Key Sunni ally of U.S. assassinated

[Henny]

Key Sunni ally of U.S. assassinated
Story Highlights
Sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Reesha killed by roadside bomb, officials say

Abu Reesha led Anbar Salvation Council

Group worked with coalition forces against al Qaeda in Iraq

President Bush met with sheik earlier this month
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A key Sunni sheik who united with U.S. forces to fight al Qaeda militants in Iraq was assassinated Thursday in a roadside bomb attack, officials said.

Sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Reesha, 39, was head of the Anbar Salvation Council, a coalition of tribes that has been working with the U.S. military to counter al Qaeda militants in Sunni-dominated Anbar province.

The afternoon attack near the sheik's home in Ramadi killed two bodyguards and wounded five other escorts, Ramadi police and Interior Ministry officials said.

The Anbar Salvation Council, funded and supported by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, was formed last year.

Abu Reesha was one of several Sunni leaders who met with President Bush during his surprise visit to Anbar on September 3. In a photograph taken during the six-hour visit, a smiling Bush is seen shaking hands with the sheik.

Bush has repeatedly cited successful efforts to bring Anbar tribesmen over to the coalition's side in the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq as evidence of overall success by the U.S. military in Iraq. Since the Sunni sheiks began cooperating with the U.S. military, violent attacks have significantly decreased in Anbar, once a hot-spot for al Qaeda attacks.

Bush is expected to reiterate Anbar's success in a major address to the nation Thursday night.

Abu Reesha was a prime target for al Qaeda militants and other terrorist groups because of his visible alliance with the U.S. coalition.

Ramadi police are on full alert, Col. Tareq al-Thibawi said.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
 
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/09/13/iraq.killing/index.html?eref=googletoolbar 

[sirs]

But Iraq isn't a center spot for the war on terror           

[Richpo64]

So is this a good thing for the Democrats?

[sirs]

So is this a good thing for the Democrats?

Well, obviously it's Bush's fault, so ergo, probably

[Michael Tee]

As usual, Rich and sirs completely miss the point.  The "Anbar Awakening" the supposed shining example of the surge's "success," is actually a textbook lesson in what happens to Iraqi traitors - - support the invasion and pay the price.  It is the same lesson taught by the French Resistance to the Vichy collaborators.  It's a lesson that in Iraq won't require too much repetition.

[sirs]

As usual, Rich and sirs completely miss the point.  The "Anbar Awakening" the supposed shining example of the surge's "success," is actually a textbook lesson in what happens to Iraqi traitors - - support the invasion and pay the price.  

And as ususal, Tee is about as fast as any Anti-American can be, in claiming how anyone who dares support the idea of Feedom & Democracy for all of Iraq, and risks their life in that pursuit are literally traitors, where folks like AlQeada are the good guys.       

[Xavier_Onassis]

Freedom and democracy. Yeah, that's the ticket.

It is amazing the amount of horsecrap you ratwingers manage to bring your feeble selves to believe.


Had Juniorbush actually believed in democracy, he would have conceded the presidency to Al Gore, who got more votes.

[Amianthus]

Had Juniorbush actually believed in democracy, he would have conceded the presidency to Al Gore, who got more votes.

Last time I checked, the only votes that counted in a US Presidential election are the electoral college votes.

And Bush got more of those.

Or did the previous three presidents that won the electoral college but not the popular vote not believe in democracy, either?

[Michael Tee]

<<And as ususal, Tee is about as fast as any Anti-American can be, in claiming how anyone who dares support the idea of Feedom & Democracy for all of Iraq, and risks their life in that pursuit are literally traitors, where folks like AlQeada are the good guys.>>

So the Sunni sheiks (tribal leaders) of Anbar Province "support the idea of Freedom & Democracy for all of Iraq?"  Holy fucking shit, when did this startling change in philosophical outlook occur?  They supported Saddam Hussein right up to his death and continued the fight against U.S. forces until very recently.  Suddenly they acquire a shitload of U.S. arms and ammo and now they support "Freedom & Democracy for all of Iraq."

LMFAO.  That's hilarious.  Perhaps sirs could dig up an example of a tribal leader's speech to his tribesmen where he explains that "Freedom & Democracy" oblige all of them to accept an Iraq ruled by its majority Shi'ites.  Or better yet, that the position of tribal chief from now on will be an elective office, and nominations are now open for it.

BTW, yeah, I would say that anyone who supports foreigners invading their country is a traitor.  That seems to fit the definition.

<<.  .  .  where folks like AlQeada are the good guys.>>

Well, now I don't even get mad any more when you lie about me or what I said.  I realize how pathetic you crypto-fascists really are, how full of shit, and how your positions are so obviously devoid of fact and logic that you have to make up shit to support them otherwise your ridiculous statements and opinions would look obviously ridiculous even to your own dumb selves.  People in this group who have a little more respect for the truth than someone like you will ever comprehend, will recall the comments I made when BT posted an article relating to an Al Qaeda torture manual.  No, I did not say the al Qawda were the good guys.  That of course is one more of your big fucking lies.  But it's really OK - - I'm used to them by now.

[Henny]

Iraqis vow to fight al Qaeda after sheikh's death
Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:09am EDT
RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Sunni Arab Iraqis and U.S. forces in Anbar province vowed on Friday to keep fighting al Qaeda after the assassination of a tribal leader who worked with Americans to create one of Iraq's few security success stories.

