Michael Yon on The Awakening, live from Hit, Iraq
Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us for our discussion with Michael Yon live from Hit, Iraq. Hit is in Anbar province and we spent a lot of time covering the success in Anbar and the so-called “awakening”. Michael talked at length about the importance and benefits of working with tribal leaders. He mentioned “a very excellent article in Newsweek” on the subject, here it is.
Gathering the Tribes
U.S. field commanders are finally beginning to tap the traditional networks that helped Saddam to stay in power.
Michael told us,
“They’ve (tribal leaders) completely turned against Al Qaeda. They are simply not safe here in Anbar anymore.”
He also said that The Awakening was for the US military, a change of strategy that is paying dividends,
“The Awakening is also an awakening for us…We should engage the tribal leaders. There is true benefit to be reaching out to the sheiks and other spheres of influence.”
The bottom line from Michael,
“A new day is dawning and it looks like a real chance for some kind of success here in Iraq and I can tell you my spirits are substantially lifted just over the period of the last couple of months…I see 2007 is going to be a serious year for progress.”
Of course, he also warned that we need patience, time and good decision making to succeeded. I doubt we get any of the three from Washington.
Michael has been very negative on Iraq at times, including this grim assessment in January, so it was very encouraging to hear his report.
Michael is a truly independent citizen journalist and he needs our support to stay in Iraq and continue his great work.
Michael Yon on The Awakening, live from Hit, Iraq
Michael is a truly independent journalist, fully supported by his readers. If you appreciate this kind of independent, trustworthy reporting from the world’s hot spots, you can support Michael via Pay Pal at his website or by sending a check to,
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Iraq, Michael Yon, New Media, Radio | Kevin | 
May 28, 2007 9:09 pm
Michael, elsewhere today you mention the lack of pay for the IP in Hit. Is that funding supposed to come from Baghdad, or local resources?
[...] If we focus on what is happening in Iraq we see signs that there has been a fundamental shift with Iraqis shunning both al Qaeda and Iranian intervention. The civil war we wanted is here with the Muslim street rising up against Islamo Fascism. Michael Yon reports back from Iraq, after being pessimistic for months, that success is now very possible thanks to the change in allegience coming from the local Sunni Sheiks. And there is now also a conflict within the Shiia community in Iraq to push back on the Iranians: Post-Ba’athist Iraqi politics are undergoing a dramatic change, and the Sadrists and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), formerly known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), are leading the way by bringing a major shift in the balance of power. [...]
HELLO MIKE,
I AM JUST HERE TO ASK IF YOU KNOW MY NEPHEW PFC JOSHUA BROWN..HE IS WITH THE MARINES IN HIT AS A POLICE OFFICER. TELL HIM I LOVE HIM IF YOU DO..I AM KEEPING UP WITH EVERYTHING THE BEST I CAN AND PRAYING FOR YOU ALL. GOD BLESS YOU
HIS AUNT DEB
HELLO MIKE,
I AM JUST HERE TO ASK IF YOU KNOW MY NEPHEW PFC JOSHUA BROWN..HE IS WITH THE MARINES IN HIT AS A POLICE OFFICER. TELL HIM I LOVE HIM IF YOU DO..I AM KEEPING UP WITH EVERYTHING THE BEST I CAN AND PRAYING FOR YOU ALL. GOD BLESS YOU
HIS AUNT DEB