PRT TIKRIT: INCREASED ATTACKS IN SALAH AD DIN WITH

S E C R E T BAGHDAD 001544 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2017 TAGS: PGOV MCAP PINR PTER IZ SUBJECT: PRT TIKRIT: INCREASED ATTACKS IN SALAH AD DIN WITH ONSET OF THE BAGHDAD SECURITY PLAN Classified By: Classified by PRT Team Lead Steven R. Buckler for reason s 1.5 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) This is a PRT Tikrit, Salah ad Din cable. It has been cleared by the 3rd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division (3/82) Brigade Combat Team (BCT),which is the Coalition Forces (CF) task force with responsibility for the province of Salah ad Din (SaD). ¶2. (S) Since the early February start of the Baghdad Security Plan (AKA Operation Fardh al Qanoon, Operation Law and Order),attacks on the Coalition Forces (CF) and the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in Salah ad Din have spiked, reversing the slightly downward trend that began the year. March and April both saw over a 30 percent increase in all types of attacks over the preceding six months. Attacks have risen most sharply in the city of Balad, a frequented transit point between al Anbar and Diyala provinces located in southern SaD. (NOTE: Attacks in Balad have been primarily against the CF. There has been no noticeable sectarian violence in the predominantly Shia area. END NOTE.) ¶3. (S) Al Qaeda in Iraq/The Islamic State of Iraq's (AQI/ISI) operations in the province have also expanded. In addition to an increased number of AQI/ISI-sponsored attacks, there has also been an increase in the number of detainees who have AQI/ISI connections. Differing from previous trends, many of the recent AQI/ISI-associated detainees have been Salah ad Din natives with local tribal affiliations. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶4. (S) Since the ISI's initial declaration in October 2006, there has been a steady increase in AQI/ISI operations in Salah ad Din. However, with the onset of the Baghdad Security Plan and the related spike in attacks in the province, it appears AQI/ISI has shifted operations to SaD in order to apply pressure on a wider front to establish an Islamic state in the Sunni heartlands. END COMMENT. ¶5. (U) For additional reporting from PRT Tikrit, Salah ad Din, please see our SIPRNET Reporting Blog: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Tikrit. CROCKER