U.S officials say Sunni tribesmen in Iraq’s Anbar province are being drawn to the fight against Daesh in increasing numbers, Reuters reported.
An initial group of 500 Sunni recruits are set to complete training at Taqaddum military base outside the Sunni-majority Anbar province’s capital city Ramadi. A second group of 500 Sunni recruits are to follow in their footsteps.
Taqaddum lies a mere 15 miles from Ramadi, which fell to Daesh in May. Iraqi forces are preparing a major counteroffensive to retake the city.
U.S. officials have estimated a total of around 6,000 Sunni recruits at Taqaddum, according to Reuters. This number is significant alongside the majority-Shiite popular mobilization forces, which have been instrumental so far in the fight against Daesh militants across Iraq.
Despite previous worries that efforts could falter to mobilize Sunni forces, Iraqi and US officials are optimistic. All 500 recruits currently undergoing training at Taqaddum returned from a recent Ramadan break.
“There’s a large (Sunni) population out there that’s … going to wait and see if this takes or not. And these are indications to me that this had taken,” an anonymous U.S. official told Reuters.
Though officials say the U.S. is not directly involved in training operations at Taqaddum, around 400 American troops are stationed at the base, communicating with Sunni tribal leaders.
The Iraqi government is also engaged in efforts to recruit Anbar province Sunnis, providing arms and funds to improve facilities at Taqaddam.
In the past, Anbar province has been a point of sectarianism for the Iraqi army. Sunnis in the province, located west of Baghdad, resented the majority-Shiite government of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and were angered when he ordered troops to clear out a Ramadi protest camp in late 2013.
