FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN BASRAH?

S E C R E T BASRAH 000064 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/22/2017 TAGS: PTER MOPS IZ IR LE SY SUBJECT: FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN BASRAH? CLASSIFIED BY: Louis L. Bono, Director, Basrah Regional Embassy Office, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(c),(d) ¶1. (S - REL MNF-I) On June 28, three British soldiers were killed by an IED as they were escorting a convoy from the Basrah Palace to the Basrah Air Station. British forces subsequently recovered a video recording of the incident. British sources believe that the male voices overheard on the recording had Lebanese or possibly Syrian accents. In addition, local sources have recently reported that "foreign" IDF teams, speaking Farsi, are operating in Basrah. While we cannot confirm whether Iranian IDF teams are now actually roaming the streets of Basrah, Iranian agents have been known to accompany Ja'ish al-Mahdi IDF teams in the past. Further, IDF attacks on the Palace have significantly increased in intensity and accuracy over the past two weeks. (Note: A British soldier was killed during an IDF attack on July 21. End note.) ¶2. (S - REL MNF-I) Comment: Foreign operatives have been supporting militia elements in Basrah for some time, but if foreign fighters are now in fact attacking the Coalition, it adds a new dynamic to our efforts to stabilize Basrah. BONO