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Viewing cable 06BASRAH29, SADR SURPRISES BASRAH, CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY, EXPULSION

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06BASRAH29 2006-02-26 16:46 2011-08-30 01:44 CONFIDENTIAL REO Basrah
VZCZCXRO9071
OO RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHBC #0029/01 0571646
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 261646Z FEB 06
FM REO BASRAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0261
INFO RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHBC/REO BASRAH 0279
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000029 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  2/26/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ECON IZ
SUBJECT: SADR SURPRISES BASRAH, CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY, EXPULSION 
OF OCCUPIERS 
 
REF: A)  BASRAH 19, B)  BASRAH 27 
 
BASRAH 00000029  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Mark Marrano, Deputy REGIONAL COORDINATOR, REO 
BASRAH, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
1.  (SBU)  Summary:  In an unannounced visit to Basrah, Moqtada 
al Sadr made a televised statement at the Office of the Martyr 
Sadr (OMS) headquarters.  His speech called for Sunnis and Shias 
to unite and force the expulsion of the occupiers.  An explosion 
in the Imam Ali Mosque in Basrah occurred shortly after 
Moqtada's speech.  Basrah's population, frustrated by fuel 
shortages and terrified by extrajudicial kidnappings and 
assassinations, is receptive to his message.  End Summary. 
 
Sadr's Speech Draws Ten Thousand 
------------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (U)  In an unannounced visit to Basrah, Moqtada al Sadr made 
a televised statement at the Office of the Martyr Sadr (OMS) 
headquarters.  Over ten thousand people were reported to have 
attended the 15-minute speech.  Al Iraqiya Television in Basrah 
filmed the speech and broadcast it almost immediately.  In a 
loud, authoritative voice, Sadr called on Sunnis and Shia to 
unite and fight off the occupiers, and the United States, United 
Kingdom, and Israel in particular.  He equated these three 
countries to Satan, and the crowd chanted, "No, no to Satan," in 
response.  He said that fighting off the occupation must be done 
"in fact," not just in words, urging for action.  Once the 
occupiers are removed from Iraq, he stated, security would 
follow.  He referred to his father, the cleric Mohammed Sadiq al 
Sadr, in saying that by uniting, Iraqis could defeat their 
enemies.  The crowd chanted, "Leave, leave, occupiers," in 
unison. 
 
3.  (SBU)  After stirring up Basrah with his firebrand speech, 
Moqtada was reported to be holding a private meeting at a Sunni 
Mosque in Basrah.  He is expected to leave Basrah either later 
on February 26 or early on February 27 to attend a national 
unity procession on February 27 in Baghdad.  His means of 
transportation and departure time from Basrah are unknown. 
 
Governor Mohammed's Duplicity 
---------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (C)  Clearly visible standing behind Moqtada's right 
shoulder was the Governor of Basrah, Mohammed Waeli (Fadillah 
Party).  Governor Mohammed contacted the REO from Baghdad on 
February 25, requesting transportation back to Basrah.  The REO 
facilitated transport for him back to Basrah later on February 
25 on a British Royal Air Force (RAF) flight.  A boycott on 
cooperation and communication with the British by all Basrah 
government officials has been in place since Chairman Muhammed 
Sa'adoon Al Abaadi (Da'awa) signed an official letter on 
February 13 (see reftel A).  By accepting RAF transport, 
Governor Mohammed acted in clear violation of the boycott.  His 
need to get back to Basrah in time for Moqtada's visit is now 
clear. 
 
Concurrent Explosion in Shia Imam Ali Mosque 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
5.  (SBU) A bomb exploded in the Shi Imam Ali Mosque in central 
Basrah a few minutes after Sadr concluded his speech.  The 
mosque is located about a mile away from the OMS headquarters 
where Moqtada delivered his speech.  The mosque is under 
construction and not being used for prayer at the time.  Reports 
of 2 deaths and 3 injuries as a result of the bomb were 
delivered to the REO, although this information has not been 
verified.  Only construction workers were reported to be in the 
mosque when the explosion occurred, and the Iraqi police are 
investigating the event.  The bomb is reported to have gone off 
in the bathroom of the mosque, and police were reported as 
saying they believe that the injured men were responsible for 
planting the bomb. 
 
