Sunni Sheik Assassinated

(Baghdad) A prominent Sunni tribal leader and key ally of the U.S. in the Anbar Province of Iraq, Sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Reesha, was killed by a roadside bomb earlier today in Ramadi. Two bodyguards were also killed.

Abu Reesha, 39, was head of the Anbar Salvation Council -- also known as the Anbar Awakening -- a coalition of tribes that has been working with the U.S. military to counter al Qaeda in Sunni-dominated Anbar province.

The council, funded and supported by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, was formed last year.

Police said the attack happened about a mile from Abu Reesha's home, but the deputy head of the Anbar Salvation Council, Sheik Hameed al-Hayyes, said the bomb struck the convoy 50 meters from his home in a heavily secured zone surrounding the house.

Al-Hayyes said Abu Reesha was leaving his home to go to his nearby farm, a daily routine, when he was attacked.

It appears that someone was able to enter the "heavily secured zone surrounding the house" and plant a bomb. Inside job?

Al-Qaeda is suspected. Abu Reesha's high-profile cooperation with the U.S. and coalition forces made him a prime target. Achieving success in Anbar has roiled Abu Reesha's enemies.