FATA: ABDUCTED NORTH WAZIRISTAN PREP SCHOOL STUDENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PESHAWAR 000119

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/2/2019
TAGS: PTER MOPS PGOV ASEC PK
SUBJECT: FATA: ABDUCTED NORTH WAZIRISTAN PREP SCHOOL STUDENTS
RELEASED

CLASSIFIED BY: Lynne Tracy, Principal Officer, U.S. Consulate
Peshawar, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)
Summary
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1. (C) A kidnapping attempt on June 1 against students
evacuating a prestigious preparatory school in North Waziristan
Agency (NWA) appears to have been resolved without casualties
among the captives. The Pakistani government claims that all
have been recovered. According to the government, the number
initially kidnapped was eighty. Early high estimates of 400 to
500 kidnapped appear to have been the result of confusion
created when the convoy split up during the attack. No group
has claimed responsibility, but the incident is reminiscent of
South Waziristan militant leader Baitullah Mehsud's spectacular
kidnapping of approximately 250 security forces in August 2007.
With the Pakistani military gearing up for operations in South
Waziristan, militants in the area may be looking for new means
of bringing pressure on the military, including mass
kidnappings. End Summary.

Razmak Cadet College
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2. (U) On June 1, a convoy of approximately 30 large vehicles,
carrying close to 500 students, teachers, and other staff from
Razmak Cadet College departed the college toward the city of
Bannu in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). The college,
affiliated with the Pakistani army but not a service academy,
provides preparatory school education for boys from grades 8-12.
The school draws students from the Waziristans and surrounding
areas of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and NWFP
as well as from farther afield. Most graduates go on to
professional (medical, engineering) universities or military
service academies.


3. (SBU) Razmak lies on the border between North and South
Waziristan and is approximately 100 km west of Bannu. The cadet
college is located in the Frontier Corps cantonment in the town.
In late 2007-2008 during the military's blockade of the Mehsud
areas in South Waziristan, militants bombarded the cantonment,
and several students were wounded. All of the students were
eventually evacuated by air, placing an additional strain on
military resources. To avoid a similar scenario, the school
decided to evacuate prior to any renewed government campaign in
South Waziristan.

Kidnapping Students
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4. (SBU) FATA Secretariat Secretary for Law and Order Ghulam
Qadir told Peshawar Pol-Econ Chief on June 2 that the convoy was
traveling through the Baka Khel area of NWA close to the
Frontier Region Bannu when armed men attempted to wave it down.
The convoy scattered at this point, and the attackers were able
to secure only four vehicles. At least one of these vehicles
contained only women and children from the families of the
school staff and were released by the militants. The remaining
vehicles contained 71 students, two teachers, and seven other
staff. (Note: Initial media reports of a much higher number of
kidnap victims appear to have been created by the scattering of
the convoy. The first group to arrive safely reported all other
members of the convoy as having been kidnapped when in fact they
were pursuing other routes.)


5. (SBU) According to Qadir, the militants, who had their own
vehicles, proceeded to escort the vehicles of their hostages in
the direction of South Waziristan. However, at a check point in
the Goryam area, near the South Waziristan border, the militants
accompanying the convoy were engaged by the Pakistani security
forces manning the checkpoint. After a brief firefight, the
militants fled the scene, and the hostages were rescued without
casualties.

Comment
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6. (C) No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

PESHAWAR 00000119 002 OF 002


Despite some press accounts which have described North
Waziristan militant leader Gul Bahader as providing a sanctioned
"escort" to the convoy for part of the trip, there is
speculation that Bahader who wields significant influence in the
area may have had a hand in the kidnapping drama. While the
identity of the kidnappers is still to be determined, the impact
of a successful spectacular kidnapping of hundreds of students
is not hard to discern. In August 2007, South Waziristan
commander and Tehrik-i-Taliban leader Baitullah Mesud took
hostage approximately 250 security forces and successfully used
them as a bargaining chip to broker a peace agreement in the
spring of 2008. With the Pakistani military gearing up for
operations in South Waziristan, militants in the area may be
looking for new means of bringing pressure on the military,
including mass kidnappings.
TRACY