PRT-BAGHDAD: PROVINCE'S SECURITY COMMITTEE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002400 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2016 TAGS: PINS PGOV PREL PTER PINR ASEC IZ SUBJECT: PRT-BAGHDAD: PROVINCE'S SECURITY COMMITTEE DISCUSSES SECTARIAN VIOLENCE ACROSS THE GOVERNORATE BAGHDAD 00002400 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: PRT BAGHDAD TEAM LEADER JOE GREGOIRE FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: PRT Representatives attended the Baghdad Provincial Council (BPC) Security Committee meeting July 2. Discussions centered on the presence of foreign elements and other Anti-Iraqi Forces (AIF). The committee also discussed concerns about corruption and collusion within Baghdad-based ISF units and the demographic shifts in Baghdad resulting from sectarian threats and violence. End Summary. -------------- Foreign Elements in Baghdad's Beladiyas -------------- ¶2. (C) The Kharkh, Rusafa, 9 Nissan, Adhamayia, and Rashid beladiya security representatives all reported the presence of foreign fighters in their neighborhoods and stated that numbers of sectarian fighters and incidents of sectarian violence have been on the rise. Sheikh Marouf Muhalla, the Kharkh representative, described recent mortar attacks in Kharkh that killed four Shia and claimed knowledge of the assassinations of nearly sixty Shia in the Sheikh Ali neighborhood. The committee went on to discuss its limited success in mitigating tensions in the Haifa neighborhood of Kharkh, where committee members have been mediating discussions between contesting neighborhood groups. -------------- No Luck with Mediation in Rusafa -------------- ¶3. (C) The Rusafa committee representative claimed that foreign AIF have been countering local IP operations in Rusafa's Muhalla 105 neighborhood, reportedly with the collusion of the area's IA commander, who is, according to committee members, a former Baathist. The committee representative also said he had noticed the smell of alcohol on IA soldiers while passing through area checkpoints after dark. The Rusafa district security committee also attempted to facilitate talks between neighborhood AIF and JAM (Jaish al Mahdi, Sadrist) elements following a series of particularly large conflicts between the two groups in the neighborhood, but talks broke down when AIF members refused to comply with a JAM condition that local AIF members sever connections with all Taqfiri (Muslim apostates) in a local mosque. According to the committee member, Shia neighborhoods throughout Rusafa are reacting differently to sectarian threats; some want to resolve issues peaceably while others prefer the path of jihad. -------------- Taqfiri Coalescing in 9 Nissan? -------------- ¶4. (C) 9 Nissan is reportedly "open" for Taqfiri elements to move in from Diyala province. The 9 Nissan committee representative, Said Latif Al-Moussowy, said the Palestinians in the 9 Nissan beladiyas are largely sympathetic to former regime elements and have been harboring Taqfiri members. -------------- Problems in Adhamiyah and Al-Rashid -------------- ¶5. (C) Adhamiyiah Security Chairman Ali Abdul Riyadh said he believes that as many as 180 terrorists are operating in the area, and that most of the local ISF appear sympathetic to the local AIF. To illustrate the problem, he described a recent incident in which five Shia sanitation workers were killed 'in the open' without any response by local Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). He further asserted that local IA officers LTC Al-Adelamy, LTC Al-Samary, and LTC Al-Jumeli, all from Fallujah, may have been involved in the transit of the Sadr City VBIED on July 1, as well as in the deaths of Adhamiyah DAC members. According to Al-Rashid's security representative, the Doura area remains under AIF control. The forced displacements of Shia families is continuing, sometimes with ISF consent or direct involvement. -------------- ... And in Sadr City -------------- BAGHDAD 00002400 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (C) Sadr City representative Abdul Ridha Jasim Khalaf spoke briefly about the July 1 market bombing, stating his belief that the death toll had risen to over 100 and that the number of wounded was at least 120. He initially criticized the effectiveness of ISF/CF cordons and checkpoints leading into the area, but later admitted that the perimeter of the area is porous. -------------- Mahmoudiya is a 'Battlefield' -------------- ¶7. (C) Mahmoudyia was the only Baghdad qada (similar to a county) represented at the meeting. Majid Abid Al Sayed, the qada security chair, claimed that ISF units have been ineffective in the area, describing his local neighborhoods as 'battlefields'. He said 26 Shia between the ages of 19 and 25 have been killed and dumped in the area during the last week of June, adding that the chairman of the Mahmoudiya nahia (neighborhood) is suspected of being the local Taqfiri head responsible for the deaths. Majid also said that local Taqfiri are recruiting and operating out of the gas cylinder factory in Mahmoudiya referred to as 'Schneter'. He went on that some local Sunni mosques have begun openly calling for jihad against the Shia population. -------------- Demographic Shifts Continue -------------- ¶8. (C) BPC Security Committee members agree that demographic shifts due to sectarian violence remain pervasive in the Baghdad Governorate, with ethnic realignments occurring to varying degrees in each of the fifteen districts. They believe that displaced families continue to be absorbed into ethnically homogeneous neighborhoods in the province, sometimes by occupying vacant residences. (Comment: The committee members were more interested in sharing information about where relocations were occurring than trying to foster attempts to prevent or resolve any of the core issues underlying this problem. As we pursue the dialogue with them, we will encourage these members to refocus on the latter issues. PM Maliki's and UN reconciliation initiatives may be the vectors along which to re-orient our BPC contacts. End comment.) SATTERFIELD