BABIL PREPARES TO TRANSITION SONS OF IRAQ PROGRAM

C O N F I D E N T I A L HILLAH 000079

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/19/2018
TAGS: PINS PGOV PINR IZ
SUBJECT: BABIL PREPARES TO TRANSITION SONS OF IRAQ PROGRAM

REF: CORRECTED COPY OF HILLAH 00078

CLASSIFIED BY: Kenneth M. hillas, PRT Leader, Babil PRT, Dept
of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



This is a Corrected Copy of a joint N. Babil ePRT/Babil PRT
message.


1. (C) Babil Governor Salam, Provincial Director of Police BG
Fadhil, 31st Army (IA) Brigade Commander BG Abdul Ameer and 4/3
BCT Commander Thomas James led a meeting September 16 in Hillah
of the North Babil Tribal Conference to discuss transition of
the Sons of Iraq (SOI) to GOI management. Governor Salam, BG
Abdul Ameer, and BG Fadhil pledged to find work for SOIs by
integrating some into the IA and Iraqi Police (IP) and finding
civilian GOI positions if necessary. The North Babil Tribal
Conference is a CF-created non-sectarian security committee of
tribal leaders which meets monthly with CF and IA commanders.
At this month's meeting, the participants, many of them SOI
leaders, pressed for employment opportunities in the Police and
Army and repeated requests for the construction of additional IP
stations and IA bases. The Governor and BG Abdul Ameer pledged
to make the SOI transition in the next month to Iraqi
administration.


2. (C) After acknowledging the key role played by the SOIs in
establishing security in North Babil, Governor Salam (ISCI) gave
assurances that he and the GOI value the SOI program in North
Babil and want to make the transition successful. He said he
was committed to working with members of the SOI who had been
former regime officials or were reconciled al-Qaeda (AQI)
members, but that the GOI would not tolerate current SOIs who
maintained ties to AQI. BG Abdul Ameer stated that, "there are
killers and criminals among the SOI" and said AQI's goal was to
infiltrate the SOIs. He cited several examples of cache finds
and IED strikes very near SOI checkpoints which indicated SOI
complicity in these terrorist activities. BG Fadhil, without
elaborating, said any SOIs who associated with Jaysh al-Mahdi
and AQI would be arrested.


3. (C) Without providing details, MG Abdul Ameer said the SOI
transition from CF to IA management would happen in the next
month, independent of any transition of security
responsibilities from CR to Provincial Iraqi Control (PIC).
Pressed about pending construction of police stations in Jurf as
Sukr, formerly an AQI stronghold and Babil province's only
Sunni-majority Nahiya, BG Fadhil pledged to construct at least
two new IP stations in the coming year in Jurf Al-Sakr, as well
as an additional IP station (already planned and approved) in
Khidr.


4. (C) Comment: GOI and IA planning for the transition is at
an early stage of development. Nonetheless, the Governor, IA
and IP chiefs were consistently on message, repeatedly thanking
the tribal leaders for their successful fight against AQI to
establish security and offering assurances of continued
employment. With registration and GOI vetting of current SOIs
expected shortly, SOI leaders are concerned about the GOI's
ability to manage the program and transition SOIs to full-time,
permanent employment. No SOIs from North Babil have yet been
absorbed into the IA or IP, despite more than 1,500 having been
cleared for employment, giving SOI leaders grounds for
skepticism. CF commitment to continue the program in the event
the GOI is slow off the mark will be an important insurance
against the risk of diminished security and lawlessness as SOI
management transitions.

HILLAS