VZCZCXRO8934
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHMOS #0031/01 0820909
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 230909Z MAR 06
FM REO MOSUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0440
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHLU/AMEMBASSY LUANDA 0034
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0027
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0023
RUEHMOS/REO MOSUL 0459

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSUL 000031 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  3/23/2016 
TAGS: PREL PINS PINT PGOV PHUM IZ MARR
SUBJECT: KURDISH POWER PLAY IN MOSUL: PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT REQUESTS 
FULL TRANSITION OF SECURITY TO IRAQI SECURITY FORCES 
 
REF: MOSUL 24 
 
MOSUL 00000031  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Cameron  Munter, PRT Leader, Provincial 
Reconstruction Team Ninewa, State. 
REASON: 1.4 (a), (b), (d) 
 
 
 
------------------- 
SUMMARY AND COMMENT 
------------------- 
 
¶1.  (C) Ninewa Provincial Government leaders called for the 
immediate transfer of security operations from Coalition Forces 
(CF) to Iraqi Security Forces (ISF).  During a meeting with the 
PRT and MNF-N, Governor Duraid Kashmoula, Vice Governor Khasro 
Goran, and Provincial Council Chair Salem Haj Issa claimed Mosul 
residents were resentful of continued CF presence, which has 
undermined their credibility with the public.  While security 
has improved markedly since the fall of the city to terrorists 
in November 2004, we doubt whether the Iraqis are as capable as 
they think they are.  We view the attempt by a lame-duck, 
predominantly Kurdish, provincial government -- that saw Sunni 
Arabs take a majority of seats from Ninewa during the national 
election -- to assert its authority and ensure continued Kurdish 
control of power in the province.  End Summary and Comment. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) PRT Leader and MNF-N met with Ninewa Governor Duraid 
Kashmoula, Vice Governor Khasro Goran, Provincial Council Chair 
Salem Haj Issa, Provincial Chief of Police (PCOP) Wathiq Al 
Qudir, and Provincial Chief Judge Fasial Hadeed in Mosul on 
March 14.  PRT IPAO met with Governor Duraid Kashmoula and Vice 
Governor Khasro Goran at Ninewa Provincial Hall on March 9. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
 CALL FOR TRANSFER OF SECURITY OPERATIONS NOW 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) During a meeting with MNF-N and the PRT, provincial 
government leaders called for the immediate transition of 
security operations from Coalition Forces (CF) to Iraqi Security 
Forces (ISF).  Governor Kashmoula asked for a meeting soon with 
MNF-N and ISF officials to discuss intelligence sharing for 
transfer of the battle space command.  Kashmoula said he 
believed sole ISF presence inside of Mosul would be beneficial 
for everyone, especially CF and the USG, for political, 
security, and economic reasons.  Kashmoula said the sooner the 
change took place they more legitimate the ISF would be.  Vice 
Governor Goran said the Iraqi Police (IP) had a great deal of 
responsibility, but that CF needed to give it more leeway with 
handling security.  Kashmoula, Provincial Council Chair Issa and 
PCOP Al Qudir recommended that CF be stationed on the periphery 
to serve as a quick response force when called on by ISF. 
 
¶4.  (C) Al Qudir claimed the public viewed terrorism in the city 
as a "jihad" against CF, and that moving CF out of the city 
would help better the public's perception of the security 
situation.  During an earlier meeting with the PRT, Kashmoula 
said he was upset by what he saw as misstatements about the 
transfer of security from Coalition Forces (CF) to Iraqi 
Security Forces (ISF) in Mosul.  He claimed Mosul residents 
resented this and faulted him for misleading them, which has 
undermined his and the provincial government's credibility. 
Kashmoula said he was concerned that these types of actions by 
CF would create more unrest and ill will towards Americans. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶5.  (C) We are skeptical about the Iraqi request.  While their 
desire to put more of an Iraqi face on security operations is 
admirable and speaks well to any potential drawdown of CF in the 
country, realities on the ground suggest that Kashmoula, Issa, 
and Goran have other advantages in mind.  Since terrorists 
overran Mosul in November 2004, the city has continued to 
improve markedly with regards to security thanks in large part 
to CF efforts, as was noted in a presidential speech at the end 
of last year.  It may be that the provincial government, made up 
of predominantly Kurds and Kurdish sympathizers, is working to 
assert its influence before provincial elections slated for 
later this year.  The request for a rapid transfer of 
operational authority from CF to ISF over the next few months 
would be a way of "delivering" something to constituents 
(reftel). 
 
¶6.  (C) Why have more of an IA presence, specifically, in Mosul? 
 
MOSUL 00000031  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 The IA 2nd Division is commanded by MG Jamaal, a former 
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Peshmerga commander, and its 
forces are still mainly Kurdish.  Goran, himself a KDP leader as 
well as vice governor, has been playing this card for some time 
now.  For example, he told the PRT on numerous occasions that he 
would like more 2nd Division IA presence in Mosul, requesting on 
one occasion that the IA should have five or six checkpoints in 
the center of the city, contrary to CF and Al Qudir's wishes 
(reftel).  Perhaps the Kurds saw the writing on the wall during 
the national election, where Sunni Arabs political parties took 
a majority of seats from Ninewa in the national assembly.  It 
could be that the current government believes that ISF control 
of security, especially before the elections, would allow the 
Kurds to assert their authority and influence over politics in 
the mostly Sunni Arab city.  In short, the current provincial 
government should probably be seen as little more than a tool of 
Kurdish ambition in Ninewa, and the request for the immediate 
transfer of security operations for what it is: a ploy to 
enhance the political fortunes of the current provincial 
government and its backers in Kurdistan. 
MUNTER