PRESIDENT KARZAI APPOINTS NEW GOVERNORS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KABUL 002505

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2017
TAGS: EAID KDEM PGOV PINR AF
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT KARZAI APPOINTS NEW GOVERNORS

Classified By: Political Counselor Sara Rosenberry for reasons 1.4 (B)
and (D).

SUMMARY
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1. (C) Governors have recently been sacked and replaced in
Badghis, Ghor, Kapisa, and Logar. The status of the governor
in Jowzjan remains unresolved, though he is no longer in the
province. The governors from Faryab and Takhar were shifted
to new provinces. Faryab remains vacant. The Ministry of
Interior announced that as many as eight additional changes
may be forthcoming. Those removed and their replacements are
a mixed bag: some reportedly corrupt, well-connected
governors were moved to new provinces, while several
well-intentioned technocrats were removed entirely.
Explanations for the changes range from speculation that
President Karzai wants to make changes before the Senior
Appointments Board becomes fully operational, an effort to
change the political equation in the north, early political
jockeying in advance of to the 2009/10 elections, the
cyclical nature of Afghan patronage-based politics, or
President Karzai's desire to show progress on sub-national
governance in advance of his Camp David visit. END SUMMARY.

GOVERNORS SACKED, NEW GOVERNORS APPOINTED: BADGHIS, GHOR,
LOGAR, KAPISA
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2. (C) Badghis Governor Mohammad NASIM was removed on June
26, 2007. He was widely considered one of the worst
governors in the country, with claims he sponsored illegally
armed groups in the south of the province and stole
humanitarian relief supplies for flood victims in late 2006.
His replacement is Mohammad Ashraf NASERI, a non-aligned,
educated Pashtun who has been a good Embassy
counter-narcotics contact with extensive government
experience.


3. (C) Ghor Governor Shah Abdul AHAD was removed on June 25,

2007. Considered a well-intentioned technocrat, he had
little political clout in Kabul and no independent power base
in Ghor. According to the PRT, he was surprised by his
dismissal, and the PRT has heard rumors that he may be
appointed to another governorship. His replacement is Baz
Mohammad AHMADI, a member of Rabbani's Jamiat. According to
UNAMA, he is not known for competence, but his status as an
ex-commander could be helpful in dealing with the insurgency
in southern Ghor.


4. (SBU) Logar Governor Mohammad Karim HASHIMI, a Pashtun
supporter of Rabani's Jamiat, was removed from office on July
16, 2007. Hashimi told the PRT he that his perceived lack of
support for DIAG may have led to his removal, but he was
reportedly frequently absent from his post, spending weeks at
a time in Kabul or at various vacation homes. His
replacement is Abdullah WARDAK, a Pashtun from Wardak
province. Wardak is an ex-mujahideen commander and associate
of Abdul Sayyaf who served as the Minister of Martyrs and
Disabled under the Interim Government from 2001-4, but since
has held no official position.


5. (C) There is some controversy regarding the removal of
Kapisa Governor Abdul Satar MURAD, an educated technocrat
well-regarded by most internationals who was sacked on June

16. Murad claimed that he was sacked as a result of a candid
interview he gave to Newsweek Magazine in which he criticized
the Karzai government for failing to fill the leadership void
at the local level. He accused the government of playing
"dirty politics" by claiming he gave false information to
ISAF that led to civilian casualties. Some provincial
officials have since claimed he cut a deal with insurgents in
the south of the province to ignore their activities in
return for their support. The truth is that he is close to
Rabbani and actively supports the United Front (UF),which
seeks to unseat the President. He was reportedly in the
process of organizing a meeting of neighboring governors to

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discuss the UF when he was sacked.

GOVERNORS MOVED: FROM FARYAB TO TAKHAR, TAKHAR TO KAPISA
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6. (C) On July 21, President Karzai moved Takhar Governor
Khwaja Khausuddin (AKA Ghulam Ghas) ABUBAKIR to the vacancy
left by Murad in Kapisa. Abubakir is an ethnic Tajik former
HIG supporter who is now closer to Jamiat. He worked on the
Karzai presidential campaign. Abubakir's term as Governor of
Takhar was marked by relative inactivity and rumors of
involvement in narco-trafficking.


7. (C) President Karzai moved Faryab governor Abdul Latif
IBRAHIMI to the Abubakir's vacancy in Takhar. Ibrahimi, an
ethnic Uzbek member of Rabbani,s Jamiat. As the
Faryab governor since May 2004 and previously Kunduz
governor from 2001-2004, Ibrahimi was rumored to be
involved in the collection of illegal taxes and extortion and
narco-trafficking, as well as a land deal under investigation
by the Attorney General's office.

