Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Anbar Awakening Sheik in assassination attempt
Tribal, Security
(Reuters) - A tribal leader in Abu Ghraib west of Baghdad was the target of an attack on Tuesday involving two blasts that killed his son and wounded at least one more person, relatives and a provincial official said. Sheikh Thahir al-Dari's son was killed in a double car bombing, and there were several more casualties, said Ahmed al-Dulaimi, head of the provincial council media office in Anbar.
However a relative of the sheikh, who is a member of a group of tribes who have formed an alliance against al Qaeda, said the son was killed when a rocket propelled grenade hit the car he was in. Another person was wounded in the car. Dari is the head of the al-Zobaie tribe, to which Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zobaie belongs. The deputy prime minister was the target of an assassination bid last week.
Suicide bombers have targeted a number of tribal leaders in the anti-Qaeda alliance amid a growing struggle in Anbar between the militant group and tribes who oppose it. Zobaie was wounded in last week's attack at his home in Baghdad. An aide said that suicide bomber was one of his own guards and said the tribe was itself divided between those loyal to the government and those supporting al Qaeda. Zobaie's office said on Tuesday he had recovered and might be discharged from the U.S. military hospital later on Tuesday.
However a relative of the sheikh, who is a member of a group of tribes who have formed an alliance against al Qaeda, said the son was killed when a rocket propelled grenade hit the car he was in. Another person was wounded in the car. Dari is the head of the al-Zobaie tribe, to which Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zobaie belongs. The deputy prime minister was the target of an assassination bid last week.
Suicide bombers have targeted a number of tribal leaders in the anti-Qaeda alliance amid a growing struggle in Anbar between the militant group and tribes who oppose it. Zobaie was wounded in last week's attack at his home in Baghdad. An aide said that suicide bomber was one of his own guards and said the tribe was itself divided between those loyal to the government and those supporting al Qaeda. Zobaie's office said on Tuesday he had recovered and might be discharged from the U.S. military hospital later on Tuesday.
COMMENT: There have been several attacks on tribal leaders who have turned against Al-Qaeda. These are likely to continue. However, most of the tribal leaders have had enough of Al-Qaeda and large civilian casualties caused by them as well as loss of their own family members and are likely to continue fighting against them. Their cooperation with Iraqi and U.S. security forces has strengthened the coalition and encouraged many young men to join the security forces in their areas. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Abu Ghraib, al-Zobaie tribe, Anbar Awakening, Sheikh Thahir al-Dari
