Iraqi Sheik

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com --- 6 days ago
Hope was in the air in February when the U.S. Marines turned security responsibility for the city of Hit back to the Iraqis. The Marines and the Iraqi security forces had wrested control of the Euphrates River Valley community away from insurgents. Now the local government, backed with advice and money from the U.S., could begin improving the lives of Hit residents, repairing damage done by decades of neglect under Saddam Hussein and then months of bloody fighting with insurgents. The optimism has proved misplaced. Instead, according to Marine and State Department officials, the Americans have gotten a lesson in the tangled alliances between local officials, Sunni sheiks, oil smugglers and remnants of the insurgency movement. The Americans quickly concluded that the mayor, police chief and one of the region's dominant sheiks were corrupt. The mayor owns two palaces formerly owned by Saddam's family. He visits Lebanon frequently and boasts about enjoying the company of women selling their favors on a retail basis. The U.S. succeeded in having the police chief arrested and replaced. The Sheik fled. But the mayor persists. An arrest warrant was quashed by the governor of Anbar province. "He's Iraq's version of Tony Soprano," says Col. Patrick Malay, commander of the 5th Marine Regiment, whose area of responsibility includes Hit. "He has a goon squad to muscle people with AK-47s." Unable to dislodge the mayor, the U.S. has withdrawn m ...

Source: www.salon.com --- 50 days ago
Hospital officials say a truck bomb has wounded at least 15 people near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Local police say the bomb was planted near the house of a Sunni Sheik, Abdul-Razaq al-Waqaa, who had turned against al-Qaida. Police say 40 people were wounded in the blast nea... ...

Source: theerant.yuku.com --- 130 days ago
Sheik Ali Hatem of the Iraqi Sunni Awakening Council: Al-Qaeda Members Are Scum. It Is Permissible to Kill Them ...

Source: www.aawsat.com --- 71 days ago
BAGHDAD, (AP) - Iraqi police say the head of Saddam Hussein's tribe has been killed by a bomb that was planted on his car. Sheik Ali al-Nida was the head of Iraq's al-Bu Nasir tribe, a large Sunni ...

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com --- 102 days ago
BAGHDAD — Shiite groups brokered a reported cease-fire Saturday with militants fighting U.S. and Iraqi forces in Baghdad's Sadr City as the country's army launched an offensive in Mosul against al-Qaida's main bastion in Iraq. Sheik Salah al-Obeidi, an aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, said the cease-fire will go into effect Sunday. The cease-fire may not necessarily end the seven-week old clashes in Sadr City, the stronghold of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, as U.S. military has blamed clashes on breakaway groups. The bulk of the 60,000-strong Mahdi Army is not believed to have participated in the clashes. Instead the violence is blamed on splinter groups that have refused to honor a general cease-fire ordered by al-Sadr last August. Al-Sadr has directed his supporters to only fight when attacked. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh expressed support Saturday for efforts aimed at "achieving order and security in Sadr City." "The agreement represents the government's vision to end armed displays and purge al-Sadr City from roadside bombs and mines and impose the law in the city," al-Dabbagh said in a statement. "Iraqi security forces are the only force to achieve this and the government has the right to raid and search any place suspected of possessing heavy or medium weapons," al-Dabbagh said. "The government is also committed to chase all wanted people under the supervision of the prime minister. ...

Source: www.stltoday.com --- 71 days ago
An incredible story out of Iraq's Anbar province from the New York Sun: "Iraqi Sheik Offers To Take Fight to Bin Laden" : The leader of the tribal confederation that has fought to expel Al Qaeda from most of Iraq's Anbar province is offering… ...

Source: www.bostonherald.com --- 71 days ago
BAGHDAD - The head of Saddam Hussein's tribal clan was killed Tuesday by a bomb that had been planted on his car, Iraqi police said. Sheik Ali al-Nida was the 65-year-old... ...

Source: www.army.mil --- 36 days ago
An Iraqi police applicant performs pull-ups during the physical fitness test portion of the application process in Sheik Amir, July 8, 2008, as Iraqi and coalition forces observe. ...

Source: www.charlotte.com --- 47 days ago
Gunmen on a motorcycle assassinated an official of Iraq's biggest Shiite party Friday in the southern city of Basra, police said. Sheik Salim al-Dirraji was gunned down in the Hayania district, which had been a stronghold of the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr until a security crackdown last spring. Al-Dirraji was a local official of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the leading rival of al-Sadr's party within the Shiite community. ...

