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JIM CLANCY: We begin with
a shocking setback to U.S.-led efforts against Al
Qaeda in Iraq.
HALA GORANI: Well, even as U.S. President George Bush
prepares to make a primetime pitch for patience,
here's the latest from that country.
Mr. Bush is set to deliver his televised address from
the White House in nine hours. He's expected to
stress what his administration calls "bottom-up"
political progress in Iraq.
CLANCY: This all comes as a key Sunni sheikh who just
met with President Bush and was united with U.S.
forces against al Qaeda militants has been
assassinated near his home in Anbar province.
GORANI: Adding to all this turmoil, a painstakingly
constructed compromise on Iraq's oil revenue-sharing
law, crucial to national reconciliation. That law
appears in danger of collapse.
CLANCY: Right now, a state of emergency is in effect
in Anbar province in the wake of today's roadside
bombing that killed Sheikh Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha. At
least two of his bodyguards also died in the
explosion near the Sunni leader's home.
Michael Ware joins us now live from Baghdad.
Michael, who is behind this killing?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, nobody's
claimed responsibility at this stage. It's only a few
hours after the deadly bombing.
We can't rule out the possibility that this is
interfactional feuding between the insurgents and the
Anbar tribes that America is working with. But, from
the outset, at first blush, one would have to say
this so far bears all the hallmarks of Al Qaeda in
Iraq.
They had been targeting Sheikh Sattar's organization
since his first emergence last year when an American
Army brigade in Ramadi plucked Sheikh Sattar out of
obscurity and turned him into this cosmetic front of
this insurgent movement that the Americans are now
working with. We've seen al Qaeda with an endless
ream of assassinations against figures in this
movement. We've seen them hit the Anbar Salvation
Council -- which the sheikh led -- with suicide car
bombs, chest-vest suicide bombers, even chlorine gas
bombs.
I'm afraid to say that among the insurgents, among
the Iraqi security officials, and the more pragmatic
American military officials I've spoken to, many have
been feeling that, you know, this was only a matter
of time, unfortunately -- Jim.
CLANCY: This from the Pentagon briefing this morning:
"Despite the tragic loss of Sheikh Sattar, he has
ignited a movement that will outlive him."
How does the killing affect this U.S. strategy of
bolstering Sunni militias to battle al Qaeda?
WARE: Well, I think the assassination of Sheikh
Sattar, as tragic as it is -- well, my first instinct
is to say that it will only be symbolic. I mean, such
a movement is under way out in the west and other
parts of the country, that I don't think the loss of
this one man, who, by himself, to be honest, wasn't
that powerful. He comes from a small, largely
irrelevant tribe. The Americans built him up.
But now that the Sunni insurgents and particularly
the Ba'ath apparatus of Saddam Hussein's former
regime has the Americans in the bargaining position
where they want them, and now that the Americans have
finally realized that they need the Sunni insurgents
for a whole host of reasons, not just al Qaeda, but
Iran, I don't think anyone's going to stop this
process. And from my dealings -- I've just come back
from Al Anbar with some of these groups working with
the Americans, and it was clear to me, these men
don't take their orders from Sheikh Sattar. The
elements of the Islamic army who were involved in
this program, the elements of the Brigades of 1920
and countless other insurgent groups take their
orders from their commanders. Their commanders are
much bigger dogs on the block than Sheikh Sattar ever
was. So it's very decentralized. This is a tragic
loss, but I think the momentum is such that it's now
in too many people's interest for it to be arrested
-- Jim.
CLANCY: One other question, and it has to be on that
attack two days ago. One person was killed, 11 were
wounded. Camp Victory, the U.S. military
headquarters, hit by a missile. That missile,
according to U.S. commanders, was built in Iran.
What does this mean?
WARE: Well, this is a continuation of Iran's
communication, shall we say, with America. Whilst its
engaged America in two significant meetings here in
Baghdad, the only two diplomatic meetings since the
Islamic revolution more than 20 years ago, Iran has
also had another channel of communication. That is
through violence, through weapons, by funding Shia
insurgents. We've seen Iran introduce the most deadly
roadside bomb of the war.
Now, we first raised the issue of these
240-millimeter missiles known as the Farlac (ph) 1.
Now, ordinary missiles that hit the Green Zone or
American bases are of a type that this weapon, this
missile, is 17 times larger. It has a 15-kilogram
warhead.
Now, this arrived sort of in the middle of last year.
But we've seen an uptick since the Americans began
engaging with the Iranians. This is the Iranians
keeping the pressure on the Americans.
We also now see, Jim, in the last couple of weeks the
introduction of yet another weapon. This is a weapon
that we saw in the hands of Hezbollah last summer as
they destroyed Israeli tanks.
The RPG-29, an anti-tank weapon, is now in use in
Iraq. It took out three American vehicles in a week
alone, injuring several. This, too, is an escalation.
A weapon we saw from Iranian-backed Hezbollah, now
suddenly used against Americans -- Jim.
CLANCY: Michael Ware reporting live.
Some disturbing developments there.
Thank you.