PRT/HERAT: ONGOING SECURITY ISSUES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005971 SIPDIS SENSITIVE 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 A HARRIMAN OSD FOR KIMMIT CENTCOM FOR CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD, JICCENT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MARR PGOV PINR PINS PREL AF IR SUBJECT: PRT/HERAT: ONGOING SECURITY ISSUES ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The normal tranquility of Herat has been disturbed in recent weeks by political cross-currents that exist below the surface. The tribal tensions in the aftermath of Amanullah Khan,s murder in Shindand District, Iranian nervousness over border training activities at a U.S. facility near the border, and Night Letters delivered to ISAF Forces all suggest the potential for increased tensions. END SUMMARY. SHINDAND DISTRICT TENSIONS: AMANULLAH KHAN FALLOUT -------------- -- ¶2. (SBU) The death of Shindand warlord Amanullah Khan (AK) on October 22 created a political void in Shindand district. AK,s son has formally been annointed as his successor, but few expect him to be able to fend off competitors for local control. During the 30-day truce following the murder, AK,s elder brother Arbab Dawlat assumed some of Amanullah Khan's roles. ¶3. (SBU) While the tribal tensions that led to the murder have been tamped down by GOA intervention, this is a stopgap measure. A delegation of 20 Barakzai and Noorzai elders met recently in Kabul with GOA officials, including with President Karzai. In the end, this conflict will probably be settled locally. A local Jirga has been proposed and this may offer a way forward. ¶4. (SBU) In Kabul, key figures who have been involved in this mediation include former Karzai advisor Asadullah Wafa (former Deputy Minister of Boundaries and Tribal Affairs and newly appointed Governor of Helmand Province),and another Karzai advisor, Shahzadeh Massoud. Their principal concern remains the security of Shindand district. Another of AKs brothers in Shindand, Nasrullah Khan, has been approached by Aref Noorzai (a Noorzai tribal leader who also serves as Deputy Speaker of the Wolesi Jirga) to use his influence in the district to calm tensions. Shindand district is the largest in Herat Province and important in terms of its location on the border of Iran. ¶5. (SBU) A new District Governor from a Pashtun Herati family, Haji Na'eem Mohmand, has been installed in Shindand. The Zir-e-Koh area of Shindand has long been relatively lawless; in that sense little has changed. The concern is that anti-coalition elements from both Farah and Helmand provinces have filtered north to Herat Province. ANA, ANP and ABP elements in the area are cooperating closely with ISAF forces to counter any threats. The Herat PRT has stepped up patrols in recent weeks and visits Shindand to perform Key Leader Engagement (KLE). Shindand borders Iran and is a conduit for the illegal narcotics flow to Iran. It has one formal border crossing point at Kaleteh Nazar. Completion of the Kabul-Kandahar-Herat road project will leave many men in the district unemployed and may create opportunities for anti-government forces to recruit. Thus far, violence has been limited in scope. There have been several VBIED and IED attacks which injured ANA soldiers, and the Shindand Police Chief and several colleagues were murdered recently, but so far Coalition and ISAF forces in the area have been unscathed. U.S. PRESENCE NEAR THE IRANIAN BORDER -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Five miles from the Iranian border, a USG facility has been erected which will house around seventy mentors from Dyncorps, DHS, other USG agencies and the Italian Guardia di Finanza. This eleven million dollar facility is in the border village of Islam Qala, where many local residents have contacts with Iranian counterparts. The Iranians are apparently spreading rumors among the villagers about this USG compound. The situation is complicated by the smuggling trade between the two countries that may be disturbed by the KABUL 00005971 002 OF 002 new compound, since it lies near the road utilized by smugglers. One local rumor is that the new facility will be used for offensive operations against Iran by U.S. Special Forces in the region. According to Afghan sources, the Iranians have issued pamphlets in the Islam Qala area suggesting that villagers there are &in the jail of the foreigners8. Not enough has been done by GOA to assure villagers that this border training facility will assist the GOA and the Afghan people. Governor Anwari publicly chastised a senior U.S. military officer assigned to the PRT on local TV for not informing him in greater detail about the border training facility, and local residents of Islam Qala filed a petition claiming the land for the facility was acquired illegally. ¶8. (SBU) The consensus by PRT contacts is that falsehoods regarding the facility are propagated by businessmen and border officials who will lose an important revenue stream when border controls are tightened and oversight of the customs collection process is improved. Currently, tax collection is spotty at best, since vouchers are often forged to indicate a reduced quantity of goods imported. Many residents of the area may fear the new facility because they owe their own livelihoods to Iran, where they commute for work. NIGHT LETTERS -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The PRT in Herat has received two Night Letters within the last several weeks, one allegedly authored by Mullah Omar and the second by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Both are now public record, since they were released by the intelligence service to the media. These letters were the subject of discussion by a panel of government officials and political analysts on television. ¶10. (SBU) The letter credited to Mullah Omar makes an open appeal for volunteers. In contrast, the letter from Hekmatyar appeared conciliatory towards the GOA, as it condemned the murder of GOA officials and school teachers. In Herat political circles, however, there is considerable doubt that the second letter was actually authored by Hekmatyar. Local speculation says it may have been written by parties with an interest in sabotaging political stability in Herat, possibly the same people responsible for recent IED attacks. COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (SBU) A few key events could have a strong impact on Herat Province. Recent steps by the GOA, such as the announcement of the Afghan-Pakistan Jirga and Attorney General Sabit,s anti-corruption campaign have played very well locally. In addition, thus far, security forces have kept a lid on renewed violence in Shindand. The new Shindand district governor was hand-picked by Karzai and seems to be enjoying both credibility and support. NORLAND