FATA AND NWFP: WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, APRIL 18

C O N F I D E N T I A L PESHAWAR 000085 E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/27/2019 TAGS: PTER MOPS PGOV PK SUBJECT: FATA AND NWFP: WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, APRIL 18 - APRIL 24 REF: A) PESHAWAR 81; B) PESHAWAR 75; C) PESHAWAR 76; D) PESHAWAR 79 CLASSIFIED BY: LYNNE TRACY, PRINCIPAL OFFICER, PESHAWAR, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d) Introduction - - - - - - - ¶1. (C) Pakistanis from political and military quarters expressed alarm when taliban fighters advanced from Swat into neighboring Shangla and Buner Districts of Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) without resistance during the third week of April. The government began to deploy some troops to Buner by April 24. (Ref. B, C) One senior NWFP official closely associated with the Swat peace deal privately acknowledged to Peshawar Principal Officer that the agreement is essentially dead (Ref A). The attack on a power transmission point and the incident of graffiti reportedly appearing in Swabi district, calling for jihad against infidels, (see para 6) are troubling indicators that this once relatively quiet district south of Buner that straddles the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway may be headed for increasing incidents of militant violence. ¶2. (C) On April 18, a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle at a military checkpoint in Hangu (Kohat District, NWFP),killing 27 people, including 23 soldiers, and wounding approximately 50 others. Earlier that same day, one person was killed and several others were injured when another explosive device was detonated at a Hangu bazaar. (Ref. D) Ongoing violence in Hangu underscores the government's dilemma of trying to devote enough resources to the northern NWFP while not losing sight of the smoldering conflict in this key southern district. Swat - - - ¶3. (SBU) The following is a summary of events in Swat, where a recent peace agreement and Qazi courts are being implemented: April 20: Militants reportedly kidnapped nine people, including six security personnel. TTP spokesman Muslim Khan told reporters that the men were "arrested" because they had cameras. Khan said Shari'a law would not be restricted to Malakand division and the taliban would not lay down weapons unconditionally. April 21: The NWFP government reportedly warned Sufi Muhammad against continued violations of the peace deal. April 22: Newspapers reported that the taliban had resumed armed patrolling and setting up checkposts. TTP spokesman Muslim Khan told reporters that all militants willing to battle US troops and their Arab allies were welcome in Swat, including Osama Bin Laden. April 23: At the request of the NWFP government, TNSM chief Sufi Mohammad agreed to defer the deadline for setting up Darul Qaza (Shari'a courts) in Malakand. Muhammad also reiterated his view that the British-era political and judicial system in Pakistan was "un-Islamic." April 24: Local taliban stopped a convoy of security force vehicles from entering Mingora by surrounding the convoy on all sides and forcing the convoy to turn back. Buner - - - ¶4. (SBU) The following is a summary of events in Buner District, NWFP, and a neighboring district to Swat, where militants entered in April: April 21: Locals described taliban militants from Swat as taking control of Buner by patrolling bazaars, villages and towns in the district. Many said they had been on a looting spree for five days, robbing government and NGO offices of vehicles, computers, printers, generators, edible oil containers, and food and nutrition packets. April 22: A TTP spokesman said the taliban would not leave Buner until Nizam-i-Adl was implemented in Malakand division. April 23: Militants reportedly ambushed a police vehicle leading a convoy heading to Buner, killing two policemen. The commander of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Buner, Maulana Khalilur Rahman, reportedly stated the taliban had no intention of occupying Tarbela Dam and moving beyond Margalla Hills. April 24: Reports circulated widely that six platoons of the Frontier Corps (FC),250-300 troops, were deployed to different checkposts in the district. (Note: A contingent of around 360 police officers from Peshawar reportedly refused to deploy to Buner. End note.) Although a spokesman for Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi (TNSM) leader Sufi Muhammad announced that taliban militants were withdrawing from Buner, other militants reportedly denied that they were leaving. A local police commander said that about 300 taliban left the district in 15 trucks, but some "local taliban" were still present. Bajaur and Mohmand - - - - - - - - - - ¶5. (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: April 18, Mohmand: The taliban announced that the death of a tehsildar (mayor) they abducted last month. April 18, Bajaur: Militants reportedly kidnapped two tribal elders in Mamoond tehsil. April 19, Bajaur: Three activists of TNSM and one taliban militant were reported killed after an exchange of fire between the two groups in Mamoond tehsil. Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar said two anti-taliban men had been killed and 10 houses torched. April 20, Mohmand: Militants blew up a Community Health Center. The NWFP government reportedly stopped registering Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and asked them to return home. April 20, Bajaur: The Mamoond tribal jirga chief and his driver were critically injured by a remote-controlled bomb. Militants also blew up a government school. TTP and TNSM announced a ban on political parties and politics in the agency after talks. Both militant organizations also banned the assembly of more than three people at a place. NWFP - - - ¶6. (C) The following incidents have occurred in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) according to press and consulate contacts: April 18, Kohat: A suicide bomber detonated his vehicle at a military checkpoint in Hangu, killing 27 people, including 23 soldiers, and wounding approximately 50 others. Earlier that same day, one person was killed and several others were injured when another explosive device was detonated at a Hangu bazaar. (Ref. C) Elsewhere, a man was killed and three others seriously wounded when explosives stored in his home blew up. April 20, Swabi: Three bombs exploded at a 500 KV transmission line tower at the Tarbela Dam. April 20, Peshawar: Militants ambushed and opened fire on a vehicle belonging to a Pakistan Air Force officer on Ring Road; the officer was injured. April 23, Kohat: Militants fired rockets at a checkpoint. In response, police and security forces launched a joint security operation, arresting eight suspected militants. Elsewhere, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Darra Adam Khel announced that they would turn over the body of the Polish geologist they killed in a few days. April 23, Peshawar: Approximately 40 armed militants carrying rocket launchers attacked a private bus terminal on the outskirts of the city, injured a guard, and burned six tankers supplying fuel to NATO forces in Afghanistan. April 21, Shangla: The TTP warned lawyers in the district of serious consequences if they continued to appear in "un-Islamic" courts. April 23, Shangla: Reports circulated that about 30 taliban militants entered this district adjacent to Swat and began patrolling. Some families reportedly left their homes for safer locations. April 24, Lakki Marwat: Three passengers driving toward the tribal belt refused to stop their car when ordered to by police. A man in the front seat reportedly threw a hand-grenade at the police, which exploded without injuries. The police opened fire, captured two, while the third escaped. April 24, Swabi: Graffiti reportedly linked to the taliban written on walls near government buildings called for "jihad against infidels." FATA - - - ¶7. (C) The following is a roundup of incidents of talibanization in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Frontier Regions: April 18, Khyber: A remote-controlled bomb explosion killed four people in Bara. In Landikotal, two rockets landed in an Army Garrison; no injuries were reported. April 18, North Waziristan: Militants attacked an Army convoy with a remote-controlled bomb; no injuries were reported. Militants also killed a man on charges of "spying" for the US. Elsewhere, a taliban commander told the press that the organization had busted most of the spy networks operated by the US and Pakistani military. He said they had relocated "40 training camps." April 19-24, Orakzai: Hundreds of tribesmen reportedly fled to safer areas after a week of shelling by jetfighters and gunship helicopters. The government claimed to kill over 50 militants in the operation. April 19, Khyber: The political administration imposed a curfew as a result of increasing Taliban attacks. April 20, South Waziristan: A two-day ceasefire in the agency collapsed when taliban militants attacked security force bases after an alleged drone attack killed eight. April 20, Kurram: Markets in Parachinar were reportedly out of food and medicine due to new road blockages in the agency. April 20, Khyber: Security forces reportedly bombed militant hideouts by helicopter gunship and arrested an activist of Jaish-i-Muhammad in Jamrud. April 20, South Waziristan: Two civilians were reportedly killed and seven people, including four soldiers, were injured in clashes between security forces and militants. April 23, Khyber: Jet-fighters dropped bombs on a home in Bara tehsil, killing nine members of a family and injuring six. April 24, North Waziristan: Taliban militants reportedly fired five rockets at an army camp; no casualties were reported. Government Response - - - - - - - - - - ¶8. (SBU) This is a summary of government responses to "creeping talibanization" according to press and consulate contacts: April 19, Islamabad: A newspaper report stated that the PPP-led coalition government had launched efforts to track down and combat "bad Taliban." April 20, Islamabad: Police arrested two alleged terrorists from South Waziristan on charges of planning and facilitating acts of terror. April 24, Peshawar: The FATA Secretariat established a Levies/Khasadar Welfare Fund with a grant of 100 million rupees which would benefit disabled members or the families of those killed. The FATA Secretariat estimated that there are 2,420 Levies and Khasadars. Grass Roots Efforts to Halt Talibanization - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶9. (U) The following events are examples of activities taken by local communities to halt the spread of Talibanization: April 22, Kohat: A pro-government group of fighters reportedly clashed with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Darra Adam Khel and gave them a 24-hour deadline to leave the area. April 24, Peshawar: A peace committee organized by the Khyber Union of Journalists, Peshawar Press Club and Citizen Rights and Sustainable Development (CRSD) and attended by various political, civil society, academics, traders and others, planned to start a "peace movement" in the region. April 24, Peshawar: According to Gillani Research Foundation, sponsored by Gallup Pakistan, 90 percent of Pakistanis oppose murder, suicide bombing, hostage-taking, making threats and stealing to achieve political aims. TRACY