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