AWAITING APPOINTMENTS IN JOWZJAN AND FARYAB
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8. (C) President Karzai has not yet announced a replacement
for former Jowzjan Governor Juma Khan HAMDARD, who left the
province following clashes between his body guards and
supporters of Uzbek strong-man Abdul Rashid Dostum. He has
not yet been formally dismissed, but few think he will
return. A Norwegian Embassy political officer close to the
PRT in Jowzjan told us that provincial officials believe
President Karzai is trying to find a candidate to fill the
post who could help further erode Dostum's support in the
predominately Uzbek province, without provoking further
disturbances by pro-Dostum Junbesh loyalists.


9. (C) These changes also leave a vacancy in Faryab, another
predominately Uzbek province. UNAMA Senior Advisor Mervyn
Patterson told Poloff following a meeting with Minister of
Interior Zarar on June 26 that Karzai was considering
replacing Ibrahimi with Qazi ENAYAT Enayatullah, a former
Faryab governor and Dostum opponent. UNAMA has suggested
another candidate, Hashim ZARE, a well-regarded advisor to
Karzai on tribal issues who is reportedly close to the royal
family. Former Faryab Governor Ibrahimi's secretary Mojeeb,
told POL on July 15 that, in addition to Zare, another
potential replacement is Qazi Alam RASIKH, another opponent
of Dostum.

WHO'S NEXT?
--------------


10. (C) The Ministry of Interior spokesman announced on
June 26 that as many as eight additional changes may be yet
to come. UNAMA shared with Poloff other names they
understand are on Minister of Interior Zarar's list for
possible removal or reassignment: Badakhshan Governor Munshi
Abdul al-MAJID, Baghlan Governor Muhammad Alam Ishakzay,
Ghazni Governor Merajuddin PATAN, Helmand Governor Asadullah
WAFA, Kunar Governor Haji Mohammad DEEDAR Shalizi, Parwan
Governor Abdul Jabar TAQWA, and Zabul Governor Dilbar Jan
ARMAN.

COMMENT: WHY NOW?
--------------


11. (C) There is a range of opinions about why the shifts are
being made. President Karzai may want to make the
appointments before he signs the terms of reference for the
Senior Appointments Board, which would add screening
requirements to the appointment process and limit his
political maneuvering room. Karzai may also be trying to
change the political equation in the north by making
appointments that challenge or disrupt Dostum's influence.
Another possible influence is early political positioning in
advance of the 2009/10 elections. UNAMA senior political

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advisors believe that the shake-up is merely the next round
in the natural cycle of Afghanistan's patronage-based
political system. Finally, President Karzai may be keen to
show he is committed to taking control of sub-national
governance before his visit to Camp David in early August.
The announcement that he is moving the Civil Administration
(sub-national governance) division out of MOI into a
discrete, new division in the Office of the President
complements his decisive move on the governors (Septel). END
COMMENT.

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS FOR NEW GOVERNORS AND CANDIDATES
(ALPHABETICAL ORDER):
-------------- -


12. (C) Khwaja Khausuddin (AKA Ghulam Ghas) ABUBAKIR, the new
Kapisa governor and former Takhar Governor, was born in 1950
in Kohistan, now in Kapisa Province. After graduation from
high school, he became a teacher at a local school and later
principal. Abubakir is reported to have been head of the
cultural office in Kapisa-Parwan for Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and
following the emergence of the Rabbani Government, was also a
member of Hezb-e Islami. He took refuge in Pakistan during
the Taliban era. He was appointed governor of Takhar
Province in June 2005. Abubakir's term as Governor of Takhar
has been marked by his inability or disinterest in managing
the affairs of the province. Although he regularly talks
about collecting weapons and demanding compliance with DIAG
(Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups) activities, he has done
little to reign in local power brokers. Takhar Province
remains largely under the control of former commanders like
Mutalib Beg, a former provincial police chief, and Qazi
Kabir, the former Takhar Governor and current
parliamentarian. Abubakir is married with 15 children.


13. (C) Bas Mohammad AHMADI, the new Ghor Governor, was the
Commander of Herat Army Corps Number Four, Reshkhur
Division, in Kabul prior to DDR. He was reportedly involved
in corruption, illegally distributing all the government
lands in the Darul Aman area to his followers. Unlike the
technocratic previous governor, he is a close affiliate of
Rabbani, and a member of Jamiat. UNAMA says he is apparently
not noted for competence, but that his status as an
ex-commander could be helpful in dealing with the insurgency
in southern Ghor.


14. (C) Qazi ENAYAT Enayatullah, rumored to be a candidate
for Faryab Governor, is an Uzbek, Afghan-Australian dual
national from Faryab. He opposes Dostum and was appointed by
Karzai to serve as one of the five members of the Senior
Appointments Board. According to UNAMA, he has used his
position on the Board to support appointments for his allies
-- and Dostum opponents -- in the North. He served as
governor of Faryab, but was ousted in 2003 in "a coup" he
alleges was organized by Dostum. He then served as governor
of Badghis until late 2006. He has tried to get Karzai more
involved in Faryab, and pushed for DDR and for a stronger ANA
and ANP presence in the province. Junbesh Youth leader
Najibullah Salimi has warned the Norwegian PRT that his
appointment could lead to further protests.


