Sahwa councils “propaganda” for PM – official

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: A local official in Diala said on Monday that the sahwa (awakening) tribal councils are nothing but a means of “propaganda” for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. “There is no need to form sahwa councils as the government’s exclusive possession of weapons would be the only option in order to restore the rule of law, security and stability,” Ibrahim Hassan al-Bajlan told IraqiNews.com. Diala province, one of Iraq’s hotspots, has witnessed the establishment of several formations like the Popular Committees, which declared war on al-Qaeda network, and the sahwa councils, usually led by chieftains or tribal notables in the province. According to security officials in Diala, the sahwa councils are unarmed organizations. However, Saad Galloub, Diala’s National Reconciliation Follow-up Committee, said that the members of 13 sahwa councils in Diala have offered much efforts and sacrifices during the past years. “We can never ignore the great role played by these councils in backing the national reconciliation projects and in standing side by side with the government and security forces in order to restore law,” said Galloub. He pointed out that these councils have helped “in the showdown with the armed groups with their tip-offs to the authorities concerned on the names of wanted persons and also in providing security for the displaced families that have returned to their original dwelling places”. Al-Huweish, an area in al-Khalis district, (15 km) north of Baaquba, had seen four days ago a peaceful march of thousands of protesters expressing support for the sahwa councils. Baaquba, the capital city of Diala, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad. AmR (S) 1