Thursday, December 21, 2006
Basra chiefs urge government to end assassinations
Tribal, Security, Politics
Chieftains and notables from Basra have urged the government to put an end to the assassinations and killings in Basra. In a conference held in Basra by the Bani-Tamim Tribe in Basra and attended by chieftains and notables from the governorate, Shaykh Mansur al-Kan'an, chieftain of the Bani-Tamim Tribe and former member of the National Assembly, accused sides affiliated with the government of being behind the assassination of Shaykh Muhsin al-Kan'an. Gunmen killed Shaykh Muhsin al-Kan'an, a Shiite tribal sheik linked to British forces in a drive-by shooting Friday in Basra. The slain cleric was a prominent Iraqi politician and clan leader, and an elected member of the Basra provincial council.
COMMENT: Among the tribes that were opposed to Saddam's regime, the almost one million strong Beni Tamim tribe (sometimes written Timim or Temim) was one of the most important and had the most prominent Sheikhs of all the tribes opposing Saddam Hussein. The tribe was very well armed with various weapons and would support American forces. Sheikh Taleb had used his connections to attempt a coup against Saddam's regime in 1993. Tribal areas of influence are in Baghdad, Baghdad province, al Zubir and al Basrah province. Clans include the al-Suhail in central and southern Iraq near Abu Ghuraib, the al-Turshan centered in the Diyala governorate, the al-Kan'an in the Basra governorate and across the border in the Khuzestan province of Iran. COMMENT ENDS.
