Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BASRAH35
2008-04-22 11:53:00
SECRET
REO Basrah
Cable title:  

BASRAH SITUATION REPORT, APRIL 21, 2008

Tags:  PGOV PINS ECON IZ 
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VZCZCXRO4468
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHBC #0035/01 1131153
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P R 221153Z APR 08
FM REO BASRAH
TO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0304
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0721
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHBC/REO BASRAH 0758
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000035 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/22/2018
TAGS: PGOV PINS ECON IZ
SUBJECT: BASRAH SITUATION REPORT, APRIL 21, 2008

REF: A) BASRAH 28

BASRAH 00000035 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Howell Howard, Director REO Basrah, REO basrah,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000035

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/22/2018
TAGS: PGOV PINS ECON IZ
SUBJECT: BASRAH SITUATION REPORT, APRIL 21, 2008

REF: A) BASRAH 28

BASRAH 00000035 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Howell Howard, Director REO Basrah, REO basrah,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (S//REL MCFI) SUMMARY: Charge of the Knights (COK) III
commenced on the morning of April 19, meeting very little
resistance. Planning is already underway for the next
operations to be conducted in Latif, Qarmat, and the Five Mile
areas. The Tribal and Political Committees set up by PM Maliki
to oversee his tribal initiative in Basrah have been dissolved.
In their place, thirteen local "Tribal Support Committees" have
been established for Basrah's most populated districts. The
Central Bank of Iraq Basrah Branch Managing Director Zuhair Ali
Akbair would/could not confirm if any of the $100 million in
central government funds has arrived. He was notably evasive
about the logistics, security, and magnitudes of Iraqi Dinar
shipments from CBI Baghdad to the Basrah branch. Despite PM
Maliki's stern warning that there would be no exceptions, his
own party seems to be maneuvering to get around PM Maliki's
order to evacuate out of all GOI owned offices. The security
situation and working environment have improved markedly with
the Iraqi Army (IA) having displaced the JAM-saturated
Facilities Protection Service (FPS). END SUMMARY.

CHARGE OF THE KNIGHTS III
--------------


2. (C//REL MCFI) Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) commenced Operation
Charge of the Knights III on April 19 to clear the Jaysh
al-Mahdi (JAM) stronghold of Hyyaniyah district. The ISF
isolated the district several days before their foray into
Hyyaniyah to pressure residents to yield their arms and to give
the ISF adequate time to plan with Multi-National
Division-Southeast (MND-SE). On the morning of April 19,
approximately 150 flares and noise rounds were fired by MND-SE
artillery into the empty fields next to Hyyanniyah to disorient
residents. The ISF then swept through the neighborhood meeting
surprisingly very little resistance.


3. (S//REL MCFI) Initially, it appeared that the ISF only swept
through Hyyaniyah without conducting house-to-house searches,

reportedly due to a deal with the few remaining militia leaders.
However, we understand that some raids have taken place since
then focusing on possible weapons caches. Local citizens
continue to assist the ISF in identifying IED locations and in
some cases disconnecting the wires. Over the past two days, an
estimated 50 caches have been discovered, including an estimated
150 IEDs, 200 rockets and 300 mortars. An additional 50
detainees and several weapons caches have been netted in
Jazaizah. However, an IDF attack against the ISF and the tribal
battalion in Tannumah, as well as a suspected IED attack killing
a U.S. Marine and critically wounding another show that the
militias are still capable of conducting anti-ISF/CF attacks.
Planning is already underway for the next operations to be
conducted in Latif, Qarmat, and the Five Mile areas.


4. (S//REL MCFI) Comment: Reporting indicates that senior JAM
leaders in Basrah have fled. We believe that JAM members will
quietly re-infiltrate Basrah once the ISF lower their
operational tempo and assume a more normalized posture. At that
stage, JAM would most likely utilize more asymmetric tactics
being denied the ability to openly carry their arms on the
streets. There are, however, encouraging signs that the
population, tired of the militia's malign influences, are
increasingly siding with the GOI, undercutting the Sadrists'
support base, and tipping the balance in favor of a more stable
Basrah. To prevent JAM regaining ground and ensuring Basrah's
stability, it will be vital to maintain a strong ISF presence in
Basrah and keep the local populace on the GOI's side. End
Comment.

