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U.S. analyzes ways to reward tribes for help

BAGHDAD — The U.S. military is exploring creative ways to offer financial support to tribes and organizations that have turned on al-Qaida or want to protect their neighborhoods.

The U.S. military’s goal is to encourage the tribes, many of which include former insurgents, to join Iraq’s army and police forces.

Tribes throughout Iraq have shown an increasing willingness in recent months to oppose al-Qaida. They often refuse to work with the Shiite-led government but may be looking for help in return for broader cooperation.

“You’re not going to see a company commander just pull a wad of money out of his pocket,” said Brig. Gen. John Campbell, deputy commander of the U.S. division in Baghdad. “We can’t miss this opportunity.”

Lt. Col. Rick Welch, a division staff officer who works with tribes, said the military is establishing regulations to quickly provide tribes with aid. Welch cited several options under consideration:

• Security contracts. The U.S military has tentatively decided it can hire a security company composed of tribesmen or other groups to protect a building or other site, as long as the group is licensed by Iraq’s Interior Ministry.

• Medical assistance. When some Sunnis in the Amariyah section of Baghdad recently clashed with al-Qaida militants, the U.S. military provided medical help to wounded fighters, Welch said.

• Cash payments. Rewards have been offered for intelligence tips. Condolence payments could also be made to tribesmen who were killed while fighting.

American officers have encouraged Iraq’s government to expedite the process of bringing tribes into Iraq’s security forces by waiving some usual requirements.

In the Abu Ghraib area of western Baghdad, 900 members of two tribes, including a Shiite group, are set to receive accelerated entry into the Iraqi police force. The recruits will receive a shortened training course and must agree to attend the full police academy later.

“The [Iraqi] government approved this,” Welch said.

The U.S. military has worked to soothe Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s concerns that tribes are creating militias outside the realm of government. The U.S. military does not provide arms to the tribes, which usually have guns anyway. Iraqi law allows each household to have one AK47 rifle.

“We’re not arming anybody,” Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the No. 2 ranking U.S. officer in Iraq, said in a recent interview. “They’re already armed.”

Al-Maliki issued a statement Friday saying the government would establish a committee to supervise initiatives to support tribes. He said he did not oppose the U.S. strategy as long as it was done within a government framework.

The trend began in Anbar province, a Sunni insurgent stronghold west of the capital where dozens of tribes have turned on al-Qaida, and has recently spread to Baghdad.

Welch acknowledged that some Americans remain wary of supporting the tribes.

“Not all in the coalition are thrilled to be working with people that we have fought, who are responsible for killing U.S. soldiers,” he said.