Bomb Kills Top U.S.-Backed Sunni Sheik

Slain Iraqi Cleric Met Bush Earlier This Month, Killing May Discourage Alliances With U.S.

(CBS/AP)  The most prominent figure in a revolt of Sunni sheiks against al Qaeda in Iraq was killed Thursday in an explosion near his home in Anbar province.

Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha was leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, also known as the Anbar Awakening - an alliance of clans backing the Iraqi government and U.S. forces.

CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reports that when Abu Risha chose America to be his ally against al Qaeda, he became a marked man.

Motivated by the murder of his own family members, he took on al Qaeda in the most public way - using a TV commercial to recruit Sunnis for a police force in Anbar that until then, no one would join.

As the region's security improved, he flaunted his elevated status with everyone from Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to GOP presidential hopeful John McCain.

And just 10 days ago, he publicly celebrated with President Bush - the relationship applauded as a model for defeating terrorism.

With the U.S. success in Anbar province showcased in Washington this week, it's hardly surprising that America's enemies would strike back. The question is what impact that will have on U.S. efforts to build similar relationships with the Sunni populations in other parts of Iraq.

Today in Ameriyah, Logan saw first-hand how the same model has turned one of Baghdad's most violent Sunni neighborhoods into a much more peaceful place. Fourteen soldiers were killed in Ameriyah during a recent one-month period. They've gone from that to not having a single attack in the last month, thanks largely to another influential Sunni Sheikh, Khaled al Obeidi - also from Anbar province.

U.S. soldiers mix easily with his gunmen - former insurgents the army now calls "volunteers."

Together they say they've driven al Qaeda from most of Ameriyah, much the same way Sheikh Sattar helped drive them Anbar. When news of today's assasination broke, Sheik al Obeidi said this would not stop him and blamed those working on behalf of Iran.

"They sabotage any project that unites Sunnis and makes them powerful," he said.

If the U.S. can't protect its new-found allies, they risk losing everything they've gained.

In Washington, meahile, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said U.S. forces provideed personal security for Abu Risha -- at one point even parking an M-1 tank outside his house. While U.S forces did train his security detail, Whitman said he currently was being protected by his own people.

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.

A senior member of Abu Risha's group, Sheik Jubeir Rashid, called the assassination a "criminal act" and blamed al Qaeda.


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

In June, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the lobby of Baghdad's Mansour Hotel during a meeting of U.S.-linked Sunni tribal leaders, killing 13 people and wounding 27.

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

[speakinup]

seven-pesos - do I detect a certain amount of moderation in your otherwise venomous posts ? Come on seven-pesos! If you don''t keep acting like a jerk, how can the Republicans count on getting the electoral votes from the good ''ole South.

Now, let''s hear it one more time, with more vim and vinegar.

[seven-pesos]

you can be sure that the white trash south will be sticking with bush...

35% of americans support bush.

you can be sure that that 35% is all found south of the mason dixon line.

rednecks, christian creeps, uneducated southern republican snakes...

oh well, that''''s the south for you, folks!

[speakinup]

"Ah the Widiots[1] speak. Widiot -- an idiot led by W.
Posted by Nancy_Naive

This is a comment I would expect from a liberal. No content, just name-calling. Congrats, Nancy, you are a credit to your party.

[pwrslm]

He was nothing more than a Bush Puppet on a string.
Posted by newster1

LoL

So you knew him? Did he like Chocolate? How many kids does he have? Did he fish?

tell the truth, you have no clue what the guy was about

you just run your mouth so you can look important

it didnt work, you just another salivatating bush hater, you dont have anything worth saying

really, you dont!!

[brianbwb-2009]

"So let me ask you - since you''ve thrown down the gantlet - What do you expect to achieve by complaining about trivia that is happening in a war zone ?" Posted by speakinup

Allow me to interject:

If you consider the loss of human life on the basis of lies trivial, then you would do well in Bush''s cabinet. Bush lied. There should be no "war" zone there.

Why would it matter that the Kurds signed an oil contract with the Hunt family? Posted by speakinup

It matters because the US allows Turkey to invade northern Iraq to destroy what is left of the Kurds, and signing a contract with a party that is not recognized as a sovereign state is pure BS, the Kurds cannot give what they don''t own.

"Why are the lefties so worried about Bush ?" Posted by speakinup

Because our children, and innocent Iraqis are dying as we post, because of his lies.

[nothappyatall]

LOL this is great, the evil one BUSH 666 smirking as he shakes the hand of his puppet-azzwipe-poodle, and now the poodle is DEAD because of his ill advised connection to BUSH and the US. They will eventually learn the hard way that to align yourself over there with BUSH and the USA or help in any way shape or form is an automatic death sentence.

Another Bush azzwipe poodle bites the bigone!!!
stay the course!! stay the course!! lets get ALL of the US backed PUPPET-azzwipe-poodles in the Iraq Govt blown up one by one.

He was nothing more than a Bush Puppet on a string.

[johngress]

"You remember how Bush''''s people went off on Pelosi about her fact finding trip to the Middle East, insinuating that it would hurt our efforts in Iraq? Posted by ibsteve2u

Yeah - I do. Can we help it if Pelousy is too stupid to be effective?

Do you remember how Hillary was going to give us a national medical plan?

Do you remember Hillary doing anything of value for this country ?

Do you know why hillary got her senate job, after he husband pardoned half the drug barrons and Peruto Ricans in jail ?

Do you know how screwed up ibsteve2u is ?

Do you know Hillary is playing hard left right now, and will switch to ''''moderate'''' as soon as she gets the nomination and money from soros ?

