Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KABUL1828
2006-04-24 14:05:00
SECRET
Embassy Kabul
Cable title:  

PRT/KANDAHAR - RECENT ATTACKS ON CANADIAN-LED

Tags:  PTER MARR ASEC AF CA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO2630
OO RUEHDBU
DE RUEHBUL #1828/01 1141405
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 241405Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9775
INFO RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IMMEDIATE 1324
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE IMMEDIATE 0620
RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//J3//
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUMICEA/JICCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2461
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2650
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 5875
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 1300
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 001828 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS, SCA/PAB, S/CT, EUR/RPM
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76 POLAD
TREASURY FOR D/S KIMMITT, APARAMESWARAN, AJEWELL
REL NATO/ISAF/AS/NZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2016
TAGS: PTER MARR ASEC AF CA
SUBJECT: PRT/KANDAHAR - RECENT ATTACKS ON CANADIAN-LED
FORCES

Classified By: POL COUNSELOR ANGUS SIMMONS FOR REASONS
1.4 (B) AND (D)

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 001828

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS, SCA/PAB, S/CT, EUR/RPM
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76 POLAD
TREASURY FOR D/S KIMMITT, APARAMESWARAN, AJEWELL
REL NATO/ISAF/AS/NZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2016
TAGS: PTER MARR ASEC AF CA
SUBJECT: PRT/KANDAHAR - RECENT ATTACKS ON CANADIAN-LED
FORCES

Classified By: POL COUNSELOR ANGUS SIMMONS FOR REASONS
1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (S) SUMMARY. At 07:30 April 22 near Gumbad in
Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar Province, an
improvised explosive device (IED) killed three
Canadian soldiers immediately and one perished later
at a military hospital. Three Canadian soldiers
were wounded, but not seriously. The four vehicle
convoy then came under small arms fire. Canadian
forces returned fire and the attackers fled. None
was killed or captured. Additional Canadian forces
were sent in to secure the area of the attack and to
safeguard Canadian Task Force Orion,s patrol house
in Gumbad. Kandahar Air Field also came under
rocket attack twice on April 23. END SUMMARY.


2. (S) On April 22 at 07:30 local time, an IED
killed three soldiers immediately and one more
solider died later at a military hospital. The
vehicle which was hit by the IED was the one that
Command South Commanding General David Fraser had
traveled in during his visit to Gumbad. Two of the
soldiers killed were members of his close protection
detail. One of the deceased was the major in
command of Task Force Orion,s Civil ) Military
Cooperation (CIMIC) unit. Note: Another member of
this CIMIC team, Trevor Greene, was axed in the head
at a meeting with a village shura about a month ago.
End note.) There is no evidence that the General
was targeted, but a Taliban effort along these lines
cannot be ruled out despite low command and control
capacity. The General had flown back to Kandahar
Air Field before the attack.


3. (S) Shah Wali Kot district in northern Kandahar
has long been an a Taliban refuge and staging area.
It also serves as a transit area for Taliban groups
infiltrating into Uruzgan Province. Gumbad lies
approximately 50 kilometers north of Kandahar near
Highway One which connects Kandahar city with Tarin
Kowt, the capital of Uruzgan.


4. (S) The IED was a spider device attached to four
anti-tank mines. These mines remain readily
available throughout Afghanistan.


5. (S) In an apparently unrelated incident, three
rockets, two of them inside the wire, targeted
Kandahar Air Force Base in the early morning of
April 23. Although one partially destroyed a
building very close to General Fraser,s residence,
this appears to be happenstance given this
(untargetable) means of attack.

6. (S) In another incident, at about 11:45 a.m.
local time on April 23, discovery of an unexploded
shell near the Chai house (conference facilities)
caused an interruption to the economic briefing
being presented by Embassy Economic Counselor and
USAID Emboff for Dutch General Ton van Loon, who
will assume command of the Region South Command
under NATO ISAF in November. After the area was
cleared, the briefing was resumed at the Chai House,
but was later moved to another location on the base

KABUL 00001828 002 OF 002


after an incoming mortar round destroyed a building
across the street from the Chai House.

Comment
--------------


7. (S) The Canadian-led Multi-National Brigade has
focused considerable resources on expanding activity
in the Shah Wali Kot area to secure Highway One and
to reduce the Taliban,s capabilities in advance of
the Dutch assuming responsibility for Uruzgan
Province and command of the Tarin Kowt PRT in late
summer (the planned date is the end of July). The
increase in IEDs and other Taliban activity in the
area appears, in part, to be an effort to counter
the Coalition,s increased presence in the area.
NEUMANN