Since 2003, Jurf al-Sakhar (60 kilometers, or about 37 miles, southwest of Baghdad) has been a city whose people volunteer in the Iraqi army, join the Sahwa security forces, conduct bombings or join armed groups, most recently the Islamic State (IS).

Imad Farouq, 22, told Al-Monitor about the region’s population: “The people have been loyal to two contradictory sides, but recently, they are tending toward joining IS.” Farouq quit the government’s Sahwa forces and fled to Latifiyah, south of Baghdad, because he fears, “like many others, the tyranny of IS, which has the support of some in the region for ideological reasons.”

Farouq said, “The main reason why some young people are attracted to IS is because they are looking for jobs and it is easy to join it. IS has opened the door for Sunnis in the area that stretches from southern Baghdad to the outskirts of the city of Fallujah, by providing a good salary.”

Fakher al-Jubouri, a young man from al-Haswah (40 kilometers, or about 25 miles, north of Hillah in Babil province), told Al-Monitor, “Many young people either join the security forces or the armed groups for the purpose of obtaining a monthly income.”