U.S.: Iraqi calm binds sectarian strife

ARAB JABOUR, Iraq, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- The work of local Iraqi security forces is bridging the divide between the Sunni and Shiite groups in diverse communities south of Baghdad.

Yassen Hussein, a Sunni living in Arab Jabour, said he is pleased to see his Shiite neighbors returning to the community, the American Forces Press service reported Wednesday.

"(The insurgents) killed both sides to make a problem," he said.

A member of the security unit, Sons of Iraq -- formerly Concerned Local Citizens -- said the insurgent uprising stoked the divisions between the two sects living in Iraq.

U.S. officials credit the Iraqi security group with bringing about improvements in the security in the predominately Sunni area of Arab Jabour.

Since the improvement in the security situation in Iraq, the relationship between the Sunni and Shiite "has been a total 180," one U.S. military official said.