PRT-QALAT: GOVERNOR FIRES SHAMULZAI DISTRICT CHIEF,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000030

SIPDIS

NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND
DEPT FOR SA/FO, AMBASSADOR QUINN, SA/PAB, S/CT, SA/A
CENTCOM FOR POLAD
REL NATO/AUST/NZ/ISAF

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV AF PK
SUBJECT: PRT-QALAT: GOVERNOR FIRES SHAMULZAI DISTRICT CHIEF,
CHASTISES ELDERS FOR DEALING WITH TALIBAN


1. (U) Summary: Zabul Provincial Governor Arman used a
carrot and stick approach (local autonomy and good
officials; development projects) and argued both Islam and
geopolitics at a shura to try to convince Shamulzai district
elders not to deal with the Taliban. While Arman is willing
to fire incompetent district officials, he realizes real
change will occur only if the elders can be convinced to
support the central government. End Summary.

Background
--------------


2. (U) Shamulzai District in southeastern Zabul Province
borders Pakistan. In November, the provincial governor had
fired the Shamalzai district chief and replaced him with the
Skinkay district chief, who had not yet arrived at his new
post. In the interim, the Shamulzai district chief of
police was also relieved. Thereafter, someone allegedly
`burned down' the ANP compound in Shamulzai village, burned
a number of vehicles and stole 30 AK-47 rifles. The
original report to the PRT was that striking ANP officers
had done this, at the direction of the relieved police
chief, to whom they were loyal. The relieved chief, in
turn, claimed it was a Taliban attack. Governor Arman told
PRToff that President Karzai was upset about this incident
when he had seen the president in Kabul, and that the
governor believed both the elders and officials there had
made a deal with the Taliban whereby they would not conduct
attacks in Shamalzai if they were left alone as they
transited Shamulzai going from Pakistan to northern Zabul
Province. On December 4, the governor flew out to
Shamulzai for a shura, accompanied by Provincial Chief of
Police Nabi, the local ANA battalion commander, several
other officials, plus TF Rock (Task Force Rock is the US
maneuver battalion in the province) staffer CPT Kelly, and
PRToff.

Inspecting the ANP Compound
--------------


3. (U) In addition to the shura with the elders, the
governor and his entourage inspected the ANP compound. Fire
damage was minimal, and none of the vehicles burned had been
operational. Although most suspected the former police
chief of culpability, the Governor resisted demands to
immediately physically remove him, and left him in Shamulzai
pending a formal investigation He was kept under watch by
TF Rock, who moved a squad into the ANP compound. The
Governor also refused to immediately fire the missing police
officers, being more concerned with recovery of their
weapons. (Note: Most ANP have had no training and are ill-
equipped. They and other local forces, such as the Afghan
National Border Police (ANBP),often behave more like
private militias and follow their chiefs with no apparent
loyalty to the national government (such as demonstrated by
this incident). End note.)

Lecturing the Elders on Religion and Geopolitics
-------------- ---


4. (U) While the governor can fire district officials, he
cannot dismiss the tribal elders of a village or district.
Having good reason to suspect the elders had reached a
bargain with the Taliban, at least implicitly, of not
interfering with their transit if they leave Shamulzai
District alone, the governor focused most of his time and
energy, and that of the other officials, on the shura with
the district elders.


5. (U) An estimated 150 men attended the shura, district and
village elders but also middle aged and young men. The
Governor's performance included `reading them the riot act,'
but also a good cop/bad cop interaction with other
officials, offering both carrots and sticks. He explained
that the villagers and their families will be the ones to
lose if the on-going road improvement project is halted,
along with other projects. He pointed out the new road
between Shamulzai and Shinkay (the next district capital,
between Shamulzai and Qalat) had cut the travel time from
four hours to two hours in that direction. He then sharply
reminded the shura attendees that it was not in accordance
with Islam to harm people and destroy things (which the
transiting Taliban went on to do elsewhere). He lectured
them for being shameless, gutless and working for other
people, and not acting in accordance with Islam.


