Michael Yon posted two interesting articles yesterday with the first being relatively short with a video included. (This is a follow up to his piece “Bless the Beasts and Children”)

His second dispatch “7 Rules: 1 Oath” can be found here, and I found this one particularly informative.

Michael attended a meeting in Baqubah with American and Iraqi Commanders but also a group calling themselves the “Baqubah Guardians.” If the initiatives pointed out in the article are followed up by action, this could be an impressive success for the population of this city.

Today Colonel Steve Townsend, the American commander of the 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, presided over a meeting with Iraqi Army officers and former insurgent leaders. The insurgent leaders who seem to be sincerely working toward peace are now collectively referred to as “the Baqubah Guardians.” I was allowed to attend the meeting, but was—understandably—not permitted to photograph or videotape the proceedings.

The rules and oath referred to in the title of this article are all spelled out in the piece itself. My hope would be that if this is successful in Baqubah, it would become a model for the rest of the country.