Source: www.charlotte.com --- 33 days ago
Iraqi troops deployed in large numbers during Friday prayers in the Baghdad district of Sadr City, where Shiite militiamen used to control the streets. There were no reports of violence. Iraqi soldiers took up positions on top of buildings around the office of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose followers hold prayers there and use the occasion to criticize the American-backed government. Two military helicopters hovered overhead as Iraqi army Humvees patrolled. Thousands of worshippers gathered to hear a sermon by Sheik Mohanned al-Mousawi, an al-Sadr ally who complained about arrests of the cleric's supporters by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces. However, Al-Mousawi urged restraint in keeping with a truce that ended fighting in Sadr City in May after a crackdown by the Iraqi military. "We call on all brothers to be up to the responsibility and be committed to our leader's orders," al-Mousawi said. Al-Sadr has lived in Iran for more than a year, deepening the uncertainty over the future of his militia, the Mahdi Army. ...

Source: www.charlotte.com --- 29 days ago
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama traveled to a former hotbed of the Sunni insurgency on Tuesday for talks with tribal leaders who joined the fight against al-Qaida in Iraq and now seek a deeper role in Iraq's political future. Obama, wrapping up his stop in Iraq, gathered with leaders of the so-called Awakening Council movement in Ramadi, one of the main cities of the western Anbar Province where al-Qaida once had the upper hand against embattled U.S. and Iraqi troops. Tribal sheiks last year began an uprising against insurgents that is credited with uprooting extremist strongholds and helping bring violence around Iraq to its lowest levels in four years. The meetings came near the end of Obama's two-day stop in Iraq, where he held discussions with Iraqi leaders on possible troops withdrawal initiatives and was briefed by top U.S. military commanders. He is scheduled to travel next to Jordan for talks with King Abdullah. Obama sat in an ornate gold-colored chair next to the Anbar governor, Maamoun Sami Rashid al-Alwani. He also met with Sheik Ahmed Abu Risha, the older brother of Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, a leader of a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq who was killed in Ramadi in September 2007. An Iraqi flag was draped behind them. A spokesman for the Anbar province, Jamal al-Mashhadani, said Obama's talks included further efforts to battle al-Qaida in Iraq and Awakening Council demands for a greater voice in Iraq ...

Source: www.charlotte.com --- 31 days ago
A U.S. Embassy official said Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama arrived in Iraq on Monday where he will meet with commanders and troops in a war he has long opposed. Obama was expected to meet Gen. David Petraeus as well as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki while in the country, although aides provided few details, citing security concerns. Obama arrived as part of a congressional delegation that also included Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., following stops in Kuwait and Afghanistan. The delegation met Sunday in Kuwait City with Kuwait's emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, and other senior officials, the Kuwait News Agency reported. All three are longtime critics of the U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq. Obama has called for withdrawing American troops at the rate of one or two brigades per month, and an end to combat operations within 16 months. He has said he favors leaving a residual force in the country to provide security for U.S. personnel, train Iraqis and counter attacks by al-Qaida. The delegation arrived amid controversy over al-Maliki's published comments in a German magazine that appeared to endorse Obama's 16-month timetable. The Iraqi leader's aides have since said his remarks were misunderstood, and he is not taking sides in the U.S. election. Obama's trip occurred less than four months before the presidential election. It is Obama's second trip to Iraq, but conditions are quite ...

Source: amyproctor.squarespace.com --- 66 days ago
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Source: www.nysun.com --- 72 days ago
WASHINGTON — The leader of the tribal confederation that has fought to expel Al Qaeda from most of Iraq's Anbar province is offering his men to help gin up a rebellion against Osama bin Laden's organization along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. In an interview, Sheik Ahmad al-Rishawi told The New York Sun that in April he prepared a 47-page study on Afghanistan and its tribes for the deputy chief of mission at the American embassy in Kabul, Christopher Dell. When asked if he would send... ...

Source: clipmarks.com --- 33 days ago
clipped by: missjackson Clip Source: www.usatoday.com BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi soldiers took up positions on rooftops and military helicopters hovered overhead Friday in a show of strength in a Baghdad district where Shiite militiamen once ruled the streets. There were no reports of violence. The heavy deployment in Sadr City coincided with Friday prayers held by followers of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who often use the occasion to criticize the American-backed government. Thousands of worshippers gathered to hear a sermon by Sheik Mohanned al-Mousawi, an al-Sadr ally who complained about arrests of the cleric's supporters by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces. But al-Mousawi urged restraint in keeping with a truce that ended fighting in Sadr City in May after a crackdown by the Iraqi military. "We call on all brothers to be up to the responsibility and be committed to our leader's orders," al-Mousawi said. Al-Sadr has lived in Iran for more than a year, deepening the uncertainty over the future of his militia, the Mahdi Army. ...

