VZCZCXRO8625
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHPW #0044/01 0630433
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 040433Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL PESHAWAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7864
INFO RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 4922
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 4638
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE 1418
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 1052
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 0814
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE IMMEDIATE 1776
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI IMMEDIATE 1783
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUMICEA/USSOCOM INTEL OPS CEN MACDILL AFB FL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 PESHAWAR 000044 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  3/4/2019 
TAGS: PTER MOPS PGOV PK
SUBJECT: FATA AND NWFP:  WEEKLY INCIDENTS OF TALIBANIZATION, FEBRUARY 
20 - 26 
 
REF: A) PESHAWAR 39  B) PESHAWAR 38  C) PESHAWAR 28 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Lynne Tracy, Principal Officer, Peshawar, 
Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (a), (b), (d) 
Introduction 
- - - - - - - 
 
¶1. (C) Tehrik-i Taliban (TTP) deputy Faqir Mohammad announced a 
unilateral ceasefire in Bajaur on February 23.  Inspector 
General Frontier Corps Tariq Khan told consulate on February 25 
that no ceasefire had been agreed to and that Bajaur operations 
would continue (Ref A). 
 
¶2.      (C) Tehrik-i Taliban (TTP) leader Mullah Fazlullah in Swat 
announced an indefinite unilateral, ceasefire on February 24, 
but under strict "Islamic" conditions (Ref B).  The announcement 
extended the initial 10-day unilateral ceasefire proclaimed by 
the TTP on February 14 (Ref C).  Local contacts report that the 
terms of the ceasefire have not been put in writing. 
 
¶3.      (C) South Waziristani militant leaders Baitullah Mehsud 
and Mullah Nazir and North Waziristan's Gul Bahader, rival 
commanders, announced on February 22 a new alliance -- the 
"Shura Ittehad ul-Mujahideen" (Mujahideen Unity Council).  The 
new council's publicly stated aim is to focus resources and 
attacks on Coalition forces in Afghanistan.  Further background 
Islamabad septel. 
 
 
Bajaur 
- - - - 
 
¶4.      (U) The following is a summary of events in Bajaur Agency, 
where the Pakistani military has been conducting military 
operations since August 2008: 
 
February 22:  Security forces reportedly killed six militants, 
including two commanders. 
 
February 23:  Tehrik-i Taliban (TTP) deputy Faqir Mohammad 
announced a unilateral ceasefire in Bajaur.  Meanwhile, the 
Frontier Corps Inspector General, Major-General Tariq Khan, told 
reporters that his forces would have Bajaur under control by 
"mid-March." 
 
February 25:  Tribesmen reported hearing no jet fighters, 
gunship helicopters or artillery guns for two days.  The 
commander of forces in Bajaur, Colonel Asad, told reporters that 
he had given a "two-day" deadline for residents to vacate their 
houses before launching operations.  Col. Asad observed that 
militants in Bajaur were using residents as "human shields" and 
not permitting them to leave their areas.  Security forces 
reportedly arrested several militants, recovered remote control 
bombs and a large cache of weapons during a search operation. 
The army took a group of journalists to Inayat Qalay and Bhai 
Cheena, which security forces recently captured from militants. 
 
February 26:  The Political Agent of Bajaur, Shafirullah Khan, 
announced at a grand jirga of tribal elders that the government 
had declared a ceasefire in accordance with the demands of the 
Mahmoond tribes.  The Bajaur PA also warned that the ceasefire 
would be conditioned on no further attacks by militants on 
government forces. 
 
NWFP 
- - - 
 
¶5.      (U) The following incidents have occurred in the 
Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) and settled areas 
of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP): 
 
February 20, Dera Ismail Khan:  A suicide bomber killed 32 
people and wounded more than 140 during a funeral procession of 
about 1,500 for a Shi'a killed a day earlier. 
 
February 21, Lakki Marwat:  Two suicide bombers were killed when 
their car prematurely exploded on the way to a Frontier Corps 
fort. 
 
