Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Anbar tribal coalition crumbling?

In recent weeks numerous administration officials, and CT Sen. Joe Lieberman have cited the fact that a coalition of tribes, mostly Sunni, in Anbar Province, have come together to fight against al-Qaida. The Iraqis were apparently getting their act together and going after al-Qaida, and this was taken as evidence that the U.S. must be doing something right.

According to this story, however, the coalition is crumbling. "In an interview in his Baghdad office, one Ali Hatem Suleiman, a leader of the Dulaim confederation, said that the Anbar Salvation Council would be dissolved because of internal dissatisfaction over its cooperation with U.S. soldiers and the behavior of the council's most prominent member, Abdul Sattar Abu Risha. Suleiman called Abu Risha a 'traitor' who 'sells his beliefs, his religion and his people for money.'"

The U.S. has not denied that it was subsidizing the council with weapons and money. The question was always whether such a group would stay bought. Apparently not, at least for now.

1 comment:

Brian said...

Let's face it, Joe Leibermann is nothering more than a traitor. A traitor to his party and a traitor to his country.