FATA AND NWFP: WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, JUNE 26

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 08 PESHAWAR 000146 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/9/2019 TAGS: PTER MOPS PGOV PK SUBJECT: FATA AND NWFP: WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, JUNE 26 - JULY 2 REF: ISLAMABAD 1464 CLASSIFIED BY: Lynne Tracy, Principal Officer, U.S. Consulate Peshawar, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (d) Introduction - - - - - - ¶1. (C) In North Waziristan agency (NWA),a series of escalating militant ambushes of Pakistan military convoys foreshadowed a declaration by NWA's principal indigenous militant commander that the February 2008 NWA peace agreement was no longer in effect (reftel). Fighting in South Waziristan Agency (SWA) diminished over the week as Pakistani military forces shifted their focus to NWA. Potentially significant in the SWA fighting, however, were repeated (if low-casualty) indirect fire attacks launched against Pakistani military forces from Ahmadzai Wazir areas of SWA. These attacks implied that in SWA as in NWA, the Pakistani military might have to face other enemies in its upcoming operation in addition to Baitullah Mehsud's Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). ¶2. (C) Military operations in the Malakand division continued at a similar pace to the previous week. In Swat, military forces continued search operations in various areas and launched a three-day clearing operation against what officials said was the militants' "final strongpoint" in Swat. In Buner, fighting began again after a lull, as security forces pushed into the mountainous eastern part of the district where militants fleeing the initial operation had taken shelter. A mass-casualty bombing and the murder of a soldier by militants in areas of Buner previously considered "secured" may dampen displaced Buner residents' enthusiasm for returning to their home district. Search operations also continued in Lower Dir; in Upper Dir, fighting between a local lashkar and militants continued. The army's operation in Bajaur drew to a close, as a major commander surrendered and a jirga of two minor tribes agreed to the 28-point program to which the largely pro-government Salarzai had previously agreed. ¶3. (C) Sectarian violence in Kurram agency, present throughout the previous two weeks, reached a crescendo over the reporting period; a ceasefire announced by Sunni and Shi'a leaders at the end of the period seemed to be less a result of settlement of the issues than of "combat fatigue." Sectarian tit-for-tat killings also continued in Dera Ismail Khan, albeit at a reduced rate vice previous weeks. Internecine tensions also touched off a round of fighting in Khyber agency, as militants associated with Mangal Bagh's Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) assassinated a prominent leader of a tribe that has repeatedly clashed with LI, prompting a retaliatory operation by the Frontier Corps. NWFP - Malakand Division - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (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 26, Swat: Search and cordon operations were carried out in Jabbar Kalle. Security forces reportedly neutralized 5 improvised explosive devices, destroyed one tunnel and one militant bunker. Militants attacked Bagh Derai and Sakhra. Reports state that the attack was repulsed, leaving one soldier injured. Security forces also destroyed two houses and five shops owned by alleged militant commanders. June 26, Upper Dir: Militants attacked security forces in the Shot Kas area with heavy weapons. Security forces claim to have killed 2 militants. June 26, Malakand: The body of an Awami National Party (ANP) activist was found in a field in the Sakhakot area. June 27, Swat: Security forces shelled suspected militants areas in Charbagh and Kabal. They also established a check PESHAWAR 00000146 002 OF 008 point at Keel Kandao, the border area linking Swat and Buner. In clearance operations in Thana and Tutan Banda, two soldiers were injured in an exchange of gunfire. Security forces seized a Parado Jeep, six walkie-talkie sets, one satellite communication set, four improvised explosive devices, six camera flash guns, weapons literature, explosives and a VHF/FM transmitter in Garai. June 27, Buner: Security forces claim to have taken control of all routes into Buner and to have established check points at the Swat-Buner border near Karakar Pass. June 27, Upper Dir: Reports state that four militants were killed and five wounded in fighting with the lashkar. Security forces shelled suspected militant hideouts in Midan. June 27, Lower Dir: Security forces claim