FATA AND NWFP: WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, MARCH 7

C O N F I D E N T I A L PESHAWAR 000059 E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/23/2019 TAGS: PTER MOPS PGOV PK SUBJECT: FATA AND NWFP: WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, MARCH 7 MARCH 13 REF: A) PESHAWAR 52 B) ISLAMABAD 50 C) PESHAWAR 49 CLASSIFIED BY: Michael A. Via, Acting Principal Officer, Peshawar, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d) Introduction - - - - - - - ¶1. (C) The release of 12 militant prisoners March 7, the appointment of Qazi judges in Swat March 12 and the repositioning of army forces were some of the first tangible steps taken by the government to implement the peace agreement and the Nizam-e-Adl "system of justice" widely viewed as Shari'a law. Tehrik Nefaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) Chief Sufi Mohammad lead a military convoy to police lines demonstrating his status and power in Swat. Most local observers do not expect the peace agreement in Swat to last long. The second failed attack on the Northwest Frontier Province Senior Minister March 7, continued fighting between militants and government forces, abductions, rocket attacks, Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) and the recent bombings of CD shops and other businesses, demonstrate that the insurgency continues unabated in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Swat - - ¶2. (C) The following is a summary of events in Swat, where a recent peace agreement and Qazi courts are being implemented: March 7, Mingora: 12 militants were released to by Northwest Frontier Province NWFP authorities to a Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) delegation as a confidence building measure. March 7, Ghalanai: Three Khasadar personnel and five miitants were killed when militants ambushed a vehicle transporting security forces. March 7, Timergara (Swat): A local Jirga (committee) held a rally and threatened to set up their own Shari'a courts if the President did not sign the proposed Nazam-i-Adl (Shari'a) regulations. March 8: The Takhtaband road was opened to traffic after two months with Tehrik Nefaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) Chief Sufi Mohammad leading a military convoy to police lines in Mingora. (Note: The Takhtaband road is the main road leading north out of Mingora. End note.) March 9, Swat: The militants agreed to remove all check posts in Swat following talks with the NWFP government. March 12, Mingora: The government has appointed and installed seven Qazi judges as part of the Nizam-e-Adl regulation and peace deal they are expected to begin to function March 13. (Ref. A). Bajaur - - - - ¶3. (C) The following is a summary of events in Bajaur Agency, where the Pakistani military has been conducting military operations since August 2008: March 10, Khar: The Mamoond tribe and the authorities have signed a peace agreement to bring law and order under control in Bajaur Agency. March 12, Ghallanai: Militants told local Khassadars (tribal security forces) to quit their jobs or "face the consequences." March 12, Ghallanai: Jet fighters and helicopter gunships attacked suspected militant positions along the border with Mohmand agency destroying houses including that of a "taliban" spokesman. NWFP - - - ¶3. (C) The following incidents have occurred in the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) and settled areas of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) according to press and consulate contacts: March 7, Peshawar: A suicide bomber killed at least seven security personnel and two others on the outskirts of Peshawar. The explosion temporarily disrupted electrical power to several villages in the area closest to the blast. March 7, Peshawar: militants killed at least 14 security forces personnel. Some were taken captive the same day on the border between Mohmand and Peshawar. (Note. Mohmand is the agency northwest of Peshawar, Ref C.) March 8, Kohat: Two civilians were killed and 14 others including six soldiers were injured in a roadside blast. March 9, Kohat: At least one person was killed and four other injured by a rocket attack in Darra Adamkhel. March 9, Kohat: Six rockets were fired by suspected militants against the Kotal check post. There were no reports of injuries. March 9, Kohat: Six rockets were fired by suspected militants against the Kotal check post. There were no reports of injuries. March 11, Peshawar: A suicide bomber attempt on the life of NWFP Chief Minister Bashir Bilour left four people dead but the minister unhurt (Ref. B). March 11, Peshawar: A militant threat by Mangal Bagh was alleged to be behind the abstention from voting of a local Senator. The senator denied the linkage. March 11, Matani: Seven rockets landed in the vicinity of Matani. One house was hit by a single rocket while the other six landed in a field. March 12, Kohat: 6 persons including a boy were injured when suspected militants opened fire on their car. March 12, Kohat: A bomb exploded in the Amanullah market but no casualties were reported. March 12, D.I. Khan: A police man was killed and a doctor was kidnapped by suspected militants. The police man had apprehended a suspected suicide bomber recently. March 12, F.R. Kohat: At least 35 militants were killed and several others, including three soldiers were injured in an operation launched in Frontier Region Kohat. March 12, Nowshera: Suspected militants blew up CD centers, internet Cafes and other shops with no casualties reported. March 13, Hangu: Suspected militants killed one and injured five others while they were traveling by bus near Bahadur Banda. FATA - - - ¶5. (C) The following is a roundup of incidents of talibanization in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Frontier Regions: March 8, Mohmand: The bodies of 14 Khasadar men (tribal militia) were found after their convoy was ambushed earlier in the day. March 9, South Waziristan: Militants shot dead three men in South Waziristan after filming them confessing to spying for the United States. (Note: Normally notes are left with the victims. End note). March 13, Landi Kotal: A suicide bomber rammed an explosive laden car (VBIED) into the boundary wall of the Frontier Constabulary Fort at Char Bagh injuring one soldier. Government Response - - - - - - - - - - ¶6. (U) This is a summary of government responses to "creeping talibanization" according to press and consulate contacts: March 9, Peshawar: Additional contingents of security personnel including some in plains cloths were deployed in the city to prevent militant attacks. March 11, Peshawar: Security forces personnel distributed relief goods among the residents of Mulla Gori. March 12, Chitral: The police will raise an elite force to combat acts of terrorism according to the district police chief. 102 junior officers and constables are to be sent for training. March 12, Hangu: 45 suspected militants were arrested, charged with murder and having links to the Taliban. March 12, Peshawar: A Member of the provincial assembly threatened a fellow minister with "calling the taliban" if the illegal postings and transfers of primary teachers did not end in his constituency. VIA