Maamoon Sami Rasheed al-Alwani

Who is Maamoon Sami Rasheed al-Alwani?

Maamoon Sami Rasheed al-Alwani was appointed governor of Iraq's Al Anbar province by the Anbar Provincial Council in May 2005, following the murder of the previous Governor, Raja Nawaf Farhan al-Mahalawi. He is a member of the Abu Alwani clan, part of the Dulaim tribe. 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 document.

Insurgents kidnapped Governor Alwani's son on September 6, 2005, but he was later safely returned. Similarly, in March 2007, two of Governor Alwani's nieces were killed in improvised explosive device attacks.

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. 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.