VZCZCXRO9523
OO RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #5197/01 2981028
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 251028Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3723
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEOMFE/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUMICEA/JICCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFIUU/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3169
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3299
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 6620
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 1964

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005197 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA/FO, SA/A, S/CR, EUR/RPM 
NSC FOR HARRIMAN 
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76 
 
SIPDIS, SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SNAR PINS AF
SUBJECT: ASSASSINATION OF TRIBAL WARLORD IN HERAT PROVINCE 
 
KABUL 00005197  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Regional Pashtun warlord Amunallah Khan, his son and many 
others in his convoy were killed in an armed attack which took place 
on the road between Shindand and Zir Kuh in southern Herat Province 
on October 22. Reprisal attacks by his followers took place in the 
general Zir Kuh area the same day. The initial attack and its 
reprisal will affect Pashtun tribal relationships in the area, and 
could impact on provincial security. 
 
THE OCT 22 ATTACK 
------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) On Oct 22, 2006 a convoy of 2 vehicles carrying Amanullah 
Khan, family members and an armed escort suffered an RPG attack 
followed by small arms fire close to Gardana and Larga villages on 
the road from Shindand to Zir Kuh. Amanullah Khan, his son and most 
of the entourage were killed on the spot. After news of the attack 
spread, Amanullah Khan's Noorzai (Pashtun) tribesmen made a reprisal 
attack on Barakzai (Pashtun) tribesmen loyal to Arbab Bashir. In the 
ensuing conflict, two helicopters from the ANA base at Shindand were 
mobilized, causing the crowd to disperse. Herat officials have 
announced that over two hundred and fifty troops from ANA and ANP 
units were mobilized to quell the violence. A delegation of senior 
GOA officials, headed by Wolesi Jirga Deputy Speaker Aref Noorzai 
(who was also sent to Shindand in 2004 to help bring an end to 
district conflict and to escort Amanullah Khan back to house arrest 
in Kabul) has left Kabul for Shindand. 
 
OLD FEUDS 
--------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Pashtun Amanullah Khan was a long time bitter opponent 
of Herat's Tajik ex-Governor (and now Minister of Water and Energy) 
Ismail Khan, and their rivalry in the region sparked a major 
conflict in 2004. Ismail Khan was originally from Shindand, and 
their animosity went back many years. Amanullah Khan was also 
reputedly a narcotics-trafficker, and was accused by officials in 
Herat as being a Taliban commander who gave refuge to many 
ex-Taliban fighters after the collapse of the Taliban regime. 
Although the Shindand District was administratively part of Herat 
Province, Amanullah Khan had great power in the area and the 
district was divided into Herat-controlled and Amanullah 
Khan-controlled sectors, separated by a no-man's land. Full scale 
hostilities erupted in 2004, and Amanullah Khan was brought to Kabul 
and placed under house arrest for several months until the area 
quieted down. 
 
TRIBAL HOSTILITIES 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) The October 22 confrontation between Amanullah Khan's 
forces and those of Arbab Bashir was not the first. In August, 2006 
Amanullah Khan's vehicle was attacked en route to a DIAG meeting in 
Herat. Two men riding a motorcycle threw a hand grenade into the 
vehicle, but Amanullah Khan was only slightly injured. No one has 
claimed responsibility for the attack in August, but local 
speculation is that Arbab Basir could have been behind this 
incident. He and Amanullah Khan were engaged in a major land dispute 
near the Iranian border. In early October, Basir was in his vehicle 
with his older son and several companions en route to Shindand when 
their vehicle was ambushed by an armed group. Basir was instantly 
killed and his elder son seriously injured during this ambush. The 
consensus was that this was Amanullah Khan's doing. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) We are consulting with ISAF to be sure they are taking 
appropriate measures to ensure security. The attack and reprisal 
impact on conditions in the southern portion of Herat province and 
possibly Herat itself. The removal of Amanullah Khan, who was often 
accused of close Taliban ties, could lead Taliban sympathizers and 
other extremist elements to become bolder, perhaps in tandem with 
 
KABUL 00005197  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Iran, or alone. The area Amanullah Khan controlled touches the 
Iran-Afghan border. At a minimum, the incident has the potential to 
escalate and trigger more factional conflict within the province's 
Pashtun tribes. There could also be a spill-over effect on 
neighboring Farah Province, which has large Noorzai and Barakzai 
populations. For several years, the Herat Provincial government has 
had very limited reach in the large area controlled by Amanullah 
Khan, and its ability to step in to fill the vacuum left by his 
death will be a serious challenge. 
 
NEUMANN