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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Aug. 31, 2009 – Fostering good working relationships with Iraqi counterparts is an integral part of mission success here. Just as soldiers no longer go into the cities without Iraqi security forces partners, Contingency Operating Base Adder no longer can function efficiently without engaging local sheiks and key leaders. Army Lt. Col. Alan J. Shumate, Sheik Tayseer al-Manshed al-Ghezi, and his interpreter Ayad, visit and look at photographs in Shumate’s office on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, Aug. 18, 2009. U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Sophia Volz  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. This...

BAGHDAD, Nov. 4, 2008 – Though official invitations went out to only about 100 people, word of mouth caused more than 300 people to show up Nov. 1 for a tribal council meeting in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district. Sheiks representing the 15 tribes of Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district, as well as tribal sheiks from other communities and various Iraqi government, military and political leaders, listen to discussions at the Adhamiyah tribal council meeting Nov. 1, 2008. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “About 75 percent of the sheiks in the room were guys in the past who had...

COMBAT OUTPOST OLD MOD — Twice a month, tribal sheiks and religious leaders from the Sadr City District of northern Baghdad gather to discuss progress on reconstruction efforts and to identify other areas of need. During this meeting, Aug. 9, electricity was the main focus of discussion as members of the Ministry of Electricity were in attendance. “I think the most important thing about the meeting is the tribal sheiks and the religious leaders who represent leaders of Sadr City, had an opportunity to meet and interface with key people from the Government of Iraq,” said Lt. Col. Peter Pierce,...

Sheiks and other influential leaders from throughout Diyala province gathered in Sa'ad Muhammed, Iraq, March 20, to establish how the newly-formed tribal support councils will operate in the province. Last month, the central government established the councils to give a voice to tribes in the government. Photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett. SA'AD MUHAMMED — Influential leaders from throughout Diyala province gathered at a home in Sa’ad Muhammed, Iraq, March 20 to establish tribal support councils throughout the province. More than 1,000 people attended the gathering at the home of Sheik Dura Fayyahd Al-Amiri, arguably the most influential sheik in...

FOB KALSU — Coalition forces organized a meeting here Feb. 26, where leaders of Sayifiyah and an Iraqi National Police (NP) battalion commander discussed the Iraqi security force presence in the region. “You have worked wonderfully with Coalition forces,” said Col. James Adams, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division deputy commander, addressing the 13 Sayifiyah sheiks. “We’re just adding one more member to the team and that member is the Iraqi security forces (ISF).” After Coalition forces moved in and secured Sayifiyah in January, a ‘Sons of Iraq’ (SoI) program was started. The SoI and U.S. troops have kept...

ASSIRIYAH — Sunni and Shia tribal sheiks, local government leaders, senior Iraqi Army officials and local Iraqi Police officials from throughout the Taji area recently met at the Prayer Town Hall to continue reconciliation efforts and celebrate the “awakening”—a term used to describe a turning away from sectarianism and violence. More than 200 attendees from the villages of Hor Al Bosh, Sheik Ahmer, Shat Al Taji, Falahat and other areas dined as they discussed issues affecting their villages and ways in which they can improve the quality of life for the people living there. “They decided to have a Sawa...

CAMP STRIKER — A short-notice reconciliation meeting of regional sheiks with potential for impact throughout Iraq was held Nov. 8 in Al Bassam, an area approximately 16 kilometers west of Baghdad city center. The conference was called by a highly influential leader, Abu Maruf, with less than 24-hours notice, to make a public declaration of unity amongst the tribes against al-Qaeda and to map the way ahead for their region. “We were notified of the meeting at about 8 p.m. the night before,” said Lt. Col. Brian Coppersmith, commander of War Rakkasans, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2007 – Seven sheiks kidnapped in northern Baghdad two days ago were rescued by soldiers from 9th Iraqi Army Division during a mission yesterday. The mission, supported by U.S. military advisors and soldiers from both 82nd Airborne Division and 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, resulted in the sheiks’ rescue, the capture of four abductors and the death of three extremists. The body of an eighth sheik also was discovered at the scene. The sheiks were taken to a nearby Iraqi army facility, where they received medical attention. Several said they had been beaten with a tire iron. The...

BAGHDAD — Sheiks and other influential men of the western Rashid District met at Forward Operating Base Falcon Sept. 3 to discuss the best way toward peace. “This is the first time since the fall of Saddam that Jayesh Al-Mahdi (JAM), Coalition forces, Sunni leaders and Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) commanders have come together to talk of their differences,” said Lt. Col. Patrick Frank, 1st “Black Lions” Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, commander and host of the meeting. “Black Lions are proud of our ISF partners and work hard with the National Police, 1-1 and 1-3 Mech., and our Iraqi Army...

