FATA AND NWFP: WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, JUNE 19

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 07 PESHAWAR 000143 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/8/2019 TAGS: PTER MOPS PGOV PK SUBJECT: FATA AND NWFP: WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, JUNE 19 - JUNE 25 CLASSIFIED BY: Lynne Tracy, Principal Officer, U.S. Consulate Peshawar, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (d) Introduction - - - - - - - ¶1. (C) The intensity of Pakistani military operations accelerated in South Waziristan during the fourth week in June, with the government conducting intensive airstrikes into Mehsud territory and sending ground troops to secure key locations along the critical Wana-Jandola road in preparation for a presumed major offensive. However, the June 23 assassination of Mehsud militant commander Qari Zainuddin, sponsored by rival Baitullah Mehsud's Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),was a setback to the Pakistani government's planned campaign in South Waziristan Agency (reftel). In another apparent preparatory move for the campaign, civil administration in Lakki Marwat continued to meet intensively with local jirgas to form defensive committees that would resist encroachment by militants. ¶2. (C) In Malakand Division, the military conducted "cordon and search" operations in pockets of Swat and Lower Dir as active resistance by militants diminished. In Shangla and northeastern Buner, however, reports indicated that fleeing militants were beginning to congregate, and some residents began to flee the portions of Buner in expectation of an intensified government offensive. The Upper Dir lashkar continued low-intensity fighting with Doog Darra, with reduced offensive activity relative to the previous week. Intense fighting continued in Bajaur, while Pakistani security forces continued operations in Mohmand and Orakzai. In Kurram, the death toll in over a week of fighting between Sunni and Shi'a clans passed 50, as jirgas on both sides called for government intervention. NWFP ) Malakand Division - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶3. (SBU) The following incidents have occurred in the Malakand Division of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP),where the Pakistani government has been conducting combat operations since the last week of April. Malakand Division includes the districts of Malakand, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Chitral, Swat, Shangla, and Buner. June 19, Swat: Security forces reportedly secured Akhun Kalle and established a checkpost in the Chungai area. Security forces also launched an operation to clear areas around Zara Khala, Khawazakhela and Matta. �A; June 19, Buner: Militants wounded one soldier. Four militants were reported to be killed during fighting with troops in the Sar Qila area, an area where the army was conducting search operations. June 19, Upper Dir: Armed villagers supported by security forces claim to have killed eleven insurgents and wounded another in Patrak town. June 19, Chitral: Chitral police arrested 10 militants fleeing into the district. An Afghan national was among those arrested. June 20, Swat: Militants killed three soldiers in an ambush. Security forces claimed the killing of six militants in a search operation around Peochar. Security forces arrested three suspected terrorists and destroyed a complex of four tunnels in the same operation. June 20, Lower Dir: Militants wounded two soldiers. Security forces claim to have killed five Taliban. June 20, Malakand: Militants killed a soldier while security forces conducted a clearance operation on a key road. June 21, Swat: Security forces claimed to have killed one militant and arrested six others at Langer, Khawazakhela. Government forces seized a weapons cache and foreign currency in suspected militant hideouts in Biha valley. PESHAWAR 00000143 002 OF 007 June 21, Upper Dir: Members of the lashkar fighting militants in Doog Darra killed seven suspected militants who had been arrested the previous day in Chitral and were in police custody in the Patrak area. In response, the militants in the area kidnapped two local people who supported the lashkars. June 22, Swat: The military conducted search and cordon operations, claiming to have neutralized a number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and to have destroyed several tunnels. They also claim to have killed 22 terrorists and arrested five