Iraq Embed: Abu Ghraib

NOVEMBER 2008 - Abu Ghraib area. Bravo-Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, Stryker Task Force "Gimlets". Reconciliation with the enemy, in partnership with the Iraqi Security Forces and provincial governments to bring about lasting peace and stability. Key challenge is the Sons Of Iraq (S.O.I.). Previously known as Concerned Local Citizens, the S.O.I. and Awakening groups are made up of local citizens who support Coalition and Iraqi Security Force operations by serving as auxiliary police forces and manning checkpoints.

These groups are often made up of people who previously passively supported or even participated in the insurgency but have decided to work with the Coalition and the Iraqi Government. This prior support for the insurgency is part of the reason why there is a persistent mutual mistrust between the Sons Of Iraq and the Iraqi Government.