NINEWA: TURCOMANS IN TAL,AFAR ON KIRKUK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004583

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2016
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM TU IZ
SUBJECT: NINEWA: TURCOMANS IN TAL,AFAR ON KIRKUK

REFERENDUM AND KURDS

Classified By: Classified by Ninewa PRT Leader James Knight: 1.4 (B) a
nd (D).

This is a Ninewa Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) message.

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Members of the Iraqi Turcoman Front (ITF) in
Tal,Afar blamed security problems on oppressed locals, in a
meeting with PRT Ninewa IPAO. They also noted that the
Turcomans in Tal,Afar were not represented by the district
leadership, which they called &isolated8 from average
citizens. The status of Kirkuk remains the focus of the ITF's
concern with regard to a referendum on disputed territories
as required by Article 140 of the constitution; Ninewa is not
a primary source of concern for the ITF. ITF leaders also
denied any official relationship with the Government of
Turkey (GOT). END SUMMARY.

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INSTABILITY DUE TO OPPRESSION OF LOCALS
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2. (C) On 7 December, PRT IPAO met with several members of
the ITF in Tal,Afar. The president of the ITF, Dr. Yashar
Abdulla Mahmoud, and the ITF,s media affairs representative,
Heydar Shih, were the most vocal of the TAP officials present.


3. (C) The meeting began with an inquiry about the effect
that the Baker-Hamilton Commission report, released the day
prior, would have on U.S. and Coalition presence in Iraq.
Mahmoud noted that the security situation was unstable and
that any precipitous withdrawal of Coalition forces would
aggravate the situation. When asked who he thought was
behind the recent violence in Tal,Afar, Mahmoud initially
stated that &all of the terrorists are foreign fighters.8
When pressed about the origin of the fighters, Mahmoud
conceded that most of the terrorists were locals, though he
added the caveat that they were all oppressed locals who had
no other choices. He further opined that the local prison
system is serving as training ground for terrorists, as he
had personally witnessed terrorist recruitment during a
recent stint in prison.

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MAYOR IN TAL,AFAR NOT REPRESENTATIVE
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4. (C) While Mahmoud said he was satisfied with the
representation that his party has at the national level in
the Council of Representatives, he was very unhappy with the
local mayor and district council. He noted that the mayor of
Tal,Afar, Najim Abdullah Abd al-Jaburi, was neither Turcoman
nor from Tal,Afar. Mahmoud insisted that Najim was
completely isolated from the people of Tal,Afar and only
travels through Tal,Afar a few times annually.

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ZUMAR MAY GO TO KRG, BUT TURCOMAN FOCUS IS KIRKUK
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5. (C) When questioned about possibly joining the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) in a possible upcoming Article 140
disputed territories referendum, Mahmoud immediately began
prepared remarks about implications for Kirkuk. When he was
asked to restrict his comments to Ninewa, Mahmoud noted that
the primary concern for Turcomans was Kirkuk. Mahmoud did
say that Zumar, a subdistrict of Tal,Afar district that is
primarily Arab, would probably vote to join the KRG. He also
commented on attempts by the KRG to influence Christian areas
on the Ninewa plain; he said that the offer of an autonomous
region is merely a bribe to elicit support for the KRG.
Mahmoud continued by arguing that the Shabak in Ninewa are
confused and that they are not really Kurds. He said that
the Kurds, &ambition is beyond its limitations8 and cited
several examples of personal harassment by Kurdish
authorities. Shih claims that more than 1000 Turcomans are
being illegally detained in the KRG.


6. (C) Mahmoud did note that Kurdish schools have recently
been constructed in Zumar. These schools teach in both
Arabic and in Kurdish, according to Shih. Shih said that
both Arabic and Turcoman are taught in the schools in
Tal,Afar, although he noted that the language that is

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actually taught is closer to Turkish than Turcoman, since the
Roman alphabet is used.

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TURKEY NOT A FACTOR
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7. (C) When queried about ITF,s relationship with the GOT,
Hussin interrupted and claimed that all of the members of ITF
are Iraqi and that ITF has nothing to do with the GOT. Shih
disclosed that many Turcoman receive support through private
Turkish charities and from individual Turkish citizens, but
he also said that there was no official GOT support. Mahmoud
then noted that ITF received some support, in the form of
medical supplies, from Germany and reiterated that his party
simply wants a good relationship with everyone, except the
Kurds.

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COMMENT
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8. (C) ITF,s frank views that were expressed correlate well
with what other interlocutors report on Turcomans in
Tal,Afar. The situation in Tal,Afar remains complicated
and difficult as sectarian issues continue to dominate the
political landscape. Increased Kurdish meddling will likely
lead to further destabilization of the precarious balance in
Tal,Afar. The primary concern in Tal,Afar, however, is
still Shi,a and Sunni tension within the government,
security forces, and population. END COMMENT.
KHALILZAD