FATA AND NWFP: WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, MAY 8 -

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 07 PESHAWAR 000108

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/22/2019
TAGS: PTER MOPS PGOV PK
SUBJECT: FATA AND NWFP: WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, MAY 8 -
MAY 14

REF: A) PESHAWAR 101; B) PESHAWAR 100; C) ISLAMABAD 991

CLASSIFIED BY: Lynne Tracy, Principal Officer, U.S. Consulate
Peshawar, U.S. Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)
Introduction

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1. (C) Heavy fighting in Swat, Buner and Dir characterized the
second week in May, underscored by a May 12 airborne assault on
Maulana Fazlullah's stronghold in Peochar valley in Swat. The
government claimed to have killed over 750 militants in the
course of its operation in the three districts. Incidents
during the week in neighboring Shangla and Malakand districts
appeared to be a spillover effect from these ongoing operations.
Meanwhile, the apparent response of militants outside of
Malakand to the collapse of the peace deal and the government
operation in Swat has been limited to attacks on government
positions in South Waziristan and Mohmand agencies on May 9 and
10, resulting in and estimated 45 deaths, and a suicide bombing
in Darra Adam Khel (F.R. Kohat) on May 11, which killed ten.




2. (C) A military spokesman claimed on May 8 that since the
February 16 Swat peace agreement, militants in Swat had
conducted over 30 armed assaults, abducted over 100 people,
killed 30 SECURITY personnel, carried out 14 suicide attacks,
eight improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, ambushed 7
military convoys, robbed six banks, destroyed three police
stations an one electricity grid station, and damaged two
schools.




3. (C) One result of the talibanization of the province appears
to be a continuing rise in law and order problems in Peshawar.
According to statistics released by the city police on May 10,
all categories of crime in Peshawar rose during the first four
months of 2009 by an average of about 80 percent compared to the
same period in 2008. Murders rose from 140 to 220; attempted
murders from 151 to 190; kidnappings from 60 to 110; assaults on
police from 28 to 48; robberies from 14 to 32; burglaries from
35 to 51; stolen automobiles from 55 to 113.



Swat

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4. (SBU) The following is a summary of events in Swat, where the
government launched an operation in the second week of May:



May 8: Taliban fighters fired six rockets at Circuit House in
Mingora, killing one soldier and injuring another. Militants
killed the brother of Union COUNCIL Nazim (mayor) of
Khawazakhela and kidnapped two policemen from Sor Bridge.
Fighters also reportedly attacked Mingora Police Station, Saidu
Sharif Police Lines, and other government offices. Locals
claimed that taliban militants looted and plundered commercial
banks in Mingora and Saidu Sharif along with shops and houses.



May 9: Militants reportedly damaged a government primary school
for girls in Kanju and robbed a Muslim Commercial Bank branch in
Mingora. A military spokesman claimed that militants were
indiscriminately shelling populated areas of Mingora and had
fortified civilian homes to fight government troops. Residents
claimed that many taliban had shaved their beards and fled along

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with the local population. SECURITY forces bombarded militant
positions using helicopter gunships.



May 11: Militants reportedly destroyed a government primary
school for boys in Fazalabad, Barikot tehsil. Militants killed
three soldiers and injured several others, including an officer,
on the route from Khwazakhela to Banai Babai. Militants also
attacked Kanju Fort, injuring five soldiers, and injured two in
another attack on Circuit House. Militants fired mortar shells
at Mingora police station, injuring four soldiers.



May 14: Militants attacked an army position in Peochar, but the
army repelled the attack. Militants reportedly mined roads and
dug trenches leading into Mingora.



Buner

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5. (SBU) The following is a summary of events in Buner District,
NWFP, a district neighboring Swat, where the government launched
a military operation in the final week of April:



May 8: Militants reportedly murdered a local in Elai, an
engineer for Radio Pakistan and activist of Jamaat-i-Islami
(JI). A mortar reportedly killed two people in a village
outside Daggar. SECURITY forces shelled villages throughout the
district. Government troops drove militants out of Pir Baba in
the north.



