Hat tip Strata-Sphere. Over 1,200 Iraqis lined up for hours to sign up to fight al Qaeda.

TAJI, Iraq – More than 1,200 Iraqi males from in and around Tarmiyah stood in line for hours to join Iraqi Security Forces, local sheiks and Coalition Forces in the fight against al-Qaeda and other insurgent militias in Tarmiyah Sept. 12.

Local sheiks and CF from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment reached out to the Iraqi people, asking the citizens of the small town of Tarmiyah to volunteer to defend their homes and neighborhoods against the terrorist insurgency in their town.

This concept of the people standing against al-Qaeda and other insurgents has been dubbed an “awakening,” or the mental realization that the terrorists offer nothing but fear and injustice.

“We really see now how this movement, this awakening movement, has really started to take off,” said Lt. Col. William Prior, commander, 4-9th IN. “Just a flicker at first, it’s turned into a full-fledged flame, not just here in Tarmiyah, but also in other parts of my area.”

Iraq’s people becoming self-sufficient in providing their own peace and security has been an ongoing strategy for 4-9 IN, said Prior.

“The awakening was the local tribal leadership and the local populace deciding that they were not going to let al-Qaeda operate in their area anymore,” said Capt. Jason Pardee, 4-9 IN battle captain. “They took a vested interest in the security of their own city, working closely with Coalition Forces in Tarmiyah.”

Some of the volunteers were previously members of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police, but had stopped working after al-Qaeda moved into their city. Many will work as IA and IP again, and others will become part of the local security neighborhood watch.