SARAFIYAH BRIDGE DESTRUCTION WIDENS SHIA/SUNNI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001302

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2017
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PINR PINS IZ
SUBJECT: SARAFIYAH BRIDGE DESTRUCTION WIDENS SHIA/SUNNI
DIVIDE IN BAGHDAD

REF: A) BAGHDAD 1268 B) BAGHDAD 1272 C) BAGHDAD 1178

Classified By: Classified by PRT Team Leader Joseph Gregoire for reason
s 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (U) This is a Baghdad PRT reporting cable.


2. (C) Summary: The destruction of the Sarafiyah Bridge in
central Baghdad represents more than damaged infrastructure;
it is a strike against Baghdad's history, harms the city's
economic productivity and both physically and symbolically
widens the rift between Baghdad's Shia and Sunni populations.
End summary.

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A MAJOR TRANSPORTATION ARTERY IS SEVERED
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3. (C) At approximately 7:00am on 12 April a large truck bomb
detonated while traversing the Sarafiyah Bridge, a key span
across the Tigris River (Ref A). The explosion caused the
collapse of several sections of the roadway and a girder,
destroying a major portion of the bridge. The Sarafiyah
Bridge is a critical link between the eastern and western
halves of Baghdad, and its destruction severs more than just
a bridge across the Tigris.

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BAGHDAD'S HISTORICAL SHIA DISTRICT IS ISOLATED
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4. (C) According to long-time Baghdad resident Ahmed Mashat,
destroying this bridge is a strategic attack that isolates
the historically Shia district of Kadhamiya. The most direct
route from Kadhamiya to the downtown Rusafa district was over
the Sarafiyah Bridge. In the summer of 2005 the nearby Aimma
Bridge between Kadhamiya and Adhamiya was closed after a
stampede of pilgrims damaged sections of the bridge and
collapsed its barrier fences. A third bridge over that
portion of the Tigris, the Bab al-Mu'atham Bridge, connects
Kadhamiya to Adhamiya, but is largely avoided because it does
not serve the major thoroughfares that now cross Baghdad.
Travel to and from Kadhamiya is now severely hindered.


5. (C) Deputy Mayor Na'eem Aboub al-Kaby (Fadhila) said that
now any Shiite from Sadr City or Rusafa who wants to travel
to the holy shrine at Kadhamiya has to go through the Sunni
enclave of Adhamiya or along the contested Haifa street area
in Karkh.

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CITY'S TRAFFIC WILL GO FROM BAD TO WORSE
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6. (C) Local hardware store owner Mustafa Abed al-Rakman said
that the destruction of the bridge will hamper business in
the city and drastically worsen the traffic problems that
already plague commuters in Baghdad. Mustafa said he uses the
bridge almost every day to get from his home in Mansour to
his shop in Rusafa. His normal commute time of about an hour
and a half will likely be over three hours, he estimates.

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A BAGHDAD LANDMARK HAS BEEN DESTROYED
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7. (C) Karkh District Council member Kareem Hassan said that
the Sarafiyah Bridge is an historical landmark; it was built
by the British in the 1920's and served as the first rail
link between the Karkh and Rusafa (west and east) sides of
the city. Kareem remarked that this attack has to be seen as
an affront to Baghdad's history.


8. (C) Baghdad Provincial Council Security Committee member
Riyad Abdullah said that this strike will 'have an echo on
the street'. Many will see this attack as evidence that the
security situation is deteriorating, Riyad warned.

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BUILDING (OR RE-BUILDING) BRIDGES IN BAGHDAD ISN'T EASY

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9. (C) Comment. The destruction of this key piece of
infrastructure in the heart of Baghdad is strategic
terrorism. This attack will send shock waves through
Baghdad's Shia population and, in the view of a number of PRT
contacts, could contribute to increased sectarian violence.
The additional tension it has caused could embolden
extremists in both Sunni and Shia camps. This attack, and the

BAGHDAD 00001302 002 OF 002


bombing at the Council of Representatives that followed
shortly thereafter (ref B),can similarly be expected to
raise new questions in the eyes of many Iraqis about the
effectiveness of the Baghdad Security Plan and the increased
troop presence in the streets of the capital. End Comment.
CROCKER