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Jihadis in Iraq lose some Sunni support

Until recently, many of the Sunni Arab tribes in Anbar and local insurgent leaders collaborated with Islamic extremist groups whose funding and manpower is thought to come largely from abroad. They had a common goal: drive out the Americans. But in Anbar Province, an insurgent hotbed that borders Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, U.S. and Iraqi officials say they have a new ally against the Al Qaeda-inspired terrorists: local Sunni tribal leaders like Jadaan and home-grown Iraqi insurgents.

Sheikh Osama al-Jadaan, head of the influential Karabila tribe in Sunni Arab-dominated western Iraq, is more politician than traditional sheikh these days. He`s given up his Arab headdress for a pinstripe suit with a silk handkerchief in his breast pocket. He`s also turned away from supporting Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi and other foreign fighters in Iraq. Mr. Zarqawi`s indiscriminate killing of innocent Iraqis has alienated many of his erstwhile Iraqi allies.

"We realized that these foreign terrorists were hiding behind the veil of the noble Iraqi resistance," says Mr. Jadaan. "They claim to be striking at the U.S. occupation, but the reality is they are killing innocent Iraqis in the markets, in mosques, in churches, and in our schools." Analysts say the participation of Sunni Arabs in the December elections, and the tripling of that sect"s seats in parliament, has convinced local leaders like Jadaan that political participation can bear fruit, such as infrastructure, jobs, and an end to U.S. military operations in their cities.