ANBAR / Aswat al-Iraq: A tribal delegation from Missan arrived in Anbar on Tuesday to show solidarity with Anbarians, said, noting that security forces arrested 12 members of the delegation before their arrival.
Massive protests broken out yesterday in the Anbar Province, with thousands taking to the streets and tribesmen blocking the international expressway connecting Iraq to its neighbors Jordan and Syria.
The protesters are condemning Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government for arresting 150 officials and bodyguards linked to Foreign Minister Rafie Issawi.
The government claims that they were "terrorists" and has claimed a number of "confessions" since the arrests.
Issawi is the top ranking Sunni in the coalition government, excluding only Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who has already been sentenced to death in absentia.
The arrests are seen as an attempt to undermine the Iraqiya Party leading into provincial elections.
SH (TP)