VZCZCXRO0207
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #2155/01 1811228
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 301228Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1959
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 002155 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PINR MCAP PTER IZ
SUBJECT: PRT TIKRIT: TRIBES FORM SALAH AD DIN SUPPORT 
COUNCIL TO FIGHT TERRORISM 
 
Classified By: PRT Lead Steven R. Buckler for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (U) This is a PRT Tikrit, Salah ad Din cable. 
 
¶2. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) SUMMARY AND COMMENT.  In its June 13 
meeting, the Salah ad Din (SaD) Sheikhs' Council established 
the Salah ad Din Support Council to act as a liaison between 
the tribes and the provincial government on local security 
issues.  Based on a five-point plan, the Support Councils' 55 
members intend to rid their local tribal areas of terrorism 
by coordinating information and conducting operations with 
the local Iraqi Police (IP) and Iraqi Army (IA) units. 
Sheikh Mouawia Ahmed Naji Ajbarah al Jabouri, nephew to the 
SaD Deputy Governor and son of kidnapped former Sheikhs' 
Council President Ahmed Naji, has emerged as the Support 
Council's leader and is reportedly in Baghdad meeting with 
the Prime Minister's Office to receive official approval of 
the Support Council's mandate.  The Support Council emerged 
after several weeks of rumors about an al Anbar-style 
awakening in Salah ad Din.  The provincial leadership, with 
the backing of the Sheikhs' Council, has been careful to cast 
the Support Council in a different light than al Anbar's 
tribal movement against terrorism and to ensure that all 
security-related tribal activities are sanctioned by both the 
provincial and central governments. 
 
¶3. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) With the support of the Sheikhs' 
Council and the guidance of the Salah ad Din Support Council, 
many tribes in the province will likely become more engaged 
with the security situation in their local areas and will 
coordinate more closely with the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) 
to improve security and reduce terrorist acts.  However, 
given the decentralized nature of the tribal structure in 
Salah ad Din, it is unlikely that a tribal body at the 
provincial level will be able to create a province-wide 
tribal campaign against terrorism. 
 
¶4. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) The SaD tribes formed the Salah ad 
Din Support Council in order counteract terrorist attacks on 
members of their tribes, and al Qaeda (AQIZ)/Islamic State of 
Iraq (ISI) will be their primary target.  The Support 
Council, however, will likely not reduce insurgent activity 
in the province, to which SaD tribal authorities have 
traditionally turned a blind eye as part of an "honorable 
resistance" to occupation.  While recognizing its inherit 
limitations, we see the development of the Support Council as 
a step in the right direction to securing the province and 
curbing the influence of AQIZ/ISI, especially within the 
framework of the province's IA and IP activities.  END 
SUMMARY AND COMMENT. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Formation of the Salah ad Din Support Council 
--------------------------------------------- 
¶5. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) On June 13, the SaD Sheikhs' Council 
established the Salah ad Din Support Council to serve as a 
liaison group between the tribes and the provincial 
government on local security issues.  The Sheikhs' Council 
meeting, attended by SaD Governor Hamad Hamoud al Shakti al 
Qaisi, SaD Deputy Governor Abdullah H. M. Ajbarah al Jabouri, 
and several provincial security force leaders, was 
uncharacteristically chaired by the Deputy Governor.  Interim 
Sheikhs' Council President Khamees Ahmed Naji Ajbarah al 
Jabouri, the Deputy Governor's nephew and son of the 
kidnapped former Council President Sheikh Ahmed Naji, also 
featured prominently in the meeting.  The meeting strictly 
followed a five-point plan that key tribal leaders 
established before the meeting (see para 8). 
 
¶6. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) After reiterating that SaD was not 
like al Anbar because it had a functional provincial 
government and for that reason did not need an Awakening 
Council, the Deputy and the assembled sheikhs agreed to form 
"The Salah ad Din Support Council."  The Deputy Governor 
supported the idea of "tribal amnesty" for terrorists who 
desire to give up their extremist ways and return to society, 
while also calling for strict policing of each tribe's local 
area by the resident tribe in coordination with the local 
Iraqi Security Forces (ISF).  Calling terrorism "personal, 
not tribal," the Deputy Governor and assembled sheikhs listed 
several grievances against terrorists, including abduction 
and murder of loved ones and other violent activities.  The 
Deputy Governor also insisted that the tribes nominate and 
elect the sheikhs on the SaD Support Council, rather than the 
provincial or local governments choosing the individuals. 
After the meeting, the Council secretariat drafted a letter 
presenting the names to the GOI for approval by the Office of 
the Prime Minister (see para 12).  The Governor encouraged 
the sheikhs not to be afraid and to join the movement. 
 
