Tribal ..... Millionaires!

Remember those Sunni tribal types that the U.S. was "encouraging" to join the fight against "al Qaeda"? It seems that some have taken the money and run:

This story from al-Malaf is currently the talk of the forums: Sitar Abu Risha, head of the Anbar Salvation Council, has allegedly fled Iraq with $75 million that the Americans had given him to fight al-Qaeda. The story links his flight to the near-collapse of the Anbar Salvation Council over infighting among its leadership [and] claims that he simply never distributed the American cash to the fighters, who are now threatening to go on strike if they don't get paid. Seeing as how the Anbar Salvation Council has for months now been portrayed as the great American hope in the battle against al-Qaeda, if this story turns out to be true - a big if, given the shaky sourcing to this point - then it would be a rather embarrassing fiasco.

The story is still yet to be confirmed. But if true, it would indeed be embarrassing and a fiasco. And yet somehow, it's also business as usual.