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. -------------- A MAJOR TRANSPORTATION ARTERY IS SEVERED -------------- ¶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. -------------- - BAGHDAD'S HISTORICAL SHIA DISTRICT IS ISOLATED -------------- - ¶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. -------------- CITY'S TRAFFIC WILL GO FROM BAD TO WORSE -------------- ¶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. -------------- A BAGHDAD LANDMARK HAS BEEN DESTROYED -------------- ¶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. -------------- --- BUILDING (OR RE-BUILDING) BRIDGES IN BAGHDAD ISN'T EASY -------------- --- ¶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