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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PESHAWAR 000001 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  1/3/2019 
TAGS: MARR PGOV PREL PTER PK
SUBJECT: SECURITY OPERATIONS IN KHYBER IMPOSE SHORT TERM CURFEW ON 
TRUCKS TRAVELING TO AFGHANISTAN 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Michael A. Via, Acting Principal Officer, 
Peshawar, Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (a), (b), (d) 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) On January 2, the Torkham Highway crossing point into 
Afghanistan reopened to truck traffic, including trucks 
supplying NATO/ISAF, after being closed December 30 due to 
military security operations.  Operation "Daralam" or "Here I 
Come" was launched to increase security for convoys and to rid 
Khyber Agency of militants close to Peshawar.  The homes of two 
local notables including one senator and one Malik were 
destroyed.  One of these, Malik Najib Ullah, who had been 
arrested, had allegedly allowed militants to use his home.  The 
explosion that destroyed four oil tankers on December 29 was 
probably due to pilfering not a militant attack.  End Summary. 
 
Operation Daralam 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On December 30, the first day of Muharram, the first 
month of the Islamic calendar, Pakistan Army and 
Frontier Corps soldiers began operation "Daralam" or "Here I 
Come" against militants in the Khyber Agency.  The operation 
closed down the road between Peshawar and the Khyber Pass, 
Torkham Highway.  However 92 U.S. contracted trucks with 
NATO/ISAF cargo were able to cross the border into Afghanistan 
that day.  The Pakistan Army General Headquarters (GHQ) advised 
the Office of Defense Representative in Pakistan (ODRP) that 
military operations were initiated because of attacks on 
NATO/ISAF truck traffic along the Torkham Highway. 
 
¶3. (C) The Khyber Political Agent Tariq Hayat Khan told Acting 
Political Office (APO) December 31, that operation "Daralam" 
which means "Here I Come" could last three days or longer to 
clear out the militants from the area.  Local authorities 
imposed a curfew, resulting in a shortage of personnel at the 
custom station at Torkham Pass (the Pakistan side of the Khyber 
Pass).  The operations coincided with the normal 
slowdown/shutdown of the border during the first 10 days of 
Muharram.  While the security operation was unexpected, it 
caused minimal disruption because fewer trucks crossed the 
border during the holiday.  (Note: Traffic resumed on January 2 
but was expected to temporarily close again for the Ashura 
holiday on January 7/8.) 
 
¶4. (C) According to Khan, the operation was a significantly 
larger operation than one previously planned for Khyber but 
delayed due to the fight in Bajaur.  Operation Daralam was 
expanded and launched on short notice, not only due to the 
attacks on the truck convoys, but because notable militants that 
had begun to operate in the area.  Khan noted that among the 
killed or captured on December 31, were six Uzbeks that he 
believed were transiting Khyber.  Khan said that he was "linked 
up" with the military forces for "his operation" and had been at 
the front several times since the start of the campaign.  He 
stated that 600 ground troops accompanied by 12 tanks, an 
airborne observation plane for artillery control and two sets of 
attack helicopters comprised the bulk of Pakistan forces.  Khan 
explained he had used the attack helicopters to stop fleeing 
militants which were attempting to cross the Kabul River by boat 
into Mohmand province the afternoon of December 31. 
 
¶5. (C) Khan stated that he had ordered the destruction of the 
homes of two local notables including one senator.  One of 
these, Malik Najib Ullah, who had been arrested, had allegedly 
allowed militants to use his home to carry out kidnappings for 
ransom in and near Peshawar and been at home when the operation 
began. 
 
New Khyber Convoy Protection 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Khan stated that convoy operations would recommence on 
January 2 and up to 250 trucks from all carriers could be 
accommodated between the 8:00am to 2:00pm when the route would 
be secured.  Once convoy operations recommence, he will have an 
entire wing of 600 Frontier Corps soldiers guarding the entire 
 
PESHAWAR 00000001  002 OF 002 
 
 
route as opposed to the check posts previously used.  He 
explained that one of the additional duties for the expanded 
force would be to "bottle up" access roads and provide more 
strategic deployment of forces to prevent attacks. 
 
Fuel Tankers Destroyed To Hide Pilferage 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) On December 29, a blast destroyed four fuel tankers at 
Torkham Pass.  While initially reported to be the result of 
militants, according to Khan, pilferage was the likely 
motivation behind the destruction.  The four trucks, all 
belonging to the same owner, were parked separately from other 
fuel tankers and the explosion was clearly smaller than what 
would have occurred had the trucks been full of fuel.  The 
drivers of the trucks, who disappeared immediately after parking 
the trucks, returned to the scene after the explosion unharmed. 
A local scam has fuel tanker drivers selling most of the 
contents of their cargo locally before blowing up their vehicles 
and claiming militants attacked them. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (C) Khan, a former tank officer in the Army, was proud of the 
"combined arms team" that he had been able to assemble and 
seemed to be enjoying barking out instructions to the deployed 
forces during APO's visit.  This is at least the second 
operation to clear out militants in Khyber in the last four 
months; whether a similar operation will be needed in the near 
future will depend on how long the Frontier Corps is able to 
maintain deployments in the area. 
VIA