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Length: 10:44
ANDERSON COOPER: We
begin, however, with one big reason why American
forces and Sunni tribal killers now work side by
side: necessity and a ticking clock. Today, in
Washington, lawmakers heard from the operational
commander in Iraq and Washington's ambassador to
Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN CROCKER, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: If
there is one word that I would use to sum up the --
the atmosphere in Iraq, on the street, in the
countryside, in the neighborhoods, and at the
national level, that word would be fear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Fear.
Beyond that, Ambassador Crocker said that meeting a
September deadline for meaningful progress in Iraq
will be difficult. Crocker did point to progress
against al Qaeda in Anbar Province.
Now, only on 360, tonight, you will see how that is
being achieved. But we want to warn you, you're about
to see war the way it really is.
Here's CNN's Michael Ware.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is
one of America's new allies, the enemy of our enemy,
beating a suspected al Qaeda member, threatening to
kill him. He is part of America's success against al
Qaeda in Iraq, a member of a Sunni militia group
supported by the U.S. to target al Qaeda.
In this operation north of Baghdad, his group -- no
uniforms, their faces covered -- are working
hand-in-hand with local police and army units. And
drawn from insurgent groups and local tribes, these
are fighters who have been killing Americans and now
use some American-supplied ammunition and U.S.
military support to turn on al Qaeda. Enemies of the
U.S., now supported by the U.S.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In
Anbar province, Sunni tribes that were once fighting
alongside al Qaeda against our coalition are now
fighting alongside our coalition against al Qaeda.
We're working to replicate the success in Anbar in
other parts of the country.
WARE: And this is Anbar.
Grainy video, posted two weeks ago, on an Islamist
Web site shows U.S.-aligned militia unloading another
al Qaeda prisoner from a police pickup. The man in
charge asks his prisoner if he killed someone called
Khalid, and then, taunting, tells him to "say hi to
Khalid for me."
Cursing their prisoner, the makeshift firing squad
leads him to a spot near an embankment. And he's
executed.
(GUNFIRE)
WARE: Why would these insurgents and tribesmen turn
on al Qaeda to work with the Americans? The answer:
power, money, contracts and control over their
neighborhoods.
And while few mourn the deaths of al Qaeda fighters
anywhere, summary executions and excessive force by
militias sponsored by the U.S. is not something
American commanders say they condone nor seek.
Brigadier General Mark McDonald.
BRIGADIER GENERAL MARK MCDONALD, MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS
- IRAQ: We do not allow that and we do not encourage
that. We will stop that if we see it.
WARE: That said, the general also says he's not seen
reports of abuses himself. But another senior U.S.
official does say the militia's methods are an ugly
side of the war here in Iraq. Ugly, but effective.
In the militia-controlled areas, al Qaeda has not
been defeated but it's certainly been blunted: the
capital of Anbar reclaimed from its grip and attacks
across the province spectacularly reduced, with
similar signs emerging in other areas.
The successes of the Sunni militias, however, come at
a price. The Shia-dominated government in Baghdad is
not happy, wary of U.S. support for armed Sunni
groups.
"This support scares us," says Hadi al-Amri.
Commanding a powerful Shia militia, he is Iraq's
equivalent to the chairman of the Armed Services
Committee in the U.S.
"Working with these people is very dangerous," he
says. "We told the Americans we won't accept under
any circumstances their being open to arm Sunni
militia, like the Islamic Army of Iraq or the
Brigades of the 1920 Revolution" -- two of the very
groups the U.S. has been courting and supporting.
And this former national security minister, now
heading a parliamentary oversight body, claims the
U.S. is overstepping its authority.
"That these tribes are armed beyond the government's
control might lead to conflict," he says, suggesting
they may be an American counterbalance to a
government accused of links to an Iranian-backed
militia from the Shia community.
LT. GEN. G.C.M. LAMB, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ :
There is nothing that the Multi-National Force, the
Corps, is doing with -- by name, by numbers, by
place, by location, by intent -- that we don't share
with the government of Iraq.
WARE: With few signs of progress from the central
government, America's former insurgent enemies seem
to have given U.S. commanders something the Iraqi
government rarely has, a success story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Michael Ware joins us now from Baghdad, along
with CNN military analyst retired Brigadier General
David Grange.
Michael, it was a fascinating piece.
