TEMPERS FLARE IN WAKE OF NAJAF VBIED ATTACK

C O N F I D E N T I A L HILLAH 000055 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/6/2016 TAGS: PTER PREL KISL IZ SUBJECT: TEMPERS FLARE IN WAKE OF NAJAF VBIED ATTACK REF: HILLAH 0052 CLASSIFIED BY: Alfred Fonteneau, RC, REO Al Hillah, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. This is a SET NAJAF cable. 2.(U) SUMMARY. On April 6, a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) detonated 300 meters from the Holy Shrine of the Imam Ali in Najaf. The vehicle was a Sports Utility Vehicle. At 1900 local time, casualty figures had reached 20 confirmed dead and over 80 injured. All of those injured or killed were believed to be pilgrims to the Holy Shrine. The wounded were taken to the Al Hakim hospital in Najaf. The bombing marks the first VBIED in the immediate vicinity of the Imam Ali shrine since the August 2003 blast that killed Ayatollah Mohammed Bakr Al-Hakim. While provincial officials blamed Coalition Forces for the attack, for the moment, no one is publicly advocating a violent response. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (SBU) At 1340 local time on April 6, a VBIED exploded approximately 300 meters from the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf. At the time of the blast, there were a large number of demonstrators in and around the Shrine who had been rallying in support of Prime Minister Ja'fari. At last report (1900 local time) 20 people were dead and another 80 were injured. The wounded were brought to the Al-Hakim hospital in Najaf, where they were visited by Najaf Deputy Governor Abdul Hussein Abtan (aka Hajj Hassan). There were a large number of critically wounded and casualty figures are expected to rise through the night. There appears to be no confirmed damage to the Holy Shrine itself as result of the blast. ¶4. (C) Reaction has been swift and varied. Najaf Governor Assad Sultan Altaee, when contacted by SET Najaf staff, said, "The attack occurred because of the delay in forming the national government. This delay has caused instability in the security situation." Sahib Al Ammer, Sadrist and head of the Shaheed Allah Organization (Allah's Martyrs),an organization with strong ties to Muqtada Al Sadr, condemned the attacks as a US attempt to irritate the local situation. He also said, "US fighter jets are moving in the area". Al Ammeri asserted that this attack is similar to the US mortar attack on the Kufa Mosque. NOTE: Sadr followers blame US forces for an explosion that occurred in Kufa on March 28. The likely cause of that explosion according to Iraqi security officials was a "flash bang" grenade. END NOTE. ¶5. (C) The Marja'aya have not made any public pronouncements regarding the attack, but clerics within the office of the Ayatollah Al Sistani are calling for "peaceful understanding". Local authorities have concentrated their search and pursuit on the Najaf cemetery. They believe that suspects who may have helped plan the attack have fled to that area. The governor of Najaf confirmed that, at this point, the cemetery is the focus of their efforts. An extremely intense dust storm moved through the Najaf area during the afternoon of the attack and likely hindered demonstrations protesting the attack as well as rescue and investigation efforts at the shrine. As of this evening, there is a heavy police and Army presence in the city, and JAM units are not present in the streets. ¶6. (C) COMMENT An attack of this nature is extremely uncommon in Najaf. Of late, Sadrists have taken to claiming that they are under attack by coalition forces. Sadrists will almost certainly exploit this attack as another US-perpetrated or aided attack on Najaf and Shi'a. The fact that the VBIED was in an SUV (the favored vehicle for USG personnel) may lend an unwarranted perception of legitimacy to these claims. Muqtada Al Sadr and his followers will likely use the attack to justify further increasing the presence of Sadrist security forces in the province. Sadr met with the Marja'aya less than one week prior to the attack and offered his security forces as protection for the Ayatollahs (reftel). This incident may cause the Ayatollahs to rethink their refusal of his offer. This offer notwithstanding, for the moment, it seems likely that the incident will not change the Marja'aya's refusal to approve armed conflict and attacks against government and Coalition forces. A continued call for peace and restraint from clerical authorities is expected. However, we have heard that rumors (presumably Sadrist-instigated) are sweeping Najaf that Ayatollah Sistani has departed the city. The same rumors were heard just before the start of the Sadrist uprising in August, ¶2004. END COMMENT FONTENEAU