TRIBAL PROGRAM
--------------

5. (C//REL MCFI) According to several contacts, both the Tribal
and Political Committees set up by PM Maliki to oversee his
tribal initiative in Basrah have been dissolved (see Ref A). In
their place, thirteen local "Tribal Support Committees" have
been established for Basrah's most populated districts.
Comment: The haphazard planning to establish a tribal
initiative resulted in confusion over who was in charge - the
Tribal and Political Committees representing local influences or
the Tribal Advisor Implementation Follow-Up National Committee
for Reconciliation (IFCNR) representing Baghdad. The
dissolution of the local committees seems to resolve that issue
and hopefully, will provide more clarity and direction to what
has, so far, been a convoluted process. Questions remain,
however, whether the GOI will continue to fully support this
initiative or will let it die a slow death once the tribes'

BASRAH 00000035 002.2 OF 002


assistance is no longer needed. End Comment.

THE $100 MILLION FOR BASRAH
--------------

6. (C//REL MCFI) REO officers met Central Bank of Iraq (CBI)
Basrah Branch Managing Director Zuhair Ali Akbair on April 19.
Akbair was notably evasive about the logistics, security, and
magnitudes of Iraqi Dinar shipments from CBI Baghdad to the
Basrah branch; seemingly concerned about locational security of
cash, he would not confirm if any of the $100 million in central
government funds that the PM has earmarked for Basrah has
arrived. Akbair said that the USG needed to do more (1) to
encourage Paris Club and other creditors to write off Iraqi
debt, (2) to reduce Iraq's reparations payments to Kuwait
arising out of the first Gulf War, and (3) to attract foreign
financial institutions to invest in Iraq.


7. (C//REL MCFI) MG Flynn reported a good introductory meeting
with MOJ Safa al-Safi on April 21. It appears that Safi is
willing to work with the U.S. to coordinate some of the
rebuilding efforts. Safi asked for a follow up meeting tomorrow
with CMOC's CAPT Burns and MNFI representative to go over status
of past and current projects. Safi seemed open to establishing
a working and cooperative relationship with the CMOC, but more
confidence building needs to be done.

POLITICAL PARTIES FORCED OUT OF GOI-OWNED OFFICES
-------------- --------------

8. (C//REL MCFI) According to Sheikh Amer al-Faiz (Basrah Law
Support Committee, currently advising GOI at Basrah Palace),PM
Maliki issued an order prior to Charge of the Knights to
evacuate all the governmental buildings in Basrah that were
occupied after the fall of Saddam by political parties. There
would be no exceptions to this order, including for al-Dawa.
The Islamic Labor Party handed their headquarters to the MOD on
March 23. General Mohan ordered OMS leader Hareth al-Adarah to
evacuate the building and refused requests for an extension; OMS
evacuated on April 20; the building is to be turned over to the
Ministry of Youth and Sport, as it was the former Olympic
headquarters. Dawa tried to oppose an order giving the former
governorate back to the MOI on the grounds that they paid a 20
million ID lease. The PM told them the lease was abrogated and
that the money would be returned; Dawa has agreed to vacate but
is stalling for time. SAS occupies the former governor's guest
mansion. In a meeting with REO on April 21, party leader and
COR member Dagar al-Musawi said that the building was governate
property so they did not have to comply with the PM's order.
ISCI's headquarters is a privately leased building that it
claims the PM's order therefore does not apply. Their media
network building (Al Nakeel TV) belonged to MOI, but ISCI has
given no indication that it intends to vacate. Badr claims to
own its building. Comment: after the much-publicized force-out
of OMS, it will be interesting to see if and when the PM's own
party complies. End comment.
UMM QASR PORT
--------------

9. (C//REL MCFI) REO Officers met with merchant marine Captain
Hussain Mohammed Abdullah, Assistant Director General (A-DG) for
Management at the Port of Umm Qasr (PUQ)(Septel). The GOI has
sacked PUQ A-DG for Technical Affairs Safa Abud al-Hussein, who
with militia influence had been appointed less than a year ago.
Hussain said the security situation and working environment had
improved markedly with the Iraqi Army (IA) having displaced the
JAM-saturated Facilities Protection Service (FPS). Hussain also
confirmed that the GOI Council of Ministers approved
commercialization plans for the PUQ that broadly follow a
proposal advanced by the Embassy's Office of the Transportation
Attache (OTA). Hussain's committee of port technocrats will
meet next week to discuss selection of a reputable,
international consultant to help write tender documents to bring
in a management company for the north port and a long-term
concessionaire for the south port.

U.S. Navy representative in Umm Qasr report that there are
definitely fewer bribes changing hands in UQ - although there
are reports that some of the internal guards are still charging
for freight movement. The port itself is more or less back to
normal and the Iraqi Navy (IqN) are now establishing themselves
by building better VCPs. The IqN (reflagged as Marines)
delivered two weeks ago by the IA and responsible for guarding
the port are now being supplemented by 120 new recruits. The
501 marines are now formally a new battalion that will be
responsible for security of all of PUQ, Umm Qasr town, the power
distribution station at Az Zubayr city and the port of Az Zubayr.
HOWARD