| Governor Maamoon Sami Rasheed al-Alwani | |
|---|---|
| Maj. Gen. John Kelly and Gov. Maamoon Sami Rasheed al-Alwani sign provincial Iraqi control documents on Sep. 1, 2008. | |
| Governor of Anbar | |
| In office May 2005 – April 2009 |
|
| Appointed by | Anbar Provincial Council (PC) |
| Preceded by | Raja Nawaf Farhan al-Mahalawi[1] |
| Succeeded by | Qasim Abid Muhammad Hammadi al-Fahadawi[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1957 |
| Nationality | Iraqi |
| Political party | Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Structural Engineer[3] |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Maamoon Sami Rasheed al-Alwani was appointed governor of Iraq's Al Anbar province by the Anbar Provincial Council in May 2005. He is a member of the Abu Alwani clan, part of the Dulaim tribe.[4] His name was found along with the names of other prominent Iraqi Sunni leaders who had been targeted for assassination in a captured al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) document.[5]
Insurgents kidnapped Governor Alwani's son on September 6, 2005, but he was later safely returned.[6][7] Similarly, in March 2007, two of Governor Alwani's nieces were killed in improvised explosive device (IED) attacks.[3]
In late October 2007, Governor Alwani was part of a delegation of Anbari government and tribal officials that travelled to the United States to drum up support for reconstruction efforts in the province upon an official invitation from the US Department of State.[8] The following month, Governor Alwani had expressed to reporters that his primary concern was that a sectarian-divided Iraq would inspire meddling from Iran and other neighboring countries. He also invited private investors from the US to help develop Anbar's oil and natural reserves, located in the southern Akaz region.[9]
Governor Alwani has survived at least 31 assassination attempts since assuming office in May 2005.[10]
On August 18, 2005, insurgents opened fire on the governor and a group of prominent Sunni Muslim clerics as they were meeting in Ramadi. Witnesses said Governor Alwani was holding talks with members of the Muslim Clerics Association in Ramadi's main Al Dawla al-Kabeer mosque when the gunmen opened fire. The governor and the head of the Muslim Clerics Association in Ramadi, Thamir al-Dulaimi, escaped injury but Dhahir al-Obeidi, head of the Sunni Endowment organisation, was wounded along with his deputy.
In early-May 2006, Governor Alwani escaped with minor wounds when a bomb exploded near his convoy. The bomb exploded as he was travelling to his office in Ramadi.[11]
On Christmas Day 2007, several mortar rounds slammed into the Governor's office at the Government Center in downtown Ramadi.[3]