BAGHDAD, Aug. 24, 2007 — Members of the Salah Ad Din Sheik’s support council held a press conference via satellite at the Combined Press Information Center, Aug. 23. "It is a long battle against the terrorists. . . We cannot define or decide how long this battle will take. But we think that we are going in the right direction. We believe in our capabilities and we also depend on God. We ask God to provide security for all the Iraqis and progress for Iraq." Hamood Shekti al Qaisi Governor of the Salad Ad Din province. Hamood Shekti al Qaisi,...

Federal Judge Dismisses Camel-Jockey Lawsuit by The Associated Press Date Posted: July 31, 2007 A United States federal judge dismissed a lawsuit July 30 seeking damages from two United Arab Emirates leaders for the use of thousands of children to ride racing camels, saying the case does not belong in U.S. courts. Judge Cecilia Altonaga said she could not find a strong enough legal connection between the two Emirates leaders and their business interests in the U.S. to permit the lawsuit to move forward. Neither the children nor their parents live in the U.S., and the racing was held in...

WASHINGTON - Rep. Keith Ellison, Congress' only Muslim, made a weekend trip to Iraq, where a pair of sheiks urged him to help counter al-Qaida's vision of Islam. Ellison, D-Minn., said he met in Ramadi with the two sheiks, who oversee several hundred thousand congregants. "They were very upset and concerned that al-Qaida is misrepresenting Islam," Ellison told reporters Monday during a conference call from Germany on his way back to the U.S. "And they were talking to me about what I can possibly do to work with them to give a clearer, more accurate picture of what Islam is...

WASHINGTON, July 15, 2007 – Thirteen suspected al Qaeda operatives were captured during Iraq operations yesterday and today. Meanwhile, about 50 tribal leaders from the Muqdadiya Qada in Diyala province, Iraq, gathered at the governor’s house yesterday to discuss security, services and the importance of unity with U.S. and Iraqi military leaders, officials reported. At the meeting, Diyala Gov. Ra’ad Hameed Al-Mula Jowad Al-Tamimi, together with Staff Maj. Gen. Abdul Kareem, commander of Iraqi Security Forces in Diyala; and Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of coalition forces in Diyala, stressed the influence tribal leaders have on their people. “We came...

TIKRIT — About 45 local sheiks met with Diyala provincial leadership in Baqubah, Iraq, to discuss their tribe’s concerns, reconcile grievances and discover solutions to rid terrorism from the province, May 23. Diyala governor, Gov. Ra’ad Hameed Al-Mula Jowad Al-Tamimi, addressed services the government could help provide; while Staff Maj. Gen. Ghanem Abass Ibraham al-Qureshy, the provincial director of police, and Staff Brig. Gen. Adul Hussein al-Tamimi, the new 5th Iraqi Army Division commander, discussed security plans for the province. Also in attendance was Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek, Multi-National Division-North operations officer; and Col. David W. Sutherland, senior coalition forces...

Ramadi, Iraq — Before tribal sheiks aligned themselves with U.S. forces in the violent deserts of western Iraq, the number of people willing to become police officers in the city of Ramadi — the epicenter of the fight against the insurgent group known as al-Qaida in Iraq — might not have filled a single police pickup. “Last March was zero,” said Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer, the Marine commander in western Iraq, referring to the number of men recruited that month. With the help of a confederation of about 50 Sunni Muslim tribal sheiks, the U.S. military recruited more than 800...

Before tribal sheiks aligned themselves with U.S. forces in the violent deserts of western Iraq, the number of people willing to become police officers in the city of Ramadi -- the epicenter of the fight against the insurgent group known as al-Qaeda in Iraq -- might not have filled a single police pickup. "Last March was zero," said Gen. Richard Zilmer, referring to the number of men recruited that month. With the help of a confederation of about 50 Sunni Muslim tribal sheiks, the U.S. military recruited more than 800 police officers in December and is on track to do...

FOB KALSU, Iraq (Army News Service, April 6, 2006) – Iraqi police officials, local sheiks from the northern Babil province and leaders from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discussed concerns regarding the province’s security April 1. Recent attacks have caused concerns among citizens in the province regarding its security forces. “My son was killed on Highway 8,” said a local sheik. “I do not feel like my tribe and people are safe in this province.” Brig. Gen. Qais Hamza, Babil provincial police chief, voiced his frustrations and pleaded with local sheiks to help him eliminate further violence....

<p>LONDON — Britons bracing for a terror attack like last month's Madrid train bombings are coming to terms with the idea the attackers may not be foreign militants but the sons of friendly Asian families living next door.</p> <p>Police yesterday were questioning eight young British-born Pakistanis arrested a day earlier in raids that officials said had foiled a major bomb plot. Half a ton of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer suitable for making bombs, was seized.</p>