February 21, Kohat:  Two Frontier Constabulary personnel were 
 
PESHAWAR 00000044  002 OF 004 
 
 
inured by an improvised explosive device (IED).  Elsewhere, two 
policemen were shot and killed. 
 
February 22, Swat:  Militants kidnapped the new District 
Coordination Officer (DCO) of Swat, but released him a few hours 
later, along with his six guards, in exchange for two militants. 
 
February 23, Swat:  Militants reportedly kidnapped two workers 
from the Awami National Party (ANP) and four soldiers from the 
Frontier Constabulary.  Militants also lashed six people in 
Mingora for smoking hashish. 
February 23, Kohat: 
 
February 23, Bannu:  A suicide bomber blew himself up near a 
temporary office of the Cantonment police chief, killing one 
policeman and injuring another. 
 
February 23, Peshawar:  A police guard was killed when he flung 
himself onto a suicide bomber to prevent him from entering a 
compound where judges and senior police officers live. 
Elsewhere, militants fired two rockets on the outskirts of the 
city, damaging two houses and several vehicles. 
 
February 24, Swat:  Tehrik-i Taliban (TTP) leader Mullah 
Fazlullah announced a unilateral, indefinite ceasefire, but 
under strict "Islamic" conditions. 
 
February 24, Nowshera:  Angry IDPs from Bajaur blocked the main 
road for Peshawar to Rawalpindi to protest the administration of 
Jalozai Camp in using "delaying tactics" to register them at the 
camp. 
 
February 25, Swat:  Some acts of killing and looting took place 
in Matta, Kabal and Khwazakhel while IDPs returned to their 
homes.  One man was shot dead and the house of a local ANP 
leader was set on fire and looted.  Despite these incidents, 
headlines featured such stories as "Swat Fast Returning to 
Normalcy," citing the return of police and the opening of 
markets, businesses, banks, government offices and schools. 
Militants reportedly disbanded checkpoints and stopped carrying 
heavy weapons in public.  Residents reported that taliban 
militants still occupied the roadside, but were unarmed. 
Underscoring the fragile state of peace and the risk of a return 
to violence, scores of militants stopped a convoy of vehicles 
carrying rations for troops.  A report from an Italian news 
agency claimed that the taliban of Swat were given $6 million in 
compensation for the ceasefire. 
 
February 25, Peshawar:  Militants fired nine rockets and mortar 
shells on the outskirts of the city, injuring a villager and 
damaging two houses. 
 
February 25, Kohat:  Two motorcyclists were killed by a 15 kg 
roadside bomb.  The bomb was likely intended for a police 
vehicle passing nearby at the time of the explosion. 
 
February 26, Peshawar:  Militants fired three rockets from Bara 
into the outskirts of the capital. 
 
February 26, Kohat:  Militants fired five rockets at security 
force checkpoints.  Security forces announced the launch of 
another military operation in the area. 
 
FATA 
- - - 
 
¶6.      (U) The following is a roundup of incidents of 
talibanization in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) 
and Frontier Regions: 
 
February 20, Khyber:  Militants tried to bomb a bridge in Landi 
Kotal, but only one of three bombs exploded.  The bridge 
suffered no damage and traffic resumed after a one hour delay. 
 
February 21, Khyber:  Militants fired a rocket at a fuel tanker 
in Landi Kotal, killing the driver. 
 
 
PESHAWAR 00000044  003 OF 004 
 
 
February 22, South Waziristan:  Three Pakistani militant groups 
formed a new alliance in South and North Waziristan.  Militant 
commanders Baitullah Mehsud, Maulvi Nazir, and Hafiz Gul Bahadur 
joined forces, announcing the creation of an umbrella group, 
"Shura Ittihadi al-Mujahideen" (SIM).  The new militant 
organization accepted Mullah Omar and Osama Bin Laden as its 
leaders and declared it would fight the "infidels" together. 
 
February 23, Darra Adam Khel:  Militants blew up a government 
boys' school and five houses.  Security forces fired artillery 
on suspected militant hideouts. 
 
