Viewing cable 10ISLAMABAD175, FATA CLEARING OPERATIONS CONTINUE, DISPLACED

 

Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
10ISLAMABAD175	2010-01-25 09:09	2010-11-30 21:09	SECRET//NOFORN	Embassy Islamabad

VZCZCXRO6639
PP RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #0175/01 0250903
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 250903Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7024
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 1400
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 2230
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 6010
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 2808
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 8408
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 7468
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAHQA/OSAF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000175 

NOFORN 
SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2020 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER MARR MASS PK
SUBJECT: FATA CLEARING OPERATIONS CONTINUE, DISPLACED 
RECEIVING ASSISTANCE, AMPLE FOOD 

REF: A. ISLAMABAD 2591 
¶B. ISLAMABAD 2607 
¶C. ISLAMABAD 2672 
¶D. ISLAMABAD 2708 
¶E. ISLAMABAD 2780 
¶F. ISLAMABAD 2801 
¶G. ISLAMABAD 2837 
¶H. ISLAMABAD 2972 

Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b) (d) 

¶1. (S/NF) Summary: The Pakistani military is continuing its 
counterinsurgency efforts along the main corridors of South 
Waziristan and the northern and central FATA with low level 
search and clear operations. Frontier Corps operations in 
Bajaur remain on hold, awaiting additional forces. 
Meanwhile, humanitarian assistance (food and non-food items) 
is reaching both the approximately 12,000 families displaced 
from Orakzai and the approximately 38,000 families displaced 
from South Waziristan. Of the displaced, only a few, perhaps 
one hundred families, are in a camp. End Summary. 

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: CLEARING OPERATIONS CONTINUE 
--------------------------------------------- - 

¶2. (S/NF) In South Waziristan, units assigned to the 11th 
Corps continue to conduct small-scale clearing operations on 
major and secondary line of communication (LOCs) and in 
built-up areas. Units of the 7th Division hold Makin and 
Razmak on the northern axis; the 9th Division holds the 
southwest axis from Wana while the 14th Division continues to 
secure the LOC to Jandola in the south east. All division 
continue to conduct search and clear operations. We do not 
expect any major new operations in South Waziristan for the 
moment. There has been talk of an additional push, but 
Pakistani military contacts have indicated to us that troop 
rotations and resupply requirements mean any additional 
effort would not happen before March. 

BAJAUR: WAITING FOR A MAJOR OFFENSIVE 
------------------------------------- 

¶3. (S/NF) In Bajaur Agency, Pakistan Army troops remain 
deployed along the Charmung and Watalai Valley, with 
additional checkpoints in place near Khar to screen vehicles 
entering and leaving the Watalai Valley -- an indication of 
possible preparations for a future operation. U.S. provided 
Intelligence targets of interest in Bajaur Agency's Mamund 
Valley and provide coordinates for artillery strikes and 
future Pakistan Air Force air strikes. It is likely these 
operations will continue through the end of January. 

¶4. (S/NF) Pakistan Military and Frontier Corps forces 
appear to be delaying the start of a planned three-week 
offensive in the Mamund Valley, originally scheduled to start 
on January 6, because of a request for two additional Army 
battalions for clearing operations. The additional forces 
are the 14th Punjab Battalion (from Kwazakhela, Swat, the 
12th Northern Light Infantry Battalion (from Sialkot, Punjab) 
and the 4th Commando Battalion and Karrar Company of the 
Special Services Group battalion (the Pakistan Army's Special 
Forces). In addition, the 2nd Wing of the Tocho Scouts 
(currently in Bajaur) may be relieved by a wing of the 
Chitral Scouts, who just completed FCTC training at Warsak. 

INCREASED CHECKPOINTS 
--------------------- 

¶5. (S/NF) Access to Orakzai Agency from the surrounding four 
agencies and districts has been blocked by security forces, 
and artillery and armor have moved to the Khyber and Kurram 
borders with Orakzai. This coupled with the repositioning of 
artillery and armor assets in Kurram and Khyber suggests 
additional operations are imminent against TTP insurgents in 
western Orakzai or Tariq Afridi militants in the Darra Adam 
Khel region of NWFP. 

INFRASTRUCTURE RECONSTRUCTION 
----------------------------- 


ISLAMABAD 00000175 002 OF 002 


¶6. (U) On December 31, 2009, USAID signed and Implementation 
Letter (IL) with the FATA Secretariat for the rehabilitation 
and reconstruction of water, road and energy infrastructure 
in South Waziristan. USAID will 
reimburse the FATA Secretariat for work completed according 
to pre-agreed costs and specifications. The GOP is currently 
preparing the specifications and cost estimates for the 
projects, with an initial emphasis on a major road between 
Tank and Makeen. Once the design and cost estimate has been 
completed and approved, USAID will advance the FATA 
Secretariat 15 percent of the cost to cover mobilization 
expenses, with additional funding to be disbursed after the 
work is completed. The FATA Secretariat is contracting the 
Frontier Works Organization (FWO) to implement the road 
projects. In a January 14 meeting with USAID, FWO confirmed 
that it had mobilized a team in South Waziristan to complete 
the design and cost estimates. 

ASSISTANCE TO ORAKZAI AND SWA DISPLACED 
--------------------------------------- 

¶7. (SBU) Humanitarian assistance - food and non-food items 
(NFI) - is reaching both the approximately 12,000 families 
displaced from Orakzai and the approximately 38,000 families 
displaced from South Waziristan. Of the Orakzai displaced, 
the 8,000 families in Kohat have received NFI through UNHCR, 
and the rest, who are in Hangu, are supported by ICRC. Only 
a very few -- perhaps one hundred families -- are in a camp. 
While the Orakzai displaced do not receive cash payments from 
the Government of Pakistan, they are supported with food from 
the World Food Program (WFP). 

¶8. (C) Those registered displaced (members of the Mehsud 
tribe) from South Waziristan are primarily in DI Khan and 
Tank where they have received ample non-food items from 
UNHCR. They receive a one-month food distribution from WFP 
upon registration and then are entitled to government 
payments of PKR 5,000 (about $60) a month. Those who do not 
yet have activated government cash cards continue to receive 
WFP food. 

¶9. (C) For military and strategic purposes, the GOP does not 
recognize members of the neighboring Bhittani tribe as 
conflict-displaced IDPs and hence has not designated them as 
eligible for government payments. Recently, however, UNHCR 
was pleased to be able to win government permission to 
register the Bhittani displaced unofficially and to see that 
they receive humanitarian assistance. A total of some 2,000 
Bhittani families are being registered in DI Khan and Tank, 
and when this registration is completed in the next few days, 
this group will benefit from NFI and food distributions. 

¶10. (SBU) Even prior to the security forces' blocking of 
access to Orakzai Agency, humanitarian actors have not been 
able to provide assistance within Orakzai or South 
Waziristan. Humanitarian organizations have begun planning, 
however, for possible assistance upon the eventual return of 
IDPs to areas of displacement. They have received some 
indications from the military to expect the beginning of this 
return in March. 

¶11. (S/NF) Comment: As we have previously noted, the Army's 
South Waziristan campaign has significantly eroded the TTP's 
command and control, but has not destroyed the TTP network, 
whose fighters melted away in South Waziristan or fled to 
other FATA agencies, rather than put up stiff resistance. 
The Army still faces a long road ahead in rooting out the TTP 
in South Waziristan and pursuing TTP elements elsewhere in 
the FATA. 
PATTERSON