Sunni sheikh killed in suicide attack

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- An influential Sunni sheikh active in the reconciliation movement against al Qaeda in Iraq died early Thursday evening in a suicide attack in Khalis, a village about 50 miles (85 km) north of Baghdad, police said.

Sheikh Fa'ez al-Ubeid, head of Khalis Salvation Council and deputy head of the Diyala Support Council, was hosting a gathering at his home when the suicide attacker walked in and detonated his bomb, Khalis police and the U.S. military said.

The police said four other Sunni tribal sheikhs were killed and three were wounded in the attack. The military said two other Iraqi civilians were killed and another was wounded.

The Khalis Salvation Council is a group of Sunni tribes working against al Qaeda. The Diyala Support Council is a group of Sunni and Shiite sheikhs working together in the province. E-mail to a friend

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