PRT TIKRIT: TRIBES FORM SALAH AD DIN SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 002155 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2017 TAGS: PGOV PINR MCAP PTER IZ SUBJECT: PRT TIKRIT: TRIBES FORM SALAH AD DIN SUPPORT COUNCIL TO FIGHT TERRORISM Classified By: PRT Lead Steven R. Buckler for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) This is a PRT Tikrit, Salah ad Din cable. ¶2. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) SUMMARY AND COMMENT. In its June 13 meeting, the Salah ad Din (SaD) Sheikhs' Council established the Salah ad Din Support Council to act as a liaison between the tribes and the provincial government on local security issues. Based on a five-point plan, the Support Councils' 55 members intend to rid their local tribal areas of terrorism by coordinating information and conducting operations with the local Iraqi Police (IP) and Iraqi Army (IA) units. Sheikh Mouawia Ahmed Naji Ajbarah al Jabouri, nephew to the SaD Deputy Governor and son of kidnapped former Sheikhs' Council President Ahmed Naji, has emerged as the Support Council's leader and is reportedly in Baghdad meeting with the Prime Minister's Office to receive official approval of the Support Council's mandate. The Support Council emerged after several weeks of rumors about an al Anbar-style awakening in Salah ad Din. The provincial leadership, with the backing of the Sheikhs' Council, has been careful to cast the Support Council in a different light than al Anbar's tribal movement against terrorism and to ensure that all security-related tribal activities are sanctioned by both the provincial and central governments. ¶3. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) With the support of the Sheikhs' Council and the guidance of the Salah ad Din Support Council, many tribes in the province will likely become more engaged with the security situation in their local areas and will coordinate more closely with the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) to improve security and reduce terrorist acts. However, given the decentralized nature of the tribal structure in Salah ad Din, it is unlikely that a tribal body at the provincial level will be able to create a province-wide tribal campaign against terrorism. ¶4. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) The SaD tribes formed the Salah ad Din Support Council in order counteract terrorist attacks on members of their tribes, and al Qaeda (AQIZ)/Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) will be their primary target. The Support Council, however, will likely not reduce insurgent activity in the province, to which SaD tribal authorities have traditionally turned a blind eye as part of an "honorable resistance" to occupation. While recognizing its inherit limitations, we see the development of the Support Council as a step in the right direction to securing the province and curbing the influence of AQIZ/ISI, especially within the framework of the province's IA and IP activities. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. -------------- Formation of the Salah ad Din Support Council -------------- ¶5. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) On June 13, the SaD Sheikhs' Council established the Salah ad Din Support Council to serve as a liaison group between the tribes and the provincial government on local security issues. The Sheikhs' Council meeting, attended by SaD Governor Hamad Hamoud al Shakti al Qaisi, SaD Deputy Governor Abdullah H. M. Ajbarah al Jabouri, and several provincial security force leaders, was uncharacteristically chaired by the Deputy Governor. Interim Sheikhs' Council President Khamees Ahmed Naji Ajbarah al Jabouri, the Deputy Governor's nephew and son of the kidnapped former Council President Sheikh Ahmed Naji, also featured prominently in the meeting. The meeting strictly followed a five-point plan that key tribal leaders established before the meeting (see para 8). ¶6. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) After reiterating that SaD was not like al Anbar because it had a functional provincial government and for that reason did not need an Awakening Council, the Deputy and the assembled sheikhs agreed to form "The Salah ad Din Support Council." The Deputy Governor supported the idea of "tribal amnesty" for terrorists who desire to give up their extremist ways and return to society, while also calling for strict policing of each tribe's local area by the resident tribe in coordination with the local Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). Calling terrorism "personal, not tribal," the Deputy Governor and assembled sheikhs listed several grievances against terrorists, including abduction and murder of loved ones and other violent activities. The Deputy Governor also insisted that the tribes nominate and elect the sheikhs on the SaD Support Council, rather than the provincial or local governments choosing the individuals. After the meeting, the Council secretariat drafted a letter presenting the names to the GOI for approval by the Office of the Prime Minister (see para 12). The Governor encouraged the sheikhs not to be afraid and to join the movement. ¶7. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) Sheikh Mouawia Ahmed Naji Ajbarah al Jabouri, also nephew to the Deputy Governor and son of BAGHDAD 00002155 002 OF 003 kidnapped former Sheikhs' Council President Ahmed Naji, has taken a leading role on the Support Council. He is reportedly in Baghdad meeting with the PM's Advisors for Security, Dr. Basima al-Jaydri, and the PM's Advisors for Tribal Affairs: Dr. Fael Nema and Sheikh Anwar Nada Al-Luheibi, as well as Generals Sadiq and Sultan from the Ministry of Defense. According to Sheikhs' Council Interim President Sheikh Khamees, they have received "100 percent support" from the PM's office. -------------- -------------- One Week Earlier: The Support Council's Five Point Plan -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) In preparation for the June 13 Sheikhs' Council meeting, Sheikh Mouawia, a major tribal leader from the Tikrit area, with the assistance of his uncle the SaD Deputy Governor, sent a letter to the Prime Minister on June 3 to announce that the tribes of SaD were establishing a tribal council to assist the ISF in expelling terrorists from the province. In the letter, Sheikh Mouawia said the council would be formed using the following five points: - Sheikhs from each tribe who have a social stature that will allow them to lead their tribes will be elected to the SaD Support Council. - Incumbent on each of the elected sheikhs is the responsibility to clean up his tribe by providing information and assistance to the police and army and allowing tribesmen to support the police and army. - Also incumbent on each sheikh is the responsibility to enforce army and police regulations and provide information and support to police and army units. However, no tribal group will be a substitute for the security forces and all security will be coordinated appropriately. - Each tribe will cooperate with the police and army to chase terrorists out of their areas of control and will coordinate with other tribes as necessary. - The SaD Support Council will not be founded on sectarian and cultism. It will include all Iraqis, under the motto of "Devotion to Iraq First." ¶9. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) In response to the letter, Provincial Director of Police General Hamad Nams Yaseen al Jabouri and several PC members traveled on June 6 to Baghdad at the Office of the Prime Minister's bequest. They met with PM Advisor for Security Dr. Basima, PM Advisor for Tribal Affairs Sheikh Sata, and other IP and IA representatives to discuss the possibility of integrating SaD's tribes into the fight against terrorists. ¶10. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) After the delegations returned, the Governor, Deputy Governor, and Provincial Director of Police made statements on June 7 saying that provisions were being made to integrate the local tribesmen into IA and IP operations. -------------- -------------- Two Weeks Earlier: Not Anbar and Not an Awakening -------------- -------------- ¶11. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) On May 24, Sheikh Sabah Hassan al Shumari and Sheikh Hammed Ibrahim Salim al Jabouri, two largely unknown tribal sheikhs, announced the establishment of "The Salah ad Din Awakening Council." On the same day the SaD Deputy Governor made a statement on Salah ad Din TV saying that the Awakening Council does not represent the tribes and that SaD is not al Anbar and does not need an Awakening Council. He said, "Each tribe can protect its people, and we do not need a militia in Salah ad Din province." In subsequent meetings, the Deputy Governor said that the provincial government supports coordinating with their local IP and IA units to secure each tribe's area. On June 3, the Salah ad Din Sheikhs' Council, the major tribal authority in the province, announced that it "refuses the idea of starting an Awakening Council in the province," but supports tribes assisting their local ISF. Sheikh Sabah and Sheikh Hammed are only marginally involved with the Salah ad Din Support Council. -------------- -------------- Statement Annoucing the Support Council's Establishment -------------- -------------- ¶12. (U) The following statement was issued by the SaD Sheikhs' Council after the June 13 meeting that established the Salah ad Din Support Council: Statement Issued by Salah ad Din Tribes BAGHDAD 00002155 003 OF 003 The tribes of Salah ad Din Province met on the morning of the 13th of June 2007 and discussed the rules for the tribes' support to the local government and the police forces in performing their duties and in fighting terror and eliminating terrorists. The tribes decided on the following: - To Form a council called the "Salah ad Din Support Council," which will be responsible for coordination between the local government and the tribes within the province. - Salah ad Din Support Council members have been elected to represent their tribes and to deliver their directives and requests and to coordinate the work between themselves and the local government. - The Support Council decided that every tribe would be responsible for enforcing security and order and for eliminating terrorists in its geographical area and not to allow its area to become a safe haven for terrorists who come from other areas or tribes. - Every tribe must provide help and support to the local government, police, and army forces when working in its area and must also provide information needed for apprehending terrorists. - The tribes promise to cooperate among themselves to achieve security and order and to create a safe environment for all Iraqis in the province. - The Salah ad Din tribes reject sectarianism and denominationalism that divide the children of a single nation and declare that Salah ad Din is a safe place for all Iraqis with no exception. - The Salah ad Din tribes support national reconciliation and demand the acceleration in its implementation in order to secure the unity and the cohesion of the Iraqi citizens. - To enable the tribes to perform their duties, they request that the central government form five police battalions consisting of members who are chosen from those tribes. The battalions to be spread over the geographical landscape of the province and to work under the Salah ad Din Police Department to increase the effectiveness of the police and army forces in enforcing security and order and to ensure the elimination of terrorists. ¶13. (U) For additional reporting from PRT Tikrit, Salah ad Din, please see our SIPRNET Reporting Blog: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Tikrit CROCKER