to have recovered arms, ammunition and equipment and to have killed 4 militants and injured several other militants. In Maidan, a jirga agreed to cooperate with security forces in combating militants in the area. In the village of Amirabad, security forces destroyed the home of a suspected militant. In Chakdara, security forces raided a hujra, arresting four suspected militants. June 27, Shangla: Security forces established a full curfew for an indefinite period of time. June 28, Swat: Security forces claim to have arrested two local militant commanders and a suicide bomber trainer and to have recovered an explosive-laden car and a rickshaw from the Kokarai area. Security forces also claim to have confiscated arms, ammunition and explosive devices from a graveyard in Garai. Continued shelling in Mingora injured a suspected militant. Security forces also destroyed houses and a shop owned by suspected militants. June 28, Lower Dir: Security forces destroyed 12 houses of suspected militants and claimed to have arrested 8 suspected militants and seized arms and ammunition. In Adenzai, security forces raided a house of a suspected militant and recovered hundreds of sacks of wheat and other goods stolen from the World Food Program. In the Maidan area, three civilians were killed and five injured when a mortar shell hit their home. June 29, Swat: Security forces claim to have killed eight militants in the Khwazakhela area of Swat in a raid on a compound. Security forces also destroyed the homes of two suspected militant commanders near Mingora. June 29, Buner: A bomb in the main business center of Sawari killed at least five people and injured nine. The Pakistani military claims they are consolidating their positions in Dangram, Kukarai, and Jambil. June 29, Upper Dir: Reports state that a tribal lashkar killed two Afghan militants, captured 15 militants and destroyed 30 homes of suspected militant supporters. June 30, Swat: Security forces claim that in Biha valley, militants killed 18 of their own wounded soldiers. In a new effort to secure the Shah Dheri region of central Swat (near Kabal),security forces claim to have killed 16 militants and admitted the loss of three soldiers killed and eight others wounded. June 30, Lower Dir: Security forces state that they killed two suspected militants and arrested 20 others. Press reports state that a tribal lashkar was conducting house to house searches, and had destroyed 15 militant hideouts. June 30, Buner: Security forces launched a new offensive against militants in Chaghorzai, targeting the area with artillery. A beheaded body of an army soldier was found in front of a destroyed police station in Pir Baba. July 1, Swat: Five soldiers were injured in clashes during PESHAWAR 00000146 003 OF 008 clearing operations in the Shah Dheri area. Security forces also reported that they had neutralized four improvised explosive devices and destroyed four suspected militants' houses. Police report they have resumed patrolling in Swat. July 1, Upper Dir: Two tribesmen from the laskhar were killed in fighting with militants in the Doog Darra area. July 2, Swat: Security forces claimed to have killed 17 militants in ongoing operations in Shah Dheri and to have killed six militants and arrested five others in search operations in other parts of the district. Security forces also claim to have destroyed dozens of suspected militant houses and recovered small weapons caches in the Bara Banda, Qambar, Nawan Kallay, and Damani areas. July 2, Upper Dir: Lashkar in the Doog Darra area claim to have killed two militants including a militant leader, Maulana Naeemullah. Three lashkar members died 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 29, Battagram: Militants are demanding that Hindus either convert to Islam or pay a tax (jizya) in order to remain in the area. NWFP - Peshawar Division - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶6. (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 26, Peshawar: Kidnappers of a local surgeon demanded Rs 50 million in ransom for the doctor's release. A girls' school in Matani was bombed by three masked men. Suspected militants threw a grenade at the Dalazak Road police post in Sharpur. June 26, Nowshera: National Highways and Motorway police defused a bomb on the Grand Trunk road at a gas station. The bomb was hidden in a fire extinguisher. June 28, Nowshera: A Swat militant commander was arrested at a bus stop and taken in for interrogation. Police raided a house in Akbarpura and recovered a kidnapped man. June 28, Charsadda: Police claim to have arrested Mohmand militant commander Qari Roohullah from a mosque in Shabqadar. Qari Roohullah is suspected to behind the