PRT/LASHKAR GAH - HELMAND PROVINCE:

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000735 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SA/FO (AMB QUINN),SA/A, S/CT, EUR/RPM STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD REL NATO/AUST/NZ/ISAF E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID AF SUBJECT: PRT/LASHKAR GAH - HELMAND PROVINCE: DISTRICT ELDERS FRUSTRATED KABUL 00000735 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Thirteen Mousa Qala district elders, including their Provincial Council representative, are frustrated by the lack of basic services in their district. Despite repeated requests to the provincial government over a several year period, they complain that there is little power and a key road remains in very poor condition. Their experience provides a window into one of Helmand province's major challenges: Convincing people that the provincial government deserves their loyalty. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) On February 13, the PRT commander and PRToff met with a group of village elders; the Helmand Provincial Director for Power, Engineer Faizullah; and a Provincial Council member, Haji Naim, who is from Mousa Qala. Helmand's deputy governor, Amir Mohammed, is from Mousa Qala (he did not attend the meeting). The group said that they had met with Governor Daoud on February 12. We're Still Waiting -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Discussion focused on the lack of power and the poor condition of a key road. The elders said that Mousa Qala has little electricity because it shares a line with Kajeki, the nearby district where a dam and power station are located. According to Engineer Faizullah, the transformer is insufficient to provide power to both districts. He said that a 23 kilometer line would be needed to provide sufficient power to Mousa Qala. The elders said that the lack of power hampers their ability to exploit the irrigation canals and degrades agriculture. They claimed that they have appealed to the provincial government over the past four years, with no results. ¶4. (SBU) A similar discussion ensued concerning the road that heads north from Mousa Qala to Bagran district and on to Uruzgan province. The elders said that this is a key road for commerce, with several districts affected. The section in question is about 30 kilometers long. Again, the elders said that they have had no response from the provincial government despite repeated requests to repair the road. ¶5. (SBU) The elders told PRToffs they met with Governor Daoud on February 12 to discuss these issues. The governor said that he would look into it, but recommended that they appeal directly to the PRT. PRToffs told the elders that a PRT mission to visit Mousa Qala is planned for early next March. This mission will provide an opportunity to see these problems first hand. Comment -------------- ¶6. (SBU) This meeting represents one of the major problems in Helmand. On the one hand, the government constantly reiterates the need to encourage loyalty in the countryside in order to KABUL 00000735 002.2 OF 002 deter citizens from becoming active (or tacit) allies of the Taliban. On the other hand, its failure to deliver basic services, even after several years, has had a negative impact. Incidents such as this one exemplify the difficulty of establishing government credibility. As local citizens see the lack of response from the provincial government (not to mention the pervasive corruption),the risk of growing Taliban influence is likely to increase. ¶7. (SBU) At another level, it is disappointing that, assuming what the elders and Provincial Council member Naim told us is true, the Governor sent the group to the PRT. Clearly, this adds to citizens' views of the PRT as a parallel institution and weakens their image of the government, not something we want to project. PRToffs will continue to work with the governor to encourage them to work these issues through local institutions (district and provincial governments),with the PRT remaining in the background. ¶8. (U) Dushanbe minimize considered. NEUMANN