VZCZCXRO3781
RR RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #0188/01 0210533
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210533Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5570
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFIUU/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3546

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000188 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/FO, SA/A, S/CR, SA/PB, 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN 
OSD FOR KIMMITT 
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD 
RELEASABLE TO NATO/AUST/NZ/ISAF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EAID MARR AF
SUBJECT: PRT NURISTAN:  PROVINCIAL COUNCIL MEMBER KILLED IN 
ATTACK NEAR PRT 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: On January 15, unknown assailants attacked 
Nuristan Provincial Council member, Ahmad Shah Walikzada, and 
his cousin on the road between Nangarach village and the PRT 
Nuristan base.  Ahmad Shah was evacuated by U.S. military 
helicopter to the Asadabad Forward Surgical Team facility 
where he died.  His injured cousin was taken to a hospital, 
but his condition is unknown.  Ahmad Shah, was the son of 
Wakil Ghulam Sakhi, a highly respected elder from Nangarach, 
who is known throughout Nuristan province and the region as a 
vigorous supporter of the Karzai government.  Wakil and his 
son had been active and outspoken supporters of the PRT and 
Coalition efforts to bring peace and security to the region. 
END SUMMARY 
 
¶2. (U) At approximately 1015 on January 15, assailants 
ambushed Ahmad Shah Walikzada and his cousin, Ashiqullah, 
while they were riding a motorcycle on the main Alingar 
valley road between Nangarach village and PRT Nuristan's base 
at Qala Gush.  The victims were returning to Nangarach after 
a brief visit to the PRT where they had inquired about 
humanitarian assistance.  The attack occurred about 600 yards 
from the PRT base, in a small streambed which could not be 
observed by base guards.  The attackers, who may have been 
hiding behind rocks near the road, used AK-47s.  The shots 
were heard at the PRT, but force protection troops stationed 
in guard towers did not see the incident or the attackers who 
apparently fled on foot down the stream towards the Alingar 
River.  Nuristan PRT responded immediately.  PRT contract 
Afghan Security Guards (ASG) reached the scene within 
minutes.  The cousin, Ashiqullah, who was shot in the cheek, 
was taken by private vehicle to the house of Wakil Ghulam 
Sakhi, and then driven south to Mehtarlam or Jalalabad for 
treatment.  His condition is unknown. 
 
¶3. (U) Ahmad Shah, about 35-40 years old, was brought to the 
PRT in an ASG truck.  He had several gunshot wounds to the 
abdomen and his condition appeared grave.  A U.S. military 
helicopter based in Jalalabad flew him to the Forward 
Surgical Team (FST) facility in Asadabad where he expired. 
FST arranged for Ahmad Shah,s remains to be returned to the 
family by ambulance with an Afghan National Police escort. 
Just two days earlier, on January 13, Ahmad Shah had escorted 
a PRT mission to three villages in the Wadawu valley in order 
 to inform local residents about an operation on January 12 
that apparently eliminated Lal Din, a fighter who was 
believed to have been responsible for attacks on PRT Nuristan. 
 
¶4. (U) PRT Commander Lt. Col Brown informed Nuristan Governor 
Tamim Nuristani of the killing.  The Governor, currently in 
Kabul, said that he would travel to Nurgram district as soon 
as he had completed some pressing obligations in Kabul.  He 
also said that he would direct Ghulamullah, the Nuristan 
Provincial ANP Chief and Mohammad Farouq, the Director of 
Criminal Investigations for the ANP in Nuristan Province, to 
oversee the investigation.  Mohammad Ali, the Nurgram 
District Administrator, cut short a trip to Mehtarlam on 
learning the news and returned to Nurgram the evening of 
January 15. 
 
¶5. (U) PRT Commander, State Department Representative, and 
Dyncorp police advisers met with Nurgram District Police 
Chief Abdul Shukur to underscore the importance of the police 
conducting a serious, professional investigation.  The PRT 
Commander stressed that the Police Chief should report any 
issues that arise in obtaining needed resources or support 
from the Interior Ministry for the investigation.  He also 
emphasized that while the PRT Dyncorp police advisors stand 
ready to offer their expertise in conducting investigations, 
the responsibility for the investigation lies entirely with 
the Afghan authorities.  The PRT has no authority to 
investigate this crime. 
 
¶6. (U) Comment:  Ahmad Shah and his father, Wakil Ghulam 
Sakhi, have been vigorous and steadfast supporters of the 
Karzai government and Coalition activities in the region. 
 
KABUL 00000188  002 OF 002 
 
 
Ghulam Sakhi who had served as a "wakil" or representative in 
the Afghan Parliament in the 60s is known and respected 
throughout Nuristan province.  Wakil said that he had a close 
friendship with Abdul Ahad Karzai, President Karzai's father, 
who sat next to him in the Wolusi Jirga, the lower house of 
the Afghan Parliament.  Speculation abounds about motives and 
perpetrators.  The nearby Wadawu valley is notorious for its 
inordinate number of bloody internecine feuds.  One local 
dispute in the valley is so serious and disruptive that a 
large delegation of elders from Mandol district has been 
active in mediation efforts for two months.  Although he was 
a member of the provincial council, Ahmad Shah stood in his 
father's shadow locally, seldom speaking publicly.  He 
nevertheless eagerly and ably assisted the PRT and his 
involvement with PRT activities accorded a local legitimacy 
to the PRT.  The death of such a young, steadfast and 
prominent supporter of the Afghan government and the PRT 
stands as a serious loss to our efforts. 
 
NEUMANN