An Al-Qaida group in Iraq claimed on Friday responsibility for the killing of a Sunni tribal Sheikh on Thursday, al-Jazeera English TV channel reported.

 

The report said that the self-styled Islamic group called the killing of Abdul Sattar Abu Risha a "heroic operation." Its statement could not be authenticated, but it was posted on a main Islamist Web site.

 

The Sunni tribal Sheikh Abu Risha, who is backed by the US and Iraqi government to fight the al-Qaida network in Iraq was killed in a roadside bomb attack Thursday.

 

The roadside bomb detonated near the home of Abu Risha in the Ramadi City, the capital of Anbar province, a police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

 

The blast killed Abu Risha, his aide and two of his bodyguards, according to the source.

 

As the head of the Anbar Awakened Council, an alliance of Sunni tribes in Iraq's western province of Anbar province, Abu Risha had converted to a helpful force fighting al-Qaida in Iraq.

 

Last week, Abu Risha attended meeting with President George W. Bush and Iraqi officials in the Anbar province during the Bush surprise visit to a US military base in Iraq's western province of Anbar.

 

Sunni Arab leaders and US forces in Anbar province vowed in the day to keep fighting al Qaida while a funeral was held for Abu Risha.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2007)