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Anbar Tribes Form Joint Coalition Against ISIS

(Asharq Al-Awsat-UK) Manaf Al-Obaidi - Tribes in Iraq's western-most province of Anbar have announced a new joint coalition to fight the Islamic State. ISIS is in control of approximately 85% of Anbar, Iraq's largest province, with Sunni tribes seeking to form a unified command structure to fight the jihadist group amid anger at a lack of support from Baghdad and the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition. Rafi Abdul Karim Al-Fahdawi, head of the Albufahd tribe, said: "Anbar's tribes have announced a general call to a joint tribal alliance that we are calling Hilf Al-Fudul [League of the Virtuous] in honor of the alliance that was made between various Arab tribes during the era of Prophet Muhammad.... This alliance aims to unite our ranks to fight ISIS which is wreaking havoc in our province." He said more than 3,000 Albufahd fighters had joined the Hilf Al-Fudul. On Tuesday, Iraq's cabinet approved creating a National Guard force, which would fall under the authority of each governorate and comprise local forces, a key Sunni demand. It also approved ending a ban on ex-members of the Ba'ath Party from public service.
2015-02-06 00:00:00
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