THE ROAD TO KHOROG: THE TAJIK/AFGHAN BORDER

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 001595

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON PGOV SOCI ELTN TI
SUBJECT: THE ROAD TO KHOROG: THE TAJIK/AFGHAN BORDER

REF: A: DUSHANBE 1466; B: DUSHANBE 1460

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1. (SBU) Summary. The 1,344-kilometer Tajik-Afghan border is
known for narcotics trafficking, unrelenting mountains, and as a
boundary between the former Soviet Union and South Asia.
EmbOffs traveled two-thirds of the remote Tajik-Afghan border in
the eastern part of the country, finding poverty-stricken
villages, emergent interaction between the two countries, and a
developing western route for Chinese goods. End Summary.

Bumming Cigarettes on the Afghan Border
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2. (U) The road from Khirmanjo to Langar follows the Nizhny
Pyanj river 559 km along the Tajik-Afghan border. Steep
mountains of brown and gray yield to a narrow fertile valley on
either side of the river, where dozens of green villages 25-75
meters in width cling to the river's edge. Three Aga Khan
Development Network-funded bridges at Khailakhum, Tem, and
Ishkashim, span the river.


3. (SBU) The Pyanj river, which flows south into the Amu Darya
river, presents a formidable barrier in many places, while in
other areas the gentle flow could be easily crossed. Signs
cautioning passers-by of mines populate the Tajik side of the
river, although the exact minefield locations are unknown as
numerous mudslides have made precise determinations impossible.
Several border posts dot the Pyanj, and border guards patrol the
road every few kilometers in some areas, while leaving other
spots less guarded. Many border guards look smart in their
U.S.-provided uniforms and boots, stopping vehicles for
contributions and bumming for cigarettes, while others patrol in
frayed uniforms. The one-lane road itself ranges from
smoothly-paved asphalt or bumpy pavement to pockmarked gravel on
precarious mountain edges. On the Afghan side of the river,
Afghans with goods-laden donkeys travel a thin path that clings
to the side of the mountain. On both sides, few roads lead away
from the river.


4. (U) The Saturday cross-border markets at Darvaz, Tem (near
Khorog),and Ishkashim are a weekly highlight for nearby
villages, and EconOffs were disappointed to find the border
crossings closed due to the CIS and Eurasec summits taking place
in Dushanbe. According to local Tajiks, Afghans bring small
agricultural products, and some Iranian goods such as rice, to
trade at the market. Others have described the markets as
Afghans and Tajiks trading Chinese goods.


5. (U) The Aga Khan Foundation has active development projects
throughout eastern Tajikistan, where the major population are
Ismaili Shia Muslims - followers of the Aga Khan. The Aga Khan
Development Network is building a $1 million 150-meter bridge at
Vansh, and plans to build a $500,000 40-meter bridge at Langar,
east of Ishkashim, and a $1.5 million 250-meter bridge at Shagon
near Khirmanjo.

Zing
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6. (U) In the Tajik mountain village of Zing just downstream
from the Darvaz border crossing, 165 families survive on
remittance income from family members working in Russia,
pensions, and family gardens. A shiny mausoleum marks the
entrance to the pomegranate and apple tree-lined road.
Residents often live over 90 years in this mountain town known
for its honey sold in two-liter bottles. Across the river from
Zing, Afghans transport goods via donkey along the mountain path
to their houses the same shade of brown as the dirt. The Afghan
side is within throwing distance of Tajikistan, and EmbOffs
watched as an agile Afghan boy clambered off the thin mountain
path to retrieve sticks for firewood from further down the
mountain.


7. (U) Nestled in the mountainous center of the country, Zing
receives electricity from the state-owned utility Barqi Tojik in
the west and is on a strict rationing regime. Orion Bank is
providing the credit for a 1-2 kW mini hydropower plant that
will help provide more reliable power to the village. Water
flows freely down the mountain, and spring floods often wash
large rocks and gravel out onto the road. The town lacks a
water supply system, and a local resident, Hairullo, showed
EconOffs the hundreds of meters of plastic pipe he bought that
carry water from the nearest source.


DUSHANBE 00001595 002.2 OF 003


The Road to China
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8. (U) Chinese trucks rumble along the winding roads between
Khorog and Darvaz shipping goods from the Kulma Pass north of
Darvaz. During summer months, the Kulma Pass border crossing
operates 15 days on, 15 days off. The trucks carry construction
equipment for the Chinese-funded road projects connecting
Dushanbe and Osh, or Dushanbe and Khujand. They also carry
consumer goods for local markets. Most of the trucks return to
China empty.


