Cablegate: Daily Iraqi Website Monitoring - September 25, 2005

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 003964

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR/R/MR, NEA/PPD, NEA/PPA, NEA/AGS, INR/IZ, INR/P

E.0. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO IZ
SUBJECT: DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - September 25, 2005

SUMMARY: Discussion on the British operation in Basra;
Syrian border control; and the constitutional referendum
were the major editorial themes of Iraqi, Arabic language
websites on September 25, 2005. END SUMMARY.

------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
------------------------------

A. "Terrorists No One Mentions" (Iraq 4 All News, 9/25)
B. "Terrorist Tourism through Damascus" (Sot Al-Iraq, 9/25)
C. "Iraq and the Absent Political Consensus" (Independent
Iraqi News Agency, 9/25)
D. "Two British Soldiers in Basra .A Suspicious Story" (Al-
Watan, 9/25)
---------------------------------------
SELECTED COMMENTARIES

A. "Terrorists No One Mentions"
(Editorial by Al-Said Zahra - Iraq 4 All News -
http://iraq4all.org/viewnews.php?id=10034 )

"Yesterday I discussed events in Basra and how two British
soldiers were caught disguised in local cloths-their vehicle
loaded with weapons and explosives. The incident clearly
reveals the role of occupation forces in terrorist attacks
in Iraq. In another comment about the incident, an American
analyst has asked the question: Have the U.S. and Britain
established secret terrorist organizations to carry out
operations that target innocent Iraqi civilians?

"We should note that these operations aim to incite
sectarian differences not only in Iraq, but throughout the
Middle East, serving U.S. interests by preventing the
formation of a unified resistance that would include
Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians against occupation
forces. Sectarian fighting also weakens international
opposition to war and occupation. The idea raised by the
American author (that occupation forces establish terrorist
groups) is nothing new; it has been addressed openly for
years, not only in Iraq, but as an American strategy
throughout the world. For example, the Moscow Times
published in November 2002 reports of Pentagon plans to send
secret agents to penetrate terrorist organizations and order

SIPDIS
assassinations of U.S. targets. The New Yorker magazine last
January published an investigation about the formation of
terrorist groups and death squads under the supervision of
Secretary [of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld. The report goes on

SIPDIS
to quote a Pentagon advisor: "Local citizens are recruited
to join terrorists and carry out terrorist attacks, and
these operations commence without the knowledge of U.S.
embassies in the targeted states.

"It is very likely that the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence
services formed terrorist groups and death squads during the
last few years, and the question remains: Where are these
groups, who are these terrorists, and what operations have
they carried out lately? It might be obvious in Iraq, but
what about other attacks attributed to Islamic groups? It
might be a long time before facts are uncovered, but there
is no doubt that Al-Qaeda and other groups are American-
made. They are part of a strategy aimed at creating a state
of continuous fear of terrorism and creating a list of
justifications for occupation campaigns targeting the Arab
world."

B. "Terrorist Tourism through Damascus"
(Editorial by Mohammed Isa - Sot Al-Iraq -
http://www.sotaliraq.com/articles-iraq/nieuws .php?id=16080 )

"Talk continues about terrorists crossing from Damascus into
Iraq with Syrian indifference to the phenomenon, which I
have labeled "terrorist tourism."

"It is well known among Arabs, and especially Iraqis, that
once you lay foot on the airport in Syria you receive a
badgering of questions from policemen and intelligence
officers spread throughout the airport-agents with financial
and political motivations. In other words, the interrogation
process starts at the airport. And it is also known that the
tourist season in Syria begins when school lets out and
lasts until the end of summer vacation.

"In the last two and a half years, and especially following
the fall of the former regime, many terrorists have admitted
to crossing the Syrian border into Iraq; hundreds or even
thousands said they came to Syria by air and arrived at the
Damascus airport - and not during tourist season. They
should easily draw the authorities' attention: In a country
where tourists arriving during the tourist season are
subjected to so many inquiries, how could terrorists
arriving in large numbers escape suspicion?