bombing of saint shrines in the NWFP. June 28, Peshawar: Police arrested two alleged militant commanders and militant commander Majnoon was killed by unidentified gunmen in the Board Bazaar. A low-level employee of the Intelligence Bureau was kidnapped from his home by suspected militants. June 29, Peshawar: Law enforcement agencies defused a car bomb filled with more than 60 kilograms on Afridi Road. June 30, Peshawar: Armed men riding motorcycles attacked fired on a rickshaw going to the Afghan Colony, killing one. A municipal inspector was killed outside of his office by unknown men. July 1, Peshawar: Police claimed to have stopped suspected militants from entering Peshawar in an explosive laden car. The PESHAWAR 00000146 004 OF 008 suspected militants were stopped at a checkpoint on Kohat road and opened fire on the police in an attempt to escape. The driver of the car blew himself up; his accomplices escaped. July 1, Nowshera: At least one person was killed and four others injured when suspected militants attacked the Nowshera cantonment with four rockets. July 2, Peshawar: Two policemen on a routine patrol were killed and two others injured when a police vehicle was targeted in the Chushtiababd area by a remote controlled bomb. Another small roadside bomb in the Mattani area was defused NWFP - Kohat Division - - - - - - - - - - - ¶7. (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 26, Karak: A suspected kidnapper was reportedly killed by local police forces. June 27, Kohat: Militants fired three rockets at Kohat city. Security forces retaliated with the shelling of suspected militant hideouts in the mountains of Darra Adam Khel. June 28, Kohat: Security forces claim to have arrested four suspected militants at a check point, confiscating 47 mortar shells, 52 head fuses, 15 tail cartridges, and 66 canisters of explosives. June 28, Hangu: Unidentified gunmen kidnapped the naib nazim of Thrall Union Council. Hangu police arrested four people suspected of trying to smuggle weapons from Orakzai into Hangu and confiscated 48 rocket shells, 30 bombs, five kilograms of explosives, and automatic weapons. July 1, Kohat: A bomb was defused at the Kharmato Girls Primary School. A police officer was injured when suspected militants attacked a police van on the Indus Highway near Kohat; in response, police arrested twelve suspected militants in various parts of the district. July 1, Hangu: Suspected militants attacked the Mamokhwara check post, killing one police officer. The police claim to have killed six of the attackers. A police contingent sent from Doaba to Mamokhwara was attacked by suspected militants in the Jawara area; seven police were injured. NWFP - Bannu Division - - - - - - - - - - - ¶8. (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 26, Lakki Marwat: The police claim to have arrested 225 criminals and 800 suspects and seized 10 hand grenades, five AK-47s, twelve rifles, fifteen shotguns, twenty five pistols, 4,340 bullets, and eleven kilograms of hashish over the previous three weeks. June 27, Bannu: Suspected militants using explosives destroyed a digital telephone exchange. Two motorbike riders kidnapped a Wazir tribesman in the Habibkhel Police Station's jurisdiction. June 28, Bannu: Militants fired rockets at a police station in Miryan. No injuries were reported. June 28, Lakki Marwat: Security forces opened fire on a passenger bus when it did not stop, injuring a woman and her child. PESHAWAR 00000146 005 OF 008 July 1, Bannu: Security forces claimed to have killed five militants when the militants attacked a check post near Hindi Khel. July 2, Lakki Marwat: Police claim to have arrested a would-be suicide bomber in an explosives-laden vehicle in the Tajazai area. Police also arrested 70 suspects in raids throughout the district. NWFP - Dera Ismail Khan Division - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶9. (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 28, DI Khan: Unidentified gunman killed two brothers in the Dhodawali area. A man was stabbed to death in the jurisdiction of the Prova police station. June 28, Tank: Armed men killed two people in the Jamal Awan area of Tank. June 29, Tank: Security forces claim to have killed two militants, including a commander. Security forces also arrested at least five suspected militants from the Mohallah Khadarianwala, Sabir Abad, and Grah Buddha areas of Tank. The body of another militant was found in Pathar village. July 1, DI Khan: A remote control bomb exploded near a police van, killing one civilian and injuring another. July 2, DI Khan: A grenade was thrown at a butcher's shop in Gali Gul Zaman, killing two people and injuring five others. