MEANWHILE, BACK IN IRAQ

Sunni sheik, a key U.S. ally, is killed in blast in Anbar province
By Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 8:16 AM PDT, September 13, 2007

BAGHDAD -- The Sunni sheik who came to symbolize the newfound cooperation between U.S. forces and tribal leaders in the former insurgent stronghold of Anbar province was killed today when a bomb planted outside his home went off, police said.Col. Tariq Dulami, a police commander in Anbar, said Abdul Sattar Rishawi and two of his bodyguards died when the blast tore through their vehicle as it entered the driveway of Rishawi's farm in Ramadi, the provincial capital.

It was the latest and most serious blow to the Anbar sheiks, who last year made a decision to stop supporting Sunni Muslim insurgents loyal to Al Qaeda in Iraq and to work with U.S. and Iraqi forces in a new alliance called the Anbar Salvation Council.

In June, four of the sheiks were killed when a bomb went off in a Baghdad hotel where they were meeting.