¶7. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) Sheikh Mouawia Ahmed Naji Ajbarah al 
Jabouri, also nephew to the Deputy Governor and son of 
 
BAGHDAD 00002155  002 OF 003 
 
 
kidnapped former Sheikhs' Council President Ahmed Naji, has 
taken a leading role on the Support Council.  He is 
reportedly in Baghdad meeting with the PM's Advisors for 
Security, Dr. Basima al-Jaydri, and the PM's Advisors for 
Tribal Affairs: Dr. Fael Nema and Sheikh Anwar Nada 
Al-Luheibi, as well as Generals Sadiq and Sultan from the 
Ministry of Defense.  According to Sheikhs' Council Interim 
President Sheikh Khamees, they have received "100 percent 
support" from the PM's office. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
One Week Earlier: The Support Council's Five Point Plan 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
¶8. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) In preparation for the June 13 
Sheikhs' Council meeting, Sheikh Mouawia, a major tribal 
leader from the Tikrit area, with the assistance of his uncle 
the SaD Deputy Governor, sent a letter to the Prime Minister 
on June 3 to announce that the tribes of SaD were 
establishing a tribal council to assist the ISF in expelling 
terrorists from the province.  In the letter, Sheikh Mouawia 
said the council would be formed using the following five 
points: 
 
-  Sheikhs from each tribe who have a social stature that 
will allow them to lead their tribes will be elected to the 
SaD Support Council. 
 
- Incumbent on each of the elected sheikhs is the 
responsibility to clean up his tribe by providing information 
and assistance to the police and army and allowing tribesmen 
to support the police and army. 
 
- Also incumbent on each sheikh is the responsibility to 
enforce army and police regulations and provide information 
and support to police and army units.  However, no tribal 
group will be a substitute for the security forces and all 
security will be coordinated appropriately. 
 
- Each tribe will cooperate with the police and army to chase 
terrorists out of their areas of control and will coordinate 
with other tribes as necessary. 
 
- The SaD Support Council will not be founded on sectarian 
and cultism.  It will include all Iraqis, under the motto of 
"Devotion to Iraq First." 
 
¶9. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) In response to the letter, 
Provincial Director of Police General Hamad Nams Yaseen al 
Jabouri and several PC members traveled on June 6 to Baghdad 
at the Office of the Prime Minister's bequest.  They met with 
PM Advisor for Security Dr. Basima, PM Advisor for Tribal 
Affairs Sheikh Sata, and other IP and IA representatives to 
discuss the possibility of integrating SaD's tribes into the 
fight against terrorists. 
 
¶10. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU)  After the delegations returned, 
the Governor, Deputy Governor, and Provincial Director of 
Police made statements on June 7 saying that provisions were 
being made to integrate the local tribesmen into IA and IP 
operations. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Two Weeks Earlier: Not Anbar and Not an Awakening 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
¶11. (C//REL TO USA, ACGU) On May 24, Sheikh Sabah Hassan al 
Shumari and Sheikh Hammed Ibrahim Salim al Jabouri, two 
largely unknown tribal sheikhs, announced the establishment 
of "The Salah ad Din Awakening Council." On the same day the 
SaD Deputy Governor made a statement on Salah ad Din TV 
saying that the Awakening Council does not represent the 
tribes and that SaD is not al Anbar and does not need an 
Awakening Council.  He said, "Each tribe can protect its 
people, and we do not need a militia in Salah ad Din 
province."  In subsequent meetings, the Deputy Governor said 
that the provincial government supports coordinating with 
their local IP and IA units to secure each tribe's area.  On 
June 3, the Salah ad Din Sheikhs' Council, the major tribal 
authority in the province, announced that it "refuses the 
idea of starting an Awakening Council in the province," but 
supports tribes assisting their local ISF.  Sheikh Sabah and 
Sheikh Hammed are only marginally involved with the Salah ad 
Din Support Council. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
Statement Annoucing the Support Council's Establishment 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
¶12. (U) The following statement was issued by the SaD 
Sheikhs' Council after the June 13 meeting that established 
the Salah ad Din Support Council: 
 
Statement Issued by Salah ad Din Tribes 
 
 
BAGHDAD 00002155  003 OF 003 
 
 
The tribes of Salah ad Din Province met on the morning of the 
13th of June 2007 and discussed the rules for the tribes' 
support to the local government and the police forces in 
performing their duties and in fighting terror and 
eliminating terrorists. 
 
The tribes decided on the following: 
 - To Form a council called the "Salah ad Din Support 
Council," which will be responsible for coordination between 
the local government and the tribes within the province. 
 
 - Salah ad Din Support Council members have been elected to 
represent their tribes and to deliver their directives and 
requests and to coordinate the work between themselves and 
the local government. 
 
 - The Support Council decided that every tribe would be 
responsible for enforcing security and order and for 
eliminating terrorists in its geographical area and not to 
allow its area to become a safe haven for terrorists who come 
from other areas or tribes. 
 
 - Every tribe must provide help and support to the local 
government, police, and army forces when working in its area 
and must also provide information needed for apprehending 
terrorists. 
 
 - The tribes promise to cooperate among themselves to 
achieve security and order and to create a safe environment 
for all Iraqis in the province. 
 
 - The Salah ad Din tribes reject sectarianism and 
denominationalism that divide the children of a single nation 
and declare that Salah ad Din is a safe place for all Iraqis 
with no exception. 
 
 - The Salah ad Din tribes support national reconciliation 
and demand the acceleration in its implementation in order to 
secure the unity and the cohesion of the Iraqi citizens. 
 
 - To enable the tribes to perform their duties, they request 
that the central government form five police battalions 
consisting of members who are chosen from those tribes. The 
battalions to be spread over the geographical landscape of 
the province and to work under the Salah ad Din Police 
Department to increase the effectiveness of the police and 
army forces in enforcing security and order and to ensure the 
elimination of terrorists. 
 
¶13. (U) For additional reporting from PRT Tikrit, Salah ad 
Din, please see our SIPRNET Reporting Blog: 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Tikrit 
CROCKER