NAJAF POLICE CHIEF CONTINUES TO COURT CONTROVERSY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002950

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR IZ
SUBJECT: NAJAF POLICE CHIEF CONTINUES TO COURT CONTROVERSY

Classified By: Greta Holtz, OPA Director, for Reasons 1 (b) and (d)


1. (U) This is a PRT Najaf reporting cable.


2. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT. Najaf police chief MG Karim
continues to hold onto his job, despite having become a
lightning rod for criticism in the province. Governor Zurfi
has been forthright in expressing his wish to have Karim
replaced, and several members of the Provincial Council have
complained about the police chief's leadership style. Karim
also has his supporters, including the Najaf Chief Justice
and the Director General of the province's Human Rights
Ministry, both of whom give the police chief high marks for
his efforts. While Karim may not be perfect, many credit him
with having improved security in Najaf over the last several
years, making Najaf one of the safest of Iraq,s provinces.
Even if Karim's departure becomes inevitable, dismissing him
before the elections could inject instability into a
relatively peaceful part of the country. END SUMMARY AND
COMMENT.

THE NAJAF POLICE FORCE AND ITS LEADER
--------------


3. (C) MG Karim heads the 15,000-member police force of Najaf
Province ) a force with only four battalions, compared to
twenty-three, for example, in Basra. Because his police
training center in Najaf has been out of reach of USG police
trainers since the 2006, when U.S. troops initially withdrew
from the city, his officers have not received the same level
of equipment and training as other Iraqi police. (NOTE: Najaf
was one of the first provinces to come under Iraqi government
control, with the withdrawal of coalition forces in 2006.
However, because of insecurity in the city after 2006, Najaf
police went to Hillah for USG police training. END NOTE.) The
force provides security for the millions of religious
pilgrims that visit the province during Shi'a religious
festivals. In addition, the police protect the Governor,
Provincial Council members, and PRT movements into Najaf
city. Despite significant challenges, over the past two years
Najaf has become one of the most secure provinces in the
country.

WHO IS KARIM?
--------------


4. (C) Karim, a former career soldier and Badr Corps member,
has by all appearances made the transition to successful
police chief. He has said he wants a professional police
force that will not violate human rights, but will serve the
people and a democratic Iraq. He has voiced to the Governor
his criticism of ISCI's efforts to quash warrants and
otherwise interfere in police business, and he was one of the
first supporters of the PRT's legal assistance program for
detainees. In meetings with USG officials, he has expressed
concerns over conditions in Najaf's overcrowded detention
facilities, supported the PRT's legal assistance program for
detainees, and called for a modern forensic lab in Najaf in
order to wean police from dependence on more traditional
interrogation techniques. Karim, who lost a leg in a
terrorist attack, also demonstrated personal courage in
directing police actions against the Soldiers of Heaven, a
Shi'a militia that fought an intense battle with Iraqi and
coalition forces in January 2007. During an October 26
meeting with PRToffs, Najaf Director General (DG) of the
Ministry of Human Rights Fadl Al Garawi gave unprompted
praise to Karim for cooperating with his ministry and several
non-governmental organizations in carrying out human rights
training as part of Najaf's police academy instruction. The
DG praised human rights conditions in Najaf, and also noted
he had never experienced any difficulties in conducting
monthly inspections of police detention facilities.
Qmonthly inspections of police detention facilities.

IRAQI ARMY AND U.S. MILITARY CONCERNS
--------------


5. (S) In May 2009, a U.S. soldier was killed in an IED
attack on a convoy near the entrance to FOB Endeavor outside
of Najaf city. The U.S. military maintains lingering
concerns about Karim's possible complicity in the incident,
due in part to their dissatisfaction with the subsequent
police investigation, and also because of the proximity of
two police checkpoints to the scene of the
explosion.(COMMENT: There were several potential culprits,
with the incident coming towards the end of the
implementation of the U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement. In
addition, a new governor had just been seated after six
months of political wrangling and uncertainty following the
January provincial elections. END COMMENT.)


6. (S) The Iraqi Army's 8th Division Commander and some
within the U.S. military have claimed that Karim was pulling
his punches and collaborating with authorities who were

BAGHDAD 00002950 002 OF 002


opposing some proposed military sweeps against militants in
the province. Local officials in turn questioned the quality
of the Iraqi Army's intelligence. During late 2008 and early
2009, both the Governor and Provincial Council pursued a
policy of negotiation and attempted reconciliation sanctioned
by Prime Minister Maliki to bring the Shi'a militant groups
aligned with Muqtada al-Sadr into the political process. The
result of these efforts in Najaf appears to have set the
stage for a peaceful provincial election and subsequent
transfer of power within the Provincial Council from ISCI to
Dawa. In addition, when Basra and Sadr City experienced
serious unrest in April 2008, Najaf remained relatively calm.

WRANGLING OVER SECURITY FOR OFFICIALS
--------------


7. (S) Karim has faced constant pressure from senior
provincial officials to provide more security than directed
by a central government edict. Governor Zurfi has asked for
double his allotted five officers, and most of the Provincial
Council members are clamoring for more as well. Two hundred
officers already serve on protective details, and to increase
that number Karim would have to reduce neighborhood police
patrols. The head of the Provincial Council's Security
Committee, Dr. Luai Juwad Hussein Salamn al Yasiri of the
Dawa party, recently commented to PRToffs that Karim lacked
the charisma to lead the police force of Najaf, although, he
also insisted he had no problem with Karim's character or
political impartiality. He added that Karim would have been
dismissed already if only they had a good replacement waiting
to take over. (NOTE: Former Governor Asad, when responding to
pressure from the Iraqi Army and U.S. military to remove
Karim, also said he could not consider replacing Karim unless
he had a successor lined up. END NOTE.)

NAJAF'S CHIEF JUSTICE: KARIM "RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB"
-------------- --------------


8. (C) In a recent meeting, Najaf Chief Justice Firhoon told
PRToffs that Karim was the right man for the job. He
commended the care Karim had taken with the security of
judges and courthouses, and expressed satisfaction with the
speed with which Karim executed court-approved arrest
warrants. Najaf Integrity Commission Director al-Fitla
echoed Firhoon's opinions, stating that the police had been
very helpful in supporting their activities and security.

COMMENT: RECOMMENDATION OF INCREASED TRAINING SUPPORT
-------------- --------------


9. (S) COMMENT. Governor Zurfi has clearly stated he would
like to see Karim go. Given the weight of the Governor's
opinion in the province, Karim's departure may become
inevitable. It would be imprudent, however, to take any such
action in the run-up to the January 2010 parliamentary
elections, particularly given the lack of a suitable
replacement. Whether Karim stays or goes, the PRT
recommends an expanded coalition police training effort for
Najaf based out of FOB Endeavor. The Najaf Police Force has
not received attention commensurate with its strategic
location, and both Karim and Governor Zurfi would welcome
additional support. Moreover, U.S.-provided training would
support stability in what remains a sensitive region of the
country. END COMMENT.
HILL