to assess this, but we are moving in the right direction. Our primary goal is to liberate all territories and deny the terrorists the ability to return. We are facing an enemy that has no respect for innocent lives, kills women and children, and destroys cities, and therefore we must stop them from entering the cities and entrenching among civilians. I would like the world to know that Iraq’s military has the capability and advanced weapons to destroy Daesh. The reason this has not been done quickly is that these cities are full of innocents and we don’t want to risk their lives by using heavy artillery and tanks. Civilians in these cities and towns have seen enough, and we must carefully select the best plan to protect and liberate them. I feel that we will achieve our objectives when security and stability are restored and will be able to honor all the promises of our government to find a permanent solution for these fighters. Our goal is for citizens from southern Iraq to travel to the farthest point in Anbar and Mosul and the citizens of Anbar and Mosul to visit the south without fear of kidnapping and death.
UNIPATH: Do you have anything to say in closing?
LT. GEN. RASHID: The Ramadi liberation would never have happened without the outstanding airpower support of coalition forces. The airstrikes were precise and successful because of the coordination between intelligence and tribesmen. They destroyed Daesh’s defensive lines and cost them significant losses. Tribesmen played a significant role in providing information on formations, weapon caches and routes, which made this operation a great case study for the military academy.