SECURITY OPERATIONS IN KHYBER IMPOSE SHORT TERM CURFEW ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PESHAWAR 000001

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/3/2019
TAGS: MARR PGOV PREL PTER PK
SUBJECT: SECURITY OPERATIONS IN KHYBER IMPOSE SHORT TERM CURFEW ON
TRUCKS TRAVELING TO AFGHANISTAN

CLASSIFIED BY: Michael A. Via, Acting Principal Officer,
Peshawar, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d)
Summary
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1. (C) On January 2, the Torkham Highway crossing point into
Afghanistan reopened to truck traffic, including trucks
supplying NATO/ISAF, after being closed December 30 due to
military security operations. Operation "Daralam" or "Here I
Come" was launched to increase security for convoys and to rid
Khyber Agency of militants close to Peshawar. The homes of two
local notables including one senator and one Malik were
destroyed. One of these, Malik Najib Ullah, who had been
arrested, had allegedly allowed militants to use his home. The
explosion that destroyed four oil tankers on December 29 was
probably due to pilfering not a militant attack. End Summary.

Operation Daralam
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2. (SBU) On December 30, the first day of Muharram, the first
month of the Islamic calendar, Pakistan Army and
Frontier Corps soldiers began operation "Daralam" or "Here I
Come" against militants in the Khyber Agency. The operation
closed down the road between Peshawar and the Khyber Pass,
Torkham Highway. However 92 U.S. contracted trucks with
NATO/ISAF cargo were able to cross the border into Afghanistan
that day. The Pakistan Army General Headquarters (GHQ) advised
the Office of Defense Representative in Pakistan (ODRP) that
military operations were initiated because of attacks on
NATO/ISAF truck traffic along the Torkham Highway.


3. (C) The Khyber Political Agent Tariq Hayat Khan told Acting
Political Office (APO) December 31, that operation "Daralam"
which means "Here I Come" could last three days or longer to
clear out the militants from the area. Local authorities
imposed a curfew, resulting in a shortage of personnel at the
custom station at Torkham Pass (the Pakistan side of the Khyber
Pass). The operations coincided with the normal
slowdown/shutdown of the border during the first 10 days of
Muharram. While the security operation was unexpected, it
caused minimal disruption because fewer trucks crossed the
border during the holiday. (Note: Traffic resumed on January 2
but was expected to temporarily close again for the Ashura
holiday on January 7/8.)


4. (C) According to Khan, the operation was a significantly
larger operation than one previously planned for Khyber but
delayed due to the fight in Bajaur. Operation Daralam was
expanded and launched on short notice, not only due to the
attacks on the truck convoys, but because notable militants that
had begun to operate in the area. Khan noted that among the
killed or captured on December 31, were six Uzbeks that he
believed were transiting Khyber. Khan said that he was "linked
up" with the military forces for "his operation" and had been at
the front several times since the start of the campaign. He
stated that 600 ground troops accompanied by 12 tanks, an
airborne observation plane for artillery control and two sets of
attack helicopters comprised the bulk of Pakistan forces. Khan
explained he had used the attack helicopters to stop fleeing
militants which were attempting to cross the Kabul River by boat
into Mohmand province the afternoon of December 31.


5. (C) Khan stated that he had ordered the destruction of the
homes of two local notables including one senator. One of
these, Malik Najib Ullah, who had been arrested, had allegedly
allowed militants to use his home to carry out kidnappings for
ransom in and near Peshawar and been at home when the operation
began.

New Khyber Convoy Protection
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6. (SBU) Khan stated that convoy operations would recommence on
January 2 and up to 250 trucks from all carriers could be
accommodated between the 8:00am to 2:00pm when the route would
be secured. Once convoy operations recommence, he will have an
entire wing of 600 Frontier Corps soldiers guarding the entire

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route as opposed to the check posts previously used. He
explained that one of the additional duties for the expanded
force would be to "bottle up" access roads and provide more
strategic deployment of forces to prevent attacks.

Fuel Tankers Destroyed To Hide Pilferage
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7. (SBU) On December 29, a blast destroyed four fuel tankers at
Torkham Pass. While initially reported to be the result of
militants, according to Khan, pilferage was the likely
motivation behind the destruction. The four trucks, all
belonging to the same owner, were parked separately from other
fuel tankers and the explosion was clearly smaller than what
would have occurred had the trucks been full of fuel. The
drivers of the trucks, who disappeared immediately after parking
the trucks, returned to the scene after the explosion unharmed.
A local scam has fuel tanker drivers selling most of the
contents of their cargo locally before blowing up their vehicles
and claiming militants attacked them.

Comment
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8. (C) Khan, a former tank officer in the Army, was proud of the
"combined arms team" that he had been able to assemble and
seemed to be enjoying barking out instructions to the deployed
forces during APO's visit. This is at least the second
operation to clear out militants in Khyber in the last four
months; whether a similar operation will be needed in the near
future will depend on how long the Frontier Corps is able to
maintain deployments in the area.
VIA