Abdul Sattar Abu Risha was killed in a bomb attack on Thursday near his home in Ramadi, provincial capital of what was once one of Iraq's most dangerous areas.

"All the tribes agreed to fight al Qaeda until the last child in Anbar," his brother, Ahmed Abu Risha, told Reuters.

Abu Risha, who met U.S. President George W. Bush less than two weeks ago, led the Anbar Salvation Council, an alliance of Sunni Arab tribes that worked with U.S. troops to push Sunni Islamist al Qaeda out of much of the vast desert area.

Ahmed Abu Risha was named as the council's new head hours after the death of his charismatic, chain-smoking brother, who wore flowing white and gold robes as he shook hands with Bush.

"The killing of Sheikh Abu Risha will give us more energy ... to continue confronting al Qaeda members and to dispose of them," said Sheikh Rashid Majid, a leader of the al-Bufahad tribe in Ramadi.

"But his murder will make us more cautious, because the reason for the killing of Abu Risha was careless security. We are 90 percent sure that al Qaeda is behind the assassination."

Many ordinary Iraqis agreed. "All of Anbar owes this man, he offered security and stability," said 45-year-old Mohammed Hussain Ali from Ramadi.

Iraq's national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, Defence Minister General Abdel Qader Jassim and Lieutenant-General Raymond Odierno, second in command of U.S. forces in Iraq, joined about 1,500 mourners at Abu Risha's funeral amid tight security.

VIOLENT BACKLASH

"Revenge should be made quickly," mourners chanted as the coffins of Abu Risha and two bodyguards, draped in Iraqi flags, were carried to the cemetery. "We will chase the killers."

Abu Risha was buried in the same Ramadi cemetery as his father and brother, both of whom were shot dead in the past two years. Another two of his brothers were kidnapped in Ramadi in the past three years and their whereabouts remain unknown.

"By killing Abu Risha al Qaeda wants to shut down the voice of Iraqi tribes. The heads of the tribes will continue to fight al Qaeda and we will support them," Rubaie told Reuters.

Abu Risha set up the Anbar Salvation Council last year as local Sunni tribal leaders became tired of the indiscriminate killings by al Qaeda and their harsh interpretation of Islam.

Once the heart of Iraq's Sunni Arab insurgency and the most dangerous region of Iraq for U.S. troops and Iraqis, it is now relatively safe after he helped persuade young men to start joining local police forces to secure their own neighborhoods.

Bush, in a speech on Thursday in which he promised a limited troop reduction from Iraq by next July, praised Abu Risha's bravery and pointed to the improved security in Anbar as evidence that U.S. strategy was making headway.

"He was a significant figure, there's no doubt about it. I'm sure this is a loss," said Major Jeff Poole, a U.S. military spokesman in Anbar.

"What he started, it can't be stopped. We've gone too far. I think the council will move forward," he said.

Many in Anbar predicted a backlash after Abu Risha's death.

"The reaction will be violent against al Qaeda, who want to kill all of our tribal leaders, the police and army," said Mohmmed al-Fahdawi, a police lieutenant-colonel in Ramadi.

"We have decided not to be merciful toward anyone who sympathizes with al Qaeda because it is either us or them."

Fahdawi said police and the military would launch "a big offensive" against al Qaeda strongholds on the outskirts of Ramadi and in Falluja, Khaldiya and other remote areas.

"The reaction will be fierce," said Assad Khaldon, a 40-year-old teacher from Falluja.

(Additional reporting by Waleed Ibrahim and Aws Qusay in Baghdad)

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL1477322720070914?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

[sirs]

Uh oh....this sure puts a dent into Tee's AlQeada freedom fighters trying to take out those sinister collaborators

[Michael Tee]

They may have already gotten the message, despite what they say in public.  It's basically a good idea for them to keep up the flow of arms from the Americans.  But in case they didn't get the message the first time, it's a pretty simple one that can be repeated as often as needed for it to sink in.  Same thing with the French Resistance - - the first killing of a collaborator didn't put a stop to collaboration.  But towards the end, the collaborators were frantically tripping over one another in their rush to join the Resistance.  The French had a word for it - - "11th-hour Resistants," those who joined up at the end.

[sirs]

Cool, AlQeada is equivalent to French Resistance fighters, fighting the Nazis.   Priceless   

[Michael Tee]

<<Cool, AlQeada is equivalent to French Resistance fighters, fighting the Nazis.   Priceless >>

Uh, no, not exactly.  There are some important moral distinctions to be drawn between the two.  But if it helps you to think of them as equivalent, in order to understand the dynamics of occupation and resistance, by all means feel free to do so.  Later on, as you acquire some maturity in your outlook (developing, say, to the level of the average nine-year-old schoolboy) we can explore where the two begin to diverge.

[Lanya]

BAGHDAD ? Although Bush administration officials have frequently lashed out at Syria and Iran, accusing it of helping insurgents and militias here, the largest number of foreign fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq come from a third neighbor, Saudi Arabia, according to a senior U.S. military officer and Iraqi lawmakers.

About 45% of all foreign militants targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia; 15% are from Syria and Lebanon; and 10% are from North Africa, according to official U.S. military figures made available to The Times by the senior officer. Nearly half of the 135 foreigners in U.S. detention facilities in Iraq are Saudis, he said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-saudi15jul15,0,3132262.story?coll=la-home-center