BAGHDAD — Iraqi officials have begun recruiting thousands of Sunni fighters on the government payroll, supplying weapons to other volunteer tribal fighters and pledging millions of dollars in aid to restive Anbar province as they try to beat back extremist Sunni jihadi militants.

The militants are battling for control of mainly Sunni areas west of Baghdad in a key test of the Shiite-led government’s ability to maintain security more than two years after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

But the push to expel the jihadis – members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, until recently al-Qaida’s powerful affiliate in Iraq – is complicated by divisions among the tribes that form the social fabric of the besieged city of Fallujah and other parts of Anbar, raising questions over whether the government needs to make a bigger investment to win over Sunni skeptics.

Many in the Sunni province of Anbar, whatever their views on the militants, harbor deep resentments stemming from years of perceived discrimination, government neglect and a lack of access to civil service jobs that are the backbone of the Iraqi economy.

“The problem in Anbar goes far beyond funds or services. It is a problem of mistrust and marginalization,” said Sunni lawmaker Hamid al-Mutlaq.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government nonetheless has begun spending more on the minority Sunni community, particularly after militants seized control of Fallujah and other areas in the province six weeks ago.

The United Nations refugee agency estimates that as many as 300,000 Iraqis have been displaced because of insecurity in Anbar.

Iraqi officials have pledged at least $20 million to cover immediate aid needs, according to government spokesman Ali al-Moussawi. They have also provided weapons to tribesmen fighting the militants and promised that their families will receive the same state benefits as fallen soldiers if they are killed.

The Iraqis are reviving the Sahwa, the Sunni tribal militias that joined U.S. troops against al-Qaida at the height of the Iraq war and were credited with helping turn the tide against the insurgency.

Al-Maliki’s adviser for reconciliation and Sahwa, Amer al-Khuzaie, said authorities have recruited 4,000 Sahwa fighters in Anbar, 9,000 in areas around Baghdad and another 1,500 in the northern flashpoint town of Tuz Khormato since the current unrest began in late December. They are being paid the equivalent of about $430 a month.

Other tribesmen who have volunteered to fight alongside government forces are being given weapons from the caches of security forces, he said. Those volunteers aren’t being paid, however, because doing so would require additional bureaucracy and government budget allocations, and it is unclear if they are interested in long-term Sahwa service, he said.

Some influential tribal leaders like Ahmed Abu Risha, whose brother led the formation of the original Sahwa until his assassination in 2007, still see value in fighting the militants despite political differences with the central government.

“Our top priority now is to fight al-Qaida. After we finish this battle, we will ask the government to meet our demands,” he said.

Some 23,000 former Sahwa fighters who are loyal to him were integrated into the Iraqi security forces and are now prepared to take on the extremists in Anbar, Abu Risha said. But he warns they are no match for their better armed adversaries, who he says have longer-range heavy machine guns and are using local civilians as human shields.

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