The Overreach's Long Arm

clipped from www.longwarjournal.org Soldiers in Bravo Troop are certain some of those joining the Iraqi Provincial Volunteers were actively fighting US soldiers just months ago, and sometimes this is confirmed by the biometric data. The region is by no means fully secured. The sheikhs are being approached by neighboring tribal leaders for support, wishing to model their success. The Sunni sheikhs are looking to support the Shia leaders just north of Yusifiyah who have tired of the Mahdi Army influence. Just as many Sunnis rejected al Qaeda’s presence, some Shia are looking to eject the Mahdi Army. When the security situation deteriorated in 2005 and 2006, many of the Shia turned to the Mahdi Army for protection. And like al Qaeda, the Mahdi Army has overreached by imposing its strict version of Shia Islam and interfering in local business with criminal enterprise.