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Northern FATA - - - - - - - ¶10. (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 26, Khyber: Presumed militants desecrated the graves of four relatives of Federal Minister for Zakat and Ushr, Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, in the Peerokhel graveyard. These relatives had been killed in an ambush near Jamrud in May 2008. June 26, Bajaur: Security forces shelled suspected militant positions in Nawagai tehsil, and reported killing five militants and injuring three others. Security forces, backed by mortars and tanks, claim to have regained control of a government fort and secured the Chinar area, where militants had allegedly set up bunkers. In search operations security forces claim to have recovered anti-tank mines, mortar shells, hand grenades, rocket launchers, bomb making materials, AK-47s and Afghan currency. June 27, Mohmand: Suspected militants attacked pro-government Mohmand tribesmen. In coordination with security forces, local tribesmen repulsed the attack. No casualties were reported. June 27, Bajaur: A jirga of Chamarkand and Kamangara tribesmen signed onto the 28-point agreement that the political administration has previously signed with other Bajaur tribes. Separately, the Bajaur political agent ordered all Afghan refugees to leave the agency within three days. June 28, Mohmand: Two children were injured when unidentified miscreants threw a grenade into the house of a local tribesman. Elders in Ambar tehsil have raised and armed a lashkar in response to local militants. June 28, Bajaur: Security forces claim to have killed four militants and destroyed the homes of several suspected militants PESHAWAR 00000146 006 OF 008 in Nawagai tehsil. Security forces state they are targeting suspected militant bunkers and hideouts in Charmang, Hasham, Cheenar, Babara, and Manogai. June 29, Khyber: Security forces claim to have killed at least 13 suspected militants in attacks on militant hideouts in the Bazaar Zakha Khel area. The press reported that seven people were killed and three others injured in shelling in the Sra Saga Bazaar in Zakha Khel. June 29, Mohmand: Two officials were injured when suspected militants attacked their vehicle in the Shamsha area of Khawezai Baizai tehsil. June 30, Khyber: Two Afghan border security guards, four women and two children were killed when a suicide bomber coming from Pakistan and dressed in a burqa blew himself up at the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. June 30, Bajaur: News reports state a local militant commander and close aide to Mualana Faqir Mohammad surrendered to the Khar Assistant Political Agent. July 1, Bajaur: A school in the Fajja areas was destroyed by suspected militants. July 1, Khyber: A key pro-government tribal elder, Malik Guli Shah Kuki Khel, his guard, and his driver were killed by suspected militants in the Tedi Bazaar. In response, security forces claimed to have killed at least 28 suspected militants, including a commander, in overnight Frontier Corps operations against Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) in the Tirah valley. LI admitted only eight casualties. Southern FATA - - - - - - - ¶11. (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 26, FR Kohat: Security forces arrested 42 suspected militants, three of which are suspected bomb makers. A suspected militant commander was claimed to have been killed and two others injured when security forces launched a search operation in the Turk Ismailkhel area of Shindhand. June 26, Kurram: Suspected Shi'a militants fired rockets at Sadda city and its suburbs. Three women and two men were killed and eight others injured, including four children. June 26, North Waziristan: A security forces' convoy, heading from Miranshah to Bannu, was attacked with a roadside bomb. Five soldiers were reportedly killed with 16 also injured. In retaliation, security forces shelled suspected militant hideouts in Miram Shah and Mir Ali. Another roadside bomb detonated against the same convoy near Nowrak (in Mir Ali tehsil), reportedly leaving five soldiers injured. In retaliation, security forces shelled the areas near the abandoned Chashma flour mills, destroying the mills completely. A bomb planted near a check post in Mir Ali was reportedly defused by locals. June 26, South Waziristan: Pakistani Air Forces planes bombed suspected militant hideouts in the Mehsud areas of the agency, and the Pakistani military reported they had killed 20 militants. June 27, Kurram: Reports state that at least 28 people were killed and 55 others injured in Lower Kurram in sectarian fighting between Sunni and Shi'a tribesmen, which involved suspected