Sunni leaders to form anti-insurgent national party

[jmc247]

Source: LA Times

A group of Sunni tribal leaders in Iraq's beleaguered Al Anbar province said Thursday they intend to form a national party to oppose such insurgent groups as al-Qaida in Iraq and to re-engage in Iraq's political process.

The announcement came after 200 sheiks said to represent 50 tribes met here and agreed to form a provincial sheiks council and hold the first convention in May of their new party, called Iraq Awakening. Sheiks from three other provinces will attend, organizers said.

The driving force in the new party, Sheik Abdul-Sattar abu Risha, said in an interview that the tribal leaders would be pushing a slate of candidates in Anbar provincial elections later this year, as well in the next round of national parliamentary balloting scheduled for 2009.

"The terrorists destroyed the network of people and how they communicate and the new sheiks council is here to bring it back and fight the insurgents until they are out of the country," Sheik Sattar said in the interview.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-sheiks20apr20,0,3931359.story?coll=la-home-headlines

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1. Good post

Thank you for this post; it's very encouraging. For me, it is clear that much of the current trouble in Iraq is caused by Al-Qaida taking advantage of a chaotic situation. I've never believed that Sunnis and Shiites would resist occupation or fight each other by suicide bombing of civilian public places. Bombing, yes--but suicide bombing, no. That is a religious fanatical tactic. Getting rid of the Al-Qaida element in Iraq could help the situation a lot.