An Al-Qaida group in Iraq claimed on Friday responsibility for
the killing of a Sunni tribal Sheikh on Thursday, al-Jazeera
English TV channel reported.
The report said that the self-styled Islamic group called the
killing of Abdul Sattar Abu Risha a "heroic operation." Its
statement could not be authenticated, but it was posted on a main
Islamist Web site.
The Sunni tribal Sheikh Abu Risha, who is backed by the US and
Iraqi government to fight the al-Qaida network in Iraq was killed
in a roadside bomb attack Thursday.
The roadside bomb detonated near the home of Abu Risha in the
Ramadi City, the capital of Anbar province, a police source told
Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The blast killed Abu Risha, his aide and two of his bodyguards,
according to the source.
As the head of the Anbar Awakened Council, an alliance of Sunni
tribes in Iraq's western province of Anbar province, Abu Risha had
converted to a helpful force fighting al-Qaida in Iraq.
Last week, Abu Risha attended meeting with President George W.
Bush and Iraqi officials in the Anbar province during the Bush
surprise visit to a US military base in Iraq's western province of
Anbar.
Sunni Arab leaders and US forces in Anbar province vowed in the
day to keep fighting al Qaida while a funeral was held for Abu
Risha.
(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2007)