"The Iraqi Foreign Minister has said that Syrians lack the
political will to stop terrorists crossing the border. They
need to be seen resisting Zionist and American plots in the
region. The reality of the situation is that while all Arab
states have established relations with Israel, the hollow
Syrian regime insists on playing the leading role in
international terrorism. The regime draws Syrians' attention
away from their interests claiming the supremacy of the
broader national interest as justification.

"But the interests of Syrians actually reside in the
stability of Iraq, the defeat of terrorism, and the success
of the referendum. The Syrian regime should realize the
necessity of apprehending Saddam loyalists who sent car
bombs to Syria under the previous regime. How could such
criminals turn into heroes today, and how could Syrians
allow them to continue their actions after being their
victims in the past? We ask these questions and await the
answers."

C. "Iraq and the Absent Political Consensus"
(Independent Iraqi News Agency - http://www.normal.iraq-
ina.com/showarticles.php?id=1405 )

"The situation in Iraq remains serious with regard to both
security and politics. On the security side, many parts of
Iraq continue to suffer violence in the form of terror,
resistance, criminal violence, and military operations.

"It is obvious that security conditions are difficult to
control despite the measures that occupation and Iraqi
security forces have adopted. And it is clear that security
in Iraq is strongly linked to political stability, which
also appears to be deteriorating amid significant
disagreements over the draft constitution. Deteriorating
security conditions coincide with political disagreements
and failures to reach balanced solutions. The situation is
likely to get worse if political disagreement continues.

"The true solution for all of Iraq's crises resides in
politics. It begins with Iraqi consensus over the country's
future and the occupation forces' announcement of a
timetable for troop withdrawals from Iraq. It begins when
Iraqis are responsible for their own affairs and are pushed
toward the absent consensus."

D. "Two British Soldiers in Basra .A Suspicious Story"
(Editorial by Abdul Aziz Al Mahmoud - Al-Watan -
http://www.al-
watan.com/data/20050925/index.asp?content=aze ez )

"The story about the two British soldiers broke on September
19th when an Iraqi police unit established a barrier in the
relatively calm city of Basra for fear of possible attacks.
The policemen, during a search of vehicles, saw a white car
with two suspicious occupants. When the policemen attempted
to check them, they started to shoot, killing one officer
and wounding the other. Then they fled the scene. Policemen
on patrol arrested them, at which point they identified
themselves for fear of being killed. Once the officers took
them to begin the investigation, tanks broke into the
station and destroyed it.

"The two officers were working in a special British unit,
formerly called SAS. That name later changed to SRR, which
is one of the special task units that conducts sabotage
operations behind enemy lines. The appearance of the two
soldiers, dressed in Arab costumes, and in possession of
explosives, makes the situation suspicious.

"Iraq is crowded with different intelligence elements. It
serves the interests of occupation forces to maintain
divisions between Sunnis and Shiites that guarantee the
flames of resistance will not spread to predominantly Shiite
regions.

"One who listened to the British military spokesman can hear
the contradictions in British statements: the first revealed
his ignorance of the situation; the second stated there were
clashes between the British forces and angry citizens;
finally it was stated that the Iraqi police handed over the
prisoners to an armed militia opposed to the occupation.
This piece of news was circulated to media outlets;
consequently, many have been misled.

"I could not believe this lie, just like so many other lies
that invaded our media outlets recently. It is obvious that
these two officers were on a secret mission to plant bombs.
The evidence is the amount of explosives found in their
possession. Fearing disclosure of the whole operation,
British commanders ordered troops to break into the station
and free the two prisoners without asking permission from
commanders in London. The evidence is in the army's
contradictory statements.
"An official source in the Major Crimes Directorate in
Baghdad stated that the two men were working for Mossad and
that they confessed during interrogation. Some Arab media
outlets coyly published this piece of news in their internal
pages. Iraqis should be aware of the conspiracies plotted
against them by people whose success depends on continued
Sunni-Shiite division."

KHALILZAD

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