Abdul Sattar Abu Risha Killed

Guide Note

September 19, 2007: Prominent Sunni sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Risha was assassinated near his home in Ramadi. Abu Risha was killed following a roadside explosion that also killed two of his body guards. His death came just ten days after reaching an agreement with President George W. Bush to help lead a coalition of Sunni sheiks against Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Fast Facts

1. Born: 1972
2. Leader of the Anbar Salvation Council
3. Helped establish the military forces in Anbar to combat Al-Qaeda.
4. Died: September 13, 2007

1. "I promise Iraq, let me finish with Anbar and I will next cleanse Baghdad"¹
   • — Abu Risha, Al Jazeera
2. "It is a national Iraqi disaster. What Abu Reesha did for Iraq, no single man has done in the country's history..."¹
   • — Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, Al Jazeera
3. "The most significant development in the past six months likely has been the emergence of tribes and local citizens rejecting al-Qaeda and other extremists. This has, of course, been most visible in Anbar. A year ago the province was assessed as "lost" politically. Today, it is a model of what happens when local leaders and citizens decide to oppose al-Qaeda and reject its Taliban-like ideology."²
   • — General David Petraeus, The Arab American News