Sunnis use US to fight AQI before fighting Shiite-controlled government, Salon
September 7, 2007 8:45 am Sunni Insurgents Fight al-Qaeda in Iraq, IraqBush’s new friends: The Sunnis | Salon, September 5, 2007
Steven Simon, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, says the sheiks are telling U.S. leaders what they think they want to hear. “They are not going to go to the U.S. commanders and say, Lets strike a deal because I want you to strengthen me so that when the time comes, I can go after the Shiites,” Simon said dryly. “For tactical reasons, you tell your benefactor whatever you need to tell your benefactor.”
By strengthening Sunni groups the United States could be helping to set the stage for a full-blown, if more balanced sectarian conflict, rather than a slaughter of the Sunnis by the Shiites if conflict spreads.