Iraqi tribal leaders pledge to march to Baghdad
Via Reuters | Gulf News | Jul 16, 2014 |

AMMAN, Jordan – Sunni insurgents and tribal leaders said after a closed meeting they would keep fighting until they take over the Iraqi capital and bring down a U.S. imposed political order that brought Shi’ites to rule the country and marginalised them.

Several hundred tribal figures, representatives of Islamist insurgent groups, ex-army officers and former Baath party figures attended the meeting in the Jordanian capital.

Sunni cleric Abdul Malik Al-Saadi [sit-in demonstration in Ramadi Square – May 2013], who praised the “mujahideen” (holy warriors) leading the revolt, said tribes were the backbone of a broad based insurgency battling against Iraqi Shi’ite Islamist Prime Minister Nuri Maliki’s rule. He said these forces had now captured large parts of western and northern Iraq.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Al Qaeda offshoot, is only a part of the uprising, the Sunni’s top religious figure said.

“This revolution is led by the sons of tribes who are leading it and the Islamic State is a small part of it,” said Al-Saadi, who led some of the mass peaceful protests in Iraq’s Sunni heartland in 2013 that called for an end to security abuses and perceived marginalisation and political exclusion.

Most Sunni figures said they were left with few alternatives but to fight Maliki who is now relying increasingly on Shiite militias such as Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq they say are funded and armed by Iran in his battle against the rebellious governorates.

“We are now in a state of continued Jihad to end the remnants of the U.S. occupation and restore the rights of the Iraqi people,” said Abd al-Naser Al Janaby, a prominent Salafi cleric and politician and a leading supporter of the armed uprising. “We expect a new dawn for Iraq from this revolution.”

Reuters headline: Iraq Sunni insurgency seeks end to Shi’te political domination
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi | Reuters | Jul 16, 2014 7:01pm EDT |

Tip of the hat to somebody and Don Bacon @MoA

Iraqis hire DC consultant for autonomy push
By Megan R. Wilson | The Hill | Sept. 25, 2014 05:31 PM EDT |

A Sunni religious group has hired a Washington consulting firm to make the case for creating a new semi-independent region in Iraq.
Mark Alsalih began representing the Common Council of Iraqi and Arabic Tribes, which is run by Suleiman, over the summer. Alsalih told Al-Monitor last month that he had been trying to draw interest from officials in Obama administration about collaborating more closely with Iraqi and Syrian tribes.

“The U.S. needs to work hand in hand with the Sunnis that have the on-the-ground intel and that are being targeted by ISIS,” he told the publication. “The tribes can identify with great accuracy where ISIS is, who’s supporting them, how they’re getting their money and even where they sleep at night.”

FARA registration statement – July 18, 2014 [pdf]

Name of registrant: Mark K. Alsalih [LinkedIn]
Principal: Common Council of Iraqi and Arabic Tribes
Address: Hay Babel, Jadriyah #18  Baghdad Iraq [Embassy District]
State the nature of the business or activity of this foreign principal:

    The Council is a cooperative entity of willing members of the community that seek the development of security, prosperity and equal rights for all Iraqi citizens and children regardless of ethnicity or; religion. The council will seek the prevention of conflict and pursue peaceful resolution of disputes through civic engagement and creation of an environment to develop peace.

    The council rejects the use of violence and terrorism, and will use any legal means to combat both. We will assist the council and its decision makers by providing the skills, tools and access needed to create partners in peace. The council wants to develop a strong society and educational system for the future of Iraq and rebuild it after years of conflict and suffering through our work with the US government and others.

Signed by: H.E. Sheikh Ali Hatem Suleiman * GENERAL COMMITTEE OF IRAQI AND ARABIC TRIBES RAMADI, IRAQ

 « click for more info
Why Anbar's Sheikh Ali Hatem Sulaiman Joined Iraq's Protest Movement (Musings On Iraq)

US shuns tribal leaders who claim to have infiltrated IS

 

Iraqi Weekly Interviews Sheikh Ali Hatem al-Suleiman Of the Anbar Awakening
Musings On Iraq | Nov. 7, 2008 |

In mid-October 2008, the Iraqi weekly Niqash interviewed Sheikh Ali Hatem al-Suleiman. The Sheikh heads one of the two main factions that make-up the Anbar Awakening. Since the assassination of Sheikh Abdl Sattar Abu Risha, the founder of the Awakening, in September 2007, the movement has split into two groups who are still allied with each other. On the one hand there is the Awakening Conference of Iraq headed by Sheikh Ahmed Abu Risha, the brother of Sheikh Abu Risha who took over after his death. On the other is Suleiman’s the National Salvation Front. He also heads the al-Anbar Tribal Council.

Suleiman is a prominent figure in Anbar. He heads the Dulaim tribe, and his grandfather was once one of the most powerful sheikhs in Anbar. Suleiman hopes to restore his family’s standing. He is also aligned with Sheikh Hameed Farhan al-Hayes. Hayes is one of the more boisterous tribal leaders in the province. After splitting with the Anbar Salvation Council, Hayes formed his own Awakening movement, before joining with Suleiman. Together the two have been trying to supercede the Risha family, mostly through bold statements.

In August 2007 for example, Hayes offered to replace the boycotting Iraqi Accordance Front in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s cabinet. In February 2008, Hayes and Suleiman announced that the Iraqi Islamic Party, which rules Anbar, had thirty days to leave Anbar or be attacked. In turn, the Islamic Party filed libel suits against the two, and arrest warrants were issued, but never served to them.

ISIL blew up tribal homes in Mosul, Anbar of leaders who refused to swear allegiance

Sadr Bloc Ends Parliament Boycott
By Oui | @BooMan | July 18, 2007 |

Oh Irony! Former Saddam loyalists in Anbar province are now our allies to fight the Al Qaeda led insurgency in the province. Another illustration Saddam and Al Qaeda weren’t congruous. These fighters are not Iraqi regular troops, but militants with US weapons and money with allegiance to local tribe leaders. The suspected The Sunni factions in Iraq are already supported with weapons and funds from their religious ally Saudi Arabia.

The political stalemate will continue because of the allegiance in the three regions of Kurds, Sunni and Shia seeking oil share and power. Senator Cantwell (D-Wa) just said the same in her statement on the Senate floor. “We are sending the wrong signal. Staying in Iraq in permanent bases. We are there to privatize Iraqi oil.” She also reminded the Senators of the Wolfowitz statements, Iraq oil revenues would fund the war effort in the first 2-3 years.  

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