NOVEMBER 06 TAJIK BORDER WRAP-UP

UNCLAS DUSHANBE 002191 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR SCA/CEN AND INL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SNAR PGOV PINR TI AF SUBJECT: NOVEMBER 06 TAJIK BORDER WRAP-UP REF: DUSHANBE 2153, DUSHANBE 2109, DUSHANBE 1945 ¶1. (U) This cable summarizes Post's border security, counterterrorism and counternarcotics activities for November ¶2006. ¶2. (SBU) Border Guard Training Center Visit: EmbOffs visited Dushanbe's Leninsky Training Center, where the Russian military trains the Tajik Border Guards. Decorated with propaganda pictures and monuments commemorating Soviet World War II battle victories, the Russian-run training facility for Tajik troops has some modern conveniences, but the training program relies on Soviet educational methods to teach under-educated Border Guards the basics. This Soviet-style facility provides acceptable living conditions with working heat and electricity, but the fact that new recruits fire only nine shots over a 40-day training period suggests a weak curriculum, larger funding shortages and an alarming lack of preparedness for actual combat (Dushanbe 2153). ¶3. (SBU) BIWG: EmbOffs attended a November 22 Border International Working Group (BIWG) meeting, a monthly forum of donors and implementers to discuss border-related issues. At this meeting, International Law Enforcement and Narcotics (INL) announced that an INL-funded Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) mobile training team would visit Tajikistan to conduct counternarcotics training as part of a NATO-Russia Council Project December 4-14. Neither Russia nor European NATO partners planned to provide any trainers. Post requested that both sides reconsider these decisions, and Russia and Greece subsequently agreed to provide one trainer each. ¶4. (SBU) Drug Detecting Dogs: In late 2005, INL funded a program to provide the Tajik Border Guards with drug-detecting dogs. The Border Guards cannot account for all the dogs provided, and post has previously suspected that local Border guards sold the pups of these dogs for personal profit. During October and November visits to the Bog and Bakhorat border posts, EmbOffs observed other INL-donated dogs posted outside in sub-zero temperatures to serve as watchdogs, which adversely affects their intended purpose of detecting narcotics. COMMENT: Post is deeply disturbed by the misuse of INL-provided dogs. While this project is designed to help fortify the border from the illicit narcotics transit, the Border Guards have made no sincere effort to integrate the dogs into their work program. Post's Senior Law Enforcement Advisor attended an unproductive National Canine Strategy Interministerial Subcommittee meeting. The Interministerial group has failed to come up with government resources to maintain the dogs. As a result, Post has decided that until the National Canine Strategy is finalized with clear delineation of responsibilities among the Tajik law enforcement agencies, we will not conduct any dog-related program. Nor will we agree to provide additional dogs, unless they are first neutered and spayed to preclude breeding for sale. END COMMENT. ¶5. (U) Uniforms: In November, INL awarded a contract to a local company to provide 10,000 winter uniforms to the Border Guards. This is the first time that Post has awarded a contract to a local company. While there were initial issues with the fabric quality the contractor used, the situation is resolved for the time being. At first, the fabrics were mis-matched and of extremely cheap quality. The women making the uniforms had also not been paid for their work. INL has worked to correct these problems with the contractor and the work has improved. ¶6. (U) Vehicles: INL is providing five KAMAZ and five UAZ vehicles to the Shurabod and Muskovski border posts. ¶7. (U) Japan: The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has a supplemental budget to spend in Central Asia by March 2007. The agency plans to spend $220,000 to provide equipment to the Tajik Customs authorities and hopes to receive additional funding in the future. ¶8. (U) EXBS: Post's Export Control and Border Security (EXBS) office recently donated CT30 drug and radiation detecting kits to the Tajik Border Guards. EXBS is also funding a biologist to Tajikistan December 11-14 to conduct additional training on these items. ¶9. (U) New Bridge: His Highness the Aga Khan officially opened a bridge between Tajikistan and Afghanistan at Ishkashim November 14, financed and constructed by the Aga Khan Development Network. The bridge is one of five supported by AKDN in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region along the Afghan border. JACOBSON