PM JAFARI SAYS INVESTIGATION INTO MARCH 26 BAGHDAD

S E C R E T BAGHDAD 001023 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2026 TAGS: PREL MOPS IZ SUBJECT: PM JAFARI SAYS INVESTIGATION INTO MARCH 26 BAGHDAD RAID NECESSARY TO REBUILD IRAQIS' TRUST Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) Prime Minister Jafari on March 27 evening told the Ambassador that the conflicting information circulating about the March 26 raid on a compound in Baghdad's Ur district was hurting Iraqi public confidence in Coalition Forces. Jafari said there was not a "crisis of confidence" yet, but there was a "weakening" which could build into a genuine crisis if not treated. He recommended a joint committee investigate study the events and make its findings after a short period, such as three days. ¶2. (S) The Ambassador told the Prime Minister that there were many rumors circulating, some with fantastic stories of Americans executing people or abusing bodies. He noted that at a March 27 meeting at the home of Shia Islamist Coalition leader Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, some of the leaders of the Shia Coalition had criticized U.S. Forces with wild stories. The Iraqi government was not putting forward an accurate version of events, and some officials, like Minister of Defense Dulime, seemed reluctant to do so because of politics. ¶3. (S) Jafari agreed that politics and security questions are getting mixed together now. There are real questions, he noted. For example, Dulime was denying any knowledge of Iraqi special forces participating in the raid. Jafari added that he had assigned his military aide, General Kenani, and two other officers from the Defense Ministry (one Sunni Arab, one Kurd) to look into the allegations. Some of what they had heard did not match what was reported to Jafari from General Casey. Jafari said it would be useful to have the joint investigative committee gather and issue its findings quickly. Ambassador replied that the American side would examine the idea. ¶4. (S) Jafari added quietly at the end of the meeting that trust between the Iraqi public and the U.S. forces was built on the common goal of establishing democracy in Iraq. He commented that the public perceives, however, that there have been "indiscriminate" killings of civilians at checkpoints or in airstrikes. Moreover, the public perceives that too many people are detained and held for long periods and then released without charge. In these instances, he said, the U.S. rarely apologizes and rarely compensates families. These actions are, Jafari cautioned, eroding public confidence in the Coalition Forces. The Ambassador noted that the US takes allegations of excesses seriously and wants to maintain Iraqi public trust. He urged the Prime Minister to work with us in that regard. Jafari replied that he would wait to see the findings of the investigative committee looking at the Ur operation. KHALILZAD