May 9: SECURITY forces, using helicopter gunships, reportedly
killed 14 militants in the Maidan area.



May 10: Local contacts have confirmed newspaper reports that 90
percent of Mingora and 35 percent of Swat of left their homes.



May 11: Militants reportedly blew up homes of leading people in
Sultanwas and Pacha Kalay before taking positions in bunkers.



May 14: Government forces surrounded Sultanwas, where militants
were reportedly entrenched.



Lower Dir

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6. (SBU) The following is a summary of events in Lower Dir
District, NWFP, a district neighboring Swat, where the
government launched a military operation during the final week
of April:



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May 8: Militants burned down a police station in Ooch after
asking the policemen to vacate the building.



May 9: Militants stole three vehicles from Ooch, including an
ambulance. Militants also injured five SECURITY personnel in
clashes near Lal Qila. Residents of the Maidan reportedly
continued to stream out of the area during the fighting, with
the government claiming to have killed large numbers of
militants.



May 10: Militants reportedly laid IEDs outside of Chakdara and
kidnapped a reporter of a private TV channel.



May 11: Militants occupied and destroyed the home of member of
the NATIONAL Assembly (MNA) Malik Azmat Khan. Militants injured
four soldiers in the Chakdara area and attacked a vegetable
truck, killing two.



May 14: SECURITY forces supported by helicopter gunships
battled militants in the Maidan area of Dir.



Bajaur and Mohmand

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7. (SBU) The following is a summary of events in Bajaur and
Mohmand Agencies, where the Pakistani military has been
conducting military operations since August 2008:



May 8, Mohmand: SECURITY forces reportedly demolished 30 houses
and arrested five suspects in Spinkai Tangi area.



May 8, Bajaur: The United Nations reportedly began urging IDPs
to begin returning to the agency.



May 9, Bajaur: Militants kidnapped a pro-government tribal
elder and founder of a lashkar, near Munda. Elsewhere, locals
claimed that more than 300 displaced families began returning to
Mamoond tehsil.



May 10, Mohmand: A large number of heavily armed militants
reportedly attacked a Frontier Corps camp in Had, Ambar tehsil,
setting off an intense three-hour battle that left ten soldiers
injured and 26 militants dead.



May 11, Bajaur: The Political Agent announced that more Levies
would be recruited to replace 500 jawans terminated due to
absence from duty and an increase in salary, over the next two
months, to match Levy pay with that of the Frontier
Constabulary.


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NWFP

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8. (C) The following incidents have occurred in the Northwest
Frontier Province (NWFP) according to press and consulate
contacts:



May 8, Peshawar: Militants reportedly blew up a centuries-old
shrine of Sheikh Baba, a revered Egyptian cleric, at a historic
graveyard in the city. Militants also destroyed 15 shops in two
markets 15 km south of the city. The shopkeepers claimed over
$100,000 in damage.



May 8, Hangu: Militants attacked a local meeting of elders in
Doaba, killing five and injuring five others.



May 8, Mardan: Militants reportedly sent letters to two schools
threatening to destroy them. Taliban demanded the teaching
staff and students of the girls' school to wear veils; and
demanded the boys' school to teach Islamic education.



May 8, Karak: Taliban have reportedly demanded that the
administration of a government high school in Khojaki Kalla end
co-education.



May 9, Upper Dir: A local peace jirga asked the government not
to send SECURITY forces into the area, stating they would hold
talks with militants to convince them to leave the area.



May 9, Shangla: Militants injured two government soldiers in a
battle for a camp in the Bannai Baba heights (overlooking Swat);
the Pakistani army claimed high militant casualties and many
locals fled the area.



May 9, Batkhela: A mortar shell reportedly landed on a house,
killing four and causing locals to flee.



May 9, Malakand: Militants reportedly attacked a Levies camp
near Palai (close to Swat),killed two and kidnapped three
security forces personnel, before destroying the camp.



May 11, Hangu: Militants set two shops on fire in Azmat market,
burning both shops to the ground.