militants. June 27, North Waziristan: Security forces opened fire on a truck, injuring two suspected militants when the truck did not PESHAWAR 00000146 007 OF 008 stop. June 27, FR Tank: Security forces destroyed the Jandola bazaar and its 700 shops and hotels, claiming the razing was for security reasons. June 27, South Waziristan: The Pakistani military claimed to have killed 15 militants in airstrikes in the Makeen area. The airstrikes targeted militant offices, a training facility and arms and ammunition dumps in Ladha and Makeen. Suspected militants fired six rockets at a security forces' camp in Salian and a paramilitary fort in Wana. June 28, Kurram: Three tribesmen were killed in fighting between tribes. The fighting continues in the Lower Kurram areas of Minging, Makhai Zai, Balish Khel, Khwar Kale, and Sangeena. Militants attacked a security check post using rockets in Karaman. No casualties were reported. June 28, North Waziristan: Reports state that between 100 to 150 militants attacked an army convoy travelling from Qaza Madakhel to Miranshah with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), rockets, heavy machine guns grenades and mortars at Wacha Bibi. Over 25 solders, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed and 35 were injured. The Pakistani military claims to have killed ten militants when helicopter gunships retaliated by targeting suspected militant positions. June 28, South Waziristan: The Pakistani military claims to have killed 12 militants and injured seven others during the bombing of Ladha tehsil. Two soldiers were killed in Wana and another soldier was killed as militants mortared Tanai Fort. June 29, FR Kohat: Security forces arrested six suspected militants after exchanging fire in the Akhorwal area of Darra Adam Khel. Security forces also bombarded the areas around Tor Chappar village with artillery. June 29, Kurram: Shi'a leaders claimed that 23 Sunnis and two Shi'a were killed in fighting. Rockets were fired by unknown people at the Parachinar outskirts. June 29, North Waziristan: A spokesman for NWA militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur announced that the February 2008 NWA peace agreement was no longer valid and that militants would attack Pakistani military forces in NWA. Army helicopter gunships attacked suspected militant positions in the town of Madda Khel. Security forces claim that five militants were killed. June 29, South Waziristan: Pakistani press reported that in the village of Kaloosha, at least three civilians were killed and seven wounded when mortar shells landed near a mosque. June 30, FR Bannu: A security official was killed and two others injured in Janikhel when suspected militants ambushed a military convoy on a routine patrol. Suspected militants fired rockets at a Frontier Constabulary fort. June 30, North Waziristan: Security forces began bombing suspected positions of Hafiz Gul Bahadur. Security forces based in Dattakhel and Gharlamay military camps continued shelling suspected militant positions. Militants circulated fliers announcing they had banned meetings of more than five people and warning residents against volunteering as Khasadars. June 30, South Waziristan: The Pakistani military claimed that Baitullah Mehsud had declined a plea by parents of children training as suicide bombers that those children be returned. July 1, North Waziristan: The Pakistani military distributed pamphlets ensuring the GOP would abide by the signed peace agreement and asked the people of North Waziristan to support the security forces. Press reported five people were reportedly killed in bombardment by an Army helicopter. PESHAWAR 00000146 008 OF 008 July 1, Kurram: 20 people, including a police officer, were killed and 42 people were injured in sectarian clashes in Lower Kurram. Sunni and Shi'a elders announced that they had concluded a ceasefire, however. In a separate incident, local police intercepted suspected militants trying to enter Kurram agency from Orakzai; a policeman and two militants were killed and six police and an unknown number of militants injured in the ensuing firefight. July 1, Orakzai: Reports state that 150 Khasadar and Levy personnel have left their jobs after a deadline set by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The TTP threatened punitive action if Khassadar and Levy personnel and other government workers continued working for the GOP. July 2, North Waziristan: Militant local commander, Mullah Nasir, offered to remain out of the fighting if security forces refrained from military action against militants in the Wana region. July 2, FR Tank: Militants fired three rockets at Jandola Fort; no injuries were reported. TRACY