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Baghdad, Iraq In recent weeks, the self-styled Islamic State has inched toward Baghdad, putting Iraqs army and government under increasing pressure and challenging their ability to preserve any semblance of a cohesive Iraqi state.

Backed by Western airpower, the Shiite-dominated security forces and the Kurdish peshmerga are fighting back against the Sunni jihadists.

But when it comes to reversing the dramatic IS victories in Sunni areas, some leaders of Iraqs influential tribes say they could prove a vital counterforce, at least until a proposed Iraqi national guard becomes a reality.

Sheikh Wasfi al-Asi, who heads a tribal council opposed to the IS, estimates that more than 20,000 tribesmen are now either in training or already fighting IS alongside Kurdish or government forces across Iraq.

The number of volunteers is growing as a result of the negative conduct of IS in (their) areas, he says. But he stresses that regiments need to receive arms, salaries, and supplies in order to carry on.

Formed Aug. 6 and endorsed by the government in September, the tribal council groups some of the largest tribes of Iraq including Al-Jubbur, which is scattered through central and northern Iraq and has Shiite members in the south. Mr. Asi belongs to the Al-Obaidi tribe, named after a noble family that traces its lineage to the Muslim prophet Muhammad.

So far, tribal regiments helped Iraqi forces retake several towns in Diyala Province in the east, where Al-Obeidi, Al-Jubbur, and Al-Azze tribes are engaged, and seize a strategic a border crossing to Syria. In Anbar Province, where IS has recruited among Sunni Arab tribes, four tribes are now fighting alongside Baghdad's forces. They have managed to protect the countrys second largest dam but lost an army base near Hit in fighting that sent 180,000 Iraqis fleeing, according to the UN.

They dont have the upper hand but they (the tribes) can play a very important role if decision makers know how to play the tribal card to achieve reconciliation, says Wathiq al-Hashimi, director of the Al-Nahrein Center for Strategic Studies in Baghdad.

The influence of Iraq's Arab tribal confederations has been waning for decades, particularly since Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003. In the 1990s, Hussein cut deals with powerful tribes inrestive provinces like Anbar to avoid possible threats to his rule.Iraqi analysts and sheikhs say he was skillful at tapping the power of the tribes.After the 2003 US invasion brought Shiite Islamist parties to power, they tried to reduce the influence of Sunni triballeaders, viewing them as allies of the former dictator.

Iraqs largest tribes stretch from north to south, and only a few are made up of a single sect or ethnic group. This diversity, tribal leaders insist, could be instrumental in bridging the country's crippling ethnic and sectarian divides, provided the government can harness their power.

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Could Iraq's tribes provide the glue that keeps the country from falling apart?