BASRA GOVERNOR SHILTAG SURVIVES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BASRAH 000044 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/19/2019 TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL IZ IR SUBJECT: BASRA GOVERNOR SHILTAG SURVIVES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT CLASSIFIED BY: John Naland, Leader, PRT Basra, Dept of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Basra Governor Abud Shiltag escaped an attempt on his life during a visit to the electricity directorate on July 18. According the governor's head of security, Governor Shiltag was entering the directorate at around 7 p.m. when a shot rang out. His personal security detail quickly surrounded him and ushered him inside to safety. The bullet, while missing Governor Shiltag, struck one of his guards in the stomach. The injured guard has received emergency surgery at a hospital in Basra, and, at the governor's request, is expected to be transported to Camp Basra for follow-up treatment by U.S. military doctors. ¶2. (C) Governor Shiltag informed us today that police have a suspect in custody. He is one of the security guards who work at the electricity directorate, and is a member of the OMS (Office of the Martyr al-Sadr). The governor has ordered the details of the shooting to be withheld from the press. The governor fears that since Second Deputy Governor Ahmed Hassan is from the OMS, rumors and speculation could spin out of control and poison the political atmosphere if the suspect's OMS affiliation becomes known. ¶3. (C) Comment: The motivation of the suspected shooter remains unknown. An obvious possibility is that he tried to kill Governor Shiltag to get the OMS second deputy governor one step closer to the governor's office. He would not have necessarily had to have been acting on orders; recent events have added to the list of grievances of pro-Iranian militants. The governor has repeatedly demonstrated his friendliness toward the U.S. He has praised and supported U.S. reconstruction efforts in Basra at a series of events with PRT members, which have been widely covered in the media. The quick arrest by the police of two suspects in the July 17 rocket attack on Camp Basra, which killed three U.S. soldiers, could also be seen as further evidence of his and the local government support for U.S. forces. Whatever the suspect's motivation, it remains clear from the governor's reaction that at present, the political balance the Prime Minister tried to create by having an OMS member named as a deputy governor remains vulnerable to events beyond his control. NALAND