NANGARHAR,S BATI KOT RESIDENTS END BOYCOTT OF

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000901

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM
STATE PASS USAID FOR ASIA/SCAA
USFOR-A FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM EAID AF
SUBJECT: NANGARHAR,S BATI KOT RESIDENTS END BOYCOTT OF
GOVERNMENT AND SCHOOLS SPARKED BY COALITION RAIDS

Classified By: PRT and Sub-National Governance Counselor Valerie C. Fow
ler for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S) Summary: On March 30, residents of Bati Kot district
in Nangarhar province ended an 11-day boycott of local
schools and the district center. The boycott, launched in
protest of two joint U.S.-Afghan nighttime raids that left
two residents dead and several locals detained, was ended
through the intervention of provincial officials, a
delegation from Kabul sent by President Karzai, and the
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Bati Kot continues to
be a problem district in Nangarhar province, with historic
ties to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin.
Governor Sherzai did little to intervene, refusing to travel
to Bati Kot for security reasons and traveling to Dubai
during the crisis. End Summary.

Boycott Ends
--------------


2. (S) Residents of Bati Kot District in Nangarhar Province
ended an 11-day boycott of local schools and the district
center on March 30. The boycott was launched in protest of
two joint U.S.-Afghan nighttime raids that left two residents
dead and several locals detained. Representatives from the
PRT, the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan
(UNAMA),as well as the provincial and national government
negotiated for more than a week with Bati Kot elders to end
the boycott.


3. (S) U.S. and Afghan forces raided the village of Charde in
Bati Kot on the night of March 12-13, targeting suspected
members of an insurgent cell who were planning suicide
vehicle attacks and roadside bombs. Among those arrested was
a prominent Shinwari tribal member, Mudir Murad Khan Samim,
with past ties to Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG),and who ran
an orphanage and school. Reportedly, the schoolmaster had
recruited some orphans from the school to serve as suicide
bombers. Three others also were detained in the raid. The
day after the operation, PRT officials met with 28 angry
Shinwari tribal elders from Bati Kot, who insisted the
headmaster was innocent and demanded his release. The
delegation was led by Aziz Rahman, a Member of Parliament
from Bati Kot, also with past ties to HIG. The headmaster is
still in detention.

The Eagles
--------------


4. (S) On the night of March 18-19, U.S. and Afghan forces
conducted a second raid targeting a suspected IED cell in
Chawnie village, two kilometers away from Charde, in Bati
Kot. Forces entered two houses, including that of the local
mayor, where one suspect, Haji Khail Mohammad, reportedly was
staying. During the operation, two residents opened fire on
Afghan forces participating in the raid. The Afghan forces,
part of the elite &Shaheen8 (Eagles) unit, returned fire,
killing both men. Four residents, including the local head
of the District Development Assembly, were detained on
suspicion of involvement in the IED cell. Subsequently,
rumors circulated that the deceased were executed and the
mayor was beaten and his home looted.



5. (S) In response to the two raids, Shinwari tribal elders
from Bati Kot declared they would no longer cooperate with
the Afghan Government. They announced a boycott of schools,
and warned that anyone who visited the Bati Kot district
center would be fined one million Afghanis (about $20,000),
and their homes would be burned down. Tribal leaders also
declared that future nighttime raids by Coalition forces
would be resisted by locals.


6. (S) On March 25, a delegation from Kabul, sent by
President Karzai, arrived to investigate and negotiate an end
to the boycott. Led by General Aziz Rahman from the Ministry
of Defense, the delegation met with PRT officials and tribal
elders from Bati Kot. Community leaders eventually agreed to
end the boycott, but called for the release of those detained
and an end to nighttime raids. General Rahman also voiced
concern about the conduct of the elite Afghan Shaheen unit,
which is paired with U.S. forces and, according to Rahman,
operates autonomously from the Ministries of Defense and
Interior. (Note: General Rahman's concern echoes the
sentiment of many Nangarharis. Local residents and community
leaders often criticize the unit for its alleged mistreatment
of locals during operations. End note.)


KABUL 00000901 002 OF 002


Comment
--------------


7. (S) Bati Kot continues to be a problem district. Many
prominent community members are former followers of
Hekmatyar, and an IED and suicide vehicle cell continues to
operate in Bati Kot, according to sensitive reporting.
During the many meetings with local officials and the Kabul
delegation, PRT representatives emphasized that Coalition
nighttime operations would continue if information warranted
it, and that detainees involved in insurgent activity would
not be released, regardless of their social standing in the
community. Throughout the 11-day boycott, most provincial
officials were actively engaged in ending the dispute. One
exception was Nangarhar Governor Gul Agha Sherzai, who
refused to travel to Bati Kot for security reasons, and
departed on a four-day trip to Dubai during the crisis
despite the PRT,s strong recommendation that he stay in
Nangarhar to resolve the situation.


8. (U) This cable has been reviewed by the PRT Nangarhar
Commander and DOS Regional Advisor to TF Duke.
RICCIARDONE