May 11, Malakand: Militants reportedly issued a series of
threats to all NATIONAL and Provincial Assembly members from the
region to resign within three days or face arrest and
destruction of their homes.


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May 13, Peshawar: Militants attacked two separate terminals,
Paramount Logistics and Sind Frontier Goods, at Ring Road.
Approximately 70 militants attacked Paramount, setting its
workshop on fire. Next, the militants attacked Sind Frontier
Goods, setting seven empty trailers and two trailers containing
plywood sheets on fire. The driver, a cleaner, and a guard were
reported missing.



May 14, Battagram: Militants reportedly ransacked and then set
fire to a police checkpost in Batta Mori.



May 14, Peshawar: Militants reportedly destroyed a government
girls' primary school on the outskirts of the city.



May 14, Dera Ismail Khan: Three explosions reportedly injured
nine police officers.



FATA

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9. (C) The following is a roundup of incidents of talibanization
in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Frontier
Regions:



May 8, Khyber: SECURITY forces reportedly defused a roadside
bomb in Landikotal; traffic was blocked for more than two hours.



May 8, FR Kohat: A rocket fired from an unknown location
reportedly killed four in an Afghan refugee camp. SECURITY
forces reportedly launched an operation against militants by
firing heavy artillery at locations in Shen Dhand, Tor Chappar,
Sunnikhel, Bostikhel and Akhorwal.



May 9, South Waziristan: Militants attacked a SECURITY forces
convoy 20 km east of Wana, summer headquarters of the agency,
killing one officer and injuring two soldiers. 18 people were
killed and four injured when SECURITY forces responded.
Elsewhere, four missiles reportedly killed ten militants.



May 11, FR Kohat: A 17-year-old suicide car bomber reportedly
killed ten other people, including a soldier, and injured 13
security force personnel, in an attack on a Frontier Corps
checkpoint in Darra Adam Khel. Over 11 of the injured were in
vehicles on the Kohat-Peshawar road; the attacker could not
reach his target due to the line of cars.



May 11, South Waziristan: A taliban commander close to
Baitullah Mehsud, Tikka Khan Burki, was reportedly found dead
along with five others.



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May 11, Khyber: Militants reportedly fired a rocket at the
shrine of a renowned Pashto poet and another at a girls' college
near a local electrical grid station. Taliban also bombed the
only girls' primary school in the area the same night,
destroying its library.



May 14, North Waziristan: A military convoy was reportedly
targeted with an IED in the Pir Kallay area, killing three
soldiers and injuring four others; SECURITY forces retaliated
with an artillery strike against militant positions in the areas
close to the Miramshah Tochi Fort.



May 14, FR Kohat: The spokesman for the Darra Adam Khel taliban
told a newspaper that they had set a deadline of June 14 for the
government to stop military operations in the region or they
would start shooting down commercial planes travelling through
the airspace of the region.



Government Response

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10. (SBU) This is a summary of government responses to "creeping
talibanization" according to press and consulate contacts:



May 9, Kohat: Police reportedly raided a terrorist safehouse,
recovered a government vehicle, seized explosives and arrested
two suspected terrorists.



May 9, Battagram: Police reportedly shot and killed a terrorist
trying to set explosives on the Pak-China Friendship Bridge,
spanning the Indus River to the Northern Areas.



May 9, Peshawar: After police arrested three suspected
terrorists on the outskirts of the city, four others ambushed
the police. The three arrested men and two of the attackers
were killed.



May 11, Hangu: Police reportedly defused a five kg bomb in
Hangu's main bazaar.



May 14, FR Kohat: SECURITY forces reportedly launched a search
operation in Darra Adam Khel, killing nine militants and
arresting 12 others.



Grass Roots Efforts to Halt Talibanization

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10. (U) The following events are examples of activities taken by
local communities to halt the spread of Talibanization:

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May 11, Karak: Residents formed a grand jirga to take action
against lawlessness and those who shelter criminals, fining them
150,000 rupees.
TRACY