PAG APPROVES EXPANDING ANAP TO EAST AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000255 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, S/CRS, S/CT, EUR/RPM STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC FOR AHARRIMAN OSD FOR KIMMITT CENTCOM FOR CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: NATO PGOV SNAR PTER AF SUBJECT: PAG APPROVES EXPANDING ANAP TO EAST AND REINFORCING SOUTH KABUL 00000255 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) The January 11 Policy Action Group (PAG) approved two Afghan National Auxiliary Police (ANAP) proposals. The first will expand the authorization of ANAP for Kandahar from 1300 to 2000. The additional 700 police will be recruited from and deployed to Panjwayi and Zharey districts to backfill the ISAF-led military operation Baaz Tsuka with permanent police presence. While the PAG did not discuss the proposal in detail, ISAF briefed the Senior SOG on January 6 that elders from Panjwayi and Zharey fully supported the expansion plan and that it was critical to maintaining control of this key area. CSTC-A confirmed that there is enough training capacity, including mentor support, at the Kandahar Regional Training Center to implement the plan. All involved understand the need to thoroughly vet the recruits; an MOI vetting inspection team is traveling to Kandahar soon to review quality control. ¶2. (SBU) The second proposal approved by the PAG was to expand the ANAP program to the eight eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Kunar, Laghman, Logar, Nangahar, and Nuristan. This plan was developed by CJTF-76 Task Force Spartan and provides for limited training using existing assets - no trainers will be drawn away from the south to support the expansion. Most of the training will occur in relatively small numbers at the PRTs, although some training may take place at the RTCs at Gardez and Jalalabad. This proposal has been fully coordinated with the MOI and ISAF and it has been assessed that sufficient resources are in place to move ahead. ¶3. (SBU) CSTC-A Commanding General Durbin, who briefed the plan, emphasized that vetting and command/control issues remain a concern. While the close involvement of TF Spartan makes those issues more manageable in the East, the planners welcome spot checks and inspection teams from the international community, including U.S. Embassy, to confirm that ethnic balance and other vetting concerns have been fully addressed. The only other province for which there is sufficient accountability at this time is Herat, where one class of ANAP may be trained at the RTC so long as it does not conflict with upcoming Civil Order Police training (scheduled to begin January 27). (Note: ANAP deployment in Herat province would be focused on the troubled district of Shindand as well as supporting regular police in Herat city. End note.) ¶4. (SBU) There are an additional seven provinces where MOI has recruited and vetted ANAP patrolmen (ahead of agreement from donors to pay for them): Kapisa, Wardak, Parwan, Ghor, Faryab, Nimroz, and Daikundi. These provinces will be considered on a case-by-case basis after the priority provinces in the south and east are staffed; training will only be requested once it has been assured that all recruits have been properly vetted with international community oversight and there is a viable Afghan National Police chain of command in place. (Note: Ghor Province PRToff reported on January 12 that conditions may be close to ready there. Lithuanian PRT and INL police mentors in Chagcharan are cooperating closely with the provincial leadership to ensure the quality of ANAP recruits. There is an insurgent presence in areas of southern Ghor that needs to be countered by additional police presence there. End note.) Comment -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The request to expand ANAP in Kandahar, which was strongly advocated by international police trainers at the Kandahar PRT and RTC as well as ISAF operational commanders, shows that the ANAP has begun to play a positive role in local security in some areas. UNAMA Deputy Senior Representative Chris Alexander, who had been very skeptical KABUL 00000255 002.2 OF 002 of the ANAP, made the same point in a January 15 security meeting. We agree that it is time to begin a measured expansion into other areas, particularly in support of GOA/ISAF counterinsurgency efforts. The TF Spartan plan makes full use of the PRTs and international mentor support to maintain quality control and independently check MOI-led recruiting and vetting. All elements involved in program implementation understand the need for quality control/quality assurance as the ANAP gradually expands. PRT officers in the eight eastern provinces report that the Afghan leadership and international security forces in those provinces are eager to use ANAP to extend the reach of the central and provincial government into remote areas. With international participation at all stages of implementation, we believe expanding the ANAP program to the east, and reinforcing it in the south contributes to the war effort. NEUMANN