US embassy cable - 05ANKARA5221

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005221 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MOPS, EAID, TU, IZ, Iraq 
SUBJECT: TALAFAR SITUATION: TURKS ALLEGE IRANIAN (AND 
KURDISH) INTERFERENCE 
 
REF: ANKARA 5209 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Counselor for Political-Military Affairs Timothy A. Bett 
s for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: A senior Turkish MFA official speculated that 
Iran and/or the Iraqi Kurds may be "playing a game" in 
Talafar in order to eventually control the city, using CF ops 
to their own ends.  We continue to try to feed as much 
factual information on Talafar as possible to the Turks in 
order to put a brake on these conspiracy theories.  On 
humanitarian assistance, we urged the Turks to coordinate 
with both the ITG and us as far in advance as possible.  The 
Turks are grateful for our press statement on Talafar.  End 
summary. 
 
2. (C) PolMilCouns met Sept. 7 with MFA Director General for 
the Middle East Oguz Celikkol as part of our continuing 
dialogue with the Turks on the situation in Talafar.  We 
handed him Embassy's just-released press statement (text 
reftel); Celikkol in turn informed us that MFA had just 
released its own statement (full text in para. 7 below). 
Celikkol expressed his appreciation for our statement: "The 
minister (FonMin Gul) will be pleased." 
 
3. (SBU) Celikkol reported that the Iraqi Red Crescent had 
already been in touch with Turkey about Turkey's offer to 
provide humanitarian assistance, and that Turkey may be ready 
within days to send a convoy, using whatever route we would 
recommend (i.e., either over the Habur Gate or through 
Syria).  PolMilCouns advised that this HA effort would also 
need to be coordinated with the ITG, and urged the GOT to 
give both us and the Iraqis as much lead time as possible in 
order to make the necessary security and logistical 
arrangements. 
 
4. (C) Celikkol related (but did not hand over) reports "that 
we cannot evaluate" that Iranian intelligence and/or the Badr 
Brigade are infiltrating the city as part of an effort for 
Iran to eventually control it.  Celikkol hypothesized that 
the Iranians were seeking to control the major transit route 
from other countries (Syria and--if a second border gate were 
built near Talafar--Turkey) into Mosul and then central Iraq. 
 Celikkol cited reports that CF had captured two Iranian 
intelligence agents in Talafar (NOTE: We haven't seen such 
reports.  END NOTE.)  PolMilCouns responded firmly that--per 
Task Force Freedom--we had no information that the Badr 
Brigade was a force in Talafar. 
 
5. (C) Celikkol speculated that "There is a game being played 
in Talafar."  He repeated Turkish assertions that the Kurds 
(specifically the KDP) are meddling in the city and fomenting 
sectarian strife in order to expand their influence, citing 
reports of "tent cities" set up by the KDP in two towns 
northeast of Talafar from which Kurds will move en masse into 
Talafar following combat operations there.  (NOTE: He 
identified the towns as Sinjar and Summe, but we understand 
there is a town called Sinjar far to the west of Talafar, not 
northeast of it, unless there are two towns by the same name. 
 END NOTE.)  He then added that perhaps the Iranians were 
seeking to empty Talafar of Sunni Turkmen in order to move 
Shias in and thus extend their own influence.  PolMilCouns 
pointed out the apparent inconsistencies in the Turks' 
information.  Nonetheless, Celikkol repeated his concern that 
"someone" is "playing a game" over Talafar. 
 
6. (C) Comment: We report these dubious (and perhaps 
contradictory) conspiracy theories with trepidation, lest 
they diminish the very real importance Talafar holds for the 
Turks or serve to discredit Celikkol, normally a reliable and 
rational interlocutor.  The problem is that the Turkish press 
runs the same kind of stories as gospel truth: During the 
September 2004 major counter-insurgency operation, for 
example, the press reported daily that the operation was all 
a plan to empty the Turkmen out of Talafar and move the Kurds 
in (old ideas like this apparently die hard).  We appreciate 
REO Mosul's and Embassy Baghdad's efforts to keep us in the 
loop on the situation there so that we can continue to try to 
counter what appears to be deliberate disinformation the 
Turks are receiving.  End comment. 
 
7. (U) Informal Embassy translation of text of Turkish MFA 
press statement on Talafar: 
 
BEGIN TEXT 
Middle East Department 
 
Sept. 7, 2005 
MFA Spokesperson's Response to a Question on the Situation in 
Talafar 
 
Turkey has been seeking a solution for Talafar for a long 
time.  Talafar residents have been living under very negative 
conditions.  Turkey believes that these conditions must be 
improved very quickly, and is ready to participate in such an 
effort as much as it can. We have completed our preparations 
for sending humanitarian assistance to Talafar as soon as 
possible and also to support efforts to solve the city's 
infrastructure problems in the medium term.  The Turkish Red 
Crescent (Kizilay) is in contact with the relevant parties to 
send emergency aid material to the city at earliest 
convenience. 
 
Turkey stresses that the inhabitants of Talafar should not be 
confused with terrorists and insurgents coming from outside 
the city.  Turkey also wishes to identify the source of 
disquiet between different segments of the community there. 
As is already known, our Foreign Minister invited Talafar's 
tribal and group leaders to Ankara in order to seek 
conciliation among them.  Turkey will continue its endeavors 
on the matter. 
 
Before the Talafar operation, the US officials stated that it 
was necessary to launch a limited military operation against 
specific targets in the city due to the increasing armed 
attacks against Multinational Force disturbing peace in the 
city. 
 
We have made our sensitivities about the operation clear to 
US officials in a very strong way and asked them to take all 
measures not to harm civilians in the city. 
 
We will continue our contacts with the US officials in order 
to send emergency aid to Talafar and to prevent civilians 
from being harmed in the operations. 
 
 
END TEXT 
MCELDOWNEY