Is it any wonder we want a president that will stay the course instead of saying what is politically expedient for the next 15 minutes ?
Posted by speakinup at 07:34 PM : Sep 13, 2007

Lemmings stay the course too, and they follow each other over a cliff. Wise up, speakinup, your in the minority, brainwashed and lobotomized by what you here on the %u201CFar right balanced Faux News%u201D.

[toolmangler-2009]

putting checkers on the board must confuse the heck out of people.
Posted by ibsteve2u at 07:37 PM : Sep 13, 2007


Yeah!! I am having a rough time figuring out when to throw the dice.

[speakinup]

"Re: "You must be hard to play chess with, speakinup. Your constantly putting checkers on the board must confuse the heck out of people."

"Very good. That really paints a picture. Posted by FeelFree1

Not terribly original, but true, it is simple enough for freefeel to get a mental image (and THAT is a challenge in less that 1500 characters)

"You''re too boring to banter with, speakinup. I have no difficulty in predicting what you''ll say before you say it. Posted by ibsteve2u

Interpretation:
"oh she-it, how do I get out of my lies and explaining my screwed up opinions. A person with brains is challenging me for proof, reason, relevancy, and other embarrassing questions. Dang! What would Hillary and bill do ?

"I KNOW, feign stupidity, uh, boredom.

WEll next time you go flappin your finger tips across the keys, stevie, remember people are holding you accountable.

[feelfree1]

ibsteve2u,

Re: "You must be hard to play chess with, speakinup. Your constantly putting checkers on the board must confuse the heck out of people."

Very good. That really paints a picture.

[missingamerica]

You''re too boring to banter with, speakinup. I have no difficulty in predicting what you''ll say before you say it.

[speakinup]

Why stevie, you made a funny! Am here I thought all you whining Bush bashers could do throw tantrums.

So let me ask you - since you''ve thrown down the gantlet - What do you expect to achieve by complaining about trivia that is happening in a war zone ? And, just why is it relevant that Haliburton gave 99% to the Republicans ? And, do you understand that Al Qaeda is sophisticated enough to use the media against us (assuming you are one of us)? Why would it matter that the Kurds signed an oil contract with the Hunt family? Don''t you think Hillary has already proved to the American public she has pushed the peter principle to the nth degree? Why are the lefties so worried about Bush ? Could it be because the only political strategy they have is to try to paint him as the enemy instead of Al Qaeda ? I don''t believe he is running (in case you are too stupid - there are term limits - nothing personal, but a few lefties don''t seem to know this.)

So speak up stevie - you threw the chess analogy out there.

[feelfree1]

perception5,

Re: "..actually the headlines should have read:
".....Killing May (E)ncourage Expedited Sunni Participation With U.S. To Get Rid Of Al Qaeda".

Amost nobody is stupid enough to buy that one- present company excepted.

[speakinup]

bobnjersey - do you know why so many New Yorkers are depressed (besides having the queen bi-ach of the Universe representing them ?

The light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersey.

[missingamerica]

You must be hard to play chess with, speakinup. Your constantly putting checkers on the board must confuse the heck out of people.

[speakinup]

"You remember how Bush''s people went off on Pelosi about her fact finding trip to the Middle East, insinuating that it would hurt our efforts in Iraq? Posted by ibsteve2u

Yeah - I do. Can we help it if Pelousy is too stupid to be effective?

Do you remember how Hillary was going to give us a national medical plan?

Do you remember Hillary doing anything of value for this country ?

Do you know why hillary got her senate job, after he husband pardoned half the drug barrons and Peruto Ricans in jail ?

Do you know how screwed up ibsteve2u is ?

Do you know Hillary is playing hard left right now, and will switch to ''moderate'' as soon as she gets the nomination and money from soros ?

Is it any wonder we want a president that will stay the course instead of saying what is politically expedient for the next 15 minutes ?

[bobnjersey]

[.....actually the headlines should have read:
".....Killing May Incourage Expedited Sunni Participation With U.S. To Get Rid Of Al Qaeda" ... ]
[Posted by perception5 at 06:26 PM : Sep 13, 2007]

what''s incourage mean?

[speakinup]

drummer94

"Cowards die a thousand deaths. The valiant taste of death but once. William Shakespeare

[missingamerica]

You remember how President Bush said that Iraq needed to pass an oil law to "share oil revenues among all of Iraq''s citizens"?

You remember how that oil law became one of the "benchmarks" to be used to judge progress in Iraq?

Did you know the Kurdish part of Iraq created a regional version of such an oil law that the Iraqi oil minister Shahristani believes may represent a de facto Kurdish declaration of independence? And that its upsetting the rest of Iraq?

Did you know that the Sunni dropped their support for a deal on the oil law after the Kurds signed an agreement with Dana Gas of the United Arab Emirates to develop gas reserves?

Did you know the Kurds just signed an oil exploration contract with the Hunt Oil Company of Dallas?

Did you know that Halliburton gave 99% of its political contributions to Republicans in 2004?

Did you know that in 2004 the biggest political donor on Halliburton''s board was Ray Hunt, who is the chief executive officer of the Hunt Oil Company of Dallas?

You remember how Bush''s people went off on Pelosi about her fact finding trip to the Middle East, insinuating that it would hurt our efforts in Iraq?

You notice how quiet Bush & Co. are being about Republican donors who do things that help impede the peace process in Iraq?

[feelfree1]

drummer94,

Re: "Want to have your death warrant signed? Be on tv with the leader of the free world who is attempting to give democracy to folks who can''t understand the concept. Nor do they want to."

If you think that the unelected Bush-puppet is the "leader" of the "free world" and is attempting to give anyone "democracy", then it looks like you are the one who does not understand the concept.