RED MOSQUE SITREP -- JULY 12, 1300 LOCAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 003028 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2017 TAGS: PTER ASEC PGOV PK SUBJECT: RED MOSQUE SITREP -- JULY 12, 1300 LOCAL REF: ISLAMABAD 3022 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Security forces continue to sweep the Red Mosque for any remaining weapons, but military operations are complete. The military has still not allowed journalists or other observers to the site of the Red Mosque as of 1300 July ¶12. The media is reporting 287 people killed in "Operation Silence", as well as a cover-up to secretly bury many of the bodies. This figure far exceeds the official military announcement of 73 killed. Religious parties and extremists continue to condemn the operation and have called for country-wide protests on July 13. The curfew remains in effect in Islamabad's G-6 sector. All Mission staff are safe and accounted for. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Confusion continues (and probably will continue) as to a definitive death toll. As clean-up operations are coming to a close, the military has announced 73 militants and 10 security forces killed during "Operation Silence". In contrast, there are wide-spread press reports claiming 287 deaths. Local television and newspapers have reported pictures and details about 100-foot long mass graves being dug on the outskirts of Islamabad. The press is detailing cold-storage of the bodies, funeral arrangements, and a refusal to share information with families. Senior police sources confirm 287 bodies, mostly adult males. Family members of the deceased remain at the Red Mosque looking for bodies. As of 1300, the military has not made any public statements about the alleged burials. ¶3. (U) Militant cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi was buried today in his ancestral village of Rojhan, Punjab. The televised funeral was attended by family members (including his brother Maulana Abdul Aziz) and many local people. ¶4. (U) The largest Deobandi seminary accreditation board, Wafaqul Madaris, has called for country-wide demonstrations against "Operation Silence" on July 13. Wafaqul Madaris had negotiated on behalf of the government in the Red Mosque crisis, but they are now protesting the ultimate use of force. In a video statement, Al-Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called for jihad in Pakistan in retaliation for the Red Mosque operation. PATTERSON