Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09HILLAH49
2009-08-26 15:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
REO Hillah
Cable title:
IHEC BABIL REP CONCERNED ABOUT US MILITARY PRESENCE DURING
how-toVZCZCXRO1672 PP RUEHIHL DE RUEHIHL #0049 2381525 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P R 261525Z AUG 09 FM REO HILLAH TO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0973 INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1211 RUEHIHL/REO HILLAH 1284
C O N F I D E N T I A L HILLAH 000049
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/26/2019
TAGS: PGOV ASEC MARR ATRN AMGT
SUBJECT: IHEC BABIL REP CONCERNED ABOUT US MILITARY PRESENCE DURING
ELECTIONS
CLASSIFIED BY: Rick Roberts, PRT Babil Team Leader, PRT Babil,
DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
(U) This is a PRT-Babil Cable.
2. (U) Action request in para 5.
3. (SBU) On August 26, PRT Deputy TL and IPAO discussed the
upcoming national elections with Hussein Abed Ali Khulaif, the
Director of Babil's Governorate Election Office. Khulaif
welcomed the idea of international observers for the elections,
but his expectations of how we would conduct monitoring
conflicted with the realities of PRT Babil travel after the move
to Kalsu. The GEO Director said that military in uniform would
not be allowed near polling stations, and indicated that he was
expecting us to conduct election monitoring much in the way we
had previously, using RSO vehicles parked 200 ft from the
polling stations with one civilian with an appropriate observer
badge carrying a concealed weapon and accompanying the civilian
monitoring team into the polling site on foot. PRT staff
pointed out to him that the Babil PRT would be operating out of
Kalsu by the time of the elections, and would in future be
traveling in military vehicles including MRAPS and not RSO
vehicles. PRT staff also mentioned the post June 30 requirement
that Iraqi forces escort all US military moves, and asked
Khulaif whether he thought Iraqi forces would be available to
escort us to polling stations given that they would also be
responsible for securing those sites. He said it was too soon
in the planning process to say.
4. (C) Comment: PRT Babil is concerned that we will not be
able to safely and effectively conduct election monitoring given
the post June 30 restrictions on military moves. Polling
stations would be choice targets for IEDs and other violent acts
on election day, and we are not comfortable with walking 200
feet from where our vehicles are parked to the polling stations
in the current security environment. Given the restrictions on
military approaching the polling stations, we would need a TDY
RSO staff to accompany each monitoring team and provide an armed
escort. In the last elections, we fielded seven monitoring
teams, and we would envision fielding up to seven this time
depending on the capacity of the US military, RSO Baghdad, and
Iraqi forces to provide needed support for this activity.
Please advise.
5. (C) Action request: Request guidance soonest on Embassy
expectations of PRTs in monitoring the upcoming elections in
light of post June 30 requirements for military moves. Can RSO
provide TDY support and vehicles to provide monitoring teams
with armed escorts, and if so how many TDY RSO staff can we
expect in Babil?
ROBERTS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/26/2019
TAGS: PGOV ASEC MARR ATRN AMGT
SUBJECT: IHEC BABIL REP CONCERNED ABOUT US MILITARY PRESENCE DURING
ELECTIONS
CLASSIFIED BY: Rick Roberts, PRT Babil Team Leader, PRT Babil,
DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
(U) This is a PRT-Babil Cable.
2. (U) Action request in para 5.
3. (SBU) On August 26, PRT Deputy TL and IPAO discussed the
upcoming national elections with Hussein Abed Ali Khulaif, the
Director of Babil's Governorate Election Office. Khulaif
welcomed the idea of international observers for the elections,
but his expectations of how we would conduct monitoring
conflicted with the realities of PRT Babil travel after the move
to Kalsu. The GEO Director said that military in uniform would
not be allowed near polling stations, and indicated that he was
expecting us to conduct election monitoring much in the way we
had previously, using RSO vehicles parked 200 ft from the
polling stations with one civilian with an appropriate observer
badge carrying a concealed weapon and accompanying the civilian
monitoring team into the polling site on foot. PRT staff
pointed out to him that the Babil PRT would be operating out of
Kalsu by the time of the elections, and would in future be
traveling in military vehicles including MRAPS and not RSO
vehicles. PRT staff also mentioned the post June 30 requirement
that Iraqi forces escort all US military moves, and asked
Khulaif whether he thought Iraqi forces would be available to
escort us to polling stations given that they would also be
responsible for securing those sites. He said it was too soon
in the planning process to say.
4. (C) Comment: PRT Babil is concerned that we will not be
able to safely and effectively conduct election monitoring given
the post June 30 restrictions on military moves. Polling
stations would be choice targets for IEDs and other violent acts
on election day, and we are not comfortable with walking 200
feet from where our vehicles are parked to the polling stations
in the current security environment. Given the restrictions on
military approaching the polling stations, we would need a TDY
RSO staff to accompany each monitoring team and provide an armed
escort. In the last elections, we fielded seven monitoring
teams, and we would envision fielding up to seven this time
depending on the capacity of the US military, RSO Baghdad, and
Iraqi forces to provide needed support for this activity.
Please advise.
5. (C) Action request: Request guidance soonest on Embassy
expectations of PRTs in monitoring the upcoming elections in
light of post June 30 requirements for military moves. Can RSO
provide TDY support and vehicles to provide monitoring teams
with armed escorts, and if so how many TDY RSO staff can we
expect in Babil?
ROBERTS