PRT NURISTAN: PROVINCIAL COUNCIL MEMBER KILLED IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000188 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SA/FO, SA/A, S/CR, SA/PB, NSC FOR AHARRIMAN OSD FOR KIMMITT CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD RELEASABLE TO NATO/AUST/NZ/ISAF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV EAID MARR AF SUBJECT: PRT NURISTAN: PROVINCIAL COUNCIL MEMBER KILLED IN ATTACK NEAR PRT ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: On January 15, unknown assailants attacked Nuristan Provincial Council member, Ahmad Shah Walikzada, and his cousin on the road between Nangarach village and the PRT Nuristan base. Ahmad Shah was evacuated by U.S. military helicopter to the Asadabad Forward Surgical Team facility where he died. His injured cousin was taken to a hospital, but his condition is unknown. Ahmad Shah, was the son of Wakil Ghulam Sakhi, a highly respected elder from Nangarach, who is known throughout Nuristan province and the region as a vigorous supporter of the Karzai government. Wakil and his son had been active and outspoken supporters of the PRT and Coalition efforts to bring peace and security to the region. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) At approximately 1015 on January 15, assailants ambushed Ahmad Shah Walikzada and his cousin, Ashiqullah, while they were riding a motorcycle on the main Alingar valley road between Nangarach village and PRT Nuristan's base at Qala Gush. The victims were returning to Nangarach after a brief visit to the PRT where they had inquired about humanitarian assistance. The attack occurred about 600 yards from the PRT base, in a small streambed which could not be observed by base guards. The attackers, who may have been hiding behind rocks near the road, used AK-47s. The shots were heard at the PRT, but force protection troops stationed in guard towers did not see the incident or the attackers who apparently fled on foot down the stream towards the Alingar River. Nuristan PRT responded immediately. PRT contract Afghan Security Guards (ASG) reached the scene within minutes. The cousin, Ashiqullah, who was shot in the cheek, was taken by private vehicle to the house of Wakil Ghulam Sakhi, and then driven south to Mehtarlam or Jalalabad for treatment. His condition is unknown. ¶3. (U) Ahmad Shah, about 35-40 years old, was brought to the PRT in an ASG truck. He had several gunshot wounds to the abdomen and his condition appeared grave. A U.S. military helicopter based in Jalalabad flew him to the Forward Surgical Team (FST) facility in Asadabad where he expired. FST arranged for Ahmad Shah,s remains to be returned to the family by ambulance with an Afghan National Police escort. Just two days earlier, on January 13, Ahmad Shah had escorted a PRT mission to three villages in the Wadawu valley in order to inform local residents about an operation on January 12 that apparently eliminated Lal Din, a fighter who was believed to have been responsible for attacks on PRT Nuristan. ¶4. (U) PRT Commander Lt. Col Brown informed Nuristan Governor Tamim Nuristani of the killing. The Governor, currently in Kabul, said that he would travel to Nurgram district as soon as he had completed some pressing obligations in Kabul. He also said that he would direct Ghulamullah, the Nuristan Provincial ANP Chief and Mohammad Farouq, the Director of Criminal Investigations for the ANP in Nuristan Province, to oversee the investigation. Mohammad Ali, the Nurgram District Administrator, cut short a trip to Mehtarlam on learning the news and returned to Nurgram the evening of January 15. ¶5. (U) PRT Commander, State Department Representative, and Dyncorp police advisers met with Nurgram District Police Chief Abdul Shukur to underscore the importance of the police conducting a serious, professional investigation. The PRT Commander stressed that the Police Chief should report any issues that arise in obtaining needed resources or support from the Interior Ministry for the investigation. He also emphasized that while the PRT Dyncorp police advisors stand ready to offer their expertise in conducting investigations, the responsibility for the investigation lies entirely with the Afghan authorities. The PRT has no authority to investigate this crime. ¶6. (U) Comment: Ahmad Shah and his father, Wakil Ghulam Sakhi, have been vigorous and steadfast supporters of the Karzai government and Coalition activities in the region. KABUL 00000188 002 OF 002 Ghulam Sakhi who had served as a "wakil" or representative in the Afghan Parliament in the 60s is known and respected throughout Nuristan province. Wakil said that he had a close friendship with Abdul Ahad Karzai, President Karzai's father, who sat next to him in the Wolusi Jirga, the lower house of the Afghan Parliament. Speculation abounds about motives and perpetrators. The nearby Wadawu valley is notorious for its inordinate number of bloody internecine feuds. One local dispute in the valley is so serious and disruptive that a large delegation of elders from Mandol district has been active in mediation efforts for two months. Although he was a member of the provincial council, Ahmad Shah stood in his father's shadow locally, seldom speaking publicly. He nevertheless eagerly and ably assisted the PRT and his involvement with PRT activities accorded a local legitimacy to the PRT. The death of such a young, steadfast and prominent supporter of the Afghan government and the PRT stands as a serious loss to our efforts. NEUMANN