others. Security forces claim to have secured Biha Valley, the last militant stronghold in northern Swat, and cleared Shamozai, in the west. June 22, Malakand: According to an unconfirmed, single-sourced press report, militants ambushed the vehicle of an intelligence agency officer as he was driving home, killing the man. June 23, Swat: Militants ambushed a unit of the Baloch Regiment and killed five soldiers, including a Major, a Captain, and three Jawans (soldiers) in Charbagh. According to an Army spokesman, the party was returning after a search operation when the attack occurred. Maulana Shah Durran, deputy leader of the Taliban in Sat, was rumored to be seriously injured or killed, after a military operation in Kabal. Elsewhere, security forces launched search and sweep operations at various locations in the district. June 23, Shangla: Security forces captured three suspected militants in a search operation west of Alpurai, the district headquarters. June 23, Lower Dir: Security forces reported killing six militants in Shadas village of the Maidan area when gunship helicopters targeted the house of Miftahud Din, alias Shabar, a local militant commander. Search operations continued in Adenzai and Maidan tehsils. June 23, Buner: Security forces continued using heavy artillery and shelling from helicopters in the northeastern part of the district as ground forces continued sweeps in that area. June 24, Swat: Militants killed six soldiers, including two officers, in a clash in Charbagh. Security forces claimed to have killed seven terrorists and arrested several others. The military stated that almost all major towns in the Swatwere under the control of security forces. A local jirga met in kalam to pledge its support for the security forces. June 24, Shangla: Locals report that hundreds of militants from Swat and Buner are in the district. June 24, Upper Dir: The Qaumi Lashkar, comprised of armed villagers, report that they have successfully cleared a majority of the area held by extremists, killing 34 militants. The Quami Laskhar advanced in areas where pro-Taliban militants took the local population hostage at gunpoint, said lashkar leader Malik Motabbar Khan. June 24, Buner: Pakistani military forces bombarded militant hideouts in Etai Khwar and positioned ground forces at key blocking points in northeastern Buner. June 25, Swat: Two soldiers were injured when an anti-personnel mine exploded, while another was wounded by militant gunfire. Security forces arrested three terrorists and seized weapons while conducting search and sweep operations in the Akun Kale, Gamon Bridge, Rangeela, Khazana, Wakilabad, Baiddarra and Garai areas. Security forces destroyed the Jawad Hotel in Nishat Square of Mingora, owned by a suspected militant. June 25, Lower Dir: Security forces conducted a search operation in the area around Zhoaib post and Lal Qila. June 25, Buner: Militants killed a policeman after abducting him while on his way home in Elum, near Bhai Kalay. PESHAWAR 00000143 003 OF 007 June 25, Malakand: More than 100 elders of Alladhan and Dherai areas held a jirga at the office of the DCO promising to cooperate to flush out militants. NWFP ) Hazara Division - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶5. (SBU) The following incidents have occurred in the Hazara Division of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) according to press and consulate contacts. Hazara Division includes the districts of Abbottabad, Battagram, Haripur, Kohistan and Mansehra. June 19, Mansehra: Political authorities in Kala Dhaka demolished the homes of two locals suspected of harboring militants from Shangla. June 21, Haripur: Security forces reportedly arrested members of the family of Swat TTP chief Fazlullah. June 22, Battagram: Two people, including a policeman, were killed and seven others injured when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a police check post on Karakoram Highway. NWFP ) Mardan Division - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶6. (SBU) The following incidents have occurred in the Mardan Division of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) according to press and consulate contacts. Mardan Division includes the districts of Mardan and Swabi. June 20, Mardan: Police were able to stop an attempt to blow up the Jalalabad police post in Rustam and defused a 10 kg improvised explosive device (IED). June 24, Mardan: Inadequate relief efforts for internally displaced persons (IDPs) are allowing militant