Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ISLAMABAD3711
2008-11-26 14:05:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:  

FATA UPDATE - 21 NOVEMBER 2008

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PINR PREF PREL PTER PK MOPS 
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0397
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 9468
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 9164
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 4094
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 0692
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 6422
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 5280
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
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RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 003711 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREF PREL PTER PK MOPS
SUBJECT: FATA UPDATE - 21 NOVEMBER 2008

REF: A. ISLAMABAD 3678

B. ISLAMABAD 3627

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 003711

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREF PREL PTER PK MOPS
SUBJECT: FATA UPDATE - 21 NOVEMBER 2008

REF: A. ISLAMABAD 3678

B. ISLAMABAD 3627

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


1. (C) Summary: Operations continued in Bajaur Agency as the
military continued to move to the southern border. In Mohmand
Agency, Pakistan air assaults continued on the northern
border and limited unit movement on the southern border to
cordon and search for militants on a house-by-house basis.
The DI Khan district in the NWFP continued to see a rise in
sectarian violence as a remote-controlled explosive device
detonated near a funeral procession, sparking widespread
violence in the district. Due to the ongoing violence and
Pakistan military operations in the FATA and NWFP, thousands
of displaced persons are moving into neighboring Peshawar and
Charsadda districts as international and non-governmental
organizations are quickly preparing camps and humanitarian
assistance for the new arrivals. Simultaneously, many of
these same organizations are pulling their international
staff back to Islamabad while continuing operations as the
violence is becoming more targeted and prevalent. Embassy
personnel are working with Frontier Corps to improve outreach
to civilians for future information campaigns. End Summary.


2. (C) Throughout the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA) and the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP),a number
of security incidents took place during the week of November

21. While we do not think these incidents are part of a
coherent militant campaign, they do signal an increasingly
unstable security environment.

BAJAUR UPDATE
--------------


3. (C) On November 20, a suicide bomber killed twelve
worshippers and injured several others at a mosque during
prayers in Mamoond tehsil of Bajaur Agency in the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA),and among the dead was
anti-taliban, pro-government tribal lashkar leader
Rehmatullah Khan. According to local press, this attack was
in response to recent Pakistan military operations whereby

seventeen militants, including 11 foreigners, were killed
when Pakistan security forces, backed by helicopter gunships
and artillery, targeted militant hideouts in Mamoond, giving
way to Pakistan troop movements into Zorband and Lowi Sam in
southern Bajaur. (Comment. Accounts of the attack clearly
indicate that Rehmatullah was specifically targeted. What we
do not know is whether it was motivated by his involvement in
organizing lashkars or whether it was a more general
retaliation for government actions against militants. End
comment.)

DETERIORATING SECURITY IN DI KHAN
--------------


4. (C) During a funeral procession on November 21 in the Dera
Ismail Khan (DI Khan) District of the Northwest Frontier
Province (NWFP),at least nine mourners were killed and
approximately fifty injured by a remote-controlled explosive
device placed near the procession's path. Following the
attack, violence erupted in the city whereby protesters set
fire to vehicles, local shops, a bank branch and a bus
terminal. (Note. Local staff for OTI was forced to
temporarily close their DI Khan-located office due to the
deteriorating security situation in the city. End note.) OTI
staff believe this attack was sectarian in nature as opposed
to further talibanization.

MOHMAND UPDATE
--------------


5. (SBU) Reftel A reported on recent events in Mohmand
Agency. While the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) told us they are not able to open a new operation to
deal with those IDPs, the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) assured us they are ready. The former
Afghan refugee camp at Jalozai is being refurbished and can
accommodate the expected influx from Mohmand.

GENERAL UPDATES FROM ICRC, UNHCR
--------------

ISLAMABAD 00003711 002 OF 002




6. (SBU) The Embassy also spoke this week with UNHCR and ICRC
leadership to get an update on their operations. While both
continue to work on providing for IDPs fleeing conflict in
Bajaur and Mohmand agencies, ICRC has also been engaging in
Baluchistan, principally in earthquake relief. ICRC Country
Director and Deputy told Embassy Border Coordinator and
Poloffs that the stepped up operations around the earthquake
would help ICRC make inroads in other sectors in which they
had been hoping to work in Baluchistan, including primary
health care, clean water, and livestock management. Both
officials noted the differences in the security situation in
the south; unlike in the FATA, ICRC had never been targeted
by Baloch insurgents.

MORE SUPPORT NEEDED FOR IDPs
--------------


7. (SBU) Embassy is reporting septel on our request for USG
assistance for IDPs over the next year. For their part, ICRC
told us they have food and provisions in place for 10,000
families (60,000 people) for the winter. They also plan to
refurbish an existing building in Peshawar to become a
surgical hospital for victims of the conflict. In addition,
ICRC is making the case with their headquarters for
procurement of an airplane capable of using small airstrips
along the border; the security situation in the FATA and
parts of the NWFP, including Swat district, increasingly
precludes travel by road, leaving significant areas un-served
by humanitarian relief efforts and medical care.


8. (SBU) On the resource front, ICRC is beginning to feel
stretched; they told us informally they will probably be
issuing an additional appeal around the first of the year.
ICRC recently published a USD 20 million budget forecast for
2009 (up from the current USD 16 million),but the country
director believes this will fall significantly short of
needs. Instead, properly resourced, ICRC's Pakistan program
should expand to around $40 million by the end of next year.

UNHCR STILL WORKING, WITH REDUCED STAFF IN PESHAWAR
--------------


9. (C) In the wake of serious security incidents in Peshawar
during the week of November 10 (a suicide bombing, the murder
of a USAID contractor, the kidnapping of an Iranian diplomat
and the attempted kidnapping of a Japanese journalist),as
well as specific threats to its own organization, UNHCR has
decided to reduce its international staff there. Formerly
over 30 people, the Peshawar office will be drawn down to
about ten, with rotations in and out as needed. UNHCR
suspended field missions temporarily, but were due to resume
on November 25.


10. (C) UNHCR,s deputy country director assured Embassy
there will be no stop to their activities, including support
for IDP camps. NWFP Police have promised 100 officers to
secure the UNHCR premises in Peshawar and to escort UNHCR
employees visiting and working at the camps. They will also
conduct their own patrols of the camps, in light of some
security incidents, including the recent carjacking
(reportedly by taliban) inside the Kachagari camp of a
humanitarian agency vehicle.

CIVILIAN OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
--------------


11. (C) Embassy continues to maintain that the GOP
institutions must have better communications with the
civilians, which was not seen in the November 4-5 government
leaflet drop in Mohmand Agency prior to the military
operations. (Ref B) Due to high illiteracy rates and the
inability to disseminate broadly print media, radio has been
determined to be the medium of choice to spread word about
military operations and places of refuge for those displaced.
The Military Information Support Team (MIST) plans to work
with the Frontier Corps to improve outreach to civilians for
future information campaigns.
FEIERSTEIN