RAMADI, Iraq, May 16 (UPI) -- Tribal security forces in Anbar province will launch attacks on Iraqi forces if those forces aren't withdrawn immediately, a Sunni elder said Thursday.
Tribal forces in the Sunni-dominated province said they have an Iraqi military headquarters in Ramadi surrounded. They said they want Iraqi forces, alleged to have conducted raids on the community early Thursday, to leave immediately.
Sunni elder Ali Hatem al-Suleiman told CNN that tribal forces don't want to negotiate with the government after the latest raids.
"This is it. Enough is enough," he said. "We will attack every Iraqi army checkpoint in Anbar if they don't withdraw from Anbar province immediately."
Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar, recently was the site of a multilateral meeting meant to resolve longstanding issues in the region.
Anbar was left out of April provincial elections because of the security situation and Sunni tribal leaders there issued a call to arms against the government following an alleged military attack on demonstrators in Kirkuk.
Sunni tribal councils grew out efforts to combat the insurgency in 2006, which was centered on Anbare.
Violence has plagued Iraq steadily since elections. April was the deadliest month in Iraq in about five years, with more than 700 people killed and another 1,600 wounded, the U.N. mission in Iraq reported.