groups to operate in camps and communities housing hundreds of thousands of people displaced by an offensive against the Taliban, according to an international aid group. Jihadi groups "distribute assistance" on Fridays and Saturdays at the camps, prompting the Washington-based group to suspend its visits on those days. NWFP ) Peshawar Division - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶7. (SBU) The following incidents have occurred in the Peshawar Division of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) according to press and consulate contacts. Peshawar Division includes the districts of Peshawar, Nowshera, and Charsadda. June 20, Peshawar: A police officer was killed when the two people he arrested were able to free themselves and shoot him. June 22, Peshawar: Militants blew up a girls' primary school at Mashogagar. Separately, a truce was reportedly being brokered between the Darra Adam Khel Taliban and the Qaumi Laskhar of Adezai (on the outskirts of Peshawar city). June 24, Peshawar: Militants killed three policemen, including an officer, in rocket and mortar attacks at Arbab Tapo check post near Matani Police Station. June 25, Peshawar: Police killed one kidnapper and arrested two others in an exchange of fire near Inqilab Road Badabher. Separately, the Qaumi Lashkar of Adezai confiscated property of alleged Taliban supporters as punishment for carrying weapons in the Mattani police area. A laskhar member alleged that local Taliban, with the support of the Darra Adam Khel-based Taliban, were trying to increase their movements in the outskirts of Peshawar. June 25, Nowshera: A law enforcement agency claimed to have PESHAWAR 00000143 004 OF 007 arrested two militant commanders disguised as IDPs in a raid on a local school in the Kheshgi area. The militants changed their appearance by trimming their beards and hair and were living with their families settled in the school camp. Separately, motorway police spotted an explosive device and called the bomb disposal squad from Peshawar. The bomb disposal squad defused the explosive device. NWFP ) Kohat Division - - - - - - - - - - - ¶8. (SBU) The following incidents have occurred in the Kohat Division of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) according to press and consulate contacts. Kohat Division includes the districts of Kohat, Karak, and Hangu. June 19, Kohat: Police arrested 14 suspected militants and seized arms during operations in the villages of Kharmatoo, Jarma, Bahawalnagar, Dheri Banda, Tor Dhand, Zara Mela, Bilitang, Togh, Sayyab and Chorlakki. June 20, Kohat: Militants destroyed two power pylons with explosives in the Tugh area, disrupting electricity to the area. June 23, Hangu: Militants killed an officer of the Kohat Elite Force and abducted two people at gunpoint. NWFP ) Bannu Division - - - - - - - - - - - ¶9. (SBU) The following incidents have occurred in the Bannu Division of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) according to press and consulate contacts. Bannu Division includes the districts of Bannu and Lakki Marwat. June 24, Lakki Marwat: Residents of a village formed a peace committee to improve law and order, while the District Police Officer (DPO) arrested 83 suspected criminals. June 25, Lakki Marwat: The DPO asked elders of the Takhti Khel area to hand over criminals to law-enforcement agencies and implement a ban on the display of arms. The DCO said the elders should ensure that miscreants did not enter the area from adjacent tribal regions. NWFP ) Dera Ismail Khan Division - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶10. (SBU) The following incidents have occurred in the Dera Ismail Khan Division of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) according to press and consulate contacts. Dera Ismail Khan Division includes the districts of D.I. Khan and Tank. June 20, Dera Ismail Khan: Security forces opened fire on an official vehicle, killing a driver for the Forest Department and injuring a Forest Department official. June 22, Dera Ismail Khan: Unknown attackers killed a local cobbler at his shoe shop. June 23, Dera Ismail Khan: A bodyguard killed Qari Zainuddin, a vocal opponent of TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud and leader of the Abdullah Mehsud Group (AMG) at his residence (ref. B). Baitullah Mehsud's deputy and spokesman Wali Rehman claimed TTP responsibility for killing Zainuddin. June 24, Tank: One member each from the TTP and AMG groups were killed in a clash