NINEWA SHIAS CLAIM ALL IS CALM AFTER SAMARRA INCIDENT, BUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSUL 000021 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/23/2016 TAGS: PREL PINS PINT PGOV PHUM IZ MARR SUBJECT: NINEWA SHIAS CLAIM ALL IS CALM AFTER SAMARRA INCIDENT, BUT REQUESTING MORE SECURITY FOR ASHURA ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION CLASSIFIED BY: Cameron Munter, PRT Leader, Provincial Reconstruction Team Ninewa, State. REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Shiite political party members, especially among the predominantly Shia Shabek community in Ninewa, have called for calm. They expressed great sadness about the attack on February 22 on the Al-Askariya Shrine in Samarra and said they hoped the incident would not increase tensions between Shias and Sunnis. Demonstrations in the Shabek and Christian village of Bartalla were peaceful yesterday, and another is planned in the same village for February 24. Given the incident in Samarra and Shabek tensions with the Kurds, Shabek leaders have requested additional security for the upcoming end of Ashura celebration coming up in mid-March. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) PRT POLOFF met with Shabek Democratic Assembly (SDA) members Yousef Muharam (who also serves as assistant to national assemblyman Dr. Haneen Al Qaddo),Mohammed Fathi, and Saad Bazwaya in Mosul on February 20, and spoke to them and other Shia community representatives on following days. -------------- SO FAR, PEACE HAS PREVAILED -------------- ¶3. (C) Members of the predominantly Shia SDA claimed that all was calm so far in Ninewa one day after the Al-Askariya Shrine in Samarra was damaged on February 22. Party spokesman Muharam told POLOFF that a demonstration held in the mostly Shia Shabek and Christian village of Bartalla yesterday was peaceful. The Sadr Movement Mosul Office in Bartalla organized the demonstration and it was estimated that 150 people participated. Muharam said another demonstration is planned for February 24 also in Bartalla and that SDA would organize it. He estimated that around 700 people would participate. No demonstrations have been planned for other areas in the province. Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution of Iraq (SCIRI) representative Aref Younis told POLOFF that the party was working closely with SDA to ensure that cooler heads prevailed over the incident. Ninewa Governor Duraid Kashmoula and Vice Governor Khassro Goran have both called for calm. And the Iraqi Police (IP) reported there were no security issues so far in the province. -------------- -------------- INCREASED SECURITY REQUESTED FOR ASHURA ANNIVERSARY -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Given heightened tensions over the bombing in Samarra, Muharam said Shia Shabek would like additional security for the 40-day anniversary of Ashura planned for March 19. He said in addition to the village of Bartalla, there are three holy Shia sites in eastern Ninewa in the villages of Tesharub, Abasiya, and Alirush. Processions are to begin in each of these locations and then converge on nearby Bartalla. He expects at least 10,000 people would participate in the event in March. ¶5. (C) Muharam said Ashura celebrations on February 11 were peaceful but, due to harassment by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Peshmerga, the event almost did not happen. He claimed KDP Peshmerga arrived to break up the processions. He said although Ministry of Interior (MOI) Commandos from southern Iraq led by LTC Hassan, a Shia, did a good job guarding procession routes, the Peshmerga were able to enter and disrupt events inside Bartalla village. He said matters became heated when SDA leader Al Qaddo arrived. He claimed Peshmerga tried to block the entrance to the shrine in Bartalla, but were held off by Al Qaddo's private security detail until Coalition Force (CF) Stryker brigades arrived to "save the day." Muharam said there were no casualties or injuries reported and that the celebrations were able to continue uninterrupted for the rest of the day. He said, however, many people fled the area once the Peshmerga arrived and were not able to participate. Muharam said to avoid a similar or messier incident in March he asked for additional force protection from CF, IP, and the MOI. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) Ninewa has been spared the turmoil that has hit southern Iraq since the Samarra bombing. Leaders of all faiths and sects have called for calm. But potential remains for conflict, even in the far north, as Ashura comes to an end next month. MUNTER