Sunni Tribal Leader & Family Massacred

(Baghdad) As expected, the runup to the Iraqi parliamentary elections, a mere three weeks from now, will be painful. Earlier today, an entire Sunni Arab family was murdered as they slept in their home.

From the Guardian:

Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms burst into the home of a Sunni Arab sheik Wednesday, killing him, three of his sons and a son-in-law in what police believe may have been aimed at discouraging Sunnis from participating in next month's election.

Khadim Sarhid al-Hemaiyem, who lived on the outskirts of Baghdad, was the leader of a branch of the Dulaimi tribe, one of the biggest in Iraq. His brother is a candidate in the Dec. 15 parliamentary election, three of his sons had been policemen and another son was slain last month north of the capital, police and family members said.

Blame for the attack has become an exercise in finger-pointing. Some hard-line Sunnis are blaming the government since the murderers wore "Iraqi army uniforms." Notably, this wouldn't be the first time that murderers tried to deflect responsibility for their heinous acts by putting on a costume, which is precisely what the government contends.

Police Maj. Falah al-Mohammedawi denied that government forces were involved in the deaths of the sheik and his relatives and blamed the 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."

According to another report, government officials stated that the 40 killers were disguised as Iraqi army soldiers in an attempt to put blame on "death squads run by Shiite militias." A Defense Ministry official stated:

"Iraqi army uniforms litter the streets and any terrorist can kill and tarnish our image, killing two birds with one stone," he said.

I tend toward trusting the government's assertions, however, I'm having a hard time imagining why 40 murderers were deemed necessary for the massacre. Obviously, this is a case of overkill which, by the way, is a signature trademark of fanaticism. Furthermore, an operation with that many people would more than likely not have been kept secret if it were a government scheme.