VZCZCXRO1632
RR RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHBC #0048/01 1511845
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 311845Z MAY 07
FM REO BASRAH
TO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0132
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0548
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHBC/REO BASRAH 0575

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000048 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  5/31/2017 
TAGS: PGOV IZ IR
SUBJECT: JOURNALIST DESCRIBES MAYHEM IN BASRAH 
 
REF: Basrah 47 
 
BASRAH 00000048  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Louis L. Bono, Director, Basrah Regional Embassy 
Office, Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (d) 
 
(S) Following the killing of Basrah Ja'ish al-Mahdi leader 
Wissam al-Wa'eli (aka Abu Qadir) on May 25 (see reftel), Basrah 
Regional Embassy Office IPAO contacted a local journalist who 
works as an anonymous stringer for a western news organizations 
(protect source) to inquire about the situation in Basrah.  His 
reply is below. 
 
Begin text: 
 
Dear Sir, 
 
Actually, I sometimes do not understand what is going on in my 
city, because of the ambiguity and selfish policies of the 
political parties fighting for control.  Their aim is to control 
this rich city. 
 
For many months, the Fadhila party, which includes Basrah 
Governor Mohammed al-Wa'eli and 12 of the 42 members of the 
Basrah Provincial Council, has been struggling to become the 
dominant power in the city.  If they lose Basrah, they will lose 
Iraq.  Al-Wa'eli and the Fadhila Party have been resisting 
pressure to give up the governorship.  The Fadhila spiritual 
leader, Sheikh Yacubi, has focused his attention on Basrah. 
 
Since the Iranian-backed clerics dislike Yacubi, Fadhila is 
automatically against Iran's ambitions.  Fadhila's policy 
opposing Iran has created enemies.  I cannot say that the 
Fadhila politicians are all faithful and honest servants of 
Iraq.  But they are 50 percent loyal to Iraq and 50 percent 
committed to Fadhila's interests.  The enemies of the governor 
and the Fadhila party dislike looking at the progress of Fadhila 
party through the governor.  They fear Fadhila's horizontal and 
vertical expansion in the Arab homeland.  They voice slogans 
against the governor, but their deep meaning is to limit 
Fadhila's expansion.  The enemies's justification (for their 
anti-Fadhila campaign) is corruption and shortage of public 
services in the city.  They are trying to persuade the masses of 
people in Basrah. 
 
The Fadhila enemies: 
------------------------- 
 
¶1.  Half the members of the Basrah Provincial Council 
¶2.  Sayid Yusuf, the head of the Thar Allah militia, an old 
enemy of the governor. 
¶3.  The Sayid Ashuhada organization which belongs to Abdul Aziz 
al-Hakim.  Sayid Dagher runs this organization in Basrah. 
¶4.  The Badr organization, headed by former Basrah Governor 
Hassan al-Rashid. 
¶5.  Hezbollah. 
 
And as always the Office of the Martyr Sadr in Basrah is in the 
middle of this disorder as well as some ugly persons who join 
these allies. 
 
Maybe there is a political struggle in Baghdad, but in Basrah 
the struggle is for economic benefits and individual interests. 
Iran wants to make Basrah a hot area for well known reasons.  It 
pays money to some forces to play vital roles against the 
Fadhila Party. 
 
Kuwait and Gulf states pay money to the other side to balance 
the powers.  Fadhila receives money from Gulf states.  "We would 
not cooperate with others, only with you," a Kuwaiti VIP said to 
the governor.  Another Kuwaiti person said the same thing to 
Thar Allah's Sayid Yusuf and offered him money. 
 
In the middle of this conflict are the victims, the people of 
Basrah.  These people blame the Americans and the British for 
their suffering because they do not understand that they have 
been misled by dishonest politicians. 
 
Iraqi Forces 
-------------- 
I feel embarrassed when I talk about Iraqi forces -- General Ali 
Hammadi, who is head of the Emergency Security Committee, and 
his brother, Mohammed Hammadi, who is Basrah chief of police.  I 
will give you this example.  The Mahdi Army visited General Ali 
Hammadi and asked him to pay $20,000 because they need money to 
buy weapons!!!!.  Imagine that this man runs security movements 
in this big city.  Or his brother, the chief of police.  He is 
scared of his shadow.  All military forces ran away when there 
were clashes in this city.  The events of the recent days prove 
what I say.  Seventy percent of Iraqi police are involved with 
political parties, and the chief of police is aware of this 
fact.  If anyone asks them about security, they always answer, 
"we control the city." 
 
BASRAH 00000048  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
After the killing of Wissam al-Wa'eli (aka Abu Qadir), the 
Basrah commander of the Mahdi Army, his loyalists spread through 
the city with their weapons and: 
 
¶1.  No Iraqi Army troops were in the streets. 
¶2.  Police cars helped the Mahdi Army by opening streets for 
them.  Some police cars carried Iraqi flags and Mahdi fighters. 
¶3.  Military and police leaders ran away from their homes. 
¶4.  Seven RPGs were fired at the house of the Iraqi Army 
commander, who then sent a delegation to the Mahdi Army and 
swore that he was not behind the killing of Abu Qadir.  Imagine, 
sir!  (See reftel.) 
 
I visited the Basrah government building and the Provincial 
Council last week: 
¶1.  No governor for one month. 
¶2.  Three members of the Provincial Council. 
 
So who runs this city?  For this reason, I said at the beginning 
that I do not understand anything sometimes. 
 
Dear sir, if you have the authority to change something in my 
city for the sake of my people, tell me please and I am ready to 
help. 
 
Keep your promise not to reveal my name. 
End text. 
 
Comment:  While the letter may sound in-part pro-Fadhila, his 
assertions are consistent with what we hear from other sources. 
End comment. 
BONO