By Xinhua
Washington : The United States is reportedly shifting strategy in Iraq, persuading Shiite leaders to put thousands of predominantly Sunnis on the government payroll.
Transferring to Sunnis some control of the Shiite-dominated government, in areas such as police and public works, has taken on a new urgency as U.S. troops begin to withdraw, U.S. officials were quoted Monday by the Los Angeles Times as saying.
The day-to-day commander in Iraq, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, believes that the Iraqi government’s reconciliation with onetime Sunni fighters represents the “primary driver of enhanced security” over the next six months, the report said.
The move marks an important shift in U.S. efforts to bring rival Shiite and Sunni factions together.
In fact, since the start of the U.S. troop buildup early last year, Pentagon officials have been trying to get Sunni and Shiite officials to reconcile, but the effort has largely failed so far, it said.