NORTHERN IRAQ: ISLAMIC JIHAD PARTY FORMED AFTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 003476 DEPT. FOR NEA, IO, S/CT, NEA/NGA, AND EUR/SE LONDON FOR SUTPHIN PARIS FOR O'FRIEL VIENNA FOR DCM DEUTSCH E.O. 12958: DECL:5/30/11 TAGS: PREL PHUM PTER MARR ETTC UNSC IZ TU SUBJECT: NORTHERN IRAQ: ISLAMIC JIHAD PARTY FORMED AFTER SPLIT WITHIN ISLAMIC UNION MOVEMENT OF KURDISTAN (U) CLASSIFIED BY POL-MIL COUNSELOR STUART BROWN, REASONS 1.5 B/D. ¶1. (C) ACCORDING TO PATRIOTIC UNION XXXXXXXXXXXXI, ON MAY 30 A SPLIT IN THE ISLAMIC UNION MOVEMENT OF KURDISTAN (IUMK) RESULTED IN MULLAH ALI BAPIR FOUNDING HIS OWN GROUP WHICH HE HAS NAMED THE ISLAMIC JIHAD PARTY. BAPIR IS A RIVAL OF IUKM LEADER MULLAH ALI ABDULAZIZ. BOTH LEADERS ARE BASED IN THE HALABJA DISTRICT, HAVE ARMED MILITIA UNDER THEIR COMMAND AND RECEIVE SUPPORT FROM IRAN. WHILE THE HALABJA DISTRICT HAS FOR SOME TIME BEEN CONTROLLED BY THE IUMK, ACCORDING TO GALALI, ISLAMIC JIHAD ON THE NIGHT OF MAY 30 SUCCEEDED IN TAKING THE VILLAGES OF KURMAL AND ANAB WITHOUT A FIGHT. GALALI CONTACTED US WITH THIS INFORMATION ON MAY 31 ON PUK LEADER JALAL TALABANI'S INSTRUCTION. 2.(C) THE PUK IS CONCERNED THAT THE ISLAMIST SPLIT AND GRAB OF TERRITORY MAY LEAD TO FIGHTING BETWEEN THE ARMED RIVAL FACTIONS, THOUGH NONE IS YET REPORTED. TALABANI IS ALSO WORRIED THAT IRAN MAY TRY TO USE THE EXISTENCE OF TWO ISLAMIST FACTIONS HOLDING TERRITORY IN THE BORDER AREA AS A PRETEXT TO CUT OFF TALABANI'S ROAD ACCESS TO IRAN BY ENCOURAGING ISLAMIC JIHAD TO TAKE THE AREA AROUND PINJUIN. (THE TWO MAIN ROADS FROM THE PUK AREA INTO IRAN RUN THROUGH PINJUIN AND HALABJA RESPECTIVELY.) IN A FURTHER COMPLICATION FOR THE PUK, TWO PUK "MINISTERS" AND TWO "DEPUTY MINISTERS" ARE ISLAMISTS FROM THE IUMK AND IT IS NOT CLEAR WITH WHICH FACTION THEY WILL ALIGN THEMSELVES. ¶3. (C) AS IS OFTEN THE CASE WITH DEVELOPMENTS IN NORTHERN IRAQ, OUR INFORMATION IS LIMITED AND HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED BY ANY OTHER SOURCE. WE WILL REPORT ANY FURTHER DETAILS WE ARE ABLE TO LEARN SEPTEL. JEFFREY