8,800 Sahwa council personnel absorbed into Diala’s security apparatus

August 9, 2009 - 06:25:52 DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq: A total of 8,800 Sahwa council members has been recruited into security and other state departments in Diala, the province’s governor said on Sunday. “On Sunday, a meeting was held at the local administration building in central Baaquba with the participation of the prime minister’s representative for national reconciliation, Zuheir al-Jalaby, and the official in charge of receiving the Sahwa (Awakening) council file from the U.S. army, Maj. Gen. Madhhar al-Moli,” Governor Abdulnasir al-Muntasir Billah said in statements to Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The recruitment of Sahwa personnel will be done by the local administration and Diala’s Operations Command…,” he added. The Sahwa councils are anti-Qaeda fighters working in coordination with the Multi-National Force (MNF) and the Iraqi government. Headed by local chieftains, the councils have been credited with helping reduce violence in many Iraqi provinces, like Anbar, Diala, Ninewa, and Salah al-Din. Baaquba, the capital city of Diala province, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.