PERU: ANOTHER DEADLY ATTACK ON POLICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 003646 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2017 TAGS: PGOV PTER SNAR PE SUBJECT: PERU: ANOTHER DEADLY ATTACK ON POLICE REF: A. LIMA 3563 ¶B. LIMA 2560 Classified By: DCM JAMES D. NEALON. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: Four Peruvian National Police (PNP) officers were killed November 13 in an ambush in northern Huancavelica region by presumed narco-trafficking interests. Whether the culprits were narco-thugs or Sendero Luminoso remnants remains unclear, and in any case, the distinction between the two has dimmed. End Summary. ¶2. (C) According to media reports and other contacts, a group of up to 40 heavily armed individuals attacked two PNP vehicles November 13 in northern Huancavelica region, about 200 kilometers east of Lima. The police were returning to their base in the neighboring region of Junin about 6:45 p.m. local time when the lead vehicle struck explosive devices planted in the road, killing all four officers aboard. The attackers then opened fire on the second vehicle, while those inside returned fire and escaped on foot. Two officers were injured in the process. The attackers then reportedly used more explosives to destroy the two damaged vehicles, including the one containing the four officers killed in the initial explosion, and fled the scene. ¶3. (C) Following the attack, the PNP dispatched a contingent of officials to investigate and review procedures at the nearby base. Given that the area is a known route for the drug-producing Apurimac and Ene River Valley (VRAE) to the east, analysts suspect that narco-trafficking interests were behind the attack. Some suggest that the attack was a response to recent seizures of drugs and precursor chemicals in the area by the PNP, much like the October 31 attack in Ocobamba (ref A),some 200 kilometers to the southeast. Defense Minister Allan Wagner November 14 discounted suggestions that the two attacks signaled a resurgence of "terrorism" in Peru, describing the attack as a simple response to police pressure on the drug trade in the area. Interior Minister Luis Alva Castro refused to rule out any possibility, saying only that investigations were ongoing. He traveled to the area November 15 to investigate firsthand. ¶4. (C) Comment: While these attacks could suggest a resurgence of Sendero Luminoso, others believe simple narco-thuggery is to blame. Given that SL remnants in the emergency zones have increasingly morphed into mere narco-thugs, the distinction may be becoming empty. Whatever the case, the real problem remains the absence of state-provided security in remote areas where the narcotics trade flourishes. End Comment. MCKINLEY