The strategy of arming Sunnis to fight al Qaeda,
something we have been talking about, you and I have
been talking about, since I first met you in Iraq in
the beginning of all this, it appears to be working
in Al Anbar. Can it be applied to the rest of Iraq?
WARE: Well, can it be applied to the rest of Iraq,
Anderson? The truth is, that's how this country is
run. It's the militias who have the lid on Iraq, not
the U.S. military.
The only problem for the U.S. is that the bulk of
these militias that control most of the territory and
have their hooks into the central government, are
supplied and backed by Iran. What you're now seeing
are the militias that are being backed by the U.S.
This is -- this tells us two things. One, this shows
us a picture of how the war is being fought here in
Iraq and won, certainly in some areas, in America's
name.
The second thing is, this is a foretaste of the
future. When U.S. troops withdraw, it's going to be
militia on militia. And, ultimately, America or its
Arab allies are going to be supporting one side or
the other. And you're looking at the side that they
will support.
COOPER: Well, General Grange, how do we know that
these guys in Al Anbar -- who we're now supporting,
who were once fighting against us -- won't eventually
turn back against us?
BRIGADIER GENERAL DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY
ANALYST: Well, we don't know.
The issue you have here is, is everybody your enemy?
You can't kill everybody in Iraq. So, the idea to get
one of the enemies to turn on one of your other
enemies, tactically, may be OK. But there are some
consequences. And I do believe with the comments of
the American commanders that these things, if known
-- are known -- are not condoned. But it happens not
only with the militias. It also happens with the
Iraqi army, even though it's wrong. But, yes, they
could turn on you. Sure, they can.
COOPER: Michael, Prime Minister Maliki and others in
the Parliament were voicing concerns over the
strategy in your story, saying it could create new
militias, a legitimate concern, but kind of
hypocritical for Shia political leaders, who have
their own militias, to be condemning other militias.
WARE: Absolutely, Anderson.
I mean, government-run death squads have been
operating in this country for pretty much the best
part of two years now. And, yeah, this government
really is just a loose alliance of Iranian-backed
Shia militias themselves. So, it really is the pot
calling the kettle black.
But what their comments highlight is that what they
see is, behind the initial fight against al Qaeda,
America is backing these guys as a balance against
the very government America created and has lost
influence over. That's their fear.
COOPER: General Grange, I want to read you something
that Major General Rick Lynch, a commander in the
south of Baghdad, said about enlisting these guys,
the Sunni insurgents.
He said -- quote -- "I'm not going to go out and
negotiate with folks who have American blood on their
hands."
How should the U.S. military deal with the fact that
some of these Sunnis we're helping do -- I mean, they
have killed Americans?
GRANGE: Well, but the thing is, how do you know who
they are? I mean, how do you know actually who killed
Americans? I mean, no one wants to coordinate and
collaborate with someone that has American blood on
their hands, but I'm not sure how you can sort that
out. I think, in irregular warfare, in unconventional
warfare, you have to collaborate with some groups in
order to be successful. I like the word that Michael
used on balance. You know, it was getting out of
balance with the Shia backed by Iran. You have the
Sunni piece here, backed by Saudi Arabia and others,
that you're working with. The government is somewhat
non-effective right now.
You have al Qaeda as one of the threats that can
reach out and touch us, not necessarily out of Iraq,
but the -- the whole network of al Qaeda. And, so,
that's a bigger enemy. But I think you have to
collaborate with some groups in order to be
successful. I don't know any other way around it.
COOPER: Michael, how likely is it, if there is some
sort of pullout or drawdown or redeployment of U.S.
troops, whatever you want to -- however you want to
spin it or call it, how likely is full-scale civil
war, if that hasn't -- I mean, if we're not already
in a full-scale civil war, just a massive
bloodletting?
WARE: Yeah, I think it's almost guaranteed.
I mean, these guys already are champing at the bit to
start tearing at each other. Indeed, the senior power
brokers within this government, the people who you
generally don't see on TV, we've been talking to
them. And they find it very difficult to mask their
true intentions.
When I ask these Shia militia commanders in the
government, "Are you concerned about a U.S.
withdrawal; are you worried about the violence that
will follow?" they're virtually smiling when they
say: "No. We, the Shia, we're ready. It's the Sunni
who should be worried."
I think that tells you a lot.
COOPER: Michael Ware, appreciate the reporting, as
always, Brigadier General David Grange, your
expertise. Thank you very much, guys.