US REFUGEE ADMISSIONS PROGRAM REFERRAL OF LOCALLY

UNCLAS E F T O BAGHDAD 000867 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR PRM/A; DHS FOR BCIS HEADQUARTERS; CAIRO FOR REFCOORD; AMMAN FOR REFCOORD AND CONSULAR E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/11/2017 TAGS: PREF PHUM IZ SUBJECT: US REFUGEE ADMISSIONS PROGRAM REFERRAL OF LOCALLY EMPLOYED STAFF NABIL AL-BASSAM REF: STATE 16383 ¶1. Embassy Baghdad would like to refer the following locally-employed staff to the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) ¶2. (SBU) Principal applicant (PA): NAME: Nabil Al-Bassam (a.k.a. Nabil Sh. Ibrahem) DOB: July 22, 1970 POB: Diyala Passport Number: S 487540 Gender: Male Marital Status: Married Dependents: NAME: Nahla A. Mohammed DOB: December 17, 1979 POB: Diyala Passport Number: H 0346021 Gender: Female Marital Status: Married Relation to PA: Wife NAME: Zaid Nabil Shamil DOB: December 29, 2005 POB: Passport Number: H 0346021 (mother's passport) Gender: Male Marital Status: Single Relation to PA: Son ¶3. (SBU) Description of persecution claim, as reported by Nabil and his American supervisor: Nabil Al-Bassam is a locally-employed staff (LES) webmaster at the Public Affairs Section. He has been employed at the Embassy since June of ¶2004. Prior to joining the Embassy, Nabil worked as an open-source analyst for US military intelligence for one year (May 2003 - June 2004). Nabil has been in temporary refuge at the American Embassy Annex compound in Baghdad's International Zone since December 21, 2006, when a merchant in his neighborhood (Karada) warned him that members of the Jaysh Al-Mahdi (JAM) militias had been asking about him by name. In early February, Nabil's mother (with whom he shares the house) warned him not to return home because three men were surveilling the house and presumably looking for him. Nabil is convinced that he will be abducted if he returns to his neighborhood. Even before the USG announced an increase in the number of Iraqis that will be admitted to the US under the USRAP, Nabil informed his supervisors that he would be quitting his job in the Embassy and leave Iraq once he could no longer stay at the International Zone (note: the Embassy provides temporary emergency refuge to LES facing threats or emergencies, but can not extend this option for long periods of time or to LES family members, as the number of living quarters are limited. End note). Last year a PAS FSN was kidnapped, and in January of 2007 one of the PAS LES was killed in a car bomb attack in Karada. ¶4. (SBU) Nabil is one of the best LES in the PAS, consistently showing dedication and professionalism. For the past two-and-a-half months his American supervisors have seen him endure extreme anxiety and undergo panic attacks as the expiration date of his temporary refuge approached. Since December, Nabil has not seen his wife or 14 month old son. Nabil is scheduled to leave for Amman with his wife and children on March 12. Embassy Amman has been notified about his arrival. ¶5. (SBU) Justification for resettlement: Nabil's case was brought before the Embassy's Refugee Committee on March 8, and the committee found his case to be credible and to warrant direct (track A) referral to the USRAP. ¶6. (SBU) Financial situation of PA: Nabil has savings that should allow him to support his family and himself in Jordan for about six months. Class namechecks have been conducted (no hits) for Nabil and family. SPECKHARD