Al Qaeda assassinates Awakening leader in Adhamiyah

Billl Roggio, writing for The Long War Journal, discusses a series of recent attack on Awakening Group members by Al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda in Iraq continues to target Sunni leaders of the Awakening councils that have sprung up throughout Iraq. In the latest attack, two suicide bombers assassinated Colonel Riyadh al Samarrai, the leader of the Adhamiyah neighborhood in Baghdad. Thirteen others were killed in the twin bombings. "One of the bombers detonated an explosive vest, the other struck with a car bomb," Reuters reported.

He also notes,

Al Qaeda in Iraq has targeted the Awakening Councils on a near-daily basis. Over the past week, six high-profile attacks against Awakening forces occurred in Baghdad, Diyala, Anbar, and Babil provinces.

Al Qaeda has taken a toll on Awakening movement leaders which is why the military is apprehensive to declare victory in Iraq. Al Qaeda is showing they still have the means to carry out high profile attacks on well protected leaders.

One thing to note is this attack and other recent attacks have apparently been sprung by friends of the leaders which were killed. It appears that Al Qaeda has infiltrated some Awakening movements, something Maliki and the Shiite ran government fears in allowing their integration into Iraqi Security Force units.

These attacks, along with apparent infiltrations of Al Qaeda elements, are testing the endurance and solidarity of these Awakening movements. It still awaits to be seen if Operation Phantom Pheonix can defeat the remaining Al Qaeda elements in the belts around Baghdad and in conjunction with this operation, whether Awakening movements will be able to weather the storm of violence and infiltration that Al Qaeda is subjecting upon them.

Al Qaeda is showing their resolve in Iraq. This significant increase in attacks on key leaders may be Al Qaeda's last major offensive if Operation Phantom Pheonix succeeds in routing them from their last remaining safe havens.