US Nabs Sunni Sheik's Assassin

An al-Qaeda operative suspected of murdering a key American ally in Iraq was captured yesterday by the US military. The suspect organized car and suicide bombings targeting tribal leaders in Anbar province, including the blast last that killed Sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, a Sunni leader and major enemy of al-Qaeda, according to officials.

An al-Qaeda affiliate calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for Abu Risha’s death on Friday, promising a bloody Ramadan for Sunnis who supported the US. That prophesy came true as sectarian violence claimed 22 lives, including nine killed in an attack on a US State Department motorcade. (More Iraq stories.)