PRT/KUNDUZ: OUT IN BADAKHSHAN'S POPPYLAND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KABUL 002007 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SA/FO, SA/A, S/CR, SA/PAB, S/CT, EUR/RPM STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND OSD FOR BREZINSKI CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD REL NATO/AUST/NZ/ISAF E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: SNAR PREL PGOV PINR AF SUBJECT: PRT/KUNDUZ: OUT IN BADAKHSHAN'S POPPYLAND KABUL 00002007 001.2 OF 004 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. District managers in Jurm and Baharak acknowledge that poppy is being grown in their districts, but claim that the amount of land under cultivation is much less than in previous years. They add, however, that as long as there are no other economic opportunities for the large number of otherwise unemployed people in their districts, poppy cultivation will continue. Although AL programs are active in these districts, they complain that promised projects to provide alternative livelihoods have either not come through or are too limited to have a significant impact. They worry there could be a significant public backlash if poppy eradication is carried out on a large scale. PRT Faizabad has recently encountered resistance in Jurm and Baharak in obtaining safe houses to enable overnight patrolling, reflecting an apparent fear among powerbrokers that the longer the PRT spends in their districts, the more likely it will interfere in their criminal activities. END SUMMARY. So close, yet so bone-jarringly far away -------------- ¶2. (SBU) PRToff traveled April 13 to Jurm and Baharak districts, which are best known for being two of the biggest poppy-growing districts in Badakhshan. The district center of Baharak is only 40 kilometers southeast of Faizabad, but the trip there takes almost two hours on a severely pitted dirt road. Baharak has one of the few paved district centers in Badakhshan (funded by USAID) and functions as a regional hub for travel to various parts of the province. The district center of Jurm is a further 25 kilometers south from Baharak, requiring another hour of travel time. The consolation for the bone-jarring ride is spectacular mountain scenery, similar to what one might see in western Montana, especially as one drives out of Faizabad along the Kowkcheh River valley toward Baharak. ¶3. (SBU) Much of the poppy grown in Badakhshan is cultivated in remote locations, but during this trip, several poppy fields were visible from the main road, especially in Jurm. Because of the later growing season in Badakhshan, the poppy plants were still only an inch or two high. According to UNODC projections, the opium crop in this part of the country is not expected to flower until early June, with the harvest coming later that same month. In one field, several workers were on their hands and knees, pulling weeds, while other workers were bringing water for the crop in large shallow containers balanced on their heads from a nearby stream or canal. District managers claim cultivation is down -------------- ¶4. (SBU) PRToff met separately with the district managers of both provinces, Dr. Mohammad Masoon in Jurm and Mohammad Jowra in Baharak. Both acknowledged that poppy was being grown in their districts, but claimed that the amount of land under cultivation was much less than in previous years, thanks to exhortations by various government and religious figures and their own actions. Jowra boasted that his KABUL 00002007 002.2 OF 004 police force had arrested smugglers and poppy growers last year, which he said had contributed to the alleged decline in poppy cultivation in Baharak this year. However, upon further questioning, he admitted that no one had been prosecuted for their crimes or spent more than a couple of days behind bars. All had been released upon request from their respective village elders. (Comment: The claim by the district managers that poppy cultivation is decreasing in Jurm and Baharak tracks with what the Afghan Eradication Force teams are finding. During their initial reconnaissance missions in preparation for eradication, cultivation appears to be lower than what was expected. Time will tell but cultivation may not be at enhanced level as was originally reported in the February 2006 UNODC Rapid Assessment Survey. End Comment.) "Still waiting for help" -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Both Masoon and Jowra said poppy cultivation would continue at some level, as long as there were no other economic opportunities for the large number of otherwise unemployed people in their districts. They complained that promised projects to provide alternative livelihoods had either not come through or were too limited to have a significant impact. Masoon said the alternative livelihood projects in Jurm employed only about 100 people at a time, which was far short of what was required in a district where he estimated 60% of the adult men were jobless. Jowra claimed that there were no alternative livelihood projects at all in Baharak. He complained that promises by visiting ambassadors from various donor countries to build roads, bring in electricity, and provide genetically-enhanced seeds and fertilizer had not been fulfilled. "We're still waiting for help." (Comment. USAID's spring seed program has provided seeds and technical assistance to 1700 farmers in Jurm/Khosh and 1701 farmers in Baharak/Warduj to plant 10,200 jeribs of onion, tomato, okra, cauliflower, potato, and carrot. USAID has provided 33,260 CFW labor days to repair 17 canals in Jurm. A bridge to connect Baharak District to important market towns should be completed by August. Although Alternative Livelihoods Provided in these two districts will not replace the value of poppy grown, it is clear that much public information work is required to ensure that local