SWAT COMMANDER'S DEATH MAY JEOPARDIZE NON-PARTISAN SECURITY

S E C R E T HILLAH 000147

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/13/2016
TAGS: PGOV PINS PREL PINR PTER PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: SWAT COMMANDER'S DEATH MAY JEOPARDIZE NON-PARTISAN SECURITY
LEADERSHIP IN BABIL

CLASSIFIED BY: Charles F. Hunter, Regional Coordinator, REO
Al-Hillah, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary and comment: The head of the Al-Hillah SWAT team
was assassinated in his office on Oct. 13, days after being
informed by the office of the Prime Minister (PM) that he was
being replaced. Though the victim had a warrant out for his
arrest on terrorism charges, a confluence of factors surrounding
his death, including the political ties of his replacement, have
raised suspicions and may not bode well for impartial leadership
in Babil's security forces, heretofore a hallmark of the
province. End summary and comment.


2. (SBU) Col. Salam Trad Al-Ma'mouri, the head of the Al-Hillah
SWAT team, was assassinated along with his nephew and deputy,
Maj. Tahir Al-Ma'mouri, by a bomb in Col. Salam's office at
approximately 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 13. The explosive
was placed on the exterior window ledge of the victim's
ground-floor office, directly behind his chair, and detonated
with a remote-control trigger. Two other people were injured in
the blast. Speculation points to an inside job. Col. Salam was
a cousin of Babil Police Chief MG Qais Hamza Aboud Al-Ma'mouri,
who has survived several assassination attempts himself, and the
son-in-law of the provincial chief judge, A'ad Hatif Jabbar
Al-Hasaani. (Note: He was also a close contact of the Regional
Embassy Office and took part in weekly REO-hosted bilateral
security coordination meetings. End note.)


3. (C) Col. Salam was in the process of being removed from his
position as SWAT leader. Post has a copy of a letter dated
Sept. 30 from Gen. Samir Abdullah Hassaani, director of the
office of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, directing
the Minister of Interior to replace Col. Salam with Maj. Ali
Hamid Abbas. The letter was sent on October 1 but evidently not
received in Al-Hillah until a week later. The official transfer
of command had not yet taken place, however, which is why Col.
Salam continued to go to his office.


4. (C) Col. Salam was also under indictment from a court in
Karbala on charges of involvement in a terrorist plot to kill
relatives of Prime Minister (PM) Nuri Al-Maliki, and perhaps the
PM himself, in late August 2006. The REO has heard that 14
people were arrested in Karbala in connection with this plot;
twelve were released and the remaining two reportedly implicated
Col. Salam. Judge A'ad came to the REO with Col. Salam on Sept.
29 to discuss the case. At that point they had not seen an
arrest warrant and wanted merely to share information. The
judge speculated that the Da'wa party was trying to seize
control of the SWAT team in Babil. (Note: Maj. Ali Hamid Abbas
is the brother of Sayyid Abbas Hamid Abbas, the leader of the
Da'wa Party in Karbala, who is reputed to have links to death
squads operating in that province. Karbala's governor and the
PM are also members of Da'wa. End note.) Col. Salam attended
the REO's security coordination meetings as usual on Oct. 1 and

7.


5. (C) On Oct. 10 a clearly worried Col. Salam contacted REO
staff to report that he was in danger and was asking U.S.
Special Forces for help. The governor of Babil had refused to
intervene, saying that the PM had treated him insultingly in the
past. Three members of the former Transitional National
Assembly had apparently been rebuffed in their attempt to seek
clemency from the Prime Minister earlier in the week; according
to one of them, Dr. Hanan, the PM had flown into a rage and said
that Col. Salam had tried to kill his relatives. Three Council
of Representatives members intended to plead his case later in
the day, Col. Salam said. REO does not know whether the latter
meeting actually took place. There was no subsequent contact
with the REO prior to the assassination.


6. (S) Comment: Post has had indications via provincial IP Chief
Gen. Qais (strictly protect) that some of Col. Salam's conduct
and decisions may have been questionable, though Qais did not go
so far as to accuse his cousin of involvement in terrorism. On
the other hand, it may or may not be coincidence that PM
Al-Maliki and the incoming SWAT chief hail from the same
village, Tuwairij, on the border between Karbala and Babil
Provinces. Particularly worrisome are unconfirmed rumors that
Maj. Ali Hamid Abbas has ties to Iranian intelligence. Whatever
the facts, this case is disturbing on numerous levels and may
not bode well for what to date has been a remarkable record of
professional, non-partisan leadership in Babil Province's
security forces. End comment.

HUNTER