USDP EDELMAN DISCUSSES MILITANT THREAT WITH ARMY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 002313

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER MASS PK
SUBJECT: USDP EDELMAN DISCUSSES MILITANT THREAT WITH ARMY
AND FRONTIER CORPS OFFICIALS

Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) Summary. Under Secretary for Defense Policy Eric
Edelman met separately with 11th Corps Commander Lieutenant
General Masood Aslam and Inspector General Frontier Corps
Major General Muhammed Alam Khattak on June 3 in Peshawar to
discuss negotiations with tribal leaders and the importance
of moving forward in training and equipping the Frontier
Corps. End Summary.


2. (C) USDP Edelman stressed the USG's long-term commitment
to assist Pakistan in fighting the militant extremist groups
that threaten Pakistan's internal security and the stability
of the region. He acknowleged the losses Pakistan's forces
had suffered in the war on terror and stressed U.S. interest
in assisting Pakistan in strengthening its counterinsurgency
capabilities.

USDP Meeting with 11th Corps Commander
--------------


3. (C) LTG Masood welcomed USDP Edelman's visit, saying it
was important to help the U.S. military understand Pakistan's
perspective on border security and counterterrorism. Masood
stated the U.S. should "have no doubt" about Pakistan's
commitment to the war on terror, that Pakistan recognized
this war as its own. He shared his concern that public
perception in Pakistan of the Army's counterterrorism efforts
had not been well-managed; "Pakistan lives in fear of being
identified as America's hand-maiden."


4. (C) Masood said the Pakistan Army did not currently see a
definitive military "victory" as a likely outcome; the Army's
goal was to reduce conflict to "an acceptable level." He
indicated the peace negotiations were an attempt to achieve
this goal, noting that during the Army's last major offensive
in the spring there had been tremendous collateral damage in
local communities and almost 200,000 people had been
displaced by the fighting. The Army hoped agreements with
tribal leaders would have a positive impact because "the key
to tribal society is collective responsibility" and, under
the agreements, the community leadership would become
responsible for safeguarding its border areas and denying
safe haven to terrorists.


5. (C) Masood confided that the Army has plans to dominate a
5-kilometer strip along the border between July and September
to drive down cross-border activity. He said the plan would
be released to ODRP and RC-EAST later in June.


6. (C) USDP Edelman raised the issue of training for the
Frontier Corps. Masood said the 11th Corps had no objection
to Frontier Corps "master trainers" traveling to the U.S. for
training. He noted the Frontier Corps goes on UN deployments
regularly and saw no reason this travel could not be couched
in similar terms.

USDP Meeting with Frontier Corps Inspector General
-------------- --------------


7. (C) Maj Gen Khattak strenuously defended Frontier Corps'
efforts to maintain order and border security in the region,
noting hundreds of F.C. troops had been killed and gravely
injured in the fighting. Even when the Frontier Corps forces
were not successful, Khattak said, "no one should doubt the
commitment and sincerity of Frontier Corps efforts -- we are
fighting and dying." He added that any military man should
be able to recognize and acknowledge the difficulty of
attempting to fight a war while simultaneously training and
expanding forces, as the Frontier Corps was doing. The
Frontier Corps, he pointed out, was "the first echelon in the
war on terror."


8. (C) Khattak said the recent decentralization of the
Frontier Corps structure and creation of four sector
headquarters would significantly relieve his workload and
improve the command and control function. Khattak also
thanked the U.S. Embassy's Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS)
for the large amount of protective equipment and vehicles NAS
has provided in recent years.


9. (C) USDP Edelman asked Khattak about the way forward for

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U.S. plans to support and promote Frontier Corps training.
Regarding the initiation of a Wing Development Course in late
October, Khattak agreed the course was important and that
training Frontier Corps "master trainers" in the U.S. would
likely be the best option as construction on the Warsak
Training Center is behind schedule and security in the area
has deteriorated.


10. (C) Khattak also agreed participation in border
coordination centers could be very useful for
"anti-fratricide" efforts and operational coordination.


11. (C) NOTE: The Frontier Corps' interaction with the U.S.
military at the FC Bala Hisar Headquarters has changed
sharply since the June 10th border incident in which several
Frontier Corps soldiers were killed. On June 28, MG Khattak
told U.S. Consulate Peshawar that all working level meetings
between the U.S. military and Frontier Corps personnel should
be held at a location other than the F.C. Headquarters for at
least the next month to allow his soldiers "time to absorb
the shock of the tragic loss which occurred June 10." END
NOTE.


12. (U) This cable has been cleared by USDP Edelman.

PATTERSON