SKIRMISH, SWEDES KILL THREE EXTREMISTS IN NORTHERN

C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000461

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/24/2019
TAGS: PREL PTER AF SW
SUBJECT: SKIRMISH, SWEDES KILL THREE EXTREMISTS IN NORTHERN
AFGHANISTAN

Classified By: CDA ROBERT SILVERMAN, 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) On July 23 at 2100 local time, Swedish troops came
under fire in the Balkh district, three kilometers west of
Mazar-e-Sharif, according to press and MFA sources.
According to the Swedish Armed Forces, the attack on the
Swedish rifle unit continued during the night.
Reinforcements were dispatched to the area, including a
Swedish Combat Vehicle 90, Finnish troops and a medical unit.
At dawn, the Swedish and Finnish units secured the area and
discovered three dead and two wounded extremists. The two
wounded were sent to the German Camp Marmal for medical care.



2. (C) MOD Director for International Security Policy Peter
Gothe told Pol Counselor July 23 that violence in northern
Afghanistan has been increasing for the past two years, to
the point that there are now weekly shootings in the areas of
Sweden's PRT. Before, the violence was mostly the related to
criminal activity, but more Taliban elements are involved
now. He stated that the Norwegians last year started engaging
in heavy fighting and Swedish have been "backfilling"
Norwegian positions since then. Last year, Taliban activity
was noted only in Pashtun pockets in northern Afghanistan, he
stated. Now, Sweden sees a clear increase in Taliban
activity across the region.


3. (U) Press reports, which MOD sources told us were largely
accurate, suggest violence has doubled since last year. In
the last 12 weeks, there have been eight attacks in the
Swedish PRT region, compared to seven in total last year:

-- On April 10, Swedish troops and Afghani police were fired
upon in Chahar Bulak. One police officer was killed, and two
Swedes were injured.

-- On April 17, a suicide bomber attacked an ISAF convoy on
the main road seven kilometers west of Mazar-e-Sharif. A
Norwegian captain was killed.

-- On April 23, automatic rifle and a rocket launcher fire
hit a Swedish four-vehicle convoy in Chabar Bulak. Several
vehicles were hit, but there were no casualties.

-- On June 18, a remote-controlled bomb hidden in bags on a
bicycle exploded in Shebergan. The bomb was aimed at a
convoy with Swedish and Finnish vehicles. One Finnish
vehicle was hit.

-- On June 30, 35 Taliban armed with machineguns and grenade
launchers attacked Swedish troops, and Afghan police and
military in Darzab. The Swedes called in the U.S. Air Force.
One Taliban fighter was killed.

-- On July 3, a Finnish patrol almost was hit by a suicide
bomber 20 kilometers east from Mazar-i-Sharif. The bomb
exploded prematurely and the perpetrator died; only his
vehicle was damaged.

-- On July 11, a Swedish patrol was hit by automatic fire and
rocket rifles 15 kilometers west of Mazar-i-Sharif. Vehicles
were hit, but no one was wounded.

-- On July 22, a group of Swedish and Finnish troops was
attacked in Sayyad in the south-western part of the PRT. The
soldiers were fired upon rifles and automatic carbines when
they approached a village. The gunmen moved away when the
Swedish group took their battle positions; there were no
casualties.
SILVERMAN