Cease-fire negotiations continued throughout the day by a presidential committee that included the interior and defense ministers, a presidential aide and a
tribal sheik close to the Houthis.
Zaydan Aljabri, an Iraqi
tribal sheik from Anbar province, said he thinks ISIS has learned from the mistakes of the Zarqawi era and is now truly committed to defending Sunnis against a Baghdad government he sees as corrupt and repressive.
Farouq al-Jughaifi, Haditha's Police Chief, said a suicide bomber in western Iraq has killed Sheik Saeed Fleih al-Osman, a prominent pro-government
tribal sheik and leader of the town's anti-al-Qaida Sunni tribal militias, as well as six of his militiamen.
"Tonight a
tribal Sheik from the famous Al Sawaraka tribe has been assassinated from few hours ago.
"We need to have US soldiers continue to train our forces until they get more experience," Khudhair al-Amara, a
tribal sheik in Baghdad, said Wednesday.
Finally, Sadr's behavior was probably connected to the politically savvy, Iranian-born Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Sistani, who, acting in the role of a
tribal sheik, most likely provided advice and guidance to Sadr on how best to proceed.
In violence Sept 29, gunmen attacked a
tribal sheik, Ahmad Salim, wounding him and killing two of his sons in the village of al-Rasoul in Diyala province, according to a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The New York Times said that, as proof, Darraji - "a chain-smoking
tribal sheik partial to tailored suits" - opened a door near his office and pointed to a pile of red, green and yellow folders which he said were job applications for every part of the government from the Oil Ministry to the police.
"The Sunnis in Anbar and other provinces are facing oppression and discrimination by the government,'' said Mohamed el-Bajjari, a
tribal sheik and spokesman for a coalition of tribes.
The tribesmen are demanding that the government continue paying the monthly salary of a
tribal sheik whose salary was terminated at the beginning of this year after he passed away, according to Zabin Atia, a local journalist in Shabwa.
He called the raids ''arbitrary,'' citing one incident where army troops attacked the house of a pro-government
tribal sheik in the village of al-Dhahir.
The Defense Ministry denies mediation efforts are underway, but the Yemen Times could not reach the
tribal sheiks for comment.
tribal sheik - the leader of an Arab village or family