VZCZCXRO1971
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #0912/01 1191249
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 291249Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2491
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0183
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0191
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 4802
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 1531
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 7136
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 6071
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000912 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PK PREL PTER
SUBJECT: BUNER OPERATIONS CONTINUE WITH REQUEST FOR IDP 
ASSISTANCE 
 
REF: A. ISLAMABAD 901 
     ¶B. ISLAMABAD 887 
 
Classified By: CDA Gerald Feierstein for reasons 1.4 (b), (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  Following several Pakistan Air Force 
airstrikes on April 28, Pakistani Military ground troops 
moved into Daggar, the main city within Buner District 
(Malakand Division, Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP)), 
early on April 29 and secured the city.  During the 
operations, approximately 55 taliban members, including 
unspecified high profile leaders, were reportedly killed 
while local law enforcement officials confirm that 
approximately 60 security officials were taken hostage by 
militants.  In a late afternoon press conference on April 29, 
Pakistan Military Inter Services Public Relations announced 
that 18 of the 60 kidnapped officials had been released and 
two militant ammunition dumps had been destroyed. Frontier 
Corps Inspector General (IGFC) outlined to U.S. officials his 
plans for reactivating the lashkhars (tribal militia) in 
Buner to further seal the Buner/Swat border and for moving FC 
operations into neighboring Shangla District. Due to this 
week's operations, varying humanitarian agencies indicate 
there are approximately 100,000 internally displaced persons 
(IDPs) from Dir and Buner, and the IGFC requested immediate 
relief support in the form of food and clothing for the 
displaced.  NWFP Provincial Minister for Information 
announced on April 28 that the appellate courts under the 
Nizam-e-Adl had been organized and was prepared to share the 
plan with Tehreek-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) Chief 
Maulana Sufi Mohammad, but Sufi has been out of contact since 
April 27.  End Summary. 
 
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN BUNER 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. (S/NF) On April 29, U.S. Special Operations Command - 
Forward (SOC-FWD) Chief met with Major General Tariq Khan, 
the Inspector General for the Frontier Corps, to discuss the 
ongoing Pakistan military operations in Buner District 
(Malakand Division, NWFP).  Khan reported that the Pakistan 
Air Force was unsuccessful in many of its targeted strikes in 
the initial phases of the Buner operations on April 28 but 
that later airstrikes killed approximately 55 taliban 
members, including unspecified high profile leaders. 
Following these airstrikes, the 3rd Commando Group of the 
Pakistan Special Services Group (SSG) exploited the weakened 
state of the taliban surrounding Daggar, the main city within 
Buner, to secure the city early on April 29. (Note: Although 
reported in reftel that U.S. officials would accompany the FC 
deployment to Daggar, a late-night decision on April 28 by 
the Pakistan Military General Headquarters (GHQ) denied the 
joint deployment, saying the FC had all the assets needed. 
Embassy will work with GHQ to determine the reason for the 
late change and to promote integrated operation support. End 
note.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) Local law enforcement officials have confirmed media 
reports that approximately 60 Pakistani security officials 
were taken hostage during the Buner operations on April 28. 
These officials primarily belong to the local Buner police 
and Frontier Constabulary.  In a late afternoon press 
conference on April 29, Pakistan Military Inter Services 
Public Relations announced that 18 of the 60 kidnapped 
officials had been released and two militant ammunition dumps 
had been destroyed. 
 
¶4. (S/NF) Khan reported that ground troops from the Frontier 
Corps had moved into Buner to link with the SSG in order to 
secure entry into Buner from Swat District along the border. 
He also planned to reactivate the lashkhars (an armed, 
community-based watch group that was disbanded by the Buner 
district Commissioner in early April to allow for unimpeded 
entry to Buner by Swat taliban) to assist with sealing the 
Buner/Swat border. 
 
¶5. (S/NF) Following the Buner operations, Khan planned to 
take the fight to neighboring Shangla district, which 
reportedly fell to the taliban on April 22.  If all 
operations go according to plan, Khan believed he could deny 
militant ability to move from Swat into Dir, Buner, and 
Shangla districts. 
 
ISLAMABAD 00000912  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
IDPS AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) According to media and non-governmental organization 
(NGO) reports, the IDP population, following the operations 
in Lower Dir and Buner districts, has grown to over 100,000, 
with approximately 40,000 from Buner and 60,000 to 80,000 
from Lower Dir. Because of the dramatic increase in IDP 
numbers, Khan requested SOC-FWD Chief to push for immediate 
humanitarian assistance for the displaced, primarily in the 
form of food and clothing. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The UN assessment mission into Lower Dir scheduled 
for April 29 (reftel) was postponed by the Pakistan military 
due to security concerns after four local staff from a UN 
local partner were kidnapped on the road between Peshawar and 
Mardan. However, a team from the UN High Commission for 
Refugees (UNHCR) traveled to Mardan to assess sites there for 
new IDP camps.  UNHCR also plans to visit a new camp site 
near the existing IDP Jalozai camp on April 30, which will 
have the capacity to house approximately 5,000 families. 
(Note: To date, UNHCR reports that very few families have 
actually approached the camp seeking assistance. End note.) 
 
¶8. (SBU) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) 
reports that the Pakistani military has denied ICRC access to 
Lower Dir to conduct a humanitarian assessment due to 
security concerns.  However, ICRC is prepared to feed the 
IDPs within Lower Dir if they can get access; they currently 
have food for 7,000 families with more assistance in the 
works. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The NWFP Social Welfare Department (SWD) plans to 
start IDP registration on April 30 in Mardan, Charsadda, 
Swabi, and Kohat districts for the IDPs from Lower Dir, 
Buner, and Orakzai. The registrations will be done at central 
locations within each district and monitored by UNHCR staff 
and district officers.  Following the registration, the 
families will be referred to distribution points for relief 
assistance, such as non-food item kits (NFIs) from the Sarhad 
Rural Support Program (SRSP).  SRSP currently has 3,000 NFIs 
available for distribution, and UNHCR has pledged 5,000 
additional kits for distribution. 
 
¶10. (SBU) The World Food Program (WFP) also will distribute 
food to the IDPs from Lower Dir and Buner, in conjunction 
with SWD and UNHCR. As of April 29, WFP plans to have two 
functioning distribution hubs in Mardan and two additional 
hubs in Swabi. 
 
¶11. (SBU) On April 30, various NGO health providers plan to 
hold a meeting in Peshawar to discuss health ramifications 
from the sudden IDP surge.  The World Health Organization 
(WHO) reports that medical partners will provide health 
services, medical distributions, and limited mobile health 
units once the camps are established. 
 
NIZAM-E-ADL REGULATIONS FURTHERED 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) On April 29, the NWFP Provincial Minister for 
Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain announced at a press 
conference that the arrangements for the formation of Darul 
Qaza (or Shari'a-based appellate courts) under the 
Nizam-e-Adl had been finalized; however, the details of this 
formation would not be revealed until they were fully 
discussed with Tehreek-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) 
Chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad.  Hussain noted that the recent 
All-Party Conference and Malakand Grand Jirga had suggested 
to the NWFP government to form the Darul Qaza as soon as 
possible to bring peace and fully enact the Nizam-e-Adl. 
(Note and Comment: Sufi Mohammad has disappeared since his 
attempts to bring the Swat taliban in Buner back to Swat 
failed and the Frontier Corps occupied his home village in 
Lower Dir earlier this week.  The NWFP government will likely 
continue going through the motions on the Nizam-e-Adl as long 
as it demonstrates the government is maintaining its side of 
the Swat peace deal. End note and Comment.) 
FEIERSTEIN