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 ISLAMABAD 00002313 002 OF 002 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