Cablegate: Secretary of State

P R 182326Z SEP 96
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY
AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY
INFO AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY RIYADH
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY ROME
AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
AMEMBASSY BEIJING
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
AMEMBASSY TOKYO
AMCONSUL JEDDAH
AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

S E C R E T STATE 194868

LONDON FOR TUELLER, PARIS FOR RAVELING

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/06 TAGS: PTER PGOV AF

ROME FOR STORELLA

REFS: A) STATE 48243 B) STATE 184791

1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY E. GIBSON LANPHER, JR., ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SOUTH ASIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. REASON: 1.5(D).

2. (S) RECENT TALIBAN ADVANCES IN EASTERN AFGHANISTAN MAY MEAN THAT SEVERAL MILITANT TRAINING CAMPS BELONGING TO HEKMATYAR AND SAYYAF HAVE OR WILL COME UNDER TALIBAN CONTROL. ALSO, THERE ARE RECURRENT REPORTS THAT OSAMA BIN LADEN IS STILL IN THE EASTERN PROVINCES, POSSIBLY MOVING FROM CAMP TO CAMP IN SAROBI, NANGARHAR AND KONAR PROVINCE.

3. (S) DEPARTMENT WOULD APPRECIATE POSTS ASSISTANCE IN RAISING THESE ISSUES AT AN OPPORTUNE TIME WITH TALIBAN REPRESENTATIVES. ON A SEPARATE MATTER, WE WOULD ALSO BE INTERESTED IN GOP HANDLING OF ANY ARABS EXITING AFGHANISTAN THROUGH PAKISTAN. IN ADDITION TO THE STANDARD POINTS ON THE IMPORTANCE WE ATTACH TO TERRORISM AND THOSE IN REFTELS, POSTS SHOULD ALSO DRAW UPON THE FOLLOWING:

-- YOUR RECENT SUCCESSES IN EASTERN AFGHANISTAN MEAN THAT A NUMBER OF TERRORIST OR MILITANT TRAINING CAMPS RUN BY HEKMATYAR, SAYYAF OR ARAB GROUPS HAVE OR WILL COME UNDER YOUR CONTROL.

-- THERE WERE REPORTS THAT TALIBAN FORCES HAD CAPTURED SAYYAFS CAMP AT SHAMSHAD, NEAR TORKHAM AT THE BORDER. ALSO, YOU NOW ALSO CONTROL THE DARUNTA AREA WHERE THERE IS A MILITANT CAMP RUN BY FOREIGNERS (ARABS). HAVE YOU TAKEN CONTROL OF THESE AND OTHER CAMPS IN PAKTIA AND ELSEWHERE?

-- WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL ACT TO CLOSE THESE CAMPS, REQUEST THE DEPARTURE FROM AFGHANISTAN OF NON-AFGHAN MILITANTS AND COOPERATE IN INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS AGAINST TERRQRISM.

-- RECURRENT REPORTS OF THE PRESENCE OF EX-SAUDI FINANCIER AND RADICAL ISLAMIST OSAMA BIN LADEN ALSO CONCERN US. HE IS SAID TO BE IN THE EASTERN PROVINCES, MOVING FROM CAMP TO CAMP.

-- DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS? WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL EXPEL HIM FROM TERRITORY UNDER YOUR CONTROL. THE PRESENCE OF OSAMA BIN LADEN IN AFGHANISTAN IS NOT A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT FOR AFGHANISTAN.

CHRISTOPHER

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