JUNE 15 SECURITY AND IDP REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 001320 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2019 TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM EAID PTER PGOV PINR PK SUBJECT: JUNE 15 SECURITY AND IDP REPORT Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (C) Summary: The announcement by the governor of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) that the government would begin an offensive into South Waziristan Agency dominated headlines. In Malakand, military operations slowed as active resistance dwindled to pockets in Swat, Buner, and Lower Dir, and reconstruction and civil administration staffing work continued fitfully. In Bajaur, however, a new military operation appeared to be getting underway. Separately, the UN decided on new, interim guidelines for travel of expatriate staff to Peshawar, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) sent a mission from Geneva to help consider operational possibilities in the current security context. UN global cluster leads will come to Pakistan to assist in training and coordination for their respective clusters. End Summary. Political Update -------------- ¶2. (U) NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani announced on June 14 that the government had ordered a "full-fledged" military operation against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Chief Baitullah Mehsud and Mehsud tribes in South Waziristan Agency (SWA). Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas refused to confirm or deny Ghani's announcement. The only report of actual military operations in South Waziristan was of a bombing run against militant hideouts in Makeen and Spinkai Raghzai Kot. NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said on June 13 that Swat TTP leader Maulana Fazlullah was now hiding in SWA. ¶3. (SBU) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif criticized the militants in a June 14 speech in Lahore, two days after the assassination of Barelvi leader Dr. Allama Sarfraz Naeemi. Meanwhile, on the same day, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Syed Munawar Hassan and Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan continued their criticism of the anti-militant campaign and called on the Pakistani government to cease its support for U.S. foreign policy objectives. The Awami National Party (ANP) also continued its criticism of the ambiguous position taken by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam - Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) on the operation, with NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain calling on the JUI-F to "quit the politics of double standards." Malakand Campaign Progress -------------- ¶4. (SBU) In Swat, pockets of resistance remained in several areas, but fighting had died down over the weekend. The government announced that electric power to Mingora had been restored; according to Consulate Peshawar contacts, however, the primary power station for the city was still being repaired and electricity was still unavailable in most of the city. Certain areas of the city and its surroundings, drawing off the grid supplied by stations in Dir, do have power. Telephone service is still out in most of the Swat district, and roads leading into the city have been periodically closed, blocking what we are told is a steady trickle of IDP returns. Curfew has been relaxed throughout most of Swat during the day, and most military operations are taking place at night to minimize civilian casualties. ¶5. (SBU) In Buner, the Army claimed to have secured strategic passes into Swat over the weekend. Essential services were being supplied to most of the district except for the northern areas around Pir Baba. According to Consulate Peshawar contacts, however, civil administration was not yet present outside of the cities, as rural officials for the most part had not yet returned to their duties. In Lower Dir, small pockets of resistance reportedly remained in the Adenzai tehsil near Maidan, but most services were available and most administration had returned; curfew had been lifted entirely. ISLAMABAD 00001320 002 OF 003 ¶6. (U) Elsewhere, news reports indicated the military was moving against militants in Mohmand and Bajaur Agencies (north of Peshawar). Twenty militants were reported killed in Bajaur when Air Force fighters strafed suspected Taliban hideouts. UN Security Measures -------------- ¶7. (C) The UN's Security Management Team in Islamabad met June 15 and determined that during the coming week, only daily missions will be permitted to Peshawar. UN vehicles will leave in convoy from Islamabad at 8:00 a.m. and will depart from Peshawar for the return trip by 4:00 p.m. Only one vehicle, and no more than three staff members, per agency will be permitted in the convoy. On Thursday, the Security Management Team will make a determination for the medium-term on operational modalities. The UN still needs to assess its vulnerabilities in Peshawar and to determine the extent to which the staffing footprint there will be reduced. ¶8. (C) UNHCR Geneva has sent a "Solidarity Mission" to Pakistan, comprised of Assistant High Commissioner Janet Lim, UNHCR's Head of Security, its Head of Emergency Unit, and a Staff Counselor, both to show solidarity with the staff and to help reassess plans and modus operandi in light of security developments. Among items under consideration is working to a greater extent through national NGOs and the attendant need to build both the security, as well as the operational capacity, of these organizations and possibly to provide security support so as not to merely transfer the security risk to national partners. UNHCR Representative Guebre-Christos also mentioned that HCR staff had a very difficult time repatriating the remains of their fallen Serbian colleague and were ultimately aided in this regard by the Pakistan Air Force. Humanitarian Coordination -------------- ¶9. (U) The director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has encouraged cluster leads to take increased responsibility for coordinating their respective clusters, and he has requested that global cluster leads come to Pakistan to train and organize the effort there. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) global cluster lead was scheduled to arrive on June 13, followed by additional global cluster leads. ¶10. (U) OCHA is holding weekly policy and strategy meetings with Pakistani officials including Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmad, additional members of the Special Support Group, and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) representatives. Humanitarian Assessments -------------- ¶11. (U) OCHA confirmed that the Multi-Cluster Rapid Assessment Mechanism (MCRAM) survey of displaced households outside of formal camps has continued, despite increasing insecurity in recent days. Trained staff remain in the field conducting the assessment, which OCHA expects to be completed by June 19. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene -------------- ¶12. (U) USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) has approved nearly USD 1.3 million for an international NGO for emergency humanitarian interventions, including water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) activities. The NGO's WASH programming concentrates on both prevention and treatment to reduce the spread of waterborne diseases in host communities in Nowshera, Peshawar, and Mardan districts of the NWFP. This funding builds on USAID/OFDA-provided assistance to the NGO for WASH interventions supporting the old caseload of internally displaced people. ISLAMABAD 00001320 003 OF 003 PATTERSON