KURDISH TRIBAL OPINION OF COALITION WORSENING OVER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIRKUK 000065

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

BAGHDAD FOR POL, POLMIL, NCT, ROL COORDINATOR, USAID, IRMO FOR
BATES AND CAPLES

E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/18/2016
TAGS: PGOV KCOR PHUM PINS PREL PINR PTER KWMN IZ IR
SY, TU
SUBJECT: KURDISH TRIBAL OPINION OF COALITION WORSENING OVER
SECURITY?

REF: KIRKUK 61

KIRKUK 00000065 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Scott Dean, Regional Coordinator (Acting),Reo
Kirkuk, Department of State .
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) SUMMARY. The leader of the influential Baradusti tribe
in the Kurdish region of Iraq described the Iraqi security
situation as worse today than during Saddam Hussayn's era. The
continued violence throughout Iraq is denting Kurdish popular
opinion of the Coalition. The U.S. presence, however, is
keeping the Kurdish region from dividing. Nepotism - "a
cultural issue" - and the fear of losing supporters between the
two Kurdish parties are key components fueling the corruption
problem in northern Iraq. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) This is second in a series of interviews with leaders
of four influential tribes in the Kurdish region of Iraq,
including the Harki (REFTEL),Baradusti, Surchi, and Zebari. On
March 9, IPAO's met with Shaykh Hussayn Lolani, leader of the
Baradusti tribe. The majority of Baradusti tribal members today
live in Arbil city, due to Saddam Hussayn's decision in 1978 to
displace this tribe from its territorial homeland in Lolan - an
area in Iraq that borders both Iran and Turkey.

Security First; Repatriation Second
--------------


3. (C) Shaykh Hussayn identified security as the most important
issue to his tribe, saying that improved security would result
in safer transportation routes to the rest of Iraq and improve
the Kurds' access to services. He said that when the security
situation improved, he hoped his tribe would be allowed to
return to Lolan. Hussayn feared that the PKK, PUK, or KDP might
kill his people if they tried to return before then.

Kurdish Independence-Western Support Key
--------------


4. (C) Shaykh Hussayn said he was optimistic about the merger of
the two Kurdistan Regional Governments. When asked for his views
on national leadership, Hussayn said he backed those officials
who supported a national unity government but lamented that he
had yet to see anyone who fitted that bill. He said he favored
having the U.S. carve out a Kurdish state from the territory
occupied by Kurds in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria. Hussayn
added that the result could not be any worse than the current
security and political situation. He remarked that Saddam
Hussayn's predecessor, Ahmad Hassan al-Baqr, a close friend to
his father, had said that a Kurdish state would be possible only
if the western powers created one. Hussayn added that if the
U.S. left the region, the natural result would be a divided
Kurdistan.

Kurdish Public Opinion on Coalition Worsening
--------------


5. (C) Hussayn argued that in 2003 most Iraqis admired the
Coalition, but the continued violence and political chaos had
caused them to change their view. He contrasted, for example,
the dangers of traveling to Baghdad today with those during
Saddam's time. Hussayn said that the average Kurd blamed the
U.S. for the Al Askariyah mosque bombing in Samarra, because
most Kurds believed the U.S. was powerful enough to prevent such
bombings from occurring if it wanted.

Kurdish Region Plagued by Corruption, Nepotism
-------------- -


6. (C) Shaykh Hussayn said that more should have been done to
prevent corruption in northern Iraq. Nepotism was the primary
problem - but that "it was a cultural issue of trying to help
your own first." He argued that religion should never be used
to resolve a conflict because religion only exacerbated
problems. The rivalry between the KDP and PUK also allowed
corruption to flourish in northern Iraq. For example, Hussayn
said, KDP leaders would keep members they knew were corrupt
because if the KDP dismissed those persons, the PUK would hire
them to work against the KDP. Hussayn told us that he hoped
that by merging the two KRG's, jobs would be distributed through
the government instead of the parties.

Baradusti Tribal History, Relations
--------------


7. (SBU) The Baradusti tribe originally came from around Iran

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before it migrated to Lolan. Geographically, Shaykh Hussayn
identified his neighbors as Turkey to the north, Iran to the
east, the Balak tribe to the south and the Barzani tribe to the
west. In 1946, the Iraqi king commissioned the Baradusti tribe
to protect the Iranian border from smuggling operations.


8. (SBU) The Baradusti tribe consists of approximately 10,000
families throughout Iraq, Iran, and Turkey; however only 4,000
families live in Iraq. After Saddam evicted the Baradustis from
Lolan in 1978, tribal members resettled in Arbil city, where the
majority of Baradustis live today.

Regional Alliances
--------------


9. (SBU) Shaykh Hussayn said his tribe had closer relations with
the KDP than the PUK because most Baradusti members lived in KDP
areas. He added that the Baradusti tribe also had relations
with the PUK, but those ties had weakened since the PUK
administration left Arbil in 1996. Husayn said Presidents
Talabani and Barzani attended his father's funeral and had met
with Hussayn at his house.


10. (SBU) Shaykh Hussayn said the Baradustis had played a
peacemaker or arbitrator role between the major Kurdish parties,
adding that his tribe had protected both the KDP and PUK from
each other at different times. Hussayn's father once told KDP
founder in Iraq Mullah Mustafa that the Baradustis always would
fight beside him, except against Talabani and the PUK.

Relations With Turkey
--------------


11. (SBU) Shaykh Hussayn said his tribe had no relations with
the governments in Tehran or Ankara, however, the Baradustis
engaged in a small amount of trade, visited extended family, and
settled disputes with Kurds in Turkey. Hussayn claimed the
Baradusti tribe did not have a political connection to the PKK,
despite the presence of PKK bases in his tribal area.

Women
--------------


12. (SBU) According to Shaykh Hussayn, there is no tribal
education requirement for women on either curriculum or
attendance. He said his tribe traditionally placed importance
on setting up schools for religious (and other) education when
public schools were closed. Women work as teachers, but female
tribe members do not take on professional occupations such as
engineering, architecture, or business. He said there were no
Baradusti women in positions of influence in either business or
politics.

Biographic Note:


13. (SBU) Shaykh Hussayn, an independent on the KDP list, is a
member of the Kurdistan National Assembly. His cousin is on the
Arbil Provincial Council. Hussayn and most Baradustis are Sufi
Muslims. Hussayn wore a black and white kafia and dressed in
the traditional garb of a Kurdish shaykh. Both his father and
grandfather were influential tribal leaders. Hussayn heads a
tribal council of representatives and frequently meets with
senior Baradusti family members in his home. He said he has not
announced his successor, but he has three sons. Hussayn does
not speak English.
ORESTE