6. (U) Next he proclaimed that the five years lack of water
was God's punishment because the Taliban had closed schools
and hospitals. God was especially punishing Zabul and
Kandahar provinces, he continued, due to the Taliban's
murder of women and children there. He continued that the
country needed laws to supplement the Koran, not replace it,
noting that the first law passed was to name the country the
Islamist Republic of Afghanistan, and that one can follow
the Koran and still be democratic. He added that women in
refugee camps voted, leaders voted, mullahs voted, and in
September, two religious people had been elected in the
provincial elections. Only the Taliban had not voted. He
added that President Karzai had been selected by educated,
Muslim scholars, and that it was against Islam to fight him.
Going back in history, he stated that when Ali was not
selected to succeed the Prophet Mohammed, he did not respond
by burning or destroying mosques.


7. (U) He then switched briefly from the religious to the
geopolitical, noting that Pakistan has hospitals, roads and
schools, and that they don't burn them down, but send people
here to Afghanistan to burn these things down, and that
Pakistan does not want Afghanistan to have hospitals and
schools. He concluded by threatening to return the $180,000
the GoA had given him for education in Shamulzai, and asked
rhetorically who loses if all district schools are closed.


8. (U) Governor Arman was followed by the new district
police chief, who noted that the district would now be
getting more ANA and ANP guidance and involvement in trying
to halt Taliban infiltration. He addressed the young,
stressing their right to attend school, and asking
rhetorically if it is good for one to be illiterate, and
therefore only able to work for someone else. He also ended
on a geopolitical note, saying that many Afghan sons die
because the Pakistanis teach them to fight standing up, but
noting that Iran victimizes Afghanistan as well.


9. (U) The new district director, who had recently arrived
from Shinkay village, spoke next. He urged the villagers to
support the government and not lose aid because of a few bad
people. A local mullah came next, stating that education is
important for all, including females, based on the Koran.
He accused the Taliban of `making up' Koranic verses.


10. (U) Provincial police chief Nabi spoke next, somewhat
playing the `good cop' to the Governor's `bad cop.' He urged
the villagers not to let the Taliban stay among them.
However, he also admitted that they had a tough border area
with Pakistan. He said that he would ask Governor Arman not
to stop all aid projects in Shamulzai.


11. (SBU) The ANA battalion commander (who is also a
mullah) also combined Islam and regional geopolitics. He
accused the Pakistanis of using uneducated Afghans "like
donkeys" and stressed the need for education. He continued
that the Taliban do not follow the Koran by murdering and
maiming people, and that they were hypocritical when in
power, such as by prohibiting VCR tapes for others while
keeping their own. He contrasted Shamulzai to his home
district up north, which has had three years of peace and
lots of development, noting that that could happen in
Shamulzai also if not for five or six thieves running things
there. Stressing that one needs security for development,
he said the government planned to build a border town in the
district to help, while noting that the Shamulzai people
also lose when the Pakistanis pay the Taliban to kill people
and destroy buildings in Afghanistan.


12. (U) The Governor then invited the two Americans present
to make remarks. CPT Kelly noted that the guns were stolen
from the people of Shamulzai, not from TF Rock, adding that
they were donated to the ANP by Hungary, a country that -
like Afghanistan - had once been under Soviet control.
PRToff noted that the US is a religious country and respects
Islam.

Aftermath
--------------


13. (SBU) As of December 21, the Governor had not yet
reviewed the formal investigation results, and 17 out of the
30 rifles were still missing. There is no word yet on
disciplinary actions against individual ANP officers.
During a PRT trip on 14 and 15 Dec (septel),PRT and UNOPS
engineers met with village leaders in Shamulzai village and
the border village of Zanjshir (also in Shamulzai District)
to discuss the layout and location for planned schools and
clinics, reinforcing `the carrot' that the district could
continue to receive development aid if the government
approved it.

Comment
--------------


14. (SBU) Whether the governor's shura, and the change in
district officials, will change the situation in Shamulzai
remains an open question. The reach of the central
government in remote districts is very tenuous, plus there
is a limited pool of honest, effective officials that can be
appointed. As the governor realizes, it is key to convince
the local leaders and elders to support the central
government.

NEUMANN