IIR 6 947 0054 05/TAJIK BORDER GUARD ASSESSMENTS (U)

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 001620 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/7/2015 TAGS: MCAP TI SUBJECT: IIR 6 947 0054 05/TAJIK BORDER GUARD ASSESSMENTS (U) CLASSIFIED BY: Jonathan Edwards, DATT, USDAO Dushanbe, DIA. REASON: 1.4 (b) CONFIDENTIAL SIPDIS SERIAL: (U) IIR 6 947 0054 05. COUNTRY: (U) TAJIKISTAN (TI) IPSP: (U) IFC1116; IFC1139; IFC2230; IFC2540; IFC2550; IFC2330. SUBJECT: IIR 6 947 0054 05/TAJIK BORDER GUARD ASSESSMENTS(U). WARNING: (U) THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE. REPORT CLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL -------------- -------------- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE -------------- -------------- DOI: (U) 20050504 REQS: (U) DHCD1110547; DHCD111052; DHCD111053; DHCD111045; DHCD111044; DHCD045061; U-UDX-1130-040-04. SOURCE: (C) //6 947 0024// RETIRED WESTERN MILITARY OFFICER CURRENTLY WORKING WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION. USDAO HAS AN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP WITH SOURCE. CONTEXT STATEMENT - RO AND SOURCE MET IN AN INFORMAL SETTING BUT REPORT ITSELF WAS PASSED ON AN OFFICIAL BASIS. SOURCE IS AWARE THAT INFORMATION WILL REACH U.S. GOVERNMENT. SUMMARY: (C) REPORTS PROVIDE ASSESSMENT OF TAJIK BORDER GUARD FORCES IN THE GORNO-BADAQHAN AUTONOMOUS REGION ALONG THE TAJIK-AFGHANISTAN BORDER AND OF THE TAJIK BORDER GUARDS MORE GENERALLY. REPORTS ARE HIGHLY CRITICAL OF CURRENT BORDER GUARD CAPABILITIES. ENCLOSURES. TEXT: 1. (C) SOURCE VISITED THREE INTERNATIONAL BORDER CROSSING POINTS AND SEVEN BORDER POSTS ALONG THE TAJIK-AFGHAN BORDER. NONE OF THE CROSSING POINTS OR POSTS HAD AN OPERATIONAL VEHICLE, BACKUP POWER, OR IT EQUIPMENT AND THOSE FEW EQUIPPED WITH RADIOS HAD TO FLAG DOWN CIVILIAN VEHICLES TO TRAVEL TO THE NEAREST VILLAGE TO CHARGE THE RADIO BATTERIES. ¶2. (C) THE FOLLOWING BORDER CROSSING POSTS WERE VISITED: DARVOZ //GEOCOORD: 3827.25N/07049.668E//, KHOROGH (TEM) //GEOCOORD: 3731.717N/07130.282E//, ISKASHIM //GEOCOORD: 3701.262N/07127.856E//. ¶3. (C) THE FOLLOWING BORDER POSTS WERE VISITED: ISKASHIM - 3KM NORTHWEST OF CROSSING POINT, HOUSES CROSSING POINT BORDER GUARDS; YOGET //GEOCOORD: 3820.884N/07036.719E//; VISHKARV - LOCATED ALONG THE ROAD BETWEEN THE TOWN OF DARVOZ AND THE DASHTAK BORDER POST; DASHTAK //GEOCOORD: 3828.215/07101.076E//; SHITZ - LOCATED ALONG THE ROAD BETWEEN DASTHAK BORDER POST AND TOWN OF KHOROG; SOKHCHARV //GEOCOORD: 3743.320N/07133.218E//; ANDARAK //GEOCCORD: 3714.092N/07128.939E//; ¶4. (C) SOURCE OBSERVED ON AVERAGE TWENTY FIVE PERSONNEL PER BORDER POST, INCLUDING PERSONNEL ON PATROL, COMPARED TO THE AUTHORIZED STRENGTH OF BETWEEN 150 AND 200. ¶5. (C) BASED ON THIS VISIT AND SOURCES OVERALL EXPERIENCE WITH THE BORDER GUARDS, SOURCE CONCLUDED THAT "THE 'GREEN BORDER'[I.E. THAT AREA OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER BETWEEN RECOGNIZED INTERNATIONAL BORDER CROSSING POSTS] IS ALMOST TOTALLY UNPROTECTED." COMMENTS: 1. (C//REL TO USA, GBR AND AUS) FIELD COMMENTS. WHILE SOURCE MAY AT TIMES BE IMPOLITIC IN HOW HE STATES HIS CASE, HIS ASSESSMENTS ARE BASED ON FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE AND OBSERVABLE, VERIFIABLE QUANTIFICATIONS. THE REPORTS DETAIL JUST HOW DIFFICULT A CHALLENGE COLONEL GENERAL ZUHOROV FACES IN BUILDING A COMPETENT BORDER PROTECTION FORCE. ¶2. (U) SOURCE IS AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER CONTACT. ¶3. (U) DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS IIR TO DIA/DHO-2 AT STU III (703) 907-0235, OR DSN 283-0235. INSTR: (U) U.S. NO. PREP: (U) 6-04797. ENCL: (C) TO FOLLOW - 2 ENCLOSURES. ¶1. MEMORANDUM, "SPECIAL REPORT - PILOT ZONE 1"(U),1 COPY, 33 PAGES, 20050504 (C). ¶2. MEMORANDUM, "TAJIK BORDER FORCE - THE NEED FOR AN ASSESSMENT IN ORDER TO SOLVE ITS MYRIAD DEFICIENCIES" (C),1 COPY, 5 PAGES, 20050519 (C). ACQ: (U) DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN (20050708) DISSEM: (U) FIELD: EMBASSY AT DUSHANBE. WARNING: (U) REPORT CLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL DRVD FM: DHS HUMINT SCG OCT 04 DECL ON: 201507012 HOAGLAND NNNN