in Tank bazaar. The dead militants were identified as Yusuf and Zahir Khan. June 24, Dera Ismail Khan: Misbahuddin Mehsud, the younger brother of Qari Zainuddin and new chief of the AMG, said that his men would continue fighting against Baitullah Mehsud until he was killed. The 23-year-old stated his "strong support" for the ongoing military operation in Waziristan. Separately, unidentified gunmen killed Muhammad Farooq, the general PESHAWAR 00000143 005 OF 007 secretary of the Minhajuul Quran Foundation, a peaceful group belonging to the Brailvi school of thought, and injured his brother. The gunmen reportedly stormed into Farooq's home and shot him. June 25, Dera Ismail Khan: Gunmen killed an inspector of the Intelligence Bureau and injured another when they opened fire on a Peshawar-bound bus on Dera University Road. Eyewitnesses said the gunmen were searching for someone who was not among the travelers when they fired at the vehicle. Northern FATA - - - - - - - ¶12. (SBU) The following is a roundup of incidents of talibanization and government and community response in the Bajaur, Mohmand, and Khyber Agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). June 19, Bajaur: Militants blew up two boys' schools and a college with locally-made bombs. Frontier Corps troops claimed to kill over a dozen militants after being ambushed while returning to their post after a routine patrol near Mattak, in Charmang valley; two soldiers and two civilians also died and three soldiers were injured. A member of the Levies was injured when a mine exploded in Mamond tehsil. Security forces defused another bomb in Haji Lawang. June 19, Mohmand: Four civilians were injured when mortar shells hit their houses in Khwazi Baizai tehsil. Security forces claimed to arrest 47 wanted persons. Troops secured Mohmand Gate, Nawpass, Ghungat, Kuz and Chamarkand, destroying three militant hideouts and seizing three mortar shells in Upper Mohmand. Security forces also claim to have destroyed two centers used as training camps and recovered 20 shells of 75 MM recoilless rifles and three rifles. June 19, Khyber: Militants and security forces fought for over an hour after a security forces' check post came under attack in Dalkhat. No casualties were reported. Separately, Khasadar forces arrested an Afghan national and two locals attempting to sell heavy weapons in Landi Kotal bazaar. June 20, Bajaur: Militants ambushed a convoy of security forces in Hilal Khel, killing an army major and a soldier, while wounding six. Security forces claim to have killed seven militants and wounded five others in an operation in Charmang and arrested Gul Zarin, a lieutenant of Bajaur TTP chief Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, during a search at a check post in the Omarai area of Momand tehsil. June 20, Khyber: Mortar shells fired during combat between militants and security forces wounded two women and three children in Khogakhel area.. June 21, Bajaur: The military used jets and artillery attacked suspected Taliban hideouts in the Taliban stronghold of Banda in Salarzai, 33 kilometers from Khar. They reported killing 27 militants, including a key Taliban commander. June 22, Bajaur: Militants blew up a girls primary school in Chakori area of Khar tehsil. The political administration later detained 20 tribesmen and issued a two-day deadline to the Salarzai tribesmen to force militants to leave their areas or face an operation. Five security personnel were injured when a remote controlled bomb hit a convoy in Charmang tehsil. June 22, Mohmand: Militants ambushed a patrol and killed two security personnel in Mullagori. June 22, Khyber: Militants killed a Khasadar and injured another in Jamrud. June 24, Bajaur: The Taliban fired six missiles at Khar bazaar, killing one person and injuring four others. Security forces retaliated against suspected Taliban hideouts, attacking them PESHAWAR 00000143 006 OF 007 with heavy weapons. June 25, Mohmand: An explosive device planted in the wall of a house exploded, killing six, including two children. Southern FATA - - - - - - - ¶13. (SBU) The following is a roundup of incidents of talibanization and government and community response in the Orakzai, Kurram, and North and South Waziristan Agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Frontier Regions south of the Khyber Agency: June 19, South Waziristan: Pakistani military forces bombarded positions by militants supporting Baitullah Mehsudand moved ground troops to secure key