U.S. Military Arrests Suspect in Killing Of Sunni Sheik
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
BAGHDAD — The American military yesterday announced the arrest of a suspect in the killing of a sheik who spearheaded the American-backed Sunni revolt against Al Qaeda in Iraq, even as the terror network launched a campaign of violence during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Dozens of suspected Sunni insurgents raided Shiite villages north of Baghdad, killing at least 15 people and setting homes ablaze, police said.
Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, 37, was the leader of Anbar Awakening — an alliance of clans backing the Iraqi government and American forces against Al Qaeda in Iraq that was touted as one of the success stories of the war. He and three companions were killed in a bombing Thursday outside his heavily guarded compound in the provincial capital of Ramadi, days after he had met with President Bush.
The American military said an Al Qaeda-linked militant connected to his death and a plot to kill other tribal leaders — Fallah Khalifa Hiyas Fayyas al-Jumayli, an Iraqi also known as Abu Khamis — was seized Saturday during a raid west of Balad, and the search continued for other suspects.
