WASHINGTON – Majorities of Iraqi youth in Arab regions of the country believe security would improve and violence decrease if the U.S.-led forces left immediately, according to a State Department poll that provides a window into the grim warnings provided to policymakers.
The survey – unclassified, but marked “For Official U.S. Government Use Only” – also finds that Iraqi leaders may face particular difficulty recruiting young Sunni Arabs to join the stumbling security forces. Strong majorities of 15- to 29-year-olds in two Arab Sunni areas – Mosul and Tikrit-Baquba – would oppose joining the Iraqi army or police.
As Iraqi leaders try to diversify the ethnic and religious backgrounds of their security forces, the department’s opinion analysis said that Arab Sunnis may be particularly hard to recruit.
In Arab Sunni areas, “confidence in the Iraqi army and police is low, and majorities oppose enlisting in either force,” the analysis said. “Even recruitment in Arab Shia areas could present challenges as sizable numbers of local youth express support” for local militias, “thus clouding the issue of loyalty to national forces.”
The analysis was headlined “Youth In Iraq’s Arab Sunni Regions Not Eager to Enlist in National Army, Police” and highlighted views from those areas.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