Source: www.kentucky.com --- 33 days ago
Iraqi soldiers took up positions on rooftops and military helicopters hovered overhead Friday in a show of strength in a Baghdad district where Shiite militiamen once ruled the streets. There were no reports of violence. The heavy deployment in Sadr City coincided with Friday prayers held by followers of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who often use the occasion to criticize the American-backed government. Thousands of worshippers gathered to hear a sermon by Sheik Mohanned al-Mousawi, an al-Sadr ally who complained about arrests of the cleric's supporters by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces. But al-Mousawi urged restraint in keeping with a truce that ended fighting in Sadr City in May after a crackdown by the Iraqi military. "We call on all brothers to be up to the responsibility and be committed to our leader's orders," al-Mousawi said. Al-Sadr has lived in Iran for more than a year, deepening the uncertainty over the future of his militia, the Mahdi Army. ...

Source: www.kentucky.com --- 15 days ago
Gunmen killed a senior leader of a U.S.-allied Sunni group and six of his guards in an ambush south of Baghdad, a group member said Tuesday. Roadside bombings also killed another person and wounded a dozen Tuesday, in a second consecutive day of bombings in the capital. Unknown gunmen attacked the convoy of Sheik Ibrahim al-Karbouli in Youssifiyah on Monday, said the group member who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears for his own security. The Sheik was a senior leader of the so-called awakening council in the town, which is a former al-Qaida stronghold about 12 miles south of Baghdad. Al-Qaida has frequently mounted reprisal attacks against awakening councils because of their success in cutting into support for the terror movement among Iraqi Sunni Arabs. Police also discovered the bodies of three awakening council members who were abducted several days ago, police Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir said. ...

Source: www.kentucky.com --- 50 days ago
Iraq's foreign minister said Tuesday that the country has little choice but to sign a new security agreement with the U.S. that would let American troops stay in the country after a U.N. mandate expires. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari recently returned to Iraq after meeting with President Bush in Washington to discuss the agreement, which has been criticized by many Iraqi officials worried it would leave too much power in U.S. hands. But Zebari told parliament that the only other options were to extend the U.N. mandate that expires at the end of the year or continue without a formal agreement, neither of which holds much appeal to Iraqis. He said an agreement would last one or two years and urged Iraqi officials to finalize it by the end of July. Meanwhile, a truck bomb planted near the house of a Sunni Sheik who had turned against al-Qaida killed one person and wounded 25 others near the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday, said Brig. Khalid Abdul-Sattar, police spokesman in Niniveh province. He said Sheik Abdul-Razaq al-Waqaa was among the injured. ...

Source: mediamatters.org --- 26 days ago
In a July 24 New York Times article , Michael Cooper reported that in an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, Sen. John McCain falsely asserted that the 2007 U.S. troop surge "began the Anbar Awakening." But while noting McCain's falsehood and that it occurred during the interview, Cooper did not point out that CBS News did not actually air the falsehood; indeed, in the clip aired during the July 22 broadcast of the CBS Evening News , the falsehood had been expunged, and in its place were three separate statements made by McCain spliced together, one of which responded to a different question from the one Couric asked that resulted in the Anbar falsehood. Cooper wrote that "Mr. McCain bristled in an interview with the 'CBS Evening News' on Tuesday when asked about Mr. Obama's contention that while the added troops had helped reduce violence in Iraq, other factors had helped, including the Sunni Awakening movement, in which thousands of Sunnis were enlisted to patrol neighborhoods and fight the insurgency, and the Iraqi government's crackdown on Shiite militias. 'I don't know how you respond to something that is such a false depiction of what actually happened,' Mr. McCain told Katie Couric, noting that the Awakening movement began in Anbar Province when a Sunni Sheik teamed up with Sean MacFarland, a colonel who commanded an Army brigade there. 'Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that Sheik an ...

Source: www.kentucky.com --- 102 days ago
Shiite militants agreed on a ceasefire in Baghdad's embattled neighborhood of Sadr City, an aide to a high level cleric said Saturday, holding out hope that weeks of clashes in the capital could be at an end. In the northern city of Mosul, an Iraqi army commander announced the start of a long anticipated offensive against al-Qaida in Iraq's last urban stronghold. Sheik Salah al-Obeidi, an aide to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, said the cease-fire will go into effect Sunday. The cease-fire may not necessarily end seven-week-old clashes in Sadr City, the stronghold of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. The U.S. military has blamed clashes on groups who broke away from the main organization. It remained unclear who will abide by the cease-fire deal. It is not believed that the bulk of the 60,000-string Mahdi Army has participated in the clashes, but mostly just splinter groups that have refused to honor a general cease-fire ordered by al-Sadr last August. Al-Sadr has directed his supporters to only fight when attacked. ...