Senior Sunni Awakening Leader Gunned Down
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Iraq, OilAn unfortunate setback, but my guess is that somebody will fill Sheik Ibrahim al-Karbouli’s shoes quickly. Iraq is now starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel, and whoever is brave enough to stand up could reap some serious rewards.
Unknown gunmen attacked the convoy of Sheik Ibrahim al-Karbouli in Youssifiyah on Monday, said the group member who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears for his own security. The sheik was a senior leader of the so-called awakening council in the town, which is a former al-Qaida stronghold about 12 miles south of Baghdad. [...]Police also discovered the bodies of three awakening council members who were abducted several days ago, police Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir said.
However, political reconciliation is still moving slowly, and wouldn’t you know it…it’s about oil…
Meanwhile, Iraqi leaders remain deadlocked in talks over a power-sharing dispute that is blocking U.S.-backed provincial elections. The disagreement over the oil-rich city of Kirkuk forced parliamentary officials to delay a planned vote on the provincial elections bill until Tuesday, at the earliest. [...]But Kurds object to a measure that would equally distribute provincial council seats among Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen in Tamim province, which lies just south of their own semiautonomous region in Iraq’s north.
More as it develops…
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