By RICHARD A. OPPEL JR.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An analysis of preliminary results released yesterday from the Dec. 15 parliamentary election suggests that in contrast to the remarkable surge in Sunni Arab participation in the political process, the Sunnis still have comparatively little representation in the Iraqi security forces.
The indication is troubling because Sunni Arabs, who are about 20 percent of Iraq's population, came out in greater numbers largely as a response to the recent domination of the government by Shiites and Kurds. In particular, Sunni Arabs say they fear that the security forces will be used against them.
U.S. military commanders say it is crucial in Iraq to build an army representative of Iraq's ethnicity and that the alternative is to risk the consequences of Shiite and Kurdish forces' trying on their own to pacify insurgent hotbeds dominated by Sunni Arab militants.
It has been suspected that Sunni Arabs are severely underrepresented in the new military and police forces. Election officials believe that a special tally from the Dec. 15 vote helps to detail the disparity, mostly because voting in Iraq has almost completely been along ethnic and sectarian divisions.
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