NINEWA: ALL QUIET ON THE NORTHERN FRONT

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSUL 000022 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/24/2016 TAGS: PREL PINS PINT PGOV PHUM IZ MARR SUBJECT: NINEWA: ALL QUIET ON THE NORTHERN FRONT CLASSIFIED BY: Cameron Munter, PRT Leader, Provincial Reconstruction Team Ninewa, State. REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d) -------------- AGAIN, PEACE HAS PREVAILED -------------- ¶1. (C) Two days after the Al-Askariya Shrine was damaged in Samarra, the situation in Ninewa has remained calm. Yousef Muharam of the predominantly Shiite, Shabek Democratic Assembly, and Aref Younis of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution of Iraq (SCIRI) reported there were peaceful demonstrations this morning in Bartalla, where it was estimated that over 1,000 people participated, and much smaller demonstrations in Sadda and Qubba villages of Telkaif. Younis reported there was a peaceful demonstration by a handful of Sunni Arabs in Hay Al-Najar neighborhood in Mosul as well. Both men attributed the success of the demonstrations to Coalition Force (CF) and Iraqi Police presence, and thanked the USG and CF for their assistance. The Iraqi Police and Provincial Joint Communication Center (PJCC) also reported no incidents of violence. ¶2. (C) General Abdul Hameed Khalaf, information director for the Iraqi Police in Mosul, told the PRT on February 24 that the people of Mosul have not reacted violently because they know that those who committed the attack in Samarra were, "Outsiders who did not wish good for the Iraqi people." He said Iraqi's are united in not allowing foreign terrorists to hinder the country's progress. MUNTER