THE KURDISTAN ISLAMIC GROUP IN SULAIMANIYAH, IRAQI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001580

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

E.O. 12958
TAGS: PGOV PTER IZ
SUBJECT: THE KURDISTAN ISLAMIC GROUP IN SULAIMANIYAH, IRAQI
KURDISTAN

This is a Regional Reconstruction Team (RRT) Cable.


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG) members told
RRTOff that they would like to increase the dialogue on a range of
issues between the KIG and USG. They similarly said they wanted to
see more USG engagement with moderate Islamic political parties in
Kurdistan and more broadly in Iraq. The KIG was associated in the
past with the terrorist group Ansar al-Islam but says it now rejects
violence and extremism and supports the demilitarization of
political parties and the development of effective anti-corruption
programs. END SUMMARY

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BACKGROUND
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2. (SBU) On March 29, RRTOff met in Sulaimaniyah with two members
of the KIG, Mohmad H. Jabar and Anwar FarajSaddon. Jabar is also a
member of the PRovincial Council of Sulaimaniyah Province.
Established in May of 2001, the KIG is led by Mamousta Ali Baper, a
former member of the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan. (Note: KIG
leader Baper was arrested in 2003 by US forces and released in
2005.) The KIG adheres to a Salafi or Sufi tradition. KIG members
say they focus on learning and negotiation to promote progress and
conflict resolution. The KIG members told RRTOff they support the
rights of women, due process, and freedom from torture.


3. (SBU) In 2005 during the Iraqi legislative elections, KIG joined
the coalition that included the two dominant parties in Iraqi
Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The KIG obtained six seats in the
Kurdistan National Assembly and two seats in the Iraqi Council of
Representatives. KIG member estimate they have 90,000 supporters in
the three provinces of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.


4. (SUB) The KIG was previously associated with the terrorist group
Ansar al-Islam, but denies that such an association is valid today.
Some of the KIG members were killed or injured in the US-led raid
against Ansal al-Islam in March 2003 along the Iranian border in
Sulaimaniyah Province. The KIG originated in Sulaimaniyah Province
where it has received funding from the dominant political party
there - the PUK. The KIG interlocutors specified, however, that
current legislation governing political parties stipulated that
support is from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and not from
the PUK. However, since the major parties (PUK and KDP) control the
government, the PUK continues to claim it support the KIG. The KIG
also relies on dues from party members to finance its operation.

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A MODEL FOR POLITICAL DEMILITARIZATION?
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5. (SBU) KIG members told RRTOff that they condemned the terrorist
attacks of September 11. The KIG underscored the need to
demilitarize Iraqi political parties and build their country without
weapons. They said this is why KIG party members turned in their
weapons to the US in 2003 and were the only Iraqi party to do so.

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USG SHOULD "ENGAGE MORE WITH MODERATE ISLAMIC PARTIES"
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6. (SBU) KIG members were appreciative of the opportunity to meet
with RRTOff and said they would like more and continued access to
USG officials to express their views directly. They stated that a
single meeting with USG officials with no follow-up would not be
sufficient and asked RRTOff for assistance. RRTOff offered to help
put them in contact with National Democratic Institute and
International Republic Institute. They offered to arrange a meeting
in Erbil between RRTOff and the national president of the KIG.


7. (SBU) The KIG members emphasized the legitimate role that
moderate Islamic parties in Iraq have in the political process. KIG
members expressed the view that the US should distinguish between
moderate Islamic parties and terrorist groups. Terrorist groups,
they continued, are present in response to problems in Iraqi
politics and in reaction to Western attitudes. According to these
KIG members, the West should better understand the motives of the
terrorists and what they are fighting for. If the US continues to
look at all Islamic parties as extremists, they pointed out, this
could drive more Islamists to engage in terrorist activities.

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SEEKING REFORM IN KURDISH POLITICS
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8. (SBU) The KIG members asserted that their low representation in
the Kurdistan National Assembly makes it difficult to fight
corruption within the KRG and within the KDP and PUK. KIG members

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complained that it is difficult to stand up against the PUK and KDP
to create democratic processes related to elections, the media, and
press. Unlike the KIG, the PUK and KDP have financial security and
military power, they said. The KRG budget is controlled by the
major parties and smaller parties are entitled to only a small
portion. The KIG members stated the PUK and KDP use the problem of
limiting KRG funding as a pressure to constrict KIG activities in
the region.


9. (SBU) COMMENT. The KIG's message of anti-corruption and
democratization may garner additional support for the party over
time. However, it will remain an uphill battle to loosen the
lock-hold the KDP and PUK continue to have over Kurdish regional
politics. The KDP and PUK have included the KIG in their
national-level coalition, but thus far have squeezed it out of a
more political and economic role either in Baghdad or in Erbil.