BANI MALIK TRIBE STRIKES MILITIAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BASRAH 000069 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/13/2017 TAGS: PINR IZ SUBJECT: BANI MALIK TRIBE STRIKES MILITIAS CLASSIFIED BY: Louis L. Bono, Director, Basrah Regional Embassy Office, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Bani Malik tribe demonstrated they were a force to be reckoned with August 10, following the murder of the tribal leader's son. The Bani Malik assumed Badr Corps was responsible and attacked a Badr office, killing one Badr member. The tribe also attacked the offices of several other political parties. Basrah security commander General Mohan Hafith Fahad negotiated a truce after it was determined that a rival tribe was behind the murder and before Badr responded. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On August 10, the al-Furayjat tribe assassinated the son of the Bani Malik tribal sheikh in the al-Qurnah District of Basrah Province. (Note: the Bani Malik are located predominately to the west and north of Basrah and are one of the province's larger tribes. End note.) Because the Bani Malik was closely associated with the Saddam regime, they believed that Badr Corps, a former opposition group, conducted the assassination. According to our sources, the Bani Malik and Badr Corps have been in confrontations before. ¶3. (U) Enraged by the death, the Bani Malik closed off traffic to Basrah from the north, attacked a Badr Corps office, killing one Badr member, wounding seven others, and setting the office on fire. The Bani Malik also attacked the offices of Fadillah, Iraqi Hizbollah, Office of the Martyr Sadr, and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. ¶4. (C) On August 12, a large contingent of Badr militiamen from Nasiriyah planned to attack the Bani Malik. According to a local security official, he and Security Commander General Mohan informed the Bani Malik that the al-Furayjat was responsible for the murder, not Badr Corps, and negotiated a temporary ceasefire among the parties. (Note: Mohan is a member of the Bani Malik. End note.) ¶5. (C) Comment: While the Bani Malik's reaction was rash and ill-informed, this episode illustrates that they possess the willingness and confidence to use force en masse in defense of their tribal interests. The attack against multiple political party offices, and not Badr alone, sent a clear message to all of Basrah's players that the Bani Malik are a force not to be provoked. More importantly, this event shows that there is potential for Basrah's tribes to play a positive role in security. BONO