BAGHDAD, April 2 (UPI) -- The Iraqi government Thursday took over responsibility for all Sons of Iraq forces, the volunteer civilian security group, a U.S. Army official said.
A ceremony marked the coalition forces' passing command of Salahuddin province's approximately 10,000 members to the Iraqi Army officials, the U.S. Defense Department said in a release.
"Working with the Iraqi government, we are taking a population that was separate, integrating them into the new Iraq, and providing hope through a transition into meaningful employment," U.S. Army Col. Jeffrey Kulmayer, chief of reconciliation for Multinational Corps Iraq, said. "With the transfer of [Sons of Iraq] to Iraqi control completed, we are now focusing on the transition of SOI to jobs."
The Sons of Iraq began in 2006, emerging from a grassroots movement known as Sahwah, or "The Awakening," in which local citizens banded together to counter terrorists and insurgents. Coalition forces credit Sons of Iraq with helping to reduce violent attacks and terrorists' influence across the country.
In 2007, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki approved a plan for the government to take control of the Sons of Iraq, pay them, and move members into meaningful, long-term jobs.
