Awakening councils want political voice

RAMADI, Iraq, June 18 (UPI) -- The Sunni Awakening movement is positioning itself as a political force in Iraq but faces challenges in a crowded arena, U.S. officials say.

The Sunni Awakening movement gave rise to the paramilitary force Sons of Iraq, credited in part with bringing relative calm to the country. Now the group struggles to redefine its image as a group of urban sheiks to a more technocratic political force, the official newspaper of the U.S. Armed Forces, Stars and Stripes, said Wednesday.

To emerge as a political force, it will need to expand its influence beyond its base in the western Anbar province and convince the predominately Shiite population it is a contender, the newspaper said.

"I think they understand they're going to be in the opposition to start," said Marine Maj. Adam Strickland, a military planner for governance in Iraq.

The group faces opposition from the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party, which holds several seats in the Anbar provincial council. But with security seen as a benchmark of political performance, U.S. officials see current ground conditions as a sign of the Awakening council's strength.

"If things continue to improve, people are going to attribute that to whoever is in power," said reconstruction official Navy Lt. Cmdr. Marc Lederer. "If they don't, people are going to blame whoever is in power."