Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KABUL5197
2006-10-25 10:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Kabul
Cable title:  

ASSASSINATION OF TRIBAL WARLORD IN HERAT PROVINCE

Tags:  PHUM PGOV SNAR PINS AF 
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OO RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #5197/01 2981028
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 251028Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3723
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEOMFE/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUMICEA/JICCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFIUU/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3169
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3299
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 6620
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 1964
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005197 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA/FO, SA/A, S/CR, EUR/RPM
NSC FOR HARRIMAN
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76

SIPDIS, SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SNAR PINS AF
SUBJECT: ASSASSINATION OF TRIBAL WARLORD IN HERAT PROVINCE

KABUL 00005197 001.2 OF 002


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005197

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA/FO, SA/A, S/CR, EUR/RPM
NSC FOR HARRIMAN
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76

SIPDIS, SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SNAR PINS AF
SUBJECT: ASSASSINATION OF TRIBAL WARLORD IN HERAT PROVINCE

KABUL 00005197 001.2 OF 002



1. (SBU) Regional Pashtun warlord Amunallah Khan, his son and many
others in his convoy were killed in an armed attack which took place
on the road between Shindand and Zir Kuh in southern Herat Province
on October 22. Reprisal attacks by his followers took place in the
general Zir Kuh area the same day. The initial attack and its
reprisal will affect Pashtun tribal relationships in the area, and
could impact on provincial security.

THE OCT 22 ATTACK
--------------


2. (SBU) On Oct 22, 2006 a convoy of 2 vehicles carrying Amanullah
Khan, family members and an armed escort suffered an RPG attack
followed by small arms fire close to Gardana and Larga villages on
the road from Shindand to Zir Kuh. Amanullah Khan, his son and most
of the entourage were killed on the spot. After news of the attack
spread, Amanullah Khan's Noorzai (Pashtun) tribesmen made a reprisal
attack on Barakzai (Pashtun) tribesmen loyal to Arbab Bashir. In the
ensuing conflict, two helicopters from the ANA base at Shindand were
mobilized, causing the crowd to disperse. Herat officials have
announced that over two hundred and fifty troops from ANA and ANP
units were mobilized to quell the violence. A delegation of senior
GOA officials, headed by Wolesi Jirga Deputy Speaker Aref Noorzai
(who was also sent to Shindand in 2004 to help bring an end to
district conflict and to escort Amanullah Khan back to house arrest
in Kabul) has left Kabul for Shindand.

OLD FEUDS
--------------


2. (SBU) The Pashtun Amanullah Khan was a long time bitter opponent
of Herat's Tajik ex-Governor (and now Minister of Water and Energy)
Ismail Khan, and their rivalry in the region sparked a major
conflict in 2004. Ismail Khan was originally from Shindand, and
their animosity went back many years. Amanullah Khan was also
reputedly a narcotics-trafficker, and was accused by officials in
Herat as being a Taliban commander who gave refuge to many
ex-Taliban fighters after the collapse of the Taliban regime.
Although the Shindand District was administratively part of Herat
Province, Amanullah Khan had great power in the area and the
district was divided into Herat-controlled and Amanullah
Khan-controlled sectors, separated by a no-man's land. Full scale
hostilities erupted in 2004, and Amanullah Khan was brought to Kabul
and placed under house arrest for several months until the area
quieted down.

TRIBAL HOSTILITIES
--------------


3. (SBU) The October 22 confrontation between Amanullah Khan's
forces and those of Arbab Bashir was not the first. In August, 2006
Amanullah Khan's vehicle was attacked en route to a DIAG meeting in
Herat. Two men riding a motorcycle threw a hand grenade into the
vehicle, but Amanullah Khan was only slightly injured. No one has
claimed responsibility for the attack in August, but local
speculation is that Arbab Basir could have been behind this
incident. He and Amanullah Khan were engaged in a major land dispute
near the Iranian border. In early October, Basir was in his vehicle
with his older son and several companions en route to Shindand when
their vehicle was ambushed by an armed group. Basir was instantly
killed and his elder son seriously injured during this ambush. The
consensus was that this was Amanullah Khan's doing.

COMMENT
--------------


5. (SBU) We are consulting with ISAF to be sure they are taking
appropriate measures to ensure security. The attack and reprisal
impact on conditions in the southern portion of Herat province and
possibly Herat itself. The removal of Amanullah Khan, who was often
accused of close Taliban ties, could lead Taliban sympathizers and
other extremist elements to become bolder, perhaps in tandem with

KABUL 00005197 002.2 OF 002


Iran, or alone. The area Amanullah Khan controlled touches the
Iran-Afghan border. At a minimum, the incident has the potential to
escalate and trigger more factional conflict within the province's
Pashtun tribes. There could also be a spill-over effect on
neighboring Farah Province, which has large Noorzai and Barakzai
populations. For several years, the Herat Provincial government has
had very limited reach in the large area controlled by Amanullah
Khan, and its ability to step in to fill the vacuum left by his
death will be a serious challenge.

NEUMANN