Clan Chief Caught Between U.S., Insurgents

[maddezmom]

By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer
23 minutes ago



MAHMOUDIYA, Iraq - For weeks, Sheik Adnan Fahd had been avoiding meeting U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ross A. Brown. Going to see the officer at his base would be extremely dangerous, given the intelligence network of Iraqi insurgents. To invite him to his home would be courting death.

Finally, Brown came north, traveling six miles in a heavily armed convoy of four Humvees for a June 21 meeting in the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad — a strained get-together that summed up the conundrum facing the U.S. military and Sunni Arabs in Iraq.

For the American officer, the objective was to win Fahd's cooperation in the fight against insurgents in Mahmoudiya in an area south of the capital known as "The Triangle of Death."

But for Fahd, a Sunni tribal leader heading a clan of 30,000, the meeting highlighted his double dilemma: He must keep at bay both the insurgents who watch his every move, and the U.S. military that wants his help in persuading militants to lay down their arms.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050628/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_a_sheik_s_dilemma_1

[Oversea Visitor]

1. Now finally some brains at work

Go study your history.

[warrens]

2. Since the U.S. will be gone in a couple of years at most

And the insurgents won't, this seems like a no-brainer.

[uppityperson]

3. Freedom is hard work.

I feel very sorry for people like this. Talk about a rock and a hard place. I know nothing about this person in particular, but feel sorry for all involved with this invasion. There is a lot of politics and manuevering, but I feel really sorry for the people who are just trying to make things better, get by, get adequate food, water, medicine, shelter. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

[magellan]

4. This is the position we've placed Iraqis in

Most of them are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they cooperate with the US, they're targeted by rebels. If they have any link with a rebel group (and understand, these clans are familial, and expansive) the US may well bust their door down one night, trash their home and take everyone away for questioning.

Welcome to Bush** democracy.