BAGHDAD — During an Aug. 6 meeting, the Sunni Iraqi Forces Alliance took steps to determine the fate of the Sunni community for the post-Islamic State period. The representatives called for the formation of a council to take the lead in the Sunni-dominated provinces and to establish bylaws.

Although the Sunni forces’ statement did not explicitly state the intention to form a Sunni region, it was received by politicians and the Iraqi public as a mobilization to revive the project of a region that includes all Sunni-dominated provinces: Anbar, Ninevah, Salahuddin, Kirkuk and Diyala. This understanding has been confirmed by Sunni Salahuddin Gov. Ahmed al-Jabouri, who spoke to the media Aug. 9 about “some Sunni politicians’ actions to establish a Sunni region.”

Hisham al-Suhail, a parliament member for the National Iraqi Alliance and Chairman of the Commission for Accountability and Justice, offered a Shiite point of view. He told Al-Monitor that the step by the Sunni forces aims “to divide [Iraq] into regions, which does not serve the country’s unity. The meeting it held aimed to mobilize the leaders who speak on behalf of the Sunni Arabs in order to bridge the gap between them, and with the tribal sheikhs, religious scholars and businessmen in the Sunni areas to prepare for the project of the [Sunni] region.”

Amid the different views regarding the Sunni forces' objectives, some will question the sustainability of regions similar to Kurdistan Regional Government that could be established in the post-IS phase. One must also wonder how these regions could finance themselves should they become independent from Baghdad, which would undoubtedly cut off their funding. There also would be a US objection to consider, as the United States tends to favor a unified Iraq. US Vice President Joe Biden has stressed that Washington supports the unity of Iraq.