Sunni fighters need political role

The rise of armed Sunni groups who now battle al-Qaeda in Iraq instead of fighting US troops is widely seen as a major reason for a drop in violence across the country.
But bringing these fighters into the fold of Iraq's security forces and sparking a political reconciliation that will allow more Sunnis to participate in the governing process is something the Shia-dominated government is not adequately addressing, analysts say.
Iraqi officials report the number of fighters in the so-called "awakening" councils as about 70,000 and rapidly growing. They expect the number of Sunni fighters in Baghdad alone to grow to 45,000 next year a fourfold increase from present figures.
By comparison, the Shia dominated army and police make up the majority of the 440,000 Iraqi security forces.
Shia government officials have in recent weeks cautiously praised the fighters for helping reduce violence. But laced into the comments were warnings that represent Shias' biggest fear: that these groups will become an uncontrollable force and eventually use their guns to escalate a sectarian war that has largely divided Iraq into blocs along religious lines.