VZCZCXRO6850
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #1505/01 1261355
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061355Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1029
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001505 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
E.O. 12958 
TAGS: PGOV PTER IZ
SUBJECT:  THE KURDISTAN ISLAMIC GROUP IN SULAIMANIYAH, IRAQI 
KURDISTAN 
 
This is a Regional Reconstruction Team (RRT) Cable. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG) members told RRT 
off that they would like to increase the dialogue on a range of 
issues between the KIG and USG.  They similarly said they wanted to 
see more USG engagement with moderate Islamic political parties in 
Kurdistan and more broadly in Iraq.  The KIG was associated in the 
past with the terrorist group Ansar al-Islam but says it now rejects 
violence and extremism and supports the demilitarization of 
political parties and the development of effective anti-corruption 
programs.  END SUMMARY. 
 
---------- 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On March 29, RRTOff met in Sulaimaniyah with two members 
of the KIG, Mohmad H. Jabar and Anwar Faraj Saddon.  Jabar is also a 
member of the Provincial Council of Sulaimaniyah Province. 
Established in May of 2001, the KIG is led by Mamousta Ali Baper, a 
former member of the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan.  (Note: KIG 
leader Baper was arrested in 2003 by US forces and released in 
2005.)  The KIG adheres to a Salafi or Sufi tradition. KIG members 
say they focus on learning and negotiation to promote progress and 
conflict resolution.  The KIG members told RRT Off they support the 
rights of women, due process, and freedom from torture. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In 2005 during the Iraqi legislative elections, KIG joined 
the coalition that included the two dominant parties in Iraqi 
Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic 
Union of Kurdistan (PUK).  The KIG obtained six seats in the 
Kurdistan National Assembly and two seat in the Iraqi Council of 
Representatives.  KIG members estimate they have 90,000 supporters 
in the three provinces of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The KIG was previously associated with the terrorist group 
Ansar al-Islam, but denies that such an association is valid today. 
Some of the KIG members were killed or injured in the US-led raid 
against Ansar al-Islam in March 2003 along the Iranian border in 
Sulaimaniyah Province.  The KIG originated in Sulaimaniyah Province 
where it has received funding from the dominant political party 
there - the PUK.  The KIG interlocutors specified, however, that 
current legislation governing political parties stipulated that 
support is from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and not from 
the PUK.  However, since the major parties (PUK and KDP) control the 
government, the PUK continues to claim it supports the KIG.  The KIG 
also relies on dues from party members to finance its operation. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
A MODEL FOR POLITICAL DEMILITARIZATION? 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) KIG members told RRTOff that they condemned the terrorist 
attacks of September 11.  The KIU underscored the need to 
demilitarize Iraqi political parties and build their country without 
weapons.  They said this is why KIG party members turned in their 
weapons to the US in 2003 and were the only Iraqi party to do so. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
USG SHOULD "ENGAGEME MORE WITH MODERATE ISLAMIC PARTIES" 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) KIG members were appreciative of the opportunity to meet 
with RRTOff and said they would like more and continued access to 
USG officials to express their views directly.  They stated that a 
single meeting with USG officials with no follow-up would be not 
sufficient and asked RRTOff for assistance.  RRTOff offered to help 
put them in contact with the USG could put them in contact with 
National Democratic Institute and International Republic Institute. 
They offered to arrange a meeting n Erbil between RRTOff and the 
national president of the KIG. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The KIG members emphasized the legitimate role that 
moderate Islamic parties in Iraq have in the political process.  KIG 
members expressed the view that the US should distinguish between 
moderate Islamic parties and terrorist groups.  Terrorist groups, 
they continued, are present in response to problems in Iraqi 
politics and in reaction to Western attitudes.  According to these 
KIG members, the West should better understand the motives of the 
terrorists and what they are fighting for.  If the US continues to 
look at all Islamic parties as extremists, they pointed out, this 
could drive more Islamists to engage in terrorist activities. 
 
---------------------------------- 
SEEKING REFORM IN KURDISH POLITICS 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The KIG members asserted that their low representation in 
 
BAGHDAD 00001505  002 OF 002 
 
 
the Kurdistan National Assembly makes it difficult to fight 
corruption within the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and within 
the KDP and PUK.  KIG members complained that it is difficult to 
stand up against the PUK and KDP to create democratic processes 
related to elections, the media and press.  Unlike the KIG, the PUK 
and KDP have financial security and military power, they said.  The 
KRG budget is controlled by the major parties and smaller parties 
are entitled to only a small portion.  The KIG members stated the 
PUK and KDP use the problem of limited KRG funding as a pressure 
point to constrict KIG activities in the region. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) COMMENT.  The KIG's message of anti-corruption and 
democratization may garner additional support for the party over 
time.  However, it will remain an uphill battle to loosen the 
lock-hold the KDP and PUK continue to have over Kurdish regional 
politics.  The KDP and PUK have included the KIG in their 
national-level coalition, but thus far have squeezed it out of a 
more political and economic role either in Baghdad or in Erbil.