Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
06KABUL442 | 2006-02-01 10:47:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Kabul |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. |
UNCLAS KABUL 000442 |
1. (SBU) Summary: Four schools (two of which were USAID projects) were attacked and burned January 28 in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. The perpetrators are believed to be Taleban sympathizers or other anti-government groups. In the month of January alone, there were 11 attacks on schools in southern Afghanistan; 50 schools were targeted in all of 2005. In addition to destroying school buildings, tactics have included killing of educators and intimidation of pupils. Some schools have closed in areas where threats were made. This increase in attacks on "soft" targets could be a sign of evolving Taleban tactics, as well as the success of U.S. and other international donors' efforts in the education field. End Summary. 2. (SBU) Total attacks on schools in southern Afghanistan numbered 11 in January 2006, according to military sources. The most recent incidents confirmed by military, USAID and MOI sources, were three (two USAID funded) school burnings in the Nawa district, and a fourth in the Gereshk district of Helmand province. Other recent attacks took place in Kandahar and Farah provinces. The MOI and U.S. military attribute these attacks to the Taleban or other anti-government groups, some operating from Pakistan. In addition to the attacks on the school buildings, a teacher was beheaded January 3 in Zabol province. In December 2005 a teacher was shot in front of his students. 3. (SBU) The Taleban and other armed groups carrying out these attacks periodically send warning letters or hang posters in provincial towns and villages warning against the teaching of girls, threatening teachers or notifying communities that attacks on schools will take place. Taleban insurgents in the south have regularly targeted schools or attacked teachers, but there appears to be a marked increase in the past month. Although the Taleban often rants against female education, boys' schools have been destroyed as well, demonstrating that the insurgents are targeting the education system in general. This intimidation campaign caused three schools to close in Kandahar in November 2005, when three warning letters were issued, though only one was ultimately attacked. 4. (SBU) As USAID funding continues to support education, and school construction moves to more isolated villages where the need for literacy and education is greatest, the security risk increases. USAID funding has brought schooling to over 3,600 communities, and schools in remote villages lie outside of police and military security networks which tend to be based in urban centers. Education is very popular according to several surveys taken in Afghanistan. The number of children in schools has risen from 900,000 to 5 million since 2001, with 280,000 in U.S.-run schools. The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission as well as newspaper editorials have condemned the targeting of schools and teachers. 5. (SBU) Comment. The January increase in attacks on schools in southern Afghanistan indicate that the Taleban and other armed groups are continuing their campaign against education as an insurgency tactic. The Taleban has historically opposed the teaching of girls, but recent attacks have targeted boys' schools as well, which matches the trend towards attacking soft targets, outside the U.S. military security umbrella. Many education professionals in Afghanistan believe that literacy and female education pose a specific threat to the Taleban and the most radical anti-modern elements. The international community's successes in the education field also make schools an obvious target. Efforts by militants to undermine the educational system directly counteract US efforts in southern Afghanistan, where the need is greatest, as many of the schools in these provinces were built by USAID and continue to receive funding. Education is one of the key elements of U.S. development efforts and by closing schools, terrorists are striking against one of the most visible and worthwhile symbols of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. There are indications as well that the tactic of hitting soft targets is resulting in a public backlash against the perpetrators. NORLAND |