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Head of Saddam tribe blown up by car bomb
AWJA: The head of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's Al Bunwer tribe was killed by a car bomb planted in the town of Awja, 150 kilometres north of Baghdad, on Tuesday, police said. Sheikh Ali al-Neda died when a bomb planted in his car exploded as he was driving along a highway after leaving his home.

The bomb appears to have been fixed underneath Neda's car, said Major Hassan Emhimid, a police officer in the nearby town of Tikrit. "Sheikh Neda was the victim of assassination. When he left his house there was a bomb in his car that killed him and a driver and wounded two of his guards," said Major Ahmed Subhi, head of a counter-terrorism unit in Salahuddin province.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold"
It was Neda, a member of Iraq's minority Sunni Arab sect, who took Saddam's body for burial after the Iraqi leader was executed in December 2006 after the Iraqi High Tribunal crimes against humanity. Gunmen shot dead Neda's brother Mahmoud in 2006.

Salahuddin Governor Hamad al-Qaisi imposed an indefinite curfew in Awja following the incident, while police sealed off the town and searched for the perpetrators of the attack. "We condemn this assassination. We will pursue anyone who tries to undermine security and stability," Qaisi told Reuters, adding "We will investigate until we capture the criminals." Neda's aides have said he had no political affiliation.

Restraint: On the first anniversary of Saddam's hanging Neda, 65, urged Iraqis to forget the past and work for unity, saying "We have to build a future without revenge." Saddam's cousin Shabeeb al-Majid, was in no mood for reconciliation after hearing of Neda’s death. "We are not accusing anyone at the moment. But we will get revenge and kill 40 people in retaliation for the four (bomb victims)," said Majid, who was among a group of people offering condolences to Neda's relatives at the tribal head’s home.

Neda's armed guards held up photographs of him and Saddam. Neda was buried at the Old Awja graveyard beside the graves one of his sons and his brother. Hundreds of tribal leaders attended the burial. "Saddam's execution was a tragedy for us and the killing of the sheikh was a tragedy as well," said Neda's cousin, Talal al-Nasiri.

United States and Iraqi officials have highlighted an improvement in security in Iraq that has led to sharp drops in violence five years after the US-led invasion to topple Saddam. But US commanders have said that the gains are fragile and reversible.
Posted by: Steve 2008-06-11
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=241420