15. (C) Abdul Latif IBRAHIMI, the new Takhar governor, was
Governor of Faryab from August 2004 to July 2007, and
previously Governor of Kunduz-Samangan. An Uzbek born in the
early 1960s into one of the most prominent families in
Kunduz, Ibrahimi is a graduate of the Takharistan Madrassa in
Kunduz City. A senior mujahideen commander in Kunduz during
the anti-Soviet jihad, he was one of Dostum's subcommanders
with the Northern Alliance and enjoyed a close association
with Ahmed Shah Massoud. After the defeat of the Taliban, he
was appointed Governor in Kunduz under a Tajik/Uzbek power
sharing agreement. He remains an ally of Dostum and a Faryab
Jumbesh loyalist. The Norwegian-led PRT in Maimana, Faryab's
capital, is critical of Ibrahimi, who they reported is
corrupt and embroiled in several scandals including a land
deal under investigation by the Attorney General,s office.
He is notorious for the collection illegal taxes and

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extortion, and one of his two brothers is reportedly a
narco-trafficker.


16. (C) Mohammad Ashraf NASERI, the new Badghis Governor, is
a 50 year old Pastun born in Paktia. He is married with four
children. He has a master's degree in management from a
university in Pakistan and has lectured in geography at Kabul
University. He spent 23 years in Pakistan before returning
to Kabul after the collapse of the Communist regime. Prior
to his appointment as governor, he was Director General for
Policy and Coordination at the Ministry of Counter Narcotics
and Chief of Staff to the Minister for Counter-Narcotics. A
close Embassy CN contact, he attended the German Marshall
Center, traveled to South Korea and Colombia on U.S.-
sponsored counter-narcotics study tours, and visited the U.S.
on a IV program. He has also been an advisor to the Minister
of Refugees and Repatriation, a UNHCR program officer, and
director of an NGO with ten programs in Badghis. During the
jihad, he was a program officer for an international NGO
providing medical aid to Afghans in Pakistan. He told us his
priorities as governor are education, access to health care
jobs creation, providing security for the pistachio harvest
in July (Badghis' major cash-crop that is often harvested
illegally by outsiders),and implementing the government's
agenda in Badghis.


17. (C) Qazi Alam RASIKH, rumored to be a candidate for
Faryab Governor, is an Uzbek originally from Maimana, Faryab
province, and educated in a Madrassa in Faryab. He belongs
to General Abdul Malik's Hezb-e Azadi, the Uzbek party
rivaling Dostum in Faryab Province. As former governor of
Baghlan until 2006, he was considered corrupt, ineffectual,
and uneducated. According to the PRT at the time, "the
Tajiks just about tolerate him, the Pashtuns deride him, and
even the Uzbeks don't support him." Appointed by Karzai,
Rasikh had no power base of his own. PolFSNs tell us that
Malek and his supporters are hated in Faryab, with the
exception of Shrin Tagab district, Malek's birthplace.
Maimana is also home to Junbesh Youth Leader Salimi, who
would vigorously oppose Rasikh's appointment.


18. (C) Abdullah WARDAK, the new Logar Governor, is a Pashtun
born in 1952 in Wardak province. After graduating from the
Kabul Military Academy, Wardak served in the Afghan Army from
1973 to 1978 before joining the Mujahideen to fight the
Communists. He was a member of Abdul Sayyaf's Islamic Unity
Party of Afghanistan, now the Islamic Call of Afghanistan,
and he remains a close associate of Sayyaf. He was appointed
Deputy Defense Minister in 1992 after the Mujahideen victory,
but never served in the position. He fought with the
Northern Alliance against the Taliban from 1995 to 2001. He
served as the Minister of Martyrs and Disabled from 2001 to
2004 during the Interim Government of Afghanistan. He has
held no official position in the three years since the
Presidential election in 2004. He speaks Dari, Arabic,
English, and some Russian.


19. (C) Hashim ZARE, rumored to be a candidate for Faryab
Governor, is of mixed Pashtun-Uzbek background and is
currently an advisor to President Karzai and an opponent of
Dostum. He lived in the United States and has a PhD. His
candidacy is supported by the PRT, MOI, and the UNAMA office
in Faryab, who said he is well educated, well-connected "in a
good way", and a stabilizing influence in the province. Zare
negotiated the appointment of the competent and largely
apolitical Faryab deputy governor Baresh, to whom Governor
Ibrahimi has delegated important but politically unrewarding
tasks such as the Provincial Development Plan.
WOOD