Sahwa leader gunned down in Diala

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: A Sahwa council leader on Tuesday was killed by unknown gunmen in Diala province, according to a local police source. “At an early hour this morning, unknown gunmen believed to belong to al-Qaeda organization assassinated Sattar Khaleel, a Sahwa council leader, while he was walking out of a mosque in al-Saadiya district,” the source told IraqiNews.com. The Sahwa councils are anti-Qaeda fighters working in coordination with the Multi-National Force (MNF) and the Iraqi government. Headed by local chieftains, the councils have been credited with helping reduce violence in many Iraqi provinces, like Anbar, Diala, Ninewa, and Salah al-Din. Diala province, a mix of Sunnis and Shiites, extends to the northeast of Baghdad as far as the Iranian border. Its capital is Baaquba, 57 km northeast of Baghdad. It covers an area of 17,685 square kilometers (6,828 sq mi). SS (P) 1