SUICIDE BOMBER DETONATES IN QUETTA COURTROOM: 16

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 000828 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2017 TAGS: PTER PK SUBJECT: SUICIDE BOMBER DETONATES IN QUETTA COURTROOM: 16 KILLED, 40 WOUNDED REF: ISLAMABAD 68 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Peter Bodde, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (SBU) On February 17 at approximately 1100, a suicide bomber wearing explosives around his chest entered a courtroom in the Quetta District Court complex and detonated himself, killing 16 people and wounding 40. Among those killed was senior civil judge Abdul Wahid Durrani. ¶2. (U) The bomber has not yet been identified, but eyewitnesses told reporters that the bomber appeared to be young -- age 20 or so -- and bearded. On February 18, Balochistan Inspector General Tariq Khosa told reporters that police teams have rounded up 36 suspects, at least 22 of whom were Afghan refugees living in and around Quetta. ¶3. (C) A Quetta-based media contact told poloff that by February 19 the number of arrestees had gone up to 80. In addition to the Afghans, he said, police rounded up "the usual suspects" known to be active in banned sectarian extremist organizations, like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahiba, hoping to get some clue as to who was responsible. Although locals suspect that the Baloch Liberation Army may be responsible, he said, the bombing has the police, media, and judiciary stumped because there was no clear motive and no clear target (other than the notoriously corrupt judiciary, which may or may not have been the purpose of the bombing). The contact added that people in Quetta are now worried about what may be a dangerous new trend, as the bombing was not clearly attributable to those usually responsible for terrorist violence in Quetta: sectarian organizations and Baloch nationalists. ¶4. (C) Comment: No matter who was responsible for Saturday's bombing, it is one more signal of the difficult security environment in Balochistan. Inspector General Khosa is new on the job, and Interior Minister Sherpao told the Embassy that Khosa's appointment is "crucial to improving the law and order situation in Balochistan" (ref A). Before reporting for duty, Khosa himself told the Charge that he is concerned about the enormity of the task at hand (protect). Now that he is in place, Khosa will have to deal with Baloch nationalists, sectarian extremists, and Taliban insurgents who also may be hiding among the Afghan refugee population. Khosa has his work cut out for him, and finding the culprits responsible for Saturday's bombing will be his first real test. End Comment. BODDE