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Iraq
Insurgents Kill Senior Sunni Leader
2005-11-23
EFL(AP) -- Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms broke into the home of a senior Sunni leader on Wednesday and killed him, his three sons and his son-in-law on the outskirts of Baghdad, his brother and an interior ministry official said. Khadim Sarhid al-Hemaiyem was the leader of the Sunni Batta tribe and the brother of a parliamentary candidate in the Dec. 15 election, the official Maj. Falah al-Mohammedawi said. Another of the slain man's brothers said the family has been attacked before.

Al-Mohammedawi said government forces were not involved and the investigation was focused on insurgents. "Surely, they are outlaw insurgents. As for the military uniform, they can be bought from many shops in Baghdad," he said. "Also, we have several police and army vehicles stolen and they can be used in the raids."

The slaying follows a big push by U.S. officials to encourage Sunni Muslim participation in the upcoming election, which will install the first non-transitional government in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. Some Sunni-led insurgent groups have declared a boycott of the election and have threatened politicians who choose to participate in it.

Posted by:GK

#11  i knu a couple of girls once who Satta on my..
Posted by: Dawg   2005-11-23 18:11  

#10  Batta is a common name - I work with a couple Battas and they're Paleos
Posted by: Frank G   2005-11-23 18:07  

#9  RC

I agree Irq the m was smart about the declaration. However, he is just one fellow. If 80% of the people in Iraq were like him there would be an efficient and effective govt there. Unfortunately, he represents a much smaller portion of the population.
Posted by: mhw   2005-11-23 16:54  

#8  This whole thing is such b.s., the media makes it look like the Shites are doing this to start a civil war, when its obviously the terrorists who are trying to kill any Sunnis taking part in the political process. F*ck our media.
Posted by: bgrebel9   2005-11-23 13:11  

#7  However, what the Iraqi people believe it says is something else again.

Iraq the Model didn't seem to think much of it.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-11-23 12:02  

#6  RC

I'm pretty sure you are correct about the intent of the resistance/terrorism declaration.

However, what the Iraqi people believe it says is something else again. I'm waiting to hear what the Asso of Islamic Scholars (a group with a desire to pretend Sunni terrorism is actual resistance) says about this declaration.

Posted by: mhw   2005-11-23 10:58  

#5  The Batta tribe is one of Iraq's largest Sunni tribes from the area north of Baghdad.

According to this map, the Battas are not a "major" tribe - but likely affiliated with the Duri tribe, given the location. One thing that's clear, at least according to the map, is that the Sunnis tribes clearly appear to have strong alliances, yielding a more monolithic face of a few major tribes - while the Shi'a are a hodge-podge. Some of that is probably due to the difference in population, too - there are 3-4 times as many Shi'a.

The story goes on to say that he and 3 sons were killed in this attack and he lost his eldest a month ago. Big Daddy and 4 sons? This has a Mafia / territory feel to it. The Don Sheikh is dead and so are (many of) his heirs. Takeover ripe.
Posted by: .com   2005-11-23 10:22  

#4  Now the Iraqis who, earlier this week said that terrorism was bad but resistance was OK will have to discuss whether this was terrorism or resistance.

Shockingly, the press mis-reported that.

The final compromise formula said that while "resistance is a legal right for all peoples, however terrorism does not constitute legitimate resistance. As such, we condemn terrorism and the acts of violence and killing and kidnapping that target Iraqis and humane and civil institutions and the government and the national resources and religious places, and request they be opposed immediately."

In other words they've condemned everything that's been going on in Iraq, without distinguishing one thing as terrorism and another as resistance. While the statement leaves out any reference to foreign troops, it also leaves out any reference to occupation, which in itself neutralizes the angle of legitimate resistance. The addition of the government and state institutions in there by default refers back to Maliki's words that it is in fact the government that requested the foreign troops. Therefore, any attack on them is by default an attack on the government's authority.


For some reason, the press line on this mirrors that taken by the treasonous Juan Cole, liar extraordinaire.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-11-23 09:37  

#3  FoxNews reports: "the slain Khadim Sarhid al-Hemaiyem was the leader of the Sunni Batta tribe and the brother of a parliamentary candidate in the Dec. 15 election, the official, Maj. Falah al-Mohammedawi, said."
Posted by: Bucephalus   2005-11-23 09:19  

#2  Now the Iraqis who, earlier this week said that terrorism was bad but resistance was OK will have to discuss whether this was terrorism or resistance.

Posted by: mhw   2005-11-23 07:53  

#1  Some Sunni-led insurgent groups have declared a boycott of the election and have threatened politicians who choose to participate in it.

Could these reporters be any more lazy? Get off your bar stools and tell us whether or not this particular Sunni politician "threatened" to participate in the elections or not. It is somewhat key to understanding this story, no?
Posted by: 2b   2005-11-23 05:03  

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