Maliki Meets New Anbar Awakening Leader
Baghdad, Oct 1, (VOI) – During his meeting with the leader of the Sunni Anbar Awakening Council, Sheikh Ahmed Abu Risha, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stressed his government’s support for the Anbar tribes, a statement released by the premier’s office said on Monday.
“Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, the former leader of the council who was killed last month by the evil people in the world, wrote his name into Iraqi history and took responsibility for fighting terrorism,” read the statement that the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) received a copy of.
“The Iraqi government will continue offering all kinds of support to Anbar tribes, which cooperated with our armed forces in purging Anbar’s land (of militants),” the statement quoted al-Maliki as saying.
Addressing the Iraqi prime minister, the current council leader praised the government’s efforts in backing Anbar tribes despite growing pressures from some Iraqi factions to withdraw support for the tribes.
Sheikh Abdul Sattar was assassinated in a suicide bombing in front of his house in western Ramadi on September 13, 2007, ten days after his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush in a military base situated in the middle of the Anbar desert. The killing took place on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, and on the eve of the first anniversary of the founding of the council and Sheikh Ahmed Abu Risha, brother of Sheikh Abdul Sattar, was named the new leader of it.
Sheikh Abdul Sattar set up the council after his father and six of his brothers were killed by al-Qaeda in 2004 with the aim of weeding out al-Qaeda terrorists from the western province.
A U.S. army statement said on September 16 that coalition forces arrested Falah Khalifa Fayyad al-Jamili, nicknamed Abu Khamees, for his suspected involvement in the assassination. Meanwhile, the self-styled “Islamic State of Iraq” claimed responsibility for the killing in a statement released on September 14.
Amazing that the new leader has had his father and SEVEN brothers killed by al-qaeda.
October 1st, 2007 at 1:25 pmWhen this war is over the Iraqis ought to erect a statue of Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha and stand it up next to Saladin. In front of it place the names of the Iraqi shaheen who stood up to haji and gave their lives for their own freedom.
And something tells me that at some point we’re going to find the heads of the Islamic State of Iraq sitting on pikes on the side of the road…Sunni-style…
October 1st, 2007 at 1:42 pmOur political leaders could take a page out of that book…
October 1st, 2007 at 2:15 pmLet’s see, the top Shiite in the country is meeting with what may be the top Sunni in the country. And they’re both kissin each other’s behinds.
What happened to the alleged civil war, the ones that nobody declared but the Dems? Will the MSM start running Iraq Civil War Over headlines?
October 1st, 2007 at 2:44 pm