MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BAGHDAD 000344

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2016
TAGS: PGOV PINS PTER MOPS ENRG EPET IZ
SUBJECT: MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
DISCUSSES SECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE INTEGRITY

Classified By: AMBASSADOR ZALMAY KHALILZAD FOR REASONS 1.4 (A),(B),an
d (D).


1. (C//REL GBR AUS) SUMMARY: The Iraqi Ministerial Committee
for National Security (MCNS) met on February 3 and addressed
the following:

-- The MCNS acknowledged the work of the Joint Committee to
Transfer Security Responsibility (JCTSR) and directed that
its Working Group continue steps toward implementation.

-- Both the Ministers of Defense and Interior reported that
the overall security situation in Iraq is improving.

-- The Prime Minister ordered a close examination of the
security plan for Ashura as well as a publicity campaign
that: warns Iraqis of the possibility of violence during
celebrations of this Shia holiday; calls for nonviolence
during this period; and states that many who attack Iraq are
foreign.

-- The Prime Minister directed the Minister of Interior to
study allegations reported to the PM by private sources of
security problems in Ba'qubah and to come up with a plan to
deal with them.

-- Concerning critical infrastructure integrity, the PM's
staff maintained that DPM Chalabi has been given additional
authorities over the energy ministries as discussed at the
last MCNS meeting.

-- A proposed security plan for al-Anbar Province was briefed
by the Minister of Defense, and it was agreed that the PM
will meet this week with Anbar notables to respond to their
concerns.

-- The Prime Minister tasked Deputy Prime Minister Jaburi
with studying and addressing allegations of complaints by
Sunni leaders about heavy-handed Coalition Force (CF) and
Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) raids;

-- GEN Casey expressed concern about the recent shift of
authority over the National Joint Operations Center (NJOC)
and the Provincial Joint Coordination Centers (PJCCs) from
the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to the Minister of State
for National Security Affairs. END SUMMARY.


2. (C//REL GBR AUS) Prime Minister Ibrahim Ja'afari
convened the MCNS at his residence on the evening of February

3. Committee members present included Minister of Interior
Bayan Jabr, Minister of Defense Saadoun Dulime, National
Security Advisor Mowwafak al-Rubaie, MNF-I Commanding General
Casey, Ambassador Khalilzad, and British Ambassador Patey.
MNF-I Deputy Commanding General Houghton and PM's chief of
staff also were present. Minister of State for National
Security Affairs Karim al-Anzi was absent. Ambassador
Khalilzad had to depart early due to a previously scheduled
engagement.

--------------
TRANSFER OF SECURITY RESPONSIBILITY
--------------


3. (C//REL GBR AUS) The MCNS agreed to acknowledge the work
done to date by the JCTSR, and it directed that the
committee's Working Group continue to develop an
implementation plan. Later in the meeting, it was noted that
Memoranda of Agreement have been prepared among MNF-I and the
Ministries of Defense and Interior pertaining to command and
control relationships once the transfer of security
responsibility begins.

--------------
GENERAL SECURITY SITUATION
--------------


4. (C//REL GBR AUS) Minister of Defense Dulime said that in
his view the security situation nationwide is improving.
According to him, attacks are down, intelligence capabilities
are improving, and Iraqi Security Force (ISF) defenses and
counterattacks on insurgents are becoming more effective. In
Baghdad, he noted, raids, checkpoints, and searches have
improved security. In addition, Dulime reported,
intelligence-based operations conducted against insurgents in
areas other than Baghdad have had an impact on the enemy's
ability to carry out operations in the capital. Dulime said

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that the level of cooperation among MOD, MOI, and MNF-I
forces is excellent and getting better all the time. With
regard to trouble spots, Dulime reported that the area on the
Tigris near Taji remains a problem because there are no
security forces operating there and insurgents who have been
forced out of other regions are fleeing there.


5. (C//REL GBR AUS) Minister of Interior Jabr agreed with
Dulime that ISF now have the initiative. Jabr repeated the
plan that he described at the last MCNS meeting to fortify
fixed checkpoints in Baghdad, and he reported that operations
against insurgents have increased following a lull during the
election period. It had been hoped, he said, that the number
of attacks on police would decrease as insurgents turned
increasingly to the political process, but this did not
happen.


6. (C//REL GBR AUS) National Security Advisor Rubaie said
that he believes attacks are down because the 80 percent of
the insurgents who are rejectionists are beginning to play a
more active role in politics, leading to fewer people bearing
arms against the ISF and Coalition Forces (CF). British
Ambassador Patey agreed with Rubaie's assessment, cautioning
that as more rejectionists join the political process it is
important that continuing security measures do not
inadvertently undermine the political progress. All present
agreed that although attacks by rejectionists seem to be
declining, attacks by the terrorists and Saddamists on the
fringes result in the most casualties.


7. (C//REL GBR AUS) The PM agreed that progress has been
made on security since the Iraqi Transitional Government
(ITG) took office in May. However, he said, major security
challenges remain, especially attacks on critical
infrastructure and assassinations of political, governmental,
and academic personalities. The PM directed that a plan be
prepared within the next five days to deal with the situation
in the Taji area and elsewhere.

--------------
ASHURA SECURITY PLAN
--------------


8. (C//REL GBR AUS) Ja'afari said he remains concerned about
the potential for violence directed at religious pilgrims and
gatherings related to the upcoming Ashura observances. He
pointed out that more than two million pilgrims will come to
Karbala, mostly on foot. Suicide vest bombers, car bombs,
and indirect fire attacks on large crowds of people should be
anticipated, he said. Repeating a concern he raised at the
last MCNS meeting, the PM said he remains worried that the
insurgents may try to poison the food and water sold to
marchers. Rubaie stated that reports indicate an increase in
the number of foreign fighters who have been entering Iraq,
mainly from Syria. The worst-case scenario must be
considered, he warned, and until these reports are proven
false it must be assumed that foreign fighters are entering
Iraq to carry out attacks during Ashura.


9. (C//REL GBR AUS) The MOI has prepared a security plan,
which was passed to Rubaie with directions from Ja'afari to
study it and report back. In the meantime, it was agreed
that a publicity campaign should be launched to sensitize the
public to the threat of attack during the celebration and to
ask for cooperation in spotting and reporting suspicious
persons or circumstances. GEN Casey suggested that Ja'afari
call on the leaders of all factions to join with him to call
publicly for a peaceful Ashura and to emphasize the message
that an attack against anyone during this period is an attack
on Iraq. GEN Casey explained that this will put the
terrorists in a lose-lose situation: they lose if they are
prevented from launching attacks, and they lose if they
launch attacks that are universally condemned by all sectors
of Iraqi society. He added that foreign fighters who have
been captured entering Iraq with the intent to attack Ashura
celebrations must be put on television so that Iraqis will
see that these attacks come from outside Iraq. Ja'afari
agreed to work with the Sunni Waqf to make a common appeal
for nonviolence, and he directed Rubaie to coordinate.

--------------
BA'QUBAH
--------------


10. (C//REL GBR AUS) Ja'afari said that he had received a
"very important report" prepared by private sources on people

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and places in Ba'qubah that are involved in the insurgency.
The PM turned this report over to Jabr with instructions to
review it and to come up with a plan to respond.

--------------
ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
--------------


11. (C//REL GBR AUS) Ja'afari asked if there have been any
recent developments with regard to the energy infrastructure
problems discussed at the last meeting. GEN Casey and
Ambassador Patey said that they understand that DPM Chalabi
has not yet been given the added authorities over the energy
ministries agreed upon at the last meeting, and that the GOI
therefore has taken no significant actions to address this
problem. Chief of Staff Tamimi reported that the order
giving Chalabi extra authorities had been signed and
delivered to him within the past day or two.

--------------
ANBAR PROVINCE
--------------


12. (C//REL GBR AUS) Ja'afari asked about the status of
replies to the petitions he received during his visit last
month to Anbar province, noting that he owes a response.
Dulime reported he has been working with GEN Casey on
formulating a security plan for the province in response to
the petitions. It was agreed that the governor and other
notables from the province would be called to Baghdad on
February 7 to discuss the plan with Ja'afari. Dulime
reported on the plan's outline to the group, which is based
on five basic principles and has sections that address the
police, the army, and detainees as they relate to Anbar.
(NOTE: The basic principles are that everyone will agree to
condemn terrorism and violence; all will work to find
solutions that are acceptable to the people of the province;
all will work to create the conditions whereby the ISF will
be capable of taking responsibility for the security of the
province; that when this occurs CF will withdraw from the
cities to bases in unpopulated areas; and that a committee
will be formed of all interested parties to agree on a
proposed timeline to implement the plan. END NOTE.) At
Ja'afari's request, GEN Casey agreed to assist with
contacting the governor and transporting him and other
members of the delegation to Baghdad.

--------------
COALITION OPERATIONS
--------------


13. (C//REL GBR AUS) Ja'afari said that he recently has
heard complaints about the conduct of CF during raids and
other operations. The PM directed that a committee headed by
DPM Abed Mutlaq al-Jaburi be formed to study and respond to
these complaints. Ja'afari also expressed displeasure
concerning a recent operation in Sadr City that resulted in
the death of a woman and child, complaining that he knew
nothing about it and was embarrassed when it came up during a
press conference. GEN Casey explained that the raid was a
well-planned operation targeting known Ansar al-Sunna
terrorists who had come to Sadr City from Mosul. When the
operation commenced, people from two nearby houses opened
fire on the soldiers and return fire was necessary. It was
regrettable that innocent lives had been lost, GEN Casey
noted, but the targets of the raid were successfully
captured. (NOTE: Ja'afari has been reminded in the past that
he should rely on his Situation Room staff to keep him fully
briefed on military operations
of this nature. END NOTE.)

--------------
CONTROL OVER NJOC AND PJCCs
--------------


14. (C//REL GBR AUS) GEN Casey raised the subject of who
controls the National Joint Operations Center (NJOC) and the
network of Provincial Joint Coordination Centers (PJCCs) that
report to it. These bodies had always fallen under the
control of the MOI, but two weeks ago, GEN Casey said, he
learned that authority over them had been transferred to
Minister of State for National Security Affairs al-Anzi.
Ja'afari played this down, first claiming that this
arrangement dated back to the Allawi administration and then
saying that the current government only has a short time left
and that it would be embarrassing to al-Anzi to remove the

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NJOC and PJCCs from his control. GEN Casey replied that the
MOI official who had overseen the NJOC and PJCCs was fired
two weeks ago and only then did he learn that al-Anzi was
exercising control. Ambassador Patey further objected that
the realignment of responsibilities for such important
institutions was inconsistent with the actions of a caretaker
government, and he urged that whatever changes had taken
place in the last few weeks be undone. Ja'afari said
(without much conviction) that he would "take care of this
issue."
KHALILZAD