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C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000458 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2025 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KDEM PHUM PTBS IZ
SUBJECT: UPDATE #6: TIT FOR TAT - A SPATE OF KURDISH 
SECURITY FORCES KIDNAPPINGS 
 
REF: A. BAGHDAD 451 
     ¶B. BAGHDAD 413 
     ¶C. BAGHDAD 381 
     ¶D. BAGHDAD 375 
     ¶E. BAGHDAD 369 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Yuri Kim for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
. 
 
¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY.  The KRG leadership remains fixated on the 
continued incarceration of three Wanna detainees, charged 
with assaulting the Ninewa governor and demands their 
immediate release.  In apparent retaliation, unidentified 
Kurdish security elements - presumably Assayesh and/or 
Zervani - detained the Hamdaniya District Council Chair and 
his driver on February 17, as well as a Hamdaniya District 
Council member (and candidate for the March election).  Of 
the 11 detainees seized by Kurdish security elements the 
previous day in Wanna (ref. A), five remain in custody. We 
have confirmed that PGOV Nujaifi's report that Nimrud 
District Mayor was abducted by Assayesh is false. USF-I 
confirmed that demonstrations and a utility workers' strike 
in Hamdaniya have not devolved into violence. Both Mosul KDP 
Chief and KRG Minister of Interior (KMOI) deny any knowledge 
of extra-judicial detentions by Kurdish Security Forces 
(KSF).  KRG Intelligence Chief Masrur Barzani denied any KRG 
role in orchestrating abductions in Ninewa. The RRT Erbil 
Team Leader, Senior Advisor to Northern Iraq (SANI), Ninewa 
PRT Team Leader and USF-I continue to urge the KRG to release 
all extra-judicial detainees and press both sides to act 
decisively to restrain their respective security forces and 
restore calm.  We are examining political approaches that may 
help de-escalate the situation. END SUMMARY. 
 
ASSAYESH KIDNAPPINGS 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C)  On February 17, according to several sources that 
include PGOV Nujaifi and Hamdaniya District Major Nissan 
Marmoui, Kurdish security elements kidnapped Hamdaniya 
Council Chair Hussein Hamad Younis and his driver.  On 
February 18, USF-N met with Zervani Commander Major General 
Aziz who did not deny the action and said he would provide an 
update on Younis' status. (Note: Hamdaniya is PGOV's home 
district. End Note.) 
 
¶3.  (C) According to Shebak parliamentarian Henin Qeddo and 
Ninewa Provincial Council (PC) Security Committee member 
Abdul Raheem, Kurdish security elements broke into District 
Council member Sa'ad Suleman Abdullah's home on February 17 
and are now holding him in the KRG or KSF-controlled 
territory of Ninewa. The independent Assyrian Christian mayor 
of Tal Kayf, Bassim Bello informed the PRT that 5 of 11 
detainees abducted by Kurdish security elements on February 
16 remain in custody in Sikrenn (Dohuk). PGOV and Bello 
supplied a list of the captives' names to the Ninewa PRT.  On 
February 18, there was an unconfirmed report that 40 
civilians who are PGOV's acquaintances were taken to Dohuk 
but were subsequently released. PGOV's February 17 report 
that Hamdaniyah District Mayor was abducted by KSF proved to 
be false.  Iraqi Army reports on February 17 that KSF had 
abducted the Mayor of Nimrud were confirmed false/false by 
both the PRT and KRG Chief of Staff Fuad Hussein, who was 
responding to an urgent contact from SANI. 
 
WHO'S IN CHARGE? 
---------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Mosul KDP Chief Keshro Goran continued to show his 
frustration to PRTOffs at the news of additional 
"kidnappings" by Kurdish security elections," adhering to his 
story that KDP was not culpable and other divisions within 
KRG may be misbehaving. 
 
¶5.  (C) In a February 18 meeting with KMOI Karim Sinjari, 
Q5.  (C) In a February 18 meeting with KMOI Karim Sinjari, 
SANI raised the issue of Assayesh detentions, noting that the 
actual detention of the four senior police officials in Tal 
Kayf caused a wave of rumored abductions by KRG security 
elements to appear credible.  SANI provided KMOI with the 
names of six civilians reportedly detained by Assayesh or 
Zervani in Ninewa and taken to Dohuk, as well as names of the 
Hamdaniya Council Chair and his driver.  SANI stressed that 
the latter two were reportedly taken by Zervani (police 
forces accountable to Ministry of Interior), and requested 
that Sinjari: a) ascertain the facts, b) engineer release of 
all detainees and c) ensure no further abductions.  KMOI 
Sinjari denied knowledge of any extrajudicial detentions by 
Assayesh or Zervani.  Although Sinjari agreed to investigate 
the cases and direct KRG assets to refrain from such actions, 
his body language remained negative.  He warned again and 
 
again that every day the remaining Wanna detainees remain in 
jail the situation "becomes more complicated," and we could 
see "more of the same."  He characterized the detentions by 
Kurdish security elements as tantamount to spontaneous 
reactions by "the people, who are angry."  SANI rejected 
this, pointing out that these abductions are being carried 
out by an organized apparatus under KRG control, and are 
dangerous and provocative. SANI stated that more abductions, 
or reprisals of any sort, will just put more political 
leverage in hands not friendly to the Kurds. 
 
¶6.  (C)  In a separate exchange with USG officials, KRG 
Intelligence Chief Masrur Barzani similarly denied any KRG 
role in orchestrating abductions in Ninewa Province.  He 
asserted that any such actions were being carried out by 
individual Kurdish security elements without instructions 
from Erbil. 
 
¶7. (C)  COMMENT.  KRG leaders remain fixated on winning the 
release of the three remaining Wanna detainees from February 
¶1.  While not acknowledging that reprisal detentions by 
Kurdish security elements are being coordinated from Erbil, 
there is no visible commitment to halt extra-judicial 
detentions. Contrary to what the Kurdish leaders tell us, 
information from a range of sources indicates that the 
Kurdish street is not wrapped up in the Ninewa detainee 
situation.  Public attention in the KRG is more focused on 
the election campaign, with headlines dominated by reports of 
PUK-Goran violence in Sulemaniyah.  We will continue to 
emphasize rule of law and the principle of freedom of 
movement in addressing the Ninewa situation, but are 
examining broader political approaches, both with PGOV 
Nujaifi and the KRG to help de-escalate this situation. END 
COMMENT. 
FORD