ANTI-CARTOON DEMONSTRATIONS WIDESPREAD, BUT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000532

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR SA/FO AMBASSADOR QUINN, S/CT, SA/A
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND
CENTCOM FOR POLAD, CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76
STATE PLEASE PASS USAID
USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG

E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER ASEC AF DA
SUBJECT: ANTI-CARTOON DEMONSTRATIONS WIDESPREAD, BUT
SMALL



1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The publication of cartoons in
Denmark and across Europe depicting the Prophet
Mohammad has spawned protests across Afghanistan.
Demonstrations thus far have remained relatively
small, but have grown increasingly violent over the
past three days. Rock-throwing protestors caused
minor property damage to international vehicles and
GOA buildings on February 6. Six protestors were
reportedly injured and one or two killed as police
broke up the protests the same day. END SUMMARY.

February 4: Protestors Chant Anti-American Slogans
-------------- --------------


2. (U) The first reports of protests came from Kunduz
province in northern Afghanistan. On Saturday,
February 4, prompted by mullahs from local Kunduz
mosques, approximately 600 people converged on
downtown Kunduz and protested the publication of
cartoons negatively depicting the Prophet Mohammed for
several hours. The protestors stated their purpose
was to demonstrate against the publication of the
anti-Muslim caricatures in Canadian, French and German
newspapers; however, the crowd shouted slogans that
were clearly anti-American: "Death to Americans,"
"Death to Jews," and "Death to the Danes." The
demonstration dispersed peaceably and there was
neither violence nor damage to any property in Kunduz.
German-led PRT Kunduz also received reports that
mullahs in the province's eastern city of Khanabad
were encouraging demonstrations in that city.

February 5: Peaceful Demonstrations Broken Up
--------------


3. (U) On Sunday, February 5, local mullahs incited a
demonstration in Faizabad, capital of Badakhshan
province in the northeast. Religious and community
leaders drafted a message to UNAMA which protested
against the Danish cartoons, called for the arrest of
the person who drew the cartoon, and called upon
President Karzai to sever relations with Denmark.
This targeting of Denmark is significant as 42 Danish
troops and a development advisor from the Danish
development organization DANIDA are located at the
Faizabad PRT.


4. (U) While this letter was being drafted, a peaceful
protest with several hundred men occurred in the Old
City of Faizabad. After approximately one hour,
around 150 mostly young men splintered off from the
main group and tried to cross into Faizabad's New
City, where almost all international organizations are
located. The local police fired many shots into the
air and the crowd eventually dispersed. Nearly all of
the international organizations based in
Faizabad, including USAID contractors and implementing
partners PADCO, IOM and Merlin, decided to temporarily
move their expatriate staff to the PRT.


6. (U) In southeastern Afghanistan, one thousand
people reportedly held a peaceful demonstration in
Orgun, in Paktika Province, on February 5 to protest
the Danish cartoons. The group burned a Danish flag
but there were no other reports of violence. The
protest lasted approximately an hour before local
security forces dispersed the crowd without incident.
The police and border patrol have increased patrols in
the city to ensure continued calm.


7. (U) In eastern Afghanistan, there were two small
demonstrations in Mehtarlam in Laghman Province on
February 5. The two demonstrations -- each involving
approximately fifty people -- were largely peaceful
although the demonstrators reportedly set tires on
fire, which the ANP quickly extinguished. Similarly,
press reports indicate around 1000 people protested in
Jalalabad, demanding the withdrawal of Danish troops
from the country, and that several hundred protesters
gathered in Kandahar.

February 6: Protestors Injured in Takhar and Laghman
-------------- --------------


8. (U) Protests amplified on Monday, February 6. In
Laghman province, press and local NGO reports indicate
two people were injured and one was killed when police
broke up continued protests there. Also on February
6, two small protests took place in Taloqan in Takhar
province. Protestors threw rocks during the
demonstration, breaking windows at the Governor's
office. The police took firm control over the
demonstration, firing shots to control the crowd.
Several protesters were arrested, and four were sent
to the hospital with injuries.


9. (U) In Kabul, a group of around 200 demonstrators
threw rocks in the area of the British Embassy. The
protest was dispersed by the police before it arrived
at the Danish Embassy, but several cars driven by
internationals were damaged.

GOA Response
--------------


10. (U) The Afghan government has addressed the issue
of the offensive cartoons at the highest levels.
President Karzai has already reacted to the cartoons,
issuing a statement while visiting Denmark on January
29 that "any insult to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is an
insult to more than one billion Muslims and an act
like this must never be allowed to be repeated." FM
Abdullah issued a similar statement on February 5, and
the members of the Afghan National Assembly discussed
the issue briefly during debate on February 4.

International Response
--------------


11. (U) In response to the burning of their Embassy in
Syria and further rumored protests in Kabul, the
Norwegian Embassy in Kabul closed temporarily and
moved its operations to the Norwegian ISAF compound.
RC-East has contacted DACAAR, a Danish NGO with
projects in the border area and around the country, to
assist with their security planning. The DACAAR
representative indicated that they withdrew their
expatriate from Herat where they stated demonstrations
were also taking place.

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


12. (SBU) Similar to the anti-American protests about
the desecration of the Koran in May 2005, local
mullahs have been the primary instigators of the
protests. A notable difference, though, is that these
protests have not led to the same degree of violence,
in part because of the active intervention of the
Afghan National Police. While ISAF (European-led)
PRTs have expressed particular concern about these
protests, demonstrations have taken place across the
country, regardless of the presence of European forces
in a province. Protests are expected to continue
through the next few days. Post will continue to
monitor the situation, including monitoring the Friday
sermons in the mosques in Kabul and elsewhere. END
COMMENT.
NEUMANN