VZCZCXRO8834
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #0840/01 0931221
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031221Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8194
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000840 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
USFOR-A FOR POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV AF
 
SUBJECT: PRT KUNDUZ - GOVERNOR RAISES CONCERNS 
AFTER RAID IN IMAM SAHIB 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) In the early morning hours of March 22 in the district 
capital of Imam Sahib, Coalition Forces conducted a security 
operation at Mayor Sufi Abdul Manon's guest house.  The operation 
resulted in five deaths.  In the aftermath of the event, locals have 
protested, rumors are flying about how the men were killed, the 
Governor has condemned the lack of coordination with the local 
Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and the German PRT is under 
pressure to comment on the event.  On March 23, a team from the 
Ministry of Interior (MOI) arrived in the province to conduct an 
investigation of the incident. 
 
RAID IN IMAM SAHIB 
------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) Following a coalition security operation in the early 
morning of March 22 in the district capital of Imam Sahib (Kunduz 
Province) which resulted in five local deaths, the State PRT 
representative reported that the bodies of the dead were taken by 
locals to the traffic circle in the center of the city, where 
approximately 1500 locals demonstrated throughout the day.  ANSF 
forces were on hand to monitor the crowd. 
 
GOVERNOR OMAR CONDEMNS THE 
RAID AND LACK OF COORDINATION 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Governor Omar spoke with PRT representative on the morning 
of March 22 about the raid.  The Governor stated that security 
operations in the province need to be coordinated with local ANSF, 
noting that when there are deaths, it fuels the public's impression 
that Americans are trying to spread violence.  Omar acknowledged 
there are pockets of insurgent instability in the North, but the 
local population is generally supportive of the Government, he said. 
 He expressed his concern the incident would create a wider rift 
between the government and the people and provide a public relations 
opportunity for the opposition.  As such, he said he had no choice 
but to condemn the operation.  Omar reiterated his condemnation 
later in the morning at the weekly Provincial Security Meeting and 
on Ariana television. 
 
MINISTRY OF INTERIOR LED INVESTIGATION 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) On March 23, a team from Kabul, including Deputy Interior 
Minister General Daoud Daoud, the head of MOI's Criminal Police 
Unit, and representatives from the Ministry of Defense and NDS 
traveled to Imam Sahib to investigate the incident.  A provincial 
delegation including NDS, officials from the Governor's office, ANP 
and Provincial Council members also met with local elders on March 
¶22.  A local group petitioned Mayor Manon for permission to continue 
the demonstrations of the previous day, though he declined the 
request.  The dead bodyguard and his brother, both originally from 
Sar-i-Pul Province, have been returned home and the three other 
locals have now been buried.  Local rumors not based in fact are 
reportedly swirling about the incident: that the five dead were 
executed in the courtyard; that they were killed in bed; that the 
four arrested people were simply bystanders outside the compound; 
and that silencers were used during the raid.  Visiting German 
reporters have traveled to Imam Sahib to track the ongoing GIRoA 
investigation. 
 
COMMENTS 
-------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Governor Omar took great pains to provide an explanation 
for his condemnation and wanted to make sure his reasoning was 
passed back to Kabul.  In the past, Omar has repeatedly and strongly 
supported U.S. anti-insurgent operations, particularly those strikes 
in Pakistan.  However, a primary theme of his relationship with the 
PRT has been continued advocacy for closer and more effective joint 
security operations.  Joint ANSF/PRT security operations in Kunduz 
Province in December and January have allowed development projects 
in the troubled Chahar Dara District to move forward after months of 
instability.  At the March 22 Provincial SecurityQeeting, both the 
Governor and PRT Commander renewed their commitment to enhancing 
joint operations in the future.  Likewise, U.S. Police Mentor Team 
cooperation with the ANP in the Imam Sahib FDD district has also 
strongly contributed to increasing levels of cooperation between 
ANSD and coalition forces in the region.  The Imam Sahib deaths and 
a subsequent bloody attempt to rob an Afghan National Bank transfer 
of $2.5 million on March 23 in Aliabad, killing two ANP and injuring 
five, have clearly rattled Governor Omar.  While a rather 
ineffectual administrator and often considered "weak" by his 
 
KABUL 00000840  002 OF 002 
 
 
detractors, Omar's strength has been his ability to juggle the 
competing factions within the province and to keep the insurgency at 
a low level.  With two major security incidents on his hands in the 
opening days of the Muslim New Year (1388), Omar is concerned. 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) Mayor Manon is a former Jihadi commander reportedly under 
Kunduz MP Qari Rahmatullah and closely aligned with local Tajik 
powerbroker and former Northern Alliance general Mir Alam.  Manon 
has had generally good relations with the PRT in the past and all 
sources readily acknowledge that while he may be involved in a 
variety of smuggling activities, given his history and Jamiat 
allegiance Manon would not knowingly align with Taliban insurgency. 
Both Manon and Mir Alam have taken a cautious approach, tamping down 
protests beyond the initial outburst of anger and have indicated 
they will closely follow the course of the MOI investigation and the 
subsequent reaction of Kabul.  Local governors, old sub-commanders, 
provincial council members and other power brokers throughout the 
Jamiat-and Junbesh-dominated province are currently in a holding 
pattern as those higher up the political food chain forge their 
political allegiances for the upcoming election season.  Mir Alam's 
intentions and allegiances remain opaque after he recently declined 
Governor Omar's offer to be mayor of Kunduz City following the 
recent death of Mayor Aziz.  Whether the Imam Sahib incident 
metastasizes into a larger political theme in the North in the weeks 
ahead remains to be seen. 
 
¶7. (SBU) As the story progresses, the German PRT is under increasing 
pressure to comment publicly about the incident.  The presence of 
German press from the newsweekly "Stern" and the imminent arrival of 
Uli Gack from television station ZDF and one of Germany's most 
influential reporters, simply adds to the pressure, as it is unclear 
about how the story will play in Germany. 
 
RICCIARDONE