INSURGENCY AND ETHNIC TENSIONS FLARE UP IN WARDAK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 002919 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC FOR AHARRIMAN OSD FOR SHIVERS CENTCOM FOR CG CJTF-82 POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/10/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MARR AF SUBJECT: INSURGENCY AND ETHNIC TENSIONS FLARE UP IN WARDAK Classified By: Charge d'affaires Christopher Dell for reasons 1.4 (B) a nd (D) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have not been able to reverse a spike in insurgent attacks on provincial government and foreign contractors in Wardak province, 20 miles from Kabul, since late May. The MOD reports that as many as 750 armed "enemy" combatants are operating in the province. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) responded to Governor Naimi's request for help by replacing the police chief and deploying 140 stand-by police to the province. Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF-82) has moved in a Task Force Fury platoon to conduct patrols along Highway 1. Governor Naimi has said the Taliban, Hizb- i-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG),and local warlord Ghulam Mohammed are behind the violence. He discounts the importance of ethnic tensions between the Hazara and Kochi communities in the province, describing their dispute as fundamentally political. Governor Naimi is also asking Coalition Forces for increased aid to Wardak's 127 religious schools to stave off recruitment efforts by the Taliban. END SUMMARY. INSURGENT ACTIVITY INCREASES IN KABUL'S BACKYARD -------------- --- ¶2. (C) Since late May, there have been at least 20 attacks against provincial officials, the Turkish PRT, or foreign contractors working in Wardak. These include attacks on several district subgovernors (two of which have since resigned from post),the Provincial Council chief, two district police headquarters and numerous police checkpoints. Foreign contractors have borne the brunt of the insurgent activity, including a DynCorp convoy attacked by a VBIED, two separate attacks against German contractors, and the kidnapping of two Germans in late July. Insurgents have also turned their ire against the Turkish Civilian PRT, launching two rocket attacks against the PRT compound. The PRT Civilian Director emerged unscathed after his convoy was also attacked by a suicide bomber on July 18. Separate rocket attacks in Jeghatu district killed one of the French ANA mentors working in Wardak. ¶3. (C) Most of the violence has centered around the provincial capital, Maidan Shar, and the districts of Jalrez, Nirkh and Sayed Abad, where insurgents have reportedly infiltrated most heavily. The MOD has assessed that as many as 750 armed "enemy" combatants are operating in the province, divided into approximately 47 groups. The MOD believes the objective is to disrupt a road construction project between Wardak and Bamyan, as well as target Coalition Forces and Afghan government officials traveling along the highway from Kabul to Ghazni. Given Wardak's proximity to Kabul, senior Afghan officials have expressed concern about the affect of continued attacks on general morale. GOVERNOR NAIMI HIGHLIGHTS CONCERNS TO THE AMBASSADOR -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Governor Naimi used his July 17 meeting with the Ambassador to reiterate concerns about the security situation in Wardak. Naimi stressed the importance of Wardak province to the security of the capital. He appealed for a strong security presence and lamented that, unlike the former U.S. PRT in Wardak which had been involved in all sectors, the civilian-led Turkish PRT is only focused on development. It has no security presence. Naimi said he understood the Turks are not likely to do more in Wardak in the near future. He had raised the issue with Defense Minister Wardak, who had been willing to KABUL 00002919 002 OF 003 discuss the possibility of military operations in the province as well as assistance. WHO IS BEHIND THE VIOLENCE? -------------- ¶5. (C) Naimi blamed three different groups in Wardak for the current violence: the Taliban, HIG, and local warlord Ghulam Mohammed. Naimi has reported that the Taliban and HIG were largely based in the southern district of Sayed Abad. While the groups do not necessarily coordinate, they often rely on the same network of thugs and petty street criminals to carry out their activities at the local level in Wardak. Naimi claimed HIG was responsible for distributing several night letters around the province that threatened district administrators. ¶6. (C) According to Naimi, there are two groups of Taliban in Wardak: those that have infiltrated from areas outside the province (from Helmand and Pakistan),and locals from Wardak who are being recruited out of the province's madrassas. (Note: The Governor has previously shared