SADR SURPRISES BASRAH, CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY, EXPULSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000029

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/26/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ECON IZ
SUBJECT: SADR SURPRISES BASRAH, CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY, EXPULSION
OF OCCUPIERS

REF: A) BASRAH 19, B) BASRAH 27

BASRAH 00000029 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Mark Marrano, Deputy REGIONAL COORDINATOR, REO
BASRAH, DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (SBU) Summary: In an unannounced visit to Basrah, Moqtada
al Sadr made a televised statement at the Office of the Martyr
Sadr (OMS) headquarters. His speech called for Sunnis and Shias
to unite and force the expulsion of the occupiers. An explosion
in the Imam Ali Mosque in Basrah occurred shortly after
Moqtada's speech. Basrah's population, frustrated by fuel
shortages and terrified by extrajudicial kidnappings and
assassinations, is receptive to his message. End Summary.

Sadr's Speech Draws Ten Thousand
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2. (U) In an unannounced visit to Basrah, Moqtada al Sadr made
a televised statement at the Office of the Martyr Sadr (OMS)
headquarters. Over ten thousand people were reported to have
attended the 15-minute speech. Al Iraqiya Television in Basrah
filmed the speech and broadcast it almost immediately. In a
loud, authoritative voice, Sadr called on Sunnis and Shia to
unite and fight off the occupiers, and the United States, United
Kingdom, and Israel in particular. He equated these three
countries to Satan, and the crowd chanted, "No, no to Satan," in
response. He said that fighting off the occupation must be done
"in fact," not just in words, urging for action. Once the
occupiers are removed from Iraq, he stated, security would
follow. He referred to his father, the cleric Mohammed Sadiq al
Sadr, in saying that by uniting, Iraqis could defeat their
enemies. The crowd chanted, "Leave, leave, occupiers," in
unison.


3. (SBU) After stirring up Basrah with his firebrand speech,
Moqtada was reported to be holding a private meeting at a Sunni
Mosque in Basrah. He is expected to leave Basrah either later
on February 26 or early on February 27 to attend a national
unity procession on February 27 in Baghdad. His means of
transportation and departure time from Basrah are unknown.

Governor Mohammed's Duplicity
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4. (C) Clearly visible standing behind Moqtada's right
shoulder was the Governor of Basrah, Mohammed Waeli (Fadillah
Party). Governor Mohammed contacted the REO from Baghdad on
February 25, requesting transportation back to Basrah. The REO
facilitated transport for him back to Basrah later on February
25 on a British Royal Air Force (RAF) flight. A boycott on
cooperation and communication with the British by all Basrah
government officials has been in place since Chairman Muhammed
Sa'adoon Al Abaadi (Da'awa) signed an official letter on
February 13 (see reftel A). By accepting RAF transport,
Governor Mohammed acted in clear violation of the boycott. His
need to get back to Basrah in time for Moqtada's visit is now
clear.

Concurrent Explosion in Shia Imam Ali Mosque
-------------- --------------


5. (SBU) A bomb exploded in the Shi Imam Ali Mosque in central
Basrah a few minutes after Sadr concluded his speech. The
mosque is located about a mile away from the OMS headquarters
where Moqtada delivered his speech. The mosque is under
construction and not being used for prayer at the time. Reports
of 2 deaths and 3 injuries as a result of the bomb were
delivered to the REO, although this information has not been
verified. Only construction workers were reported to be in the
mosque when the explosion occurred, and the Iraqi police are
investigating the event. The bomb is reported to have gone off
in the bathroom of the mosque, and police were reported as
saying they believe that the injured men were responsible for
planting the bomb.

Basrah Runs Out of Gas
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6. (SBU) Following demonstrations with large numbers of
participants on February 22, 23, and 24, an eerie calm settled
on Basrah on February 25 as fuel shortages hamstrung the local
population's ability to move around the city. With black market
prices for fuel at 1000 dinars a liter, few people in Basrah can
afford to travel. The wait at fuel stations in Basrah is
reported to be over 8 hours. Moqtada's visit to Basrah is
particularly timely, as Basrah's residents frustrations at the
local government's inability to provide basic services are
amplified by the fuel shortages. (Note: The South Oil Company

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Refinery is conducting maintenance on its pipelines, resulting
in the reduction in fuel supplies to Basrah. Maintenance is
scheduled to last for two weeks. End Note.)

Kidnappings and Assassinations Continue Unabated
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7. (SBU) At 2000 on February 25, a confrontation broke out at
a police checkpoint between the Iraqi Police (IP) and vehicles
carrying individuals claiming to be part of the Serious Crimes
Unit (SCU). Dead bodies were reported to have been in the SCU
vehicles. When IP attempted to arrest the SCU members, a
firefight broke out that lasted until 0200 on February 26. No
one was killed or injured in the fight, and all SCU members
escaped. The IP identified Captain Hashim Khadim Hashim, who is
alleged to have been behind the kidnapping of 12 prisoners from
the Al Mina prison on February 23 (see reftel B) as being in one
of the SCU vehicles.


8. (C) At least seven individuals were reported to have been
kidnapped and assassinated in the last 24 hours in Basrah.
These individuals include both Sunni and Shia. At this time,
there is no indication that the increase in kidnappings and
assassinations in Basrah over the past week are directly linked
to either the destruction of the Samarra Mosque or to Moqtada's
visit. The number of kidnappings and assassinations in Basrah
have increased significantly since January. REO Basrah has
received reports of assassination lists of Sunnis, Ba'athists,
and Shia sympathizers, with attacks being carried out by
Iranian-influenced extremists. If this is indeed the case, it
is likely that the assassinators are taking advantage of the
curfew and the general disorder in Basrah in the days following
the Samarra Mosque attack to step up their attacks.

OMS Ascending?
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9. (C) Comment: Moqtada's surprise visit to Basrah should not
come as a surprise. Following his high-level meetings in Middle
East capitals, his appearance in the Shia heartland of southern
Iraq in the strategically significant city of Basrah, where
Sunnis make up about 20 percent of the population, was the
logical next step in his strategy of uniting Sunnis and Shia
against the "common enemy" of the Coalition. Moqtada is
capitalizing on the past week's chaos following the destruction
of the Samarra mosque by painting himself as the only political
figure able to unite all Iraqis and provide adequate security.
In Basrah, the OMS- militia of Jayish Al Mahdi has allegedly
been "protecting" Sunni mosques and shrines since the Samarra
Mosque explosion on February 22.


10. (C) Comment Continued: The presence of the Basrah
Governor at Moqtada's televised speech indicates an attempt on
the Governor's part to distance himself from the policies of the
Da'awa-led Basrah Provincial Council. Even moderate, educated
Iraqis in Basrah not normally receptive to Moqtada's ideas are
increasingly upset with the dysfunctional Provincial Council and
its endless and ineffective boycotts against the British.
Moqtada's meeting with Sunni leaders in a Sunni Mosque sends a
signal that he is willing to work with all segments of the
population. While Moqtada generally does not have a favorable
reputation in Basrah, most of Basrah's residents see few viable
alternatives. REO moderate contacts comment that while they do
not like Moqtada's party, they do not see a way to stop his
political ascension. End Comment
MARRANO