Sons of Iraq The National Council for the Awakening of Iraq ( " Al - Majlis al - Waṭaniy li - Inqādh al - ` Irāq " ) , also known as the Sunni Awakening movement ( " Ḥarakat al - Inqādh al - Sunniy " ) Anbar Awakening ( " Inqādh al - Anbār " ) or the Sons of Iraq ( " Abnā ' al - ` Irāq " ) program , are coalitions between tribal Sheikhs in a particular province in Iraq that unite to maintain security in their communities . About . The movement started among Sunni tribes in Anbar Governorate in 2005 to become an ad hoc armed force across the country in less than a year . The awakening fighters in Iraq have been credited by some analysts with reducing levels of violence in the areas in which they operate ; however , the rapid growth of the groups , whose salaries were initially paid for completely by the US military , has also led to concerns about some members ' insurgent pasts fighting against coalition forces and about infiltration by al - Qaeda . Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al - Maliki has warned that the US - armed ' concerned local citizens ' are an armed Sunni opposition in the making , and has argued that such groups should be under the command of the Iraqi Army or police . The Iraqi Defense Ministry has said that it plans to disband the Sunni Awakening groups so they do not become a separate military force . The Iraqi government plans to absorb approximately a quarter of the Awakening groups into security service or the military , but analysts fear what will happen to the remaining three - quarters . The US is urging the Iraqi government to rapidly integrate the fighters into the national security forces . Some experts warn there are similarities between the awakening councils and armed groups in past conflicts that were used for short - term military gains but ended up being roadblocks for state building . In 2009 , some awakening groups threatened to set the streets ablaze and " start a tribal war " after not doing well in elections . Other names . Awakening movements in Iraq are also referred to as : History . In 2005 , the Albu Mahals , a tribe that smuggled across the Syrian border , was being forced out of their territory by the Al Salmani tribe allied with Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia . The tribe proposed an alliance with the local USMC Battalion under the command of LtCol Dale Alford in November 2005 , after being forcibly displaced from their traditional base in Al Qaim , and began receiving weapons and training . In September 2006 , the leader of the movement , Sheik Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al - Rishawi , formed the Anbar Awakening Council also called " Anbar Awakening " to counter the influence of Al - Qaeda in Iraq . Sheik Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al - Rishawi was assassinated along with two bodyguards , by a roadside bomb planted near his home in Ramadi , in September 2007 . His brother , Ahmed Abu Risha , took over as leader , but so far has been unable to unite the various awakening militias . In October 2008 , the Iraqi government took over from the American military the responsibility for paying 54 , 000 members of the Awakening councils . Many of the Awakening fighters put little trust in the Iraqi government to help employ them . " I consider the transfer an act of betrayal by the U . S . Army , " said one Awakening member in response to the transfer . Work in Iraq . The groups are paid by the American military and the Iraqi government to lay down their arms against coalition forces , patrol neighborhoods , and to fight against other Sunni insurgents . The US military says the groups help it target Al - Qaeda in Iraq more precisely and avoid collateral damage . " The Washington Post " writes the awakening groups have caused al - Qaeda in Iraq to soften its tactics in an effort to regain public support . Al - Qaeda in Iraq has condemned the groups for fighting insurgents and for standing by the “ filthy crusaders ” . Some members of the awakening groups are former insurgents , and some awakening members have been killed by former awakening members in suicide bombings . Sheiks who work with the awakening movement also frequently face killings which originate from outside the movement . The Government Accountability Office , the audit arm of the United States Congress , has warned that the groups have still " not reconciled with the Iraqi government " and that the potential remains for further infiltration by insurgents . Disbanding . The Iraqi Defense Ministry has said that it plans to disband the Awakening groups so they do not become a separate military force . " We completely , absolutely reject the Awakening becoming a third military organization , " Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul - Qadir al - Obaidi said . Al - Obaidi said the groups also would not be allowed to have any infrastructure , such as a headquarters building , that would give them long - term legitimacy . The Iraqi government has pledged to absorb about a quarter of the men into the Shiite dominated military and security services , and to provide vocational training to the rest of the members of the Awakening groups . The Iraqi Interior Ministry has agreed to hire about 7 , 000 men on temporary contracts and plans to hire an additional 3 , 000 ; however , the ministry hasn ' t specified the contract length or specific positions for the men to fill . Deborah D . Avant , director of international studies at the University of California - Irvine , said there are ominous similarities between the awakening councils and armed groups in past conflicts that were used for short - term military gains but ended up being roadblocks for state building . According to Ramzy Mardini , an Iraq expert at The Jamestown Foundation , " the rise of the Awakening councils may risk reigniting the Jaysh al - Mahdi " . On February 22 , 2008 , Muqtada al - Sadr announced that he will extend his ceasefire on his Jaysh al - Mahdi militia . But according to Mardini , the uncertainty facing the Awakening movement ' s status may cut that ceasefire short . Mardini suggests that if the movement ' s demands are not satisfied by Iraq ' s central government , the U . S . ' surge ' strategy is at risk for failing , " even to the point of reverting back to pre - surge status " . Those demands include that Awakening fighters be incorporated into Iraq ' s security forces , having permanent positions and payrolls . In August 2008 Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al - Maliki offered 3 , 000 of the 100 , 000 Sons of Iraq members jobs in Diyala in hopes that it would lead to information about militants in the area . Other members of the paramilitary were used in the Diyala Campaign . In March 2009 , the leader of the Awakening Movement in Fadhil , Baghdad , was arrested on allegations of murder , extortion and " violating the Constitution " . Adel al - Mashhadani was accused of being the Fadhil leader of the banned Baath Party ' s military wing . His arrest sparked a two day gunbattle between Awakening members and government security forces . In November 2009 he was convicted and sentenced to death for murder and kidnapping . By June 6 , 2012 , about 70 , 000 members of the group had been integrated into the Iraqi Security Forces or given civilian jobs , with 30 , 000 continuing to maintain checkpoints and being paid a salary by the government of around $ 300 per month . On January 29 , 2013 , Iraqi officials said they would raise the salaries of Awakening Council fighters , the latest bid to appease Sunni anti - government rallies that erupted in December , 2012 . Some 41 , 000 Awakening Council fighters are to receive 500 , 000 Iraqi dinars ( $ 415 ) a month , up from 300 , 000 dinars ( $ 250 ) . Governorate elections in 2009 . Several political parties formed out of the Awakening movements contested the Iraqi governorate elections , 2009 . The Iraq Awakening and Independents National Alliance list won the largest number of seats in Anbar governorate .