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Sunni politician killed as fears of Iraq violence rise

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  • Sunni politician killed as fears of Iraq violence rise

    This is bad news. It is believed to be 'an attempt to reignite sectarian tension'.

    Sunni politician killed as fears of Iraq violence rise
    13 June [FT] The head of Iraq's biggest Sunni Muslim bloc in parliament was shot dead at a mosque after delivering a sermon yesterday, underlining fears that violence may mount before a deadline in two weeks for US forces to withdraw from Iraqi cities.

    Hareth al-Obaidi, 45, who headed the human rights committee in parliament, was an outspoken critic of abuse in Iraqi jails. He became head of the Sunni bloc in parliament in May after his predecessor was chosen as speaker.

    Politicians said the assassination, in a neighbourhood once one of Baghdad's most dangerous, was an attempt to reignite sectarian tension that, while diminished, persists in parts of Iraq. The killing comes as politicians have begun deliberations over new coalitions ahead of a crucial vote for parliament next January.

    A day before, Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, had warned top military commanders that "terrorist operations" could increase ahead of the US withdrawal from the cities and the parliamentary elections.

    "This shows that the security situation is still fragile and dangerous," said Saleem al-Jubouri, a spokesman for the Sunni coalition known as the Iraqi Accordance Front, which Mr Obaidi headed. "The government must provide more security."

    Shortly after noon, a youth who witnesses and police estimated was aged 14 or 15, shot Mr Obaidi twice in the back of the head, killing him instantly. .....

    Mohammad al-Obaidi, the lawmaker's brother, said he believed some of the guards had helped the gunman to enter the mosque. "It was an organised crime," he said.

    Mr Obaidi is the first Sunni lawmaker to be assassinated and the third since parliament was elected in 2005, when many Sunnis boycotted the vote. A university professor with a doctorate in Islamic studies, he had two wives and seven children.

    Mr Obaidi's party is the Congress of the People of Iraq, one of three parties making up the Accordance Front, which has 44 seats in the 275-member parliament. The other two parties in the bloc are the Iraqi Islamic party and the National Dialogue Council. ....
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