AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE - EMERGENCY ACTION COMMITTEE MEETING

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000928 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS DEPT FOR DS/IP/SCA, DS/ITA, AND SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/18/2017 TAGS: ASEC PINR PTER TI SUBJECT: AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE - EMERGENCY ACTION COMMITTEE MEETING 06/18/2007 REF: A. REF A: STATE 00082082 ¶B. REF B: DUSHANBE 000924 CLASSIFIED BY: SETH GREEN, RSO, DUSHANBE, STATE. REASON: 1.4 (d) ¶1. (S/NF) The Ambassador convened a meeting of the Emergency Action Committee to discuss Independence Day security planning (ref A),an explosion at the Supreme Court building in downtown Dushanbe on June 16, and an assault against members of a U.S. Central Command planning team on June 17 (ref B). Also present were the Deputy Chief of Mission, Regional Security Officer, GRPO, Political / Economics, Consular, Defense Attache Office, Office of Defense Cooperation, Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section, and Management and Information Management Officers. Independence Day Security Measures ========================= ¶2. (C/NF) The Regional Security Officer outlined the current security measures for the official and unofficial Independence Day celebrations. The unofficial celebration will take place on July 1 at the New Embassy Compound. The local facility security guards will be on weekday staffing, permitting access through two entry points. The guards will have a guest list in advance to help quickly identify and screen visitors, and will also admit additional guests with U.S. Passports. The official celebration will take place on July 6 at the Chief of Mission's Residence. The Embassy has invited over four hundred guests, and the Ambassador estimated that around two hundred and fifty will attend. Host nation security will include the State Committee for National Security, Ministry of Interior traffic police, and the Ministry of Interior's canine unit. The Embassy negotiated permission to use a nearby parking lot for the event, and the motor pool will run a shuttle for guests who drive themselves and park in the lot. The Defense Attache inquired about security related to the food and water sources. The Ambassador replied that her residence staff was purchasing the food randomly and preparing it at the residence; no outside caterer was involved. The Regional Security Officer advised the staff to encourage their respective contacts to arrive promptly, as the approach to the residence is along a narrow street and traffic is expected to be tight around the beginning of the event. The Ambassador stated that screening of invited guests at the point of entry is not necessary and that all vehicles should be allowed to drop off at the front of the residence. An American officer will be at each entry checkpoint to assist with identifying guests. The Emergency Action Committee concurred that security was sufficient for this event. Explosion at Supreme Court ====================== ¶3. (U) The RSO reported that on Saturday, June 16 just after 1700 local time, an explosion occurred at the Supreme Court Building on Nemat Karabaeva Street in Dushanbe, located in the southwestern part of the city. Witnesses reported the building's windows were shattered, and that the blast wave set off car alarms 200 meters away. Immediately after the explosion, a gray cloud of smoke was visible at the site but no fire was reported inside the building. Ministry of Interior police set up a perimeter around the building and, for the first hour following the explosion, closed down the main road. After the first hour, the police opened up the street again but maintained the perimeter around the courthouse. Despite the perimeter, a large crowd had gathered around the scene including some law enforcement personnel and many passers-by. ¶4. (C/NF) Embassy local nation investigators sent to the scene reported seeing both Ministry of Interior and State Committee for National Security personnel at the scene. According to residents our investigators spoke with, the explosion killed three soldiers assigned to the Ministry of Interior's internal forces. Official sources did not confirm any casualties. Residents also indicated that a young man who sold pistachio nuts at a small stand near the courthouse may have been injured or killed by the blast. Embassy investigators and those interviewed observed no casualties or ambulances or medical personnel in the area. State Committee for National Security (former KGB) personnel went door-to-door at nearby apartment buildings checking documentation of all residents and conducting interviews. Officials in military uniforms, possibly of the Interior Ministry bomb squad, were checking the grassy area DUSHANBE 00000928 002 OF 002 inside the fenced yard of the courthouse. Embassy security personnel reported the Ministry of Interior traffic police set up checkpoints around the city and were stopping vehicles, mostly gray / silver colored sedans such as Opels and Daewoo Nexias. ¶5. (C/NF) Official sources confirmed there was an explosion at the courthouse, but could not confirm any fatalities or injuries. Officials at the scene indicated this incident was under investigation as a terrorist attack. Witnesses told Embassy security investigators that a young man, 20 - 25 years old dressed in black pants and a white shirt, threw a bag or some object over the fence near a Ministry of Interior security post. Another soldier ordered the man to stop, but he ignored their warning and ran away. Shortly after this, there was an explosion. The soldier who had given chase to the man was not injured. A second witness told a local guard who lives in the area, that he had seen a man throw an object, possibly a grenade, and then run away. There is no official information on whether the man in question was identified, captured, or actually related to the incident. ¶6. (C) RSO Actions: The Regional Security Officer notified the Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission. The Deputy Chief of Mission activated the phone tree and all personnel were accounted for. As the incident did not occur near any Embassy residence or annex, the Regional Security Officer's immediate concern was to ascertain whether this was an isolated incident or the beginning of a series of attacks. The Regional Security Officer ordered a bomb search of the perimeter and compound by host nation canine and local guard force, ordered the Marine Security Guards to stay on compound for the evening, and put the guard force at all facilities on a heightened alert. The Regional Security Officer also notified host nation police protecting the Embassy. After a few hours without any other incidents in the city, the Regional Security Officer returned the guard force to its regular alert posture. ¶7. (C/NF) The Emergency Action Committee concurred that the response to the incident was appropriate, although the duty officer's telephone roster was outdated and many employees who had recently transferred to Post may not have fully understood the purpose of a phone tree. The local national employee phone tree also experienced problems. The phone tree message became distorted farther down the call list and several local staff received the erroneous message that the phone call was simply a test message. The Regional Security Officer agreed to conduct bi-monthly phone tree tests, and to circulate monthly phone tree updates. We will also look for ways to standardize and simplify phone tree messages. Assaults at Local Nightclubs ======================== ¶8. (C/NF) The Emergency Action Committee also discussed the assault against U.S. military personnel at a nightclub June 17 (detailed in Ref B) and an altercation at another nightclub June ¶16. In light of these incidents, the Emergency Action Committee agreed the Regional Security Officer should place Port Said and Simin nightclubs off-limits because their management and security observed threats to the safety and well-being of American diplomats and took no reasonable actions to address these situations. Additionally, post will impose a midnight curfew at all establishments that serve alcohol for a four week period while the Regional Security Officer assesses the safety situation and reports back to the Emergency Action Committee. ¶9. (C/NF) The Emergency Action Committee concurred that neither the explosion nor the assaults indicate a change in threat level which would recommend against the visit of the Commanding Officer, U.S. Central Command, Admiral William Fallon on June 19. ¶10. (U) The point of contact for this and all security related matters at Post is RSO Seth Green. JACOBSON