9. (U) EconOffs could not find a single Chinese trucker who
spoke Russian, Tajik, or English, and the Chinese appear to keep
to themselves while traveling - bringing their own food and
sleeping in their trucks along the side of the road. Some
trucks transferred their goods to smaller Tajik Kamaz trucks at
the customs terminal in Khorog. Despite the existence of a
small truck terminal in Murgab, most of the trucks pass through
Murgab, discharge their goods in Khorog, and only return to
Murgab with a few leftovers - leaving the markets in Murghab
very sparse and almost totally dependant on shipments from
Kyrgyzstan (Ref A).


10. (U) The road itself is fairly treacherous, except for a 30
km stretch of newly finished Turkish asphalt west of Darvaz.
One Chinese truck's cargo had fallen off the mountain on a steep
curve, blocking the road for several hours. The Tajik Ministry
of Transportation reports that China is interested in helping to
rebuild the road all the way from the Chinese border to Shagon
but has not yet found funding for the project.

Khorog
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11. (U) The capital of Gorno-Badakhshan, Khorog, is an energetic
mountain town, reminiscent of Boulder, Colorado, with two
universities, and a relatively educated population. Officially
home to 20,000 people, but unofficially 50,000, Khorog's local
Pamiri population engages in small trade and light industry.
The accredited but poor Khorog State University now competes
with the startup Aga Khan-funded University of Central Asia
which teaches 300 local residents English, accounting,
management and computer courses.


12. (U) Thanks to the Aga Khan Foundation, Pamir Energy keeps
residents warm,the First MicroFinance Bank provides
entrepreneurs with credit, and guests can stay at the
comfortable Serena Hotel (Ref B). Commercial flights keep
Khorog connected with the rest of Tajikistan all year, except
for frequent weather delays.


13. (U) Meat, chicken, eggs, wheat, and rice are imported from
China and Iran, as well as cement and building materials from
China. Chinese traders are interested in buying some of the
high-quality honey from the region, but local residents do not
yet produce honey in quantities that would make the transactions
worthwhile for the Chinese mega-market.


14. (U) The Gorno-Badakhshan region is officially autonomous,
and the Tajik government requires international visitors to
obtain a special permit to visit. Local residents told EmbOffs
that the central government takes the revenues from these
permits and hunting licenses and provides little to local
residents. Tourism is a decidedly viable prospect here, where
aside from Marco Polo sheep, the austere beauty of Khorog and
the region could capture the imagination of world travelers.

Ishkashim to Langar - The Deep South
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15. (U) Driving south from Khorog, the sprawling, wind-whipped
Pyanj river valley dominates the northern edge of the Wakhan
corridor from Ishkashim to Langar. Views of the Afghan Hindu
Kush with its glaciers and Great Game-era earthen forts dot the
landscape along the Tajik side of the border. Originally
designed to separate two empires from encroaching on each
other's zones of influence, crossing from Afghanistan to
Tajikistan seems as easy as wading across sand bars in some
areas. EmbOffs even saw small minivans in the very rockiest
areas of the river valley, so vehicular traffic is possible
straight up to the river in some parts.


16. (U) Ismaili-Shia shrines, topped with the horns of

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endangered Marco Polo sheep, and old water springs framed by
dilapidated Soviet mosaics dot the landscapes. Vehicular
traffic is at a minimum in these parts with the roads mostly
punctuated by herders and the intermittent patrol of border
guards, with or without weapons. Several large trucks were
stuck in the drifted sand, blocking the roads in some areas.


17. (U) This area is known as one of the poorest in
Gorno-Badakhshan, and the predominant activity along this
stretch of the border was the harvesting of wheat crops, with
the low land on both sides of the border road yielding
surprisingly high amounts of arable land. There were a
strikingly high number of male laborers in the field compared to
villages in other parts of Tajikistan, where fields are
dominated by female laborers. Most seemed ecstatic to receive a
wave and a smile from far-too-infrequent passersby.


18. (U) Past Langar, at the confluence of the Pamir and Wakhan
rivers, the border road turns northward and ascends steeply
through a barren, treeless landscape towards the Khargush pass,
ultimately linking up with the Khorog-Murgab road. The only
sign of life on this 108 km stretch were the two conscript
border guards at the Khargush checkpoint, rousted from their
evening meal. Rusting construction equipment, abandoned border
towers and evidence of massive landslides completed the scene in
this deserted corner of Tajikistan.
JACOBSON