AL-ANBAR PRT: RAMADI POLICE RECRUITS SEEK JOB

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004634

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2016
TAGS: PGOV PTER PINS PHUM ASEC KJUS IZ
SUBJECT: AL-ANBAR PRT: RAMADI POLICE RECRUITS SEEK JOB
SECURITY WHILE CRITICIZING TERRORISTS

Classified By: Al-Anbar PRT Leader James Soriano for reasons 1.4 (b) an
d (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY. Over 200 Anbari men from Ramadi and
surrounding towns turned out on December 17 for the first
day of a three-day recruiting drive for the Iraqi police
forces. Many applicants cited job security as the main
motivation for their interest in joining the Iraqi
police. While they were anxious about being the target
of terrorist attacks, they criticized terrorists for
disrupting normal economic life in Ramadi. Over the
course of the three-day recruiting drive, approximately
390 men passed the required tests and were sent to Jordan
for additional training. The large number of men
responding to recent police recruiting drives in al-Anbar
is a significant step towards staffing the province's
police forces. While there were virtually no police
officers on the payroll in al-Anbar 24 months ago, and
only 1,000 a year ago, there are now over 8,000 officers
signed up with the province's police forces. END
SUMMARY.

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POLICE RECRUITS: YOUNG ANBARIS SEEK JOB SECURITY, RESPECT
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2. (C) Braving rain and chilly winds, over 200 Anbari men
underwent interviews including physical, literacy and
health checks on December 17 hoping to become the newest
members of the Iraqi police (IP). Some of the men, who
appeared to be between the ages of 18 and 35, waited
nearly eight hours to complete the process. They were
asked questions about their health, ability to read and
write, drug use, and views about the Ba'ath Party and
terrorism. Those who pass the tests are accepted for
further training, including at a police academy in
Jordan, the next step in the process of becoming an Iraqi
police officer. Over the course of the three-day
recruiting drive, approximately 390 men passed the
required tests and were sent to Jordan for additional
training.


3. (C) Many applicants cited job security as their
primary motivation. "Right now, there are not many jobs
in Ramadi," one recruit stated. "This is a good job and
it pays good money. I need this job," he added. A 22-
year-old applicant from Ramadi also noted high
unemployment in the area, while adding that young men
with a guaranteed income stood a better chance of getting
married. "You can't get married without a job. So I
hope I can get married if I am successful at this test,"
he concluded. "My father is dead and my brothers and
sisters are little, so I need money to help them,"
another applicant stated.


4. (C) Several applicants discussed the status given to
men in police and arQ uniforms in their communities.
Two young brothers said that their father serves with the
Iraqi police, and they admire the respect he receives
from family members as a policeman. While many of the
young men wore athletic clothes and running shoes, the
two brothers were dressed formally and wore dress shoes.
"This is an important job, so we have to dress well for
the interview," the older brother explained.

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RECRUITS WORRY ABOUT THEIR SAFETY...
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5. (C) Nearly all applicants were concerned about their
safety. "The terrorists will kill anyone with the police
or the army, they are very bad," one man said. "Danger"
was the word most frequently used by applicants in
describing police work. Many cited their faith in God as
their best defense against the terrorists. "Everything
is decided by God, and we are Muslim," one recruit
declared.

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...WHILE HARSHLY CRITICIZING TERRORISTS
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6. (C) The applicants criticized terrorists for
disrupting employment and daily life in Ramadi. "Why are
there no jobs in Ramadi? It is because of the terrorists
(and) the security situation," one applicant said. One
man stated that he and his friends have difficulty
keeping in contact due to the absence of telephone
service in al-Anbar. "We all have mobile phones, but

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they don't work here. The terrorists destroy the phone
towers," he said. "It used to be safe here," he added,
?but now (the terrorists) will kill you. It doesn't
matter if you look Iraqi or if you are Muslim. They kill
everyone who is not with them.?

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SECTARIAN DIVIDE EVIDENT AT RECRUITING DRIVE
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7. (C) Many of the Iraqi interviewers were from southern
Iraq, and the gulf between them and the Anbari applicants
was evident. Some of the interviewers and applicants
noted a sectarian divide as well, noting that the Anbaris
are mostly Sunni while many southerners are Shi'a. A 22-
year-old Shi'a Iraqi soldier from Babylon who was used as
an interpreter stated: "Most of us in the army here are
from the south. The people here hate us. I am scared.
The people here are crazy." Many applicants expressed
their distrust of Shi'a Muslims in general. One
applicant said that the Shi'a politicians in Baghdad
"hate" the Sunnis of Anbar. "If we go to Baghdad, they
will kill us. Moqtada al-Sadr, the Shi'a militias, they
are all terrorists," his friend added.


8. (C) At a December 11 meeting of the al-Anbar
Provincial Council in Baghdad, several council members
expressed concern that Anbari police recruits were being
rejected during recruiting drives by Sh'ia interviewers
who were administering the literacy test. However, the
interviewers we spoke with praised the police recruits as
important to the future of Iraq, and stressed that the
majority of them have passed the literacy test. At one
point during the interview process, an American
administrator cautioned the interviewers not to be too
lenient on the literacy test. One interviewer told us
that two-thirds of the applicants on December 17 passed
the literacy test.

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SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS LOOK FORWARD TO FUTURE TRAINING
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9. (C) COMMENT. The large turnout of potential police
recruits over the past few months in Ramadi marks a
significant increase in recruitment efforts for police
officers in al-Anbar province. Recruitment was at zero
as recently as last summer, but police recruiting drives
this fall and winter have drawn hundreds of Anbari men.
There were virtually no police officers on the payroll in
al-Anbar 24 months ago and only about 1,000 one year ago,
but today there are over 8,000. While the ceiling for
the number of Anbari police officers is 11,300 officers
and the March 31, 2007 target date of reaching that quota
still looks unlikely, the increasing number of recruits
represents steady progress towards the goal of staffing
the province's police forces. Today every city in al-
Anbar province has a police detachment except the desert
oasis town of Rutbah. END COMMENT.
KHALILZAD