Word: sunnis
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...Counterinsurgency is all about the people," says Crider. And residents of the predominantly Sunni neighborhood called Dora don't trust the Iraqi government, believing that the Shi'ites who run it are controlled by Iran. They trust the Americans instead. "When you realize they think we are the government then we need to take the initiative. They think if we can launch a missile from the Persian Gulf and destroy Saddam's palaces we can do anything." Like throw a switch and provide 24-hour electricity across the Iraqi capital. They look at us, says Crider, and think...
Saturday's vote may also hail the end to the political deadlock that started last August when the main Sunni Arab bloc pulled out of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government. On Monday a main Sunni bloc said it was prepared to return to Maliki's government, largely as a result of the vote on Saturday. But certain demands remain in place. Chief among them is the release of detainees...
...military currently holds about 25,000 detainees at its facilities in Iraq. More than 80% of the detainees are Sunni, according to the military. Roughly 24,000 other people, mostly Sunnis, are being held in Iraqi jails, where their fate remains uncertain. In December, Maliki's cabinet approved a draft law that could free thousands of these prisoners, many of whom were taken in during counter-terrorism sweeps flowing from surge operations. But the Parliament has yet to decide on the measure...
Salim al-Jubori, spokesman for the Accordance Front, the main Sunni bloc, stressed that resolving the detainee issue is key to coming up with a deal that would allow a Sunni return to the government. So far it does not look good. Speaking about the detainees, al-Jubori said: "This is our main demand. Unfortunately, we are not seeing any kind of flexibility from the government...
...more important step towards bridging the gap would be justice for the thousands of families who lost a loved one to a Shi'ite death squad or a Sunni suicide bombing. Talking about the horrific violence that has gripped Iraq in the past four and a half years - and the decades before that - and bringing those responsible to justice, would be a more meaningful step towards peace and justice than a paycheck or a pension. With reporting by Mark Kukis and Mazin Ezzat/Baghdad