XXXXXXXXXXXX BLAMES UK FOR SECURITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002059 SIPDIS SIPDIS REL UK E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2026 TAGS: PGOV PINR PINS PNAT PREL PTER KDEM KISL IZ SUBJECT: XXXXXXXXXXXX BLAMES UK FOR SECURITY PROBLEMS REF: A. A. BASRAH 93 ¶B. B. BASRAH 95 ¶C. C. BAGHDAD 1994 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR MARGARET SCOBEY FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (S//REL UK) Summary: In a June 12 conversation with PolOff, XXXXXXXXXXXX told PolOff the UK is largely to blame for the unrest in Basrah. The UK has not brought militias under control, and so Basrah is now a violent place, he said. This, combined with the activities of foreign intelligence services, corruption, and political rivalries makes Basrah difficult to govern, he said. The Ministry of Defense (MOD),however, is a trusted organization, and many in Basrah would prefer that it handle security, rather than the Ministry of Interior (MOI),which many see as corrupt. End Summary. -------------- UK to Blame for Situation in Basrah -------------- ¶2. (S//REL UK) On June 12, XXXXXXXXXXXX told PolOff that the UK was to blame for the lack of security in Basrah. He said the UK has allowed Shia militias to largely control Basrah and has done little to assert control. The UK, he argued, "worked with the strong, not the qualified," and therefore Basrah has serious rule of law problems. -------------- Three Fights in Basrah -------------- ¶3. (S//REL UK) According to XXXXXXXXXXXX, the violence in Basrah is the result of three fights that are happening simultaneously, all of which involve Iran. The first fight is about corruption. XXXXXXXXXXXX accused Fadhila of using the money it garners through graft and corruption, sometimes totaling 650,000 USD in one month, to finance party activities. For this reason, XXXXXXXXXXXX argued, Fadhila wants desperately to maintain control of the province. If another party should gain control of Basrah in the upcoming provincial elections it would mean the collapse of Fadhila, XXXXXXXXXXXX predicted. This, in turn, he asserted, would mean the downfall of Fadhila's spiritual leader, Sheikh Mohammad al-Yaqubi. Sheikh Yaqubi is therefore willing to resort to corruption and violence in order to hold on to Basrah, XXXXXXXXXXXX opined. ¶4. (S//REL UK) The second fight in Basrah involves foreign intelligence services, XXXXXXXXXXXX stated. He said Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iran are all actively engaged in covert operations in Basrah. Iran, according to XXXXXXXXXXXX, is especially troublesome, funding such terrorist groups as the Imam Hussein Battalion, which is responsible for the recent death of a Basrah FSN (ref B). ¶5. (S//REL UK) The third fight, according to XXXXXXXXXXXX, is among the various political parties in Basrah. XXXXXXXXXXXX said that, as the various political parties struggle for control of Basrah politics, parties in the Basrah Provincial Council (PC) do not wish to see the central government insert itself into Basrah affairs. The Basrah PC therefore viewed Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's recent visit to Basrah as a direct challenge to the PC's authority. ¶6. (S//REL UK) The Basrah PC, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, has been trying to pull away from central government authority. "There is an attitude among the provincial leadership that Basrah's treasure should be for Basrah only," XXXXXXXXXXXX stated. XXXXXXXXXXXX said that it would take a good deal of effort to bring the situation in Basrah back under control. With Iran so heavily involved in stirring up trouble in Basrah, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, any conflict between the U.S. and Iran could result in the complete collapse of the Basrah government. -------------- MOI Not Trusted -------------- ¶7. (S//REL UK) XXXXXXXXXXXX said that the people of Basrah trust the Iraqi Army and MOD, but not the MOI. The MOI, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, is a divided ministry; each section of the ministry is like its own country, and people in different sections rarely communicate. The Iraqi Police, he said, is heavily BAGHDAD 00002059 002 OF 002 infiltrated by militias. In Basrah, he explained, there are approximately 15,000 Iraqi Police Officers. The Basrah Chief of Police has said that half belong to a militia. The MOD, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, is not infiltrated by militias, and so many Iraqis would rather see the MOD in charge of security. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (S//REL UK) Our contacts tell us that certain groups, such as Basrah's rival political parties and the Iranian intelligence services, appear to have an interest in promoting unrest in Basrah (ref C). A strong provincial government that is able to withstand such influences still appears to be a distant prospect. As the provincial elections draw near and rivalries for power intensify, we expect violence to increase unless the central government proves able to assert control over Basrah. ¶9. (S//REL UK) Bionote: XXXXXXXXXXXX ¶10. (S//REL UK) Bionote continued: XXXXXXXXXXXX End Bionote. SPECKHARD