GOI ARRESTS STOKE DIYALA SUNNIS' SENSE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000064

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINS KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: GOI ARRESTS STOKE DIYALA SUNNIS' SENSE OF
DISENFRANCHISEMENT

REF: BAGHDAD 49

Classified By: PRT Diyala Leader George White for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).


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


2. (C) SUMMARY: Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) operations in
Diyala province have exhibited a consistent pattern of
sectarian bias. The Government of Iraq (GOI) has launched a
number of security operations in Diyala ostensibly to combat
Al-Qa'ida in Iraq, but apparently targeting the Sunni
political establishment while largely ignoring their Shi'a
counterparts. The Sunni political leadership in Diyala
argues that the Shi'a-dominated GOI in Baghdad is using these
tactics to influence the results of the upcoming provincial
elections. If the Sunnis in Diyala perceive that their
political voice has been stymied, some may revert to
insurgency. END SUMMARY.


3. (C) The pattern of ISF targeting of Diyala's Sunni
political establishment began to emerge in the summer of

2008. On July 31, Iraqi Army (IA) Captain Husham Al
Mamahdawi was arrested and detained at the Balad Ruz ICID in
Diyala. During his detention, according to Diyala Deputy
Governor Auwf Rahomy, Husham was forced to sign a confession
and testimony implicating 55 Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP--a
Sunni political party) members in acts of terrorism,
including Deputy Governor Auwf and Muqdadiyah municipality's
Qaimmaqam ("Mayor") Najam Al Khozi. Upon hearing of the
detention of Captain Husham, Coalition Forces (CF) raided the
Iraqi Police (IP) station, released Husham, and treated him
for injuries consistent with torture.


4. (SBU) In August 2008, the IA launched "Operation
Benevolent Diyala" in the province. During the course of
this operation, approximately 1,600 people were detained, the
vast majority of them Sunni. A number of prominent members
of the province's Sunni political leadership were among those
arrested, prompting complaints from Sunnis that the GOI was
pursuing sectarian political objectives in these operations
rather than counterinsurgency.


5. (SBU) One of the most prominent Sunni politicians detained
during Operation Benevolent Diyala was Dr. Hussein
Abdulmajeed Al-Zubaidi. Hussein was a member of the
Provincial Council (PC),former leader of the Sons of Iraq
(SOI) in Diyala, and a likely candidate for governor. His
arrest has inflamed the Sunni population, particularly
because he has been denied access to legal counsel, medical
personnel and his family. His continued detention has become
a point around which the Sunnis of Diyala have rallied.
Moreover, recent rumors have spread throughout the Sunni
community in Diyala that Hussein has received the death
penalty. (NOTE: While false, the rumors were widely believed
by Diyala Sunnis. This has reinforced the public perception
that his continued detention and ISF counter-terrorism
operations in the province are purely political in nature.
END NOTE).


6. (C) In December 2008, the death of former SOI leader
Sheikh Bashir while in GOI custody (apparently due to
torture),and the IA roll-up of other Sunni leaders once
again exacerbated tensions in the province. The most recent
operation involved the arrest and detention of at least 45
Sunnis (not a single Shi'a among them),including top police
officers in the Muqdadiyah and Baqubah areas. The most
prominent of those sought was Muqdadiyah Qaimmaqam (mayor)
Najam Al-Khozi. Najam evaded arrest and remains in hiding.


7. (C) Deputy Governor Auwf and Assistant Governor Hafith
Abdul Aziz have complained to the PRT that the GOI is
attempting to intimidate and oppress the Sunni political
Qattempting to intimidate and oppress the Sunni political
leadership and population in advance of the provincial
elections, scheduled for January 31. They allege that these
events demonstrate a pattern of anti-Sunni behavior, as the
Shi'a-dominated government of Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki
attempts to consolidate its power by using force to undermine
political rivals.

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COMMENT
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8. (C) Should the Sunni parties fail to win a large majority
of seats in the upcoming provincial elections in Diyala, they
will likely blame the GOI's military operations and Sunni
arrests as the primary cause. In this case, Sunni leaders
will consider the elections and the resulting Provincial
Government equally illegitimate. This will dishearten Sunnis
and diminish their faith in the democratic process. Feeling
disenfranchised from the democratic process, some could

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return to violence in Diyala. END COMMENT.
CROCKER