RED MOSQUE SITREP -- JULY 11, 1630 LOCAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 003022 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2017 TAGS: PTER ASEC PGOV PK SUBJECT: RED MOSQUE SITREP -- JULY 11, 1630 LOCAL REF: ISLAMABAD 2990 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (U) Summary: The military operation launched against the Red Mosque at 0400 on July 10 continued for over 30 hours until 1030 on July 11. As of 1630, security forces continue to do a room-by-room search of the mosque compound but are no longer facing armed resistance. Militant cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi was killed in the military operation, and the government is making arrangements for his burial. The strict curfew in Islamabad's G-6 sector surrounding the Red Mosque remains in effect. All Mission staff are safe and accounted for. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) The 30-plus hour operation -- dubbed Operation Silence -- continued throughout the night of July 10 until approximately 1030 on July 11. The operation involved heavy shelling, grenades, and intense fighting. The security forces breached the complex and found parts of it booby-trapped. The heaviest fighting took place in the mosque's labyrinth basement and underground tunnels, where well-armed militants resisted the security forces for several hours. Militant cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi was killed during this heavy firefight and his body was found in the basement of the compound. At approximately 1030 on July 11, the militant resistance ended and the security forces began a process of "search and comb" throughout the compound to remove all militants, bodies, and weapons. This "search and comb" mission will likely continue through the night, according to military spokesmen. ¶3. (SBU) In a July 11 press conference, military spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad announced that 10 soldiers had been killed and 33 wounded in the overall operation. He also said that 86 militants surrendered during the operation and 30 women and children were rescued. The military would not release the official number of militant or civilian casualties until the "search and comb" mission was complete. Press reports indicate that 55 militants were killed in Operation Silence. The military also promised journalists a chance to visit the Red Mosque compound on July 12. Hundreds of ambulances moved the dead and injured to hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. These hospitals have been closed to journalists. ¶4. (C) On July 11, ruling Pakistan Muslim League President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain spoke to the Ambassador about his negotiations with the Red Mosque leaders. Shujaat was surprised by the presence of foreign fighters within the mosque and said that the actual casualty numbers were much higher than being reported. He said that Interior Minister Sherpao was making arrangements to fly Abdul Rashid Ghazi's body to his ancestral village of Rojhan, Punjab for burial. ¶5. (SBU) On July 11, the religious party alliance Majlis Muttahida-e-Amal (MMA) sponsored demonstrations against the operation in some cities in NWFP, Balochistan, and Punjab. MMA leaders publicly blame the loss of lives on the government for not continuing the July 10 negotiations. On July 10, armed madrassa students ransacked the tent offices of Save the Children- USA, CARE International, and the French Red Crescent in Battagram, NWFP in protest of the operation. There were no reported casualties. PATTERSON