Prominent Anti-Qaeda Sheik Killed
By AP/DAVID RISING
(BAGHDAD) — The most prominent figure in a U.S.-backed revolt of Sunni sheiks against al-Qaeda in Iraq was killed Thursday by a bomb planted near his home in Anbar province, 10 days after he met with President Bush, police and tribal leaders said.
Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha was leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, also known as the Anbar Awakening — an alliance of clans backing the Iraqi government and U.S. forces. The death of the charismatic young sheik, who was 36 or 37, dealt a blow to American efforts to recruit tribal leaders to fight the terror network.
Abu Risha and two of his bodyguards were killed by a roadside bomb planted near the tribal leader's home in the provincial capital of Ramadi, said Col. Tareq Youssef, supervisor of Anbar police.
The White House, preparing for Bush's Iraq speech to the nation Thursday night, called his death an "unfortunate and outrageous act," but said it was not a setback because other sheiks have said the killing would not deter them from working with the United States against al-Qaeda. It also said it believed al-Qaeda in Iraq was responsible.
No group claimed responsibility for the assassination but suspicion fell on al-Qaeda in Iraq, which U.S. officials say has suffered devastating setbacks in Anbar thanks to Abu Risha and his fellow sheiks. "This is a tragic loss," said Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, in a statement released in Washington by his spokesman. "It's a terrible loss for Anbar province and all of Iraq. It shows how significant his importance was and it shows al-Qaeda in Iraq remains a very dangerous and barbaric enemy. He was an organizing force that did help organize alliances and did help keep the various tribes together."
Petraeus went before Congress this week to testify about progress in Iraq, including the recent success in Anbar.
During a visit Sept. 3 to al-Asad Air Base, Bush hailed the courage of Abu Risha and others "who have made a decision to reject violence and murder in return for moderation and peace." On Thursday, Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said Abu Risha "was one of the first to come forward to want to work with the United States to repel al-Qaeda."
"Remember, al-Qaeda was killing some of the sheiks' children and, in one instance, severed several heads from young children and put them in a cooler to deliver to the sheiks," Perino said. "This is the type of enemy that we're dealing with."
She said that while the death was not a setback to the U.S. efforts in Anbar, U.S. officials would "have to redouble our efforts to work with the local populations to get the support they need to prevent other such murders."
It was not the first time that Abu Risha has been targeted. A suicide bomber tried and failed to kill him on Feb. 19. That same day, gunmen ambushed a minivan on the main highway from Baghdad to Anbar and killed all 13 passengers who were accused of opposing the largely Sunni al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Abu Risha had recently begun traveling with fewer bodyguards as the security situation improved in Anbar.
Within two hours of his death, Islamic extremist websites praised his killing. One called him "one of the biggest pigs of the Crusaders," in an apparent reference to U.S. forces in Iraq. Abu Risha would spend the holy month of Ramadan "in the pits of hell," another posting said.
Many Ramadi residents reacted with shock and sadness, calling Abu Risha a "hero" who helped pacify their city. "We were able to reopen our shops and send our children back to school," said Alaa Abid, who owns an auto parts store in Ramadi. "Now we're afraid that the black days of al-Qaeda will return to our city."
A senior member of Abu Risha's group, Sheik Jubeir Rashid, called the assassination a "criminal act" by al-Qaeda, and said some of Abu Risha's security guards were being questioned.
"It is a major blow to the council, but we are determined to strike back and continue our work," he said. "Such an attack was expected, but it will not deter us."
