AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO HELMAND; POPPY ERADICATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 001267 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2016 TAGS: PGOV SNAR PREL AF SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO HELMAND; POPPY ERADICATION EFFORTS KABUL 00001267 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Charge Richard Norland, for reasons 1.4 (b) AND (d) 1.(C) SUMMARY: In a visit to Lashkar Gah, Ambassador met with Governor Daud and other local government officials, including members of the provincial council, to stress the importance of a successful opium eradication effort in Helmand, where increased poppy cultivation has drawn growing international attention. Prior to the Ambassador's March 12-13 visit, there had been disagreement between the Governor, whose deputy was fielding a personal eradication force, and the Afghan Eradication Force, a centrally run group, on how to best proceed with the eradication campaign. Daud wanted to be sure that his representatives were present at all of the eradication efforts to improve public relations, and wanted the AEF to wait until his force, coming from farther south, could join up with them. The AEF, on the other hand, was eager to start eradication immediately. After a private meeting with Ambassador Neumann, Governor Daud agreed that his team and the AEF would start eradicating poppy in Banader within 48 hours. The logistical and political complexity of the operation, which also utilized ANA and ANP troops, as well as its significance in sending a message about the ability of the Afghan government to take serious counternarcotic measures, can hardly be overemphasized. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Ambassador Neumann met privately with Helmand Governor Daud on March 12 to urge better coordination between the governor's private force and the Afghan Eradication Force (AEF),which was currently located in a makeshift base camp in Garmseer district, some 47 kilometers north of Banader, the original site of the camp. (Due to impassable roads, the heavy trucks were unable to reach this point.) In the meantime, the governor's personal force, led by the deputy governor, had been eradicating poppy farther south, in Dishu district. Between March 7 and 12, the governor's force reportedly eradicated 1350 hectares in the district. In the meeting, the Ambassador congratulated Governor Daud on the excellent job he had being doing on the eradication front, and said that President Karzai was happy with his progress. However, it was necessary for the AEF to participate actively in the poppy eradication campaign, as they could contribute significantly to the hectarage to be eradicated; in addition, the USG had spent a sizable amount of money to establish and train the AEF and Congress expected the team to be utilized. Daud outlined his concerns, which centered on ensuring that his Deputy Governor or Chief of Police be present when the AEF conducted operations, in order to deal with complaints and issues that elders or farmers might raise. The Governor agreed to a plan whereby the AEF would take a contingent of light vehicles and ANP south to Banader and establish a camp at the original site, before joining up with a governor's representative and begin eradicating poppy later in the day. (The heavy vehicles and 100 ANP would remain at the site north of Garmseer). ¶3. (C) The Deputy Governor's force, farther south in Dishu district, was struck by an IED on March 12, 18 kilometers northeast of Taghaz, killing two ANP and two civilians, and wounding four ANP. As of March 12, when the Deputy Governor's force concluded its operations in Dishu, it had reportedly eradicated 1350 hectares of opium in the district. It then planned to move on to Khanishin district, where it would either witness "self-eradication" (something the village elders and farmers had requested in lieu of forcible, outside eradication) or carry out eradication if they failed to do so. ¶4. (C) UK Embassy Drugs Team and Ambassador Marsden are under some pressure from London to ensure that the AEF begins eradication effort in the near future, and, more importantly, that they eradicate in the "priority target" area, which begins in the northernmost reaches of Garmser District along the Helmand River and covers much of Central Helmand. These KABUL 00001267 002.2 OF 002 concerns are fueled by the imminent hand over of the Lashkar Gah PRT to the British on April 20. In fact, AEF operations got underway on March 17. NORLAND