MINDEF QADIR WELCOMES AMBASSADOR BACK TO IRAQ

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001210

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2017
TAGS: MOPS MARR PINS PNAT PINR PREL IZ
SUBJECT: MINDEF QADIR WELCOMES AMBASSADOR BACK TO IRAQ

Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: On April 3, Minister of Defense Abdul Qadir
Mohammed Jasim Al Mufriji hosted a dinner to welcome the
Ambassador back to Iraq. Abdul Qadir introduced his key
military leaders; provided a briefing on the status of the
ministry; and stressed his commitment to sustaining a
military loyal to Iraq and capable of protecting all Iraqis.
The Ambassador assured Abdul Qadir of our continued
commitment to Iraq's success. In response to the
Ambassador's question on Foreign Military Sales progress,
Abdul Qadir assured him that he viewed FMS as a critical tool
to ensure efficient and accountable procurement. Abdul Qadir
and his team devoted the dinner to tales under Saddam
exposing the dictator's ruthlessness, his ill-equipped
forces, and tendency toward exaggeration of strength. END
SUMMARY.

MOD Overall
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2. (C) Abdul Qadir painted a picture of the overall
development of the Ministry and its forces. He said there
were over 160,000 'trained and equipped' Iraqi soldiers
deployed throughout Iraq. He cited their service under
operation 'Law and order' as evidence of their advanced
capabilities and willingness to deploy to Baghdad. General
Babakir Zebari said by 2010, the Iraqi armed forces will
include an army of 263,000 soldiers, an air force of 8000
personnel, and a navy of 2,500. Abdul Qadir speculated the
Iraqi army combined with the increasingly capable air force,
navy and special forces will one day be equal to other armed
forces in the region. Abdul Qadir said the greatest
challenge currently was establishing a strong logistics and
training system to sustain the planned force. Abdul Qadir
stressed the necessity of 'winning Baghdad' this time,
eliminating terrorism, and developing a ministry committed to
protecting all Iraqi citizens and its unified, democratic
state. Babakir conveyed optimism that the 'crisis' at this
time was transitory and the Iraqis were 'awakening' to the
importance of a stable, unified Iraq. As an example, of this
changing dynamic he pointed to the increasing political
participation in the West and the rising numbers in Al Anbari
men lining up to join the army.

Iraqi Ground Force Command (IGFC)
--------------


3. (C) The Iraqi Ground Force Control Commander, General Ali
Ghaidan discussed the increasing effectiveness and
responsibility of the IGFC. In only eighteen months, his
team with MNF-I support had built a centralized operational
command center, a 24-hour facility is staffed by 250
officers.

Iraqi Air Force
--------------


4. (C) The Iraqi Air Force Commander, General Kamal Barzanchi
said the air force was developing well. His force now has
three types of aircraft including; long-wing planes for
transport and reconnaissance; cargo planes for personnel and
resources movement, and helicopters for rescue,
reconnaissance, transport, and support for ground forces. He
said, thanks to the United States, the UK and other friends,
the pool of trained pilots is growing.

MOD Intelligence
--------------


5. (C) MOD Director General for Intelligence and Security,
Major General Jalal Selman said the MOD intelligence unit was
critical to the overall war effort. He said, as with the
overall ministry and force, the intelligence body was created
from scratch in June 2004. He said there were very few Iraqi
intel officers eligible for hire with the disbanding and
de-ba'ath policies. However, with proper training and a
concentrated effort, they have developed a capable team.
Jalal said there are currently MOD intel officers in every
division and in each province. He stressed that there was a
high level of coordination and sharing across the
intelligence agencies and relevant senior Iraqi leaders. He
said this would only increase with the planned secure
communication system that was being installed by the end of
the year.


Qadir Advocate of Foreign Military Sales Program
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BAGHDAD 00001210 002 OF 002




6. (C) Abdul Qadir said he is pleased with the GOI's recent
approval of foreign military sales (FMS) program. He said he
is already receiving FMS- procured equipment including M4
rifles and U.S. helicopters. Abdul Qadir agreed deliveries
of FMS can take time but it seemed worth the wait. Using
FMS, he stressed, eliminates the risk of corruption and
ensures quality equipment. He also pointed to the training
component that is included in FMS packages as valuable.

The Days Under Saddam
--------------


7. (C) Abdul Qadir and Babakir recounted stories from their
days living under Saddam's regime. Abdul Qadir told how he
rose to the rank of Lieutenant General in Saddam's army but
was dismissed and jailed in 1992 for openly opposing the
Kuwait war. Both he and Babakir discussed the poor quality
of equipment Saddam provided his forces. As a result, they
suffered thousands of casualties in the Iran-Iraq war and
virtually all their military hardware was destroyed by the
U.S. during Operation Desert Storm. Both described Saddam's
ruthless behavior and his propensity for exaggeration. As to
the latter, Babakir recalled that when the U.S. invaded Iraq
in 2003, Saddam brushed aside the threat by stating he knew
seven million fadayeen martyrs ready to die for Iraq.


8. (SBU) MinDef Abdul Qadir hosted a dinner on April 3 for
the Ambassador. Other attendees included:

--Chief of Staff, Iraqi Joint Forces, General Babakir
Zebari
--Iraqi Ground Force Control Commander, General Ali
Ghaidan
--Iraqi Air Force Commander, General Kamal Barzanchi
--MOD Director General for Intelligence and Security,
Major General Jalal Selman
--MOD General Secretary, Major Salih Sarhan
--Deputy Chief of Mission, Daniel Speckhard
--A/Political-Military Counselor Apar Sidhu
CROCKER