IN SUNNI PROVINCES, NO MAJOR REACTIONS YET TO SOI

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000885

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/31/2014
TAGS: PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: IN SUNNI PROVINCES, NO MAJOR REACTIONS YET TO SOI
ARREST IN BAGHDAD

REF: A. BAGHDAD 860

B. BAGHDAD 628

C. BAGHDAD 64

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Robert Ford for reasons 1.4
(d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: The recent arrest of Sahwa/Sons of Iraq
(Awakening/SOI) leader Adel Al Mashhadani and the subsequent
violence in the Fadhil section of Baghdad has not yet raised
strong concerns from other SOI leaders and members, or from
other Sunni Arab leaders outside of Baghdad. In one hopeful
development, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has received
money to pay the SOIs. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) On Saturday, March 28, a joint ISF/CF operation
arrested Adel Al Mashhadani, the SOI leader in the Fadhil
district of central Baghdad, on terrorism charges. The
operation, criticized as heavy-handed by Sunni Arab contacts
otherwise unsympathetic to Mashhadani, prompted a violent
reaction by Mashhadani's followers. Two Iraqis were killed
and 11 wounded in the clashes between local SOI and ISF in
Fadhil that followed the arrest.


SOI REACTIONS OUTSIDE OF BAGHDAD
--------------


3. (U) In Anbar province, Sheikh Ahmed Abu Risha, the head
of the Iraq Awakening Conference (Muatammar Sahwa Al
Iraq--MSI) political party reacted moderately to the arrest
and subsequent violence in Al Fadhil. On the MSI website,
Sheikh Ahmed called on the people of Al Fadhil "to abstain
from the use of weapons to solve any problem, especially
against the security forces, whose main duty is to protect
the area," and wished for the return of normal life in Al
Fadhil. MSI grew out of the Sahwa security movement in
Anbar. NOTE: There is no known administrative or leadership
link between the MSI or the Anbar Sahwa movement and other
SOI or Sahwa councils throughout the rest of Iraq's
provinces. Sheikh Ahmed is leader of the MSI political party
only. END NOTE.


4. (SBU) PRTs in Diyala and Salah Ad Din (SAD) provinces are
reaching out to SOI and Sunni contacts but so far are finding
few signs of reverberations from the March 28 arrest and
violence in Baghdad's Al Fadhil neighborhood.

MOI OBTAINS FUNDING FOR SOI SALARIES
--------------


5. (C) We continue to hear from contacts that the GOI's
delay in paying SOI members is causing unease and resentment
among SOI members. The Ministry of Interior, though, has now
confirmed that the Ministry of Finance has transferred over
30 billion Iraqi Dinars (roughly $25 million) into the MOI's
account. With this, MOI should be prepared to issue salaries
which had been due in early March. SOI salaries will
continue to pose significant budgetary and administrative
challenges that will have to be dealt with on a month by
month basis.

COMMENT
--------------


6. (C) Payment of salaries would help stop erosion of the
GOI's credibility among Sunni Arab fighters. That
credibility will take further hits however, if the Iraqi
authorities make more high-profile arrests from among SOI
ranks and do not explain clearly why they did so, and if GOI
fails to make progress on promises to integrate the SOI into
the ISF and Iraqi work force.

BUTENIS