Basrah Runs Out of Gas 
----------------------------- 
 
6.  (SBU)  Following demonstrations with large numbers of 
participants on February 22, 23, and 24, an eerie calm settled 
on Basrah on February 25 as fuel shortages hamstrung the local 
population's ability to move around the city.  With black market 
prices for fuel at 1000 dinars a liter, few people in Basrah can 
afford to travel.  The wait at fuel stations in Basrah is 
reported to be over 8 hours.  Moqtada's visit to Basrah is 
particularly timely, as Basrah's residents frustrations at the 
local government's inability to provide basic services are 
amplified by the fuel shortages.  (Note:  The South Oil Company 
 
BASRAH 00000029  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Refinery is conducting maintenance on its pipelines, resulting 
in the reduction in fuel supplies to Basrah.  Maintenance is 
scheduled to last for two weeks.  End Note.) 
 
Kidnappings and Assassinations Continue Unabated 
--------------------------------------------- ----------------- 
 
7.  (SBU)  At 2000 on February 25, a confrontation broke out at 
a police checkpoint between the Iraqi Police (IP) and vehicles 
carrying individuals claiming to be part of the Serious Crimes 
Unit (SCU).  Dead bodies were reported to have been in the SCU 
vehicles.  When IP attempted to arrest the SCU members, a 
firefight broke out that lasted until 0200 on February 26.  No 
one was killed or injured in the fight, and all SCU members 
escaped.  The IP identified Captain Hashim Khadim Hashim, who is 
alleged to have been behind the kidnapping of 12 prisoners from 
the Al Mina prison on February 23 (see reftel B) as being in one 
of the SCU vehicles. 
 
8. (C)  At least seven individuals were reported to have been 
kidnapped and assassinated in the last 24 hours in Basrah. 
These individuals include both Sunni and Shia.  At this time, 
there is no indication that the increase in kidnappings and 
assassinations in Basrah over the past week are directly linked 
to either the destruction of the Samarra Mosque or to Moqtada's 
visit.  The number of kidnappings and assassinations in Basrah 
have increased significantly since January.  REO Basrah has 
received reports of assassination lists of Sunnis, Ba'athists, 
and Shia sympathizers, with attacks being carried out by 
Iranian-influenced extremists.  If this is indeed the case, it 
is likely that the assassinators are taking advantage of the 
curfew and the general disorder in Basrah in the days following 
the Samarra Mosque attack to step up their attacks. 
 
OMS Ascending? 
--------------------- 
 
9.  (C)  Comment:  Moqtada's surprise visit to Basrah should not 
come as a surprise.  Following his high-level meetings in Middle 
East capitals, his appearance in the Shia heartland of southern 
Iraq in the strategically significant city of Basrah, where 
Sunnis make up about 20 percent of the population, was the 
logical next step in his strategy of uniting Sunnis and Shia 
against the "common enemy" of the Coalition.  Moqtada is 
capitalizing on the past week's chaos following the destruction 
of the Samarra mosque by painting himself as the only political 
figure able to unite all Iraqis and provide adequate security. 
In Basrah, the OMS- militia of Jayish Al Mahdi has allegedly 
been "protecting" Sunni mosques and shrines since the Samarra 
Mosque explosion on February 22. 
 
10.  (C)  Comment Continued:  The presence of the Basrah 
Governor at Moqtada's televised speech indicates an attempt on 
the Governor's part to distance himself from the policies of the 
Da'awa-led Basrah Provincial Council.  Even moderate, educated 
Iraqis in Basrah not normally receptive to Moqtada's ideas are 
increasingly upset with the dysfunctional Provincial Council and 
its endless and ineffective boycotts against the British. 
Moqtada's meeting with Sunni leaders in a Sunni Mosque sends a 
signal that he is willing to work with all segments of the 
population.  While Moqtada generally does not have a favorable 
reputation in Basrah, most of Basrah's residents see few viable 
alternatives.  REO moderate contacts comment that while they do 
not like Moqtada's party, they do not see a way to stop his 
political ascension.    End Comment 
MARRANO