February 25, Orakzai:  Militants released a videotape message of 
a missing Canadian journalist, Beverly Giesbrecht, who was 
kidnapped in Bannu in November 2008. 
 
February 25, Khyber:  The agency chapter of Terhrik-i-Taliban 
(TTP) threatened the government with a tit-for-tat response if 
it launched a military operation against Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) in 
Bara.  Members of the Bara Peace Committee alleged that the 
Khyber Political Agent (PA) and the security forces had violated 
a peace agreement by launching air strikes against LI 
headquarters on February 23.  During that copter attack, Mangal 
Bagh reportedly escaped, but three were killed and 13 wounded. 
Businesses and markets were closed in Bara to protest a security 
forces strike on a flour distribution center.  Local businessmen 
staged at protest march at mid-day. 
 
February 26, Kurram:  After 12 tribesmen were kidnapped on the 
agency's main road, consulate contacts reported that militants 
had closed the Thal-Parahinar Road.  Residents reportedly fear 
an imminent return of Shi'a-Sunni sectarian violence in the 
agency, after an October 2008 peace deal established several 
months of relative calm. 
 
February 26, Mohmand:  Militants killed two civilians and took 
six others hostage during a clash with local residents. 
Militants accused the locals of "looting weapons" from their 
camps during recent military operations. 
 
February 26, Khyber:  Residents of Bara blamed the political 
administration for worsening law and order in their tehsil. 
Locals complained of indiscriminate air strikes, arbitrary 
detention of tribesmen, unjustified fines and excessive 
electricity loadshedding. 
 
Government Response 
- - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶7.      (U) This is a summary of government responses to "creeping 
talibanization" according to press and consulate contacts: 
 
February 20, Mohmand:  The Political Agent (PA) reopened a gate 
leading into the agency after it had been closed for four months 
for security. 
 
February 22, Peshawar:  Chief Minister of Northwest Frontier 
Province (NWFP) Amir Haider Khan Hoti announced that 30,000 
rifles would be distributed to villagers to cooperate in the 
fight against militants.  A military spokesman said that the 
Pakistan Army had not been consulted about the plan. 
 
February 22, Darra Adam Khel:  Security forces reportedly 
arrested 15 suspected militants. 
 
February 23, Khyber:  The Frontier Corps claimed to destroy the 
main communication center used by militants in Landi Kotal, 
killing 10 and destroying 15 vehicles. 
 
February 23, Dera Ismail Khan:  The NWFP Inspector General 
reportedly ordered a house-to-house search to curb sectarian 
violence in the district. 
 
February 24, Islamabad:  The Federal Minister for Special 
Initiatives dispatched 10 trucks containing relief goods worth 
10 million rupees for IDPs. 
 
 
PESHAWAR 00000044  004 OF 004 
 
 
February 25, Islamabad:  President Asif Ali Zardari asked the 
Government of Pakistan to immediately implement a 25 billion 
rupee development package for FATA and NWFP as part of a 
strategy to fight militancy. 
 
February 25, Kohat:  The police reportedly arrested four 
suspected militants in a search operation. 
 
February 26, Peshawar:  The United Nations High Commissioner for 
Refugees (UNHCR) Assistant High Commissioner visited Kachi Garhi 
IDP camp along with the Operations Head of World Food Program 
(WFP).  Both officials committed to improving life inside and 
outside the IDP camps. 
 
February 26, Peshawar:  The District Administrator for Afghan 
Refugees and the Additional Commissioner for Security visited 
the Azakhel Camp and provided meat to 7,344 refugee families. 
 
February 26, Kohat:  Security forces announced the arrest of 21 
suspected militants. 
 
February 26, Bajaur:  "Anti-Taliban" FM radio was heard 
throughout the agency from 7 pm to 10 pm local time from 12 FM 
radio channels.  Security forces established "Peace Radio" to 
present the "noble, dignified and true image of Islam." 
Militants operate at least 18 FM radio stations in FATA; eight 
in Bajaur, seven in Khyber, two in Mohmand and one in Orakzai. 
Militants also operate more than 10 illegal FM channels in NWFP, 
including Swat. 
TRACY