positions needed for a coming campaign against Mehsud areas of South Waziristan. The military bombed two compounds, three madrassas and a suspected training camp, killed or wounded several insurgents. Separately, hundreds of Wazir tribesmen took to the streets of Wana after Friday prayers to protest alleged U.S. drone strikes. June 19, FR Bannu: Suspected militants fired five rockets at homes in Palosa village, killing a Khasadar. A jirga of elders of the Jani Khel tribe decided to accept all conditions set by the government if it halted the ongoing operation in the area. June 20, South Waziristan: Militants killed six soldiers. Security forces, backed by two jetfighters and two gunship helicopters, attacked militant positions between Tanai and Sarwakai, claiming to have killed 32 militants. Troops set shops and other commercial property on fire in the town of Mauli Khan Serai, on the Wana-Jandola road. Locals said that three restaurants, a petrol pump and several shops were destroyed. Separately, militants fired three rockets at a Frontier Corps (FC) camp in Wana; FC fired artillery in response, targeting installations affiliated with Wazir commander Maulavi Nazir. June 20, FR Bannu: A grand jirga of the Baka Khel tribe declared it would not provide shelter to Taliban fighters in the area. June 21, South Waziristan: Security forces, backed by jets and gunship helicopters, killed 12 people and wounded eight. The government arrested several elders and confiscating their property under the Frontier Crimes Regulation. June 21, Kurram: Eight people, including two women and an infant girl, were killed, and 10 others injured, in clashes between tribesmen from Balishkhel and Sadda. June 22, South Waziristan: Militants led by Baitullah Mehsud fought security forces attempting to secure the important Wana-Jandola Road. 21 people, four of them tribesmen, were killed in bombing by warplanes and gunship helicopters. Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter planes and gunship helicopters of the Army continued attacking suspected militant positions in villages including Makeen, Barwand, Torwam, Srarogha and Tiarza. June 22, FR Bannu: A rocket fired from the Jani Khel area of FR Bannu into Bannu district killed three persons, including two women. Pakistani military bombarded the Jani Khel area in response. June 22, Kurram: Four security force personnel were kidnapped while five militants were killed in Lower Kurram. Separately, three tribesmen were killed and five injured in more tribal fighting. A jirga was unable to reach a ceasefire agreement to stop the sectarian fighting and was suspended. June 22, FR Kohat: Militants in Shin Dhand publicly executed a tribesman whom they alleged had killed his daughter-in-law. Separately, security forces arrested sixteen suspected militants in Shin Dhand and neighboring Kohat settled district. Militants also fired rockets at a check post at Kotal Pass in Darra Adam PESHAWAR 00000143 007 OF 007 Khel; security forces returned fire. June 23, South Waziristan: All national newspapers headlined a reported U.S. drone strike that killed 80 people, including TTP senior commander Khwaz Wali Mehsud. The two attacks reportedly took place in Lattaka village of Ladkha tehsil. Baitullah Mehsud lieutenant Qari Hussain and prominent Afghan Taliban commander Maulvi Sangeen also may have been killed in the missile attack. (Note: TTP spokesman Mufti Waliur Rehman denied reports about both deaths.) June 23, Orakzai: Militants, in the presence of tribesmen, amputated the hands of a man charged with theft, in compliance with a punishment ordered by a "taliban court." June 24, Kurram: At least 17 people were killed and 32 others injured in clashes between Sunni and Shi'a tribes, primarily in Lower Kurram. Tribal elders of the Turi Bangash tribe pledged to fully support the government if they launched a military operation in the area. June 25, South Waziristan: Militants blew up a girls' high school in Shin Warsak town. June 25, Orakzai: Security forces targeted militant hideouts in Lower Orakzai from gunship helicopters and claimed to kill eight militants. June 25, Kurram: Eight more people died in clashes between rival factions. Some Turi (Shi'a) residents asked that the government raise a Turi lashkar to deal with the growing influence of militants in the area. June 25, FR Bannu: Tribal elders of Ahmadzai Wazir tribes held a jirga with the political administration and said that they would weed out terrorists from the area. TRACY