Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BASRAH3
2007-01-05 19:23:00
SECRET
REO Basrah
Cable title:  

AN AMERICAN KIDNAPPED IN BASRAH

Tags:  ASEC CASC PTER MOPS PGOV IZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0904
RR RUEHBC
DE RUEHBC #0003 0051923
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 051923Z JAN 07
FM REO BASRAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0495
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0101
INFO RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0014
RUEHBC/REO BASRAH 0515
S E C R E T BASRAH 000003 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/5/2017
TAGS: ASEC CASC PTER MOPS PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: AN AMERICAN KIDNAPPED IN BASRAH

REF: BASRAH 002

CLASSIFIED BY: Louis L. Bono, Director, REO Basrah, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d)


S E C R E T BASRAH 000003

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/5/2017
TAGS: ASEC CASC PTER MOPS PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: AN AMERICAN KIDNAPPED IN BASRAH

REF: BASRAH 002

CLASSIFIED BY: Louis L. Bono, Director, REO Basrah, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d)



1.(C) On January 4, U.S. citizen Ronald Withrow, his Iraqi
driver and Iraqi bodyguard, departed Basrah for Baghdad in a
POV. The three, employees of JPI Worldwide, were stopped at an
Iraqi Police checkpoint in Amarah and taken to a local police
station "because their paperwork was not in order." The Amarah
police offered to escort Withrow to Basrah Air Station (BAS) on
the evening of January 4, but were informed he spent the night
in Amarah instead.
2.(SBU) The following morning, the Amarah police escorted the
trio to Basrah, where they arranged to transfer them to Basrah
police, who agreed to escort them to BAS. However, when they
arrived at the Basrah city limits, the Basrah police were not
there. Instead they were met by a crowd of people. Shortly
thereafter, approximately seven vehicles carrying 14-armed males
arrived and abducted Withrow and his Iraqi colleagues.
3.(S) Basrah Chief of Police Brigadier General Hamadi informed
MND (SE) and us that this abduction was conducted by members of
JAM and the recently disbanded serious crimes unit. (See
reftel.) According to Hamadi, the group was led by Ahmed Abd Ali
al-Battat the son of the (self-proclaimed) mayor of the Al
Hartha Kadem al-Battat district of Basrah. Kadem had been
apprehended by British forces about three weeks ago, and Hamadi
suggested that Ahmed may be seeking an exchange. British
military informed us that Hamadi has been advocating for Kadem's
release since his arrest.
4.(C) Basrah Governor Al Wa'eli privately condemned the action
and told us he also suspects Ahmed was behind the kidnapping. He
told the MND (SE) "you should have taken (Kadem and Ahmed) out
when you had the chance."
5.(S) In the meantime, British forces are planning an operation
in the Hartha district early morning January 6. Based on today's
events, they have increased the number of troops from 800 to
1250, and they hope that some of the individuals they are
targeting will provide leads on Withrow.
6.(S) Comment: Today's events underscore our concerns about the
security leaders in Basrah expressed in reftel. We have every
reason to believe that Winthrow's abduction was prearranged by
JAM factions, based on information leaked by Basrah police. It
is possible that Hamadi had prior knowledge of the abduction;
either way, it is clear that he was powerless to prevent it. End
comment.

BONO