Bomb kills leading Sunni Sheikh

The most prominent figure in a US-backed revolt of Sunni sheikhs against al-Qaida in Iraq was killed today by a bomb planted near his home in Anbar province, 10 days after he met with US President George Bush, Iraqi and US officials said.

Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha and two of his bodyguards were killed by a roadside bomb planted near the tribal leader’s home in Ramadi, Anbar’s provincial capital, said Col Tareq Youssef, supervisor of Anbar police.

Abu Risha was leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, also known as the Anbar Awakening – an alliance of clans backing the Iraqi government and US forces.

His death deals a sharp blow to American efforts to recruit tribal leaders to fight terror.

No group claimed responsibility for the assassination but suspicion fell on al-Qaida in Iraq, which US officials say has suffered devastating setbacks in Anbar thanks to Abu Risha and his fellow sheikhs.

It’s unclear how his death would affect US efforts to organise Sunnis against the terror network.

“This is a tragic loss,” said Gen David Petraeus, the top US military official in Iraq, in a statement released by his spokesman.

“He was an organising force that did help organise alliances and did help keep the various tribes together.”

Petraeus pointed to success in Anbar province repeatedly during his appearances on Capitol Hill this week, and in a number of press interviews.

Two Pentagon officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on the matter, said the assassination would be a huge setback for US efforts in Iraq, because it sends a message to others who are co-operating with coalition forces or thinking about co-operating against al-Qaida.

During a visit this month 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.”

“I’m looking forward to hearing from the tribal leaders who led the fight against the terrorists and are now leading the effort to rebuild their communities,” Bush said.

“I’m going to reassure them that America does not abandon our friends, and America will not abandon the Iraqi people.”

Abu Risha’s alliance with the US-backed regime in Baghdad drew threats on his life from al-Qaida and other militant groups. However, he had recently begun travelling with fewer bodyguards, as the security situation improved in Anbar.

Within two hours of Abu Risha’s death, Islamic extremist Web sites posted banners praising the sheikh’s killing. One called him “one of the biggest pigs of the Crusaders,” in an apparent reference to US forces in Iraq. Abu Risha would spend Ramadan “in the pits of hell,” another posting said.

But many Ramadi residents reacted to the news of Abu Risha’s death with shock and sadness, calling the sheikh a “hero” who helped pacify their city.

“We were able to reopen our shops and send our children back to school,” said Alaa Abid, 30, who owns an auto parts store in Ramadi. “Now we’re afraid that the black days of al-Qaida will return to our city.”

A senior member of Abu Risha’s group, Sheikh Jubeir Rashid, called the assassination a “criminal act” by al-Qaida, 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,” Rashid said. “Such an attack was expected, but it will not deter us.”

A charismatic figure, Abu Risha was born in 1971 and lived within the walls of a massive compound that houses several villas that were home to him, his son and four daughters and his extended family.

The compound is guarded by a tank, and sits across the street from the largest American military base in Ramadi. Within the walls are camels, other animals and palm trees, which he spent time showing to visitors.

Abu Risha spent full days meeting with tribal sheikhs, discussing the fate of Anbar and al-Qaida.

He was constantly busy, with lines of people waiting to speak to him, and taking endless calls on his cell phone.

He smoked profusely and drank small glass cups of sweet tea perpetually.

He carried a pistol usually stuck in a holster strapped around his waist, and dressed in traditional flowing robes and head-dresses.

He was young, part of a group of sheikhs whose power grew after their elders fled Anbar after other more senior sheikhs were assassinated.

Abu Risha harboured a personal grudge against al-Qaida, who he said had killed several of his close family members.

He said al-Qaida had also tried to kill him numerous times in bomb attacks in Ramadi. He knew they would keep trying, but it did not appear to bother him.

A Ramadi police officer said Abu Risha had received a group of poor people at his home earlier in the day, as a gesture of charity marking the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity out of security concerns, said authorities believed the bomb was planted by one of the guests.

After the bombing, police announced a state of emergency in Ramadi and set up additional checkpoints throughout the city, Rashid said.

Another colleague of Abu Risha, Hamid al-Hayis, said a seven-day mourning period would be observed.

An Interior Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, said a committee would be sent from Baghdad to help Anbar police investigate the attack.

Khalaf said that after the first blast which killed Abu Risha, a car bomb exploded nearby.

“The car bomb had been rigged just in case the roadside bomb missed his convoy,” he said. There were no casualties from the car bomb, he added.

The Interior Ministry swiftly ordered plans for a monument built to honour Abu Risha as a “martyr,” Khalaf said. It would be build either at the explosion site, or at the centre of Ramadi, he said.

It was not the first time Abu Risha and his colleagues have been targeted.

In February, the sheikh escaped an assassination attempt by a suicide bomber.

And in June, another bomber blew himself up in the lobby of Baghdad’s Mansour Hotel during a meeting of US-linked Sunni tribal leaders, killing 13 people and wounding 27.

Among those killed was the former governor of Anbar and sheikh of the al-Bu Nimir tribe, Fassal al-Guood – a key ally of Abu Risha. A day later, al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack.