BAGHDAD SECURITY PLAN PROGRESS IN MANSOUR DISTRICT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003792

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2016
TAGS: IZ KDEM PGOV PHUM PINR PTER
SUBJECT: BAGHDAD SECURITY PLAN PROGRESS IN MANSOUR DISTRICT


Classified By: Classified by Joseph Gregoire, Baghdad RPT Team Leader,
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Civil affairs construction teams and the
Mansour District Advisory Council (DAC) have reported signs
of success in the two Baghdad Security Plan Special Focus
Areas located in the Mansour District. Trash pick up in the
Ameriya Focus Area is 65% complete and the neighborhood's
residents are receptive and responding to coalition efforts.
Shops are opening back up and women and children are on the
street once again in significant numbers. Despite the
focused security, Anti-Iraqi Forces (AIF) can continue to
operate in Ameriya; the Ameriya Neighborhood Advisory Council
(NAC) Chairman and representative to the Monsour DAC was
killed in a targeted assassination on or about September 16.
Sewage repairs have replaced security as the hot button issue
for the residents of the Ghazaliya Focus Area. END SUMMARY.

POSITIVE SIGNS IN THE AMERIYA
--------------


2. (C) MNF-I Civil Affairs Units and construction teams on
the ground are reporting positive results in the Ameriya
Focus Area of the Baghdad Security Plan under Operation
Together Forward Phase II. Reporting provided to the Baghdad
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) indicate overall trash
cleanup in the Ameriya Neighbor, a mixed Shia-Sunni area near
the Baghdad International Airport, is 65% complete.
Engineers have also made substantial progress removing large
debris piles and junked automobiles from all the main
streets, reporting a number of them 100% clear.


3. (C) Overall the civil affairs teams are also reporting
good cooperation and involvement by Ameriya,s residents.
Groups of women have been noted shopping throughout all
market areas and children are playing on the streets again.
Businesses along the major cleared streets are open and
smaller vendors are setting up shop on many of the side
streets. The administrator of the Ameriya Rafaidan Bank,
Hamsah Ali-Hashim, told civil affairs officers that he
expects the bank to reopen the first week in October (Note:
the bank has been closed since it was robbed on July 17,

2006. The bank provides services to areas as far west as Abu
Ghuraib as well as the Mansour District and the west side of
the Rasheed District. End Note.)


4. (C) Despite positive signs, Anti-Iraqi Forces (AIF)
continue to operate in Ameriya. In a significant set-back,
NAC Chairman, Hajii Aiyed, was assassinated in an Ameriya
market on or about 16 September. A contact of the civil
affairs team responsible for the area told the team that
Aiyed was approached the day before he was killed by a group
of individuals and asked to store weapons for them, which he
refused to do. In addition to his leadership in Ameriya,
Aiyed also served as the Ameriya representative to the
Mansour DAC, where he strongly advocated for the neighborhood
and was strong supporter of coalition efforts.

SEWAGE OVER SECURITY AS THE KEY ISSUE IN GHAZALIYA
-------------- --------------


5. (C) In the Ghazaliya Special Focus Area a major sewer line
collapse has overtaken security as the primary concern for
residents. During a September 24 meeting of the Mansour DAC
Essential Services Committee, POLOFF and PRT officials
witnessed an emotional and frustrating exchange between
Council members and coalition engineers as they discussed
plans to install a temporary bypass which will divert sewage
around the collapsed trunk line for this large, populated
neighborhood. The trunk line has been completely blocked for
several months and large standing pools of raw sewage have
become a hot button issue for residents.


6. (C) Helping residents understand the need for the
temporary bypass to restore sewage flow in order to fix the
main line was difficult and took up the majority of the
meeting. Once this was accomplished, emotions and tempers
settled down and discussion turned to the possibility of
providing septic pump trucks to help clean up and control
some of the above ground sewage flows resulting from the
break. Other than expressions of condolences to the Mansour
DC memberships over the loss of the Ameriya NC Chairman,
security issues were not discussed at the meeting.


7. (C) COMMENT: Sewage and waste water flow from this low
lying area have been a major problem for residents for over
one year. Over $26 million USD have already been spent in
up-stream sewer improvements projects in Ghazaliyah but none
of these projects will have an impact until the main trunk

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line is repaired. Construction of the bypass line is now 31%
complete and projected to be finished in about 8 weeks (the
original completion date was October 15.) Completion of this
project will be a great relief and very tangible direct
coalition-provided benefit to the Mansour District as a whole
and residents of Ghazaliya specifically. END COMMENT.
KHALILZAD