Key sheik in revolt on Al Qaeda killed

BAGHDAD - A Sunni Muslim tribal leader who was one of the highest-profile US allies in Iraq was killed in a bomb blast yesterday, an assassination that could undermine US attempts to recruit former foes to stabilize the country.

Sheik Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha was killed 10 days after meeting President Bush during Bush's one-day visit to Anbar Province, in western Iraq.

The sheik had become a symbol of the military's effort to turn one-time enemies into partners to oppose insurgents and militias. Police in the provincial capital, Ramadi, said a bomb planted outside Abu Risha's sprawling desert compound tore apart his vehicle, killing the sheik and at least two bodyguards.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on radical Islamic groups loyal to Al Qaeda in Iraq, which used Anbar Province as a base until sheiks led by Abu Risha last year began denying them safe harbor. A message posted on a website used by such groups applauded the attack. "Good-bye Abdul Sattar, and book a place for Bush whom you received in your filthy house," it said. "Did he help you this time? Could he prevent the Islamic State soldiers from reaching you?"

The killing came on the heels of General David H. Petraeus's testimony to US lawmakers earlier this week trumpeting Anbar Province as a model of security that could serve as an example to other regions of Iraq. Based in part on experience in Anbar Province, Petraeus said he believed the United States could begin reducing its military presence in Iraq soon.

The assassination appeared certain to raise questions about the ability of the United States to persuade tribal leaders in the rest of the country to follow Abu Risha's example. That strategy is considered key to providing the level of security needed to decrease US troop levels.

"It's a kick in the backside to the American effort, no doubt about it," said retired Army General William Nash, now at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Nash said that while the assassination could harden the resolve of some Iraqis to expel insurgents, others might decide it is too dangerous to cooperate with US and Iraqi forces. In either case, he said the United States will face new pressure to protect those whom it tries to recruit.

"The United States owes the folks who have tried to work with it the resources necessary to protect themselves," Nash said.

Details of security in place around Abu Risha's home were not clear. Months ago, at the start of Abu Risha's dealings with US forces, an American tank was positioned in front of the walled compound on the edge of Ramadi, about 60 miles west of Baghdad. Pentagon officials in Washington said US forces no longer were providing protection for Abu Risha.

Within the compound walls, Abu Risha maintained several houses for members of his family, guards, and loyalists. He kept a pen for animals, including a gazelle, and held court inside a large meeting hall, watched by young men with AK-47s.

Abu Risha, a slim man who wore flowing robes and a large diamond ring, also kept a ranch with camels and horses near his home. Major Muhammad Alwani of the Ramadi police said Abu Risha was headed there when the blast occurred at about 3:30 p.m., about 150 feet from his home. "The vehicle was destroyed completely. Their bodies were torn to pieces," Alwani said.

Police said the blast targeted Abu Risha. They declared a state of emergency in Anbar Province and a seven-day mourning period.

Reactions from some quarters indicated the potential the killing had to derail prospects of reconciliation in Anbar Province.

One of Abu Risha's relatives, who refused to be identified, suggested that someone from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government might have been involved in the attack. Maliki has been reluctant to embrace the US policy of forging alliances with those who once supported Sunni insurgents, for fear they will turn their guns on his Shi'ite-led government.

Late yesterday, Maliki's office released a statement praising Abu Risha for his "heroic stand against terrorists" and saying the attack "carries the fingerprint of Qaeda."

A member of the Anbar Salvation Council that Abu Risha founded, Ali al-Hatam, told Arabiya TV: "We will counter this crime soon, and it will be tough this time."

In Washington, Pentagon officials said they were confident that the efforts of the sheiks in Anbar Province would continue. "He has ignited a movement that will outlive him," said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell. "There will be other brave and courageous sheiks who will step into the leadership void that has been created."

Mahir Dhafir, a Shi'ite living in Baghdad's Karrada neighborhood, said Abu Risha "represented the true spirit of Iraq and its people, far from religion, ethnicity or sectarianism. . . . People like him gave us hope for a better future."

Amir Rami, a Sunni living in western Baghdad, agreed. "I don't think he's an angel, but he really did what no one else was able to do, which is unify the people around him and purge his province from the threat of Al Qaeda," said Rami. "It's a shame he had to go so soon."