- Abdul Sattar Abu Risha
Infobox Person
name = Abdul Sattar Abu Risha
caption =
birth_date = 1972
birth_place =
death_date =September 13 ,2007
death_place =Ramadi
other_names = Abdul Sattar Buzaigh Hisham al-Rishawi, Sheikh Sittar
known_for = "Anbar Awakening" - opposingal-Qaeda in Iraq
occupation =Sunni Tribal Chief inAl-Anbar Abdul Sattar Abu Risha ( _ar. عبد الستار أبو ريشة) - Sheikh Abdul Sattar Eftikhan al-Rishawi ad-Dulaimi الشيخ عبد الستار افتيخان الريشاوي الدليمي - (born 1972 –
September 13 ,2007 ) was the leader of an alliance ofIraq i SunniArab tribe that opposedal-Qaeda in Iraq , and son of the chief of the 160,000 strong Albu Risha clan, a subset of the Dulaim tribe, the largest and most important tribe in Iraq. He was assassinated, shortly after becoming an ally of the Iraqi government through forming an organisation of fellow tribal chiefs called the "Sahawat al-Anbar" or the Anbar Awakening Council based in Anbar's provincial capital ofRamadi , some convert|70|mi|km west ofBaghdad .Leader of the Anbar Awakening Council
During the early part of the insurgency following the
2003 invasion of Iraq , as al-Qa'ida's fighters tightened their grip on Ramadi, it is reported that they became increasingly repressive and challenged the tribal leaders' power. Soon they were kidnapping and beheading innocent people as part of a campaign of extortion and intimidation. Fact|date=September 2007"We began to see what they were actually doing in Anbar province. They were not respecting us or honouring us in any way, their tactics were not acceptable." - Shaykh Abdulsattar, March 2007
During the late summer of 2006 Shaykh Abdulsattar began enlisting his fellow shaykhs in "Sahawat al-Anbar" and encouraging members of his tribe to join the local police force. Since June 2006 they have contributed a reported 1,300 members to the Ramadi policeFact|date=January 2008. Many of the new newly friendly leaders are believed to have at least tacitly supported the
insurgency in the past, though al-Rishawi said he never did. His movement, also known as theAnbar Awakening , now counts 41 clans from Anbar, though al-Rishawi acknowledges that some groups in the province have yet to join. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/25/AR2007032500600.html Sunni Sheiks Join Fight Vs. Insurgency] Washtington Post,March 25 ,2007 ]Sheikh Abdulsattar Abu Risha discussed and persuade Anbar Sheikhs to Stopped fighting the American army and expel and fighting al-Qa'ida, persuaded the shaykhs of Anbar clans of Albu Nimr and Albu Fahd and Albu Mahals and Albu Assaf and Albu Issa.
Shaykh Abdulsattar Abu Risha with 60 thousand man from his tribe, in 40 days expelledAl Qaeda from Anbar.Early life
Little is known about Abu Risha's life prior to the war. He reportedly ran a construction and import-export business with offices in
Amman ,Jordan andDubai ,United Arab Emirates . [Turning Iraq's Tribes Against Al-Qaeda] Abu Risha was the grandson of an insurrection leader against British occupying forces in 1920 and the son of an insurrection leader against British forces in 1941. [History of iraq/Tony Lbrman /21 ]Abu Risha his goal was establishment Sunni federalism in western Iraq, included some areas in
baghdad andBabil province where his tribe forming the majority.Death
Abu Risha was assassinated on
September 13 ,2007 with three of his guards by an explosive pack on the road near the gate of his house in Ramadi.His funeral attracted thousands of mourners.
Several dozen people were arrested in connection with Abu Risha's death including the head of the security detail that was supposed to protect the sheik. [http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_ARRESTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-09-21-17-45-24 25 Arrests in Slaying of Prominent Sunni]
Associated Press ,September 21 ,2007 ]It was believed that Shiite leaders have relation with his death because many didn't like his victories or it caused damage to some benefits.
Most of the news media accused Al-Qaida , while Sheikh Ali Hatem Ali Sulaiman Accused and blamed the Iraqi government and the National Guard and announced that the sectarian Shia government of Baghdad don't want to share power with Sunnis even in the Sunni provinces.
Before and After the assassination
Meeting with al-Maliki
The last people outside his family Abu-Risha have seen is a delegation from
al-Maliki . Nouri al-Maliki told Abu-Risha that he will send a delegation of tribes chiefs to him in order to discuss what can they do about the situation in Iraq but it turned out that this delegation have only one tribe chief and the rest are unknown characters, In a meeting Abu-Risha wanted to stop the Shiite militias and the Iranian control and interference , but Al-Maliki didn't like that as members from the meeting said. Abu Risha told al-Maliki in the last two weeks: that the council will not allow Iranian influence in Anbar or any other area in Iraq , and that the council is ready to work in Baghdad to end this influence.Specialists and the assistant of Abu-Risha have officially said that the explosion is very similar to the one that targeted Al-Mansoor hotel where a gathering for the Iraqi Sunni tribes chiefs and Abu Risha was going .
At the same day when Abu-Risha died, al-Maliki had a meeting with a Al-hais, who was member were isolated by Abu-Risha in a former time to clean the council as Abu-Risha said.
Immediately after the death Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has opposed the awakening forces from the beginning, announced that Ahmad Abu Risha is the new chief of the Council of awakening Anbar, But is known that Ahmed Abu Risha is (Mentally weak) and it was believed that Nouri al-Maliki Chosen him because he is Mentally weak.
Ahmad Abu Risha was consider as leader by the police and Governor of Anbar but the awakening forces and Al-Anbar Sheikhs Refused to be Mentally weak leader on them.
On
September 20 ,2007 , Only one week after the death of Abu Risha, the National Guard and the Iraqi forces entered Anbar and did Military Operations in ramadi, those Forces are mostly Shiites and Sheikh Abu-Risha was refusal to be in al-anbar or to have any presence in anbar.(as most residents of Anbar, believes that most of the army are members of various Shia militias) On March, 2008 Al-hais threatened theIraqi Islamic Party and Members of Al-Anbar Governorate Council to Leaves Al-Anbar or to Face death.it was believed American forces will withdraw from Cities of Anbar and transfer security responsibility to awakening forces and the police but after the death of Abu Risha, the National Guard (Shiite forces) entered Anbar and In a move to enrage the Anbar Sheikhs, the National Guard Arrested and killed some residents of Anbar and the security responsibility in some Cities transfer to the National Guard not to the awakening forces and the police.
Quotes
*"We did not support the US forces or anyone else - We fought on behalf of our people and defeated al-Qaeda" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6993370.stm Obituary: Abdul Sattar Abu Risha] BBC,
September 14 ,2007 ]
*"We will continue to defend Iraq and we will continue to raise the flag of Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest), and we will enter Baghdad. We are not interested in the post of minister, prime minister, or president of the republic."
*"We want to protect our people from militias and al-Qaeda."References
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