PRT JALALABAD: PTS RECONCILIATION PROGRAM NANGAHAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005216

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SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, S/CRS, SA/PB, S/CT,
EUR/RPM
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN
OSD FOR DANIEL FATA
CENTCOM FOR CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD, JICCENT
REL TO ISAF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER ASEC MARR AF
SUBJECT: PRT JALALABAD: PTS RECONCILIATION PROGRAM NANGAHAR

REF: KABUL 4800

Classified By: A/DCM Angus Simmons for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Jalalabad PRT Officer met with Khuja
Mohammed Naim Sadiq, the Director of the Jalalabad PTS
Office, on October 19. Mr. Khuja reported that 115 former
Taliban have been processed through his office, although only
25 are on record as having been reconciled through the PTS
head office in Kabul in the past 14 months. Khuja requested
more funding from the international community in order to
better support the reconcilers currently in the program and
to recruit more former Taliban now in Pakistan. The Nangahar
program and the activities appear to differ sharply from
those recently reported in Herat Province. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) Jalalabad PRT Officer met with Khuja Mohammed Naim
Sadiq, the Director of the Nangarhar and Logman Peace and
Reconciliation Commission (PTS) on October 19. This is one
of seven regional PTS offices in Afghanistan. Khuja reported
that in the last year, his office had processed only 115
former Taliban through the program. He said that his focus
has been on reconciling the &big fish8, which he believes
is more beneficial than trying to bring in large numbers of
people, regardless of their Taliban role. These 115 people
are now staying with their families in the two provinces, and
are all &good citizens now8.


3. (SBU) Note: These figures contrast with figures received
at the PTS central office in Kabul. On October 12, CFC-A/PMI
Ron Stafford held a teleconference with Khuja and raised U.S.
concerns about the lack of performance from his office.
Stafford pointed out that only 25 individuals had been
reconciled in 14 months of operations. Khuja responded that
there was no excuse for his non-performance and stated that
he had sufficient funding, personnel, and equipment. He
promised to increase PTS reconciler contacts over the next
several weeks and would try to actively recruit members. End
Note


4. (SBU) Khuja told PRT officer that the reconcilers receive
no support from the government. He reported that his office
tries to find jobs for the participants in the program and
land for a house if they lost their property. He said that
they do watch the people in the program but don,t let them
know about it. Notwithstanding comments noted above to
CFC-A, he said that the program would be better if they had
more resources. As it is, they are lacking in funds even for
transportation for the reconcilees to get home or for the PTS
officials to travel to Pakistan to make contacts with
potential recruits. He asked for more funding from the
international community. In contrast, he reported that the
Pakistani ISI gives some Afghan mullahs 10,000 Pakistani
rupees monthly (USD 165),which is a disincentive for them to
return to Afghanistan. When questioned whether the members
in the program felt safe here, or worry about being arrested
by CF, he reported that this was a concern. One individual
was arrested by CF when he returned but has been released and
is now living and working in Nangarhar.


5. (SBU) Other former provincial officials during the
Taliban era who have been reconciled through the program here
include Dr. Wafiulla who was the Deputy Health Minister for
the Taliban; Mul Mohammed Alam, Deputy Governor of Kabul and
Herat; Zahir, Director of the Ministry of Religion, and
Muliaha Fibullak. Other reconcilers include Mulikachmir
Khan, who came back from Iran, and Mullah Auturahman from
Saudi Arabia, and a reconciler Abdullah, son of Alaf Khan.


KABUL 00005216 002 OF 002



6. (SBU) The Jalalabad PTS Office has 15 people, including
guards and drivers. Two are advisers, two are relations
officers, and the rest are guards, drivers, and other support
staff. The relations officers are both former Taliban.
Khuja is from Logar Province and was living in Peshawar
before returning to Kabul to work in this program one year
ago. He worked in Kabul for four months and then was asked
to come to Nangarhar to open the office here. He knew
President Karzai and Sibghatullah Mojadaddi, head of the PTS
Program, when they were in Pakistan, and Sibghatullah offered
him the position with PTS. Khuja is not former Taliban
himself, but he cannot return to Pakistan, as he is now
"known by the enemy there".


7. (C) PRT Comment: The program described by Mr. Khuja
appears to be run differently from that of Herat (Reftel).
It is not known whether Khuja was simply not comfortable
sharing the details or if the program really does have few
integration elements. He described the processing as being a
matter of filling out forms and did not mention any intensive
administrative programs or vocational training. There was
also no mention of the responsibility taken by local tribal
leaders and elders for returned reconcilers. Khuja's comment
that the PTS office watched reconcilers without their knowing
it was notable. Immediately following the meeting, PRT
Officer met with the Director of the Provincial Shura who is
usually a very good source of information for the PRT. He
had no knowledge about the program but knew it existed and
believed it to be a good program. PRT Interpreter suggested
that Khuja is not the most effective person to direct this
program, as he is not from this province and was appointed
from Kabul based upon his relationships with senior
government officials there.


9. (C) Embassy Comment: Weaknesses in this particular office
point to the need for a well-run and adequately supported
program, with oversight from Kabul. The PTS program
continues to provide value and serve U.S. interests. We will
continue to monitor and assess its effectiveness and
management in all district offices.

NEUMANN