leaders know more about the large amount of Alternative Livelihoods assistance being provided. End Comment.) Public backlash against eradication? -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Both district managers thought that there could be significant public backlash if poppy eradication were carried out in on a large scale in their districts, since, as they claim, the poor have no other way of supporting their families. But they denied that there were any armed groups in their districts who might try to prevent the poppy fields from being eradicated, with Jowra claiming that such a scenario was impossible since all the illegal weapons in Baharak had already been collected. Both acknowledged that their police forces were not large KABUL 00002007 003.2 OF 004 enough or properly equipped to deal with a major security challenge. Jurm DM Masoon reported that for his district of 60,000 inhabitants, living in 68 different villages, he had a police force of just 60 and only one police vehicle. Baharak DM Jowra said his police force of 85 also had just one vehicle at its disposal, to cover a district of 46,000 people in 86 villages. Eradication in Kishim: A sign of things to come? -------------- --- ¶7. (SBU) Governor-led eradication in Badakhshan began April 11 in Kishim District, the main entry point into Badakhshan from neighboring Takhar Province. According to reports received by PRT Faizabad, eradication was initially halted after three days due to peaceful resistance by local farmers and their families. Some reportedly stood in front of the eradication tractors to stymie the operation. The Ministry of Counter Narcotics in Kabul acknowledges that there was some local opposition to the operation, but claims that it was not significant and that it did not stop eradication. The ministry reports that eradication was only stopped for a short period due to a lack of funds for fuel, and that it continued once funding was provided to the governor. Local officials have told PRT Faizabad that eradication was conducted in several areas of Kishim District up until April 20, but the amount of eradicated farmland remains to be confirmed. The governor has plans to pursue eradication in other districts, but those operations had not yet begun as of the end of April. Minimizing RPG attack on PRT patrol -------------- ¶8. (SBU) PRToff asked Masoon whether there was any further information about who was responsible for the April 5 midnight RPG attack on a Faizabad PRT patrol overnighting at the Jurm district police station. Masoon, pointing out the impact points of the two RPGs on the police station next door, visible through his office window, was at pains to emphasize that it was still not clear who was the target of the attack. He thought it was possible that the police station itself was the target -- even though the German soldiers were alone at the site and no Afghan police officers were present. In a later meeting, Gulalai Akbari, a Provincial Council member from Jurm, also claimed to PRToff that the German patrol may not have been the target of the April 5 attack. But she then quickly added that PRT patrols should avoid overnighting in villages in any case because they could potentially put civilians in harm's way. Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Like in Jurm, the PRT has also encountered negative attitudes toward its overnight patrols in Baharak, where local elders recently vetoed an agreement for the PRT to rent a piece of property in the district center as a safe house. The fear among powerbrokers seems to be that the longer the PRT spends in their districts, the more likely it will KABUL 00002007 004.2 OF 004 interfere in their criminal activities -- although the excuse given is that the foreign troops will not respect Afghan culture and sensitivities. In regard to the April 5 attack in Jurm, officials seem to be avoiding any admission that might lead the PRT to respond by increasing its presence in the district. ¶10. (SBU) NGOs and IOs have been generally welcomed throughout the province for the aid and development they provide, as long as their activities have not challenged or undermined the existing corrupt power structure. However, owing to the extremely poor communications within the province, there is a general misperception, as reflected in the comments of both the Jurm and Baharak district managers, that the international community has done little for the province and that Badakhshan has ironically suffered by being the only province which was not conquered by the Taliban during their rule. Meanwhile, governor- led poppy eradication has been carried out peacefully thus far (in Kishim district),but that seems to reflect the fact the effort has been small-scale and has not posed a strategic threat to the poppy growers or drug smugglers. End Comment. Bio note: Dr. Mohammad Masoon -------------- ¶11. Dr. Mohammad Masoon, 42, was chief of social affairs in the provincial government in Faizabad before becoming Jurm district manager in late March. With self-described "intermediate" medical training, he served previously as chief medical officer of the 29th AMF Division, which was responsible for the nine eastern districts of Badakhshan and was a part of General Daoud's 6th Corps in Kunduz. He is a long- term resident of Baharak district, where he has a family house. He spends the work week in Jurm and commutes to Baharak on weekends. ¶12. Mohammad Jowra has been Baharak district manager since 2003, but PRT Faizabad reports that Jowra spends so little time in the district that Chief of Police Lt. Col. Qari Wadud effectively acts as district manager much of the time. Jowra has a family home and farm in Darayeen district, where he was formerly district manager. Jowra said his family had been living in Baharak, but has since moved back to Darayeen, where he himself now spends weekends. NEUMANN