Thousands of Sunni tribesmen have held year-long demonstrations in Anbar, Diyala, Salahadeen, Mosul, Kirkuk and Samarra provinces demanding the liberation of thousands of political prisoners and an end to the mass expulsions of families from their homes, amongst other things.

Al- Qaeda has exploited the "failed social contract" to fight the Maliki government and Shiite civilians, using car bombing and suicide attacks targeting Shiite markets, cafés, and mosques, causing heavy casualties. According to UN figures, 7,818 civilians and police were killed in 2013, more than double the 2012 death toll. An additional 17,891 were wounded, making 2013 the bloodiest year in Iraq since 2008.

At the end of 2013, Iraqi security forces tried to clear a protest camp in Ramaadi. It provoked an uprising and the security forces had to pull out of both Ramadi and Fallujah.

Some of the Anbar cities are still in the hands of al-Qaeda.

Many al-Qaeda jihadists have entered Syria to fight the regime of Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite who is part of the Shiite sect. Fighters of the State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have launched a campaign to establish a caliphate, a radical Islamic state in parts of Iraq and Syria.

In Syria, al-Qaeda-linked groups have fought among themselves and with the secular opposition, the Free Syrian Army.

In Iraq, Maliki has held off a major assault against the Sunni Islamist militants, presumably to avoid civilian casualties. He called on local tribal leaders to oust al-Qaeda. According to latest press reports, the tribal militia have begun fighting ISI in earnest and have retaken parts of Fallujah. This may not be good news to Maliki, as the tribal leaders are against both ISIL and the Maliki government. This is because Maliki is supported by the United States, and back in 2004, U.S. occupation forces hit Fallujah hard with heavy weapons, killing 600. It was their fiercest offensive since the Vietnam war.

Washington is rushing aid to the Maliki government, including assistance to elite counterterrorism units, and providing Hellfire missiles and surveillance drones.

Finally, it is worth noting that al-Qaeda has been organized and motivated by U.S. policies. Both before and after the 9/11 strikes, Osama Bin Laden, in his fatwa and "Letter to America," listed a number of causes for waging his holy war against the United States: Western support for attacking Muslims in Somalia, supporting Russian atrocities against Muslims in Chechnya, supporting the Indian oppression against Muslims in Kashmir, the Jewish aggression against Muslims in Lebanon, and most importantly, the presence of U.S. troops in the holy land of Saudi Arabia and U.S. support of Israeli oppression of Palestinians.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:http://www.ccgp-fushun.com/opinion/zhaojinglun.htm

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