TRIBAL AREAS: VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN THE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 022070

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2016
TAGS: MOPS PGOV PK PREL PTER
SUBJECT: TRIBAL AREAS: VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN THE
WAZIRISTANS, CROSS-BORDER ATTACKS DOWN

REF: A. ISLAMABAD 20570

B. ISLAMABAD 21882

Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S/NF) Summary: The jury is still out on the September 5
North Waziristan Agency (NWA) Jirga Agreement. Violations of
the agreement continued during October 29 to November 12
period. However, cross-border attacks against coalition
forces in Afghanistan's Paktika province appear to have
decreased dramatically since November 7. Foreign militants
displaced from NWA by the agreement are causing substantial
friction in South Waziristan. End summary.

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Security Incidents in North Waziristan
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2. (SBU) Embassy contacts and Pakistani newspapers noted the
declining security situation in NWA during the period of this
report. Violations of the September 5 NWA Jirga Agreement
included:

-- November 3: The beheaded body of cleric Maulana Salahuddin
was found between Razmak and Makeen. A leaflet attached to
his body said he was a U.S. spy. (Violation: No targeted
killings.)

-- November 5: Unknown persons kidnapped an elderly man
named Faizullah. His friends believe local militants
kidnapped him because of his anti-militant sympathies. They
believe he is dead. (No targeted killings.)

-- November 10: Suspected militants fired five rockets at a
Frontier Corps camp in Mirali. A local militant spokesman
denied local Taliban involvement. (No attacks on GOP
facilities.)

-- November 10: Prominent pro-government tribal elder Khan
Azhar escaped an assassination attempt near Miranshah. (No
targeted killings.)

-- Other killings and kidnappings occurred in the area, but
the motives were unclear.

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Violent Two Weeks in South Waziristan
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3. (SBU) Embassy contacts report that Uzbek militants who
fled to South Waziristan after the September 5 NWA agreement
are forcefully resisting local pressure to leave South
Waziristan. Locals want the Uzbeks to leave in part because
the Uzbeks are engaged in criminal activities including
kidnapping for ransom and robberies, but also because GOP
officials are pressuring Taliban leaders to evict foreign
fighters. Previous FATA security updates noted the attack on
anti-foreigner militant Khanan Wazir on September 24 and the
murder of two of his supporters on September 27 (ref A).

-- November 5: Uzbek militants shot dead Malik Wali Zar, a
Khanan associate, at Inzar village.

-- November 10: A bomb, presumably placed by Uzbeks, killed
four Khanan associates in the Danday area.


4. (SBU) In an event not necessarily related to the
Uzbek-led violence, on November 7, two rockets were fired
over a Scouts Camp in Wana while NWFP Governor Jan Orakzai
was meeting with tribal elders (ref B). Five more rockets
landed near the camp that evening. The press reports that
the GOP has questioned various tribe members suspected of
being connected to the missile attacks, which observers doubt
were actually meant to injure the Governor.

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ISLAMABAD 00022070 002 OF 002


Signs of Talibanization in Settled Areas of NWFP
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5. (SBU) Media reports that the Taliban were distributing
pamphlets in Darra Adamkhel, approximately 40 kilometers
south of Peshawar, warning tribal elders to "behave
themselves" and threatening to close down girls schools.

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Attacks on Coalition Forces Near the Pakistan Border
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6. (S/NF) Cross-border attacks have decreased dramatically
along the border between Afghanistan's Paktika province and
Pakistan's North and South Waziristan since November 7.
Office of Defense Representative-Pakistan (ODRP) attributes
the decrease to the commencement of Operation Catamount Blitz
(septel).


7. (S/NF) ODRP reports the following security incidents
within five kilometers (km) of the Pak-Afghan border (nearest
Pakistani agency in parentheses):

-- November 2: Seventeen rockets fired at border control post
(BCP) 213, observed 6 km southeast of Forward Operating Base
(FOB) Shkin. Point of origin 200 meters from border. (South
Waziristan)

-- November 2: Task Force (TF) Vanguard patrol received
rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and small arms fire (SAF) 15
km southeast of FOB Chamkani. Point of origin within 2 km of
border. (Kurram)

-- November 2: TF Catamount reported SAF and machine gun
fire. Enemy positions and point of origin were within
Pakistan. Observation post 4 (OP4) observed 15 enemy
personnel. (North Waziristan) (Note: A serious violation of
the NWA Jirga Agreement.)

-- November 3: TF Catamount reported 9 rockets in vicinity of
Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bermal. (South Waziristan)

-- November 4: Rockets fired at FOB Sarkoni. (Bajaur)

-- November 8: TF Catamount reported two ACMs, one with RPG,
maneuvering 13 km northeast of FOB Bermel. (North Waziristan)

-- November 8: TF Titan reported two rockets impacted inside
FOB Naray. (Chitral/Dir)

-- November 10: Patrol engaged ACM east of FOB Mangretey.
ACM egressed east into Pakistan, in violation of the NWA
agreement. (North Waziristan)

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Comment
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8. (C) President Musharraf himself admits that the NWA
agreement has not been as successful as he had hoped, but he
believes more time is needed before judging the agreement a
failure. Meanwhile, a local journalist told Poloffs November
16 that residents in much of FATA are "terrified" of local
militants and are reluctant to report on training camps and
other suspicious activities, particularly in the wake of the
October 30 attack on the extremist "madrassa" training camp
in Bajaur. Such fear further complicates getting an accurate
picture of realities on the ground in the tribal areas. End
comment.

CROCKER