Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Tribal leaders killed in Monday's blast named
Security, Tribal
(Voices of Iraq) - Iraqi police sources unveiled on Monday the names of the tribal chiefs who were killed in the suicide bomb attack that targeted al-Mansour hotel in central Baghdad. "The names of (five) tribal chiefs who were killed in the blast are: Sheikh Fesal al-Kaaood, one of al-Bounamr tribe's sheikhs, Sheikh Tareq al-Essafi of al-Bouasaf tribe, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Fahdawi of al-Bofahd, Sheikh Hussein al-Shaalan al-Khezaai of Khuzaa tribe and Sheikh Aziz al-Yaseri of al-Bouyasser tribe," a police source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"A number of tribal chiefs were wounded in the attack, including Sheikh Ali Khaliefa, Sheikh Ryah al-Elwani and Sheikh Daham al-Ubeidi," the source added. A police source said earlier that the death toll from the suicide bomb attack had risen to 12 dead, including six tribal chiefs. The official al-Iraqi satellite television also said that Poet Rahim al-Maliki, a program producer and presenter for the TV channel, was among them.
"The bomber was wearing an explosive belt and blew himself up inside a hall where leaders of clans from the Sunni province of Anbar were meeting," a police source said. A spokesman for the U.S. army said that "preliminary reports assert the killing of six tribal chiefs." Eyewitness said that Iraqi army forces arrived at the scene and arrested the hotel security guards, including policemen.
U.S. and Iraqi forces cordoned off the entire area. The Iraqi parliament strongly denounced the attack on the Anbar tribal chiefs, describing it as a criminal act. The hotel is located in central Baghdad on the western bank of the Tigris River.
"A number of tribal chiefs were wounded in the attack, including Sheikh Ali Khaliefa, Sheikh Ryah al-Elwani and Sheikh Daham al-Ubeidi," the source added. A police source said earlier that the death toll from the suicide bomb attack had risen to 12 dead, including six tribal chiefs. The official al-Iraqi satellite television also said that Poet Rahim al-Maliki, a program producer and presenter for the TV channel, was among them.
"The bomber was wearing an explosive belt and blew himself up inside a hall where leaders of clans from the Sunni province of Anbar were meeting," a police source said. A spokesman for the U.S. army said that "preliminary reports assert the killing of six tribal chiefs." Eyewitness said that Iraqi army forces arrived at the scene and arrested the hotel security guards, including policemen.
U.S. and Iraqi forces cordoned off the entire area. The Iraqi parliament strongly denounced the attack on the Anbar tribal chiefs, describing it as a criminal act. The hotel is located in central Baghdad on the western bank of the Tigris River.
Labels: al-Bofahd, al-Bounamr, Khuzaa tribe, Rahim al-Maliki, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Fahdawi, Sheikh Aziz al-Yaseri, Sheikh Fesal al-Kaaood, Sheikh Hussein al-Shaalan al-Khezaai, Sheikh Tareq al-Essafi