with POLOFF his ongoing campaign to counter Taliban recruitment efforts by reaching out and pressuring local elders, fathers, and mullahs not to allow their sons to join the Taliban. Naimi's staff has registered each of the 127 madrassas and 7,178 religious students in the province. End note.) ¶7. (C) Naimi pointed to local warlord Ghulam Mohammad as a third source of violence in the province. According to Naimi, Ghulam Mohammad enjoyed great influence in Wardak during the mujahideen period and is now actively working to undermine the establishment of central government authority in Wardak so that he can reassert his influence. UNAMA claims that Ghulam Mohammad and his brother Haji Mohammad Hassan (a member of Parliament) have met with President Karzai and may be campaigning to have Mohammad appointed as a police chief (perhaps in Kapisa) or a district administrator. PROVINCIAL POLICE CHIEF REPLACED -------------- ¶8. (C) Following six months of lobbying by Naimi, Wardak's inept and corrupt provincial police chief General Mahboob Amiri was removed in July -- only to be replaced by his cousin, Brigadier General Aiwaz Khan. Amiri reportedly maintained a payroll for approximately 1,000 police officers, but had only 300- 400 ANP actually working under his command. Prior to Amiri's removal, there was concern that if dismissed, he would take the 300 active ANP deployed in Wardak (most of whom were also from Badakhshan) with him. The MOI deployed 140 stand-by police to Wardak just in case. UNAMA, Naimi and the PRT have expressed serious concern about Aiwaz Khan's ability to deal with the security challenges Wardak currently faces. KOCHI AND HAZARA COMMUNITIES CLASH IN BEHSOOD -------------- ¶9. (C) Recent clashes in Behsood District between the resident Hazara population and the Kochi nomads passing through their lands during their seasonal migration are another cause for concern. Media have described the Kochi group as pro-Taliban and alleged that they have closed 24 schools, four clinics, and all local mosques and flown pro-Taliban flags throughout Behsood. UNAMA, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), and a commission appointed by President Karzai have each sent delegations to investigate the claims. UNAMA's investigation revealed no Taliban links to the conflict. The AIHRC noted that both sides were armed and assessed the conflict as a recurring problem that needed a long-term policy response from the central KABUL 00002919 003 OF 003 government in order to avoid future violence. ¶10. (C) Governor Naimi maintains that the situation was blown out of proportion by the media and Hazara parliamentarians who want to focus donor attention on their community, which they feel has been overlooked due to international and IROA focus on the South. He suggested that the United Front was also capitalizing on the incident to discredit the IROA's ability to govern. Hazara community activists, in turn, have complained that Naimi, who is Pashtun, is unsympathetic. Echoing comments from the AIHRC, Hazara community activists believe this is a recurring problem that requires more leadership and engagement from the IROA and international community. Otherwise, they maintain, things will get significantly more violent next year when the Kochis attempt to pass through the district again. USG RESPONSE: TF FURY EXTENDING PATROLS TO WARDAK -------------- -------------- ¶11. (C) The Policy Action Group (PAG) chaired by National Security Advisor Rassoul has discussed the security situation in Wardak. COMISAF committed to RC-E carrying out key leadership engagement activities and conducting more patrols in Wardak. ISAF is studying the idea of building a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Wardak. In the meantime, Task Force Fury has been given responsibility for assisting with security in Wardak. It has already begun coordination with the Governor and local leaders and is moving a platoon to Camp Airborne in Maidan Shar, in the vicinity of the Turkish PRT. The priority will be patroling the districts along Highway 1, using a platoon from the Polish Battle Group. There will be the option of responding to other concerns, depending on the situation. The Turkish PRT will remain responsible for governance and development and will continue to report to RC-E. ¶12. (C) To combat the recruiting efforts of the Taliban, Governor Naimi has requested a USG assistance program directed towards the 127 religious schools he has registered. He referred to one of his recent community meetings, during which he was able to convince elders and mullahs to continue supporting the international community by pointing to previous CERP projects to rebuild local mosques when U.S. forces ran the PRT in Wardak. We have reminded him that there are restrictions on USAID providing aid to religious institutions that do not apply to U.S. military CERP funding. DELL