POST CONVENES EAC MEETING ON NOVEMBER 19, 2008

S E C R E T PESHAWAR 000517 E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2018 TAGS: ASEC PTER MOPS AMGT PK SUBJECT: POST CONVENES EAC MEETING ON NOVEMBER 19, 2008 REF: A) TD-314/083844-08 B) TD-314/083599-08 C) TDX-315/083642-08 CLASSIFIED BY: Lynne M. Tracy, Principal Officer, U.S. Consulate Peshawar, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (d) ¶1. (S) Post convened an Emergency Action Committee meeting at 13:00 (local) on November 19 to review specific, credible threat information targeting Consulate personnel that developed late November 18. PO, RSO, RAO, and Special Forces element attended the meeting. See para 7 for Washington action. RSO overall assessment of Consulate's threat environment will be reported septel. Threat Reports -------------- ¶2. (S/NF) The EAC assessed the reftels, particularly Ref A, to have a high degree of credibility. Ref A outlines a threat initiated by the Haqqani network directed against American and local Consulate staff with plans to target them (suicide bombers) at an "opportune" moment after leaving the American (Khyber) Club/Consulate residential cluster in University Town or after departing the Consulate compound in the cantonment. Ref B describes a possible attack on the Consulate compound. Ref C outlines the possible use of "Uzbeks" to kidnap foreigners in Peshawar. None of the threats have a timeline. The Haqqani order in Ref A reportedly took place approximately one week ago. Post Actions -------------- ¶3. (S/NF) The EAC agreed to accelerate the re-location of some Consulate personnel to reduce our footprint of movements in and out of University Town. Nearly all re-location or departure on R&R will be completed by November 21. As of November 22, the Consulate's American staffing levels will be as follows: State - five; USAID - one; ODRP (Special Forces and 101st Liaison) - twelve; and RAO - thirty-five. The EAC is continuing to review the Consulate's staffing levels and may designate a few additional personnel for re-location. ¶4. (S/NF) Some of the remaining staff will be re-positioned to the American Club cluster. The EAC noted that the threat reporting mentions the Club area. However, this is also the most defensible Consulate residential area and where the most Consulate security resources can be brought quickly to bear. ¶5. (C) The EAC determined that local staff should be asked to remain on standby at home until November 24 with some limited exceptions for essential operations. Principal Officer will hold a townhall with local staff on November 24. Only visitors with a mission essential purpose will be permitted to travel to Peshawar. Post will continue using the Peshawar airport. The Consulate build-out project has been placed on hold until additional RSO support arrives. The project which includes upgrades/re-configurations to the Consulate perimeter requires a dedicated RSO to supervise. Host Country Response -------------- ¶6. (C) Provincial authorities are hosting a meeting on November 20 on security measures for the diplomatic/foreign community in Peshawar. Consulate representatives will attend. EAC members report an increased police presence in University Town with some checkpoints (fixed and impromptu). The EAC assessed the additional police numbers as unlikely to be effective in countering the threats outlined in reftels. Washington Action -------------- ¶7. (C) Post is still awaiting the confirmation of the arrival of the Mobile Security Detection Team. The team's date of arrival was November 22. However, post understands that the team is having difficulty obtaining visas. As noted in para 5, post is also still awaiting the confirmation of additional RSO support, particularly for oversight of the build-out project and vehicle movements. This is where current requests stand. Post will continue to assess Consulate security requirements and may make additional requests. TRACY