BAGHDAD, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. military transition official said the Iraqi government plans to integrate a grassroots security force into official security or civil service programs.
Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik said the Iraqi government will eventually take control of a grassroots security force known as Concerned Local Citizens that operates under the Sunni-led Anbar Awakening councils, the American Forces Press Service reported.
"The government of Iraq is very much a part of the program, and at some point … they will run this program," he said.
Dubik said the group evolved from a local patrol force to a sizable unit manning various checkpoints throughout the country and providing U.S.-led forces with intelligence on militant groups and the locations of weapons caches.
The 70,000 member citizens group is currently funded by coalition forces, but Dubik said the Iraqi government is targeting some members of the group for transfer into the Iraqi police or military forces, with the majority funneled to civil service positions.
Dubik said that Iraqi government reconciliation teams established a three-tiered system to vet members of the group for various government positions.
"Once a person is vetted through those three levels, his nomination is moved to the Ministry of the Interior, the MOI hires that person for a 90-day temporary contract, then a person is hired permanently," Dubik said.
