PRTSHARANA: PAKTIKA GOVERNOR SEEKS AMBASSADOR'S

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000371

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/FO GASTRIGHT, SCA/A
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
NSC FOR HARRIMAN
OSD FOR KIMMITT
CENTCOM FOR CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PTER EAID ECON MARR AF
SUBJECT: PRTSHARANA: PAKTIKA GOVERNOR SEEKS AMBASSADOR'S
SUPPORT ON SECURITY AND FUNDING

REF: A. KABUL 255

B. KABUL 359

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1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Paktika Governor Khpalwak used his January
20 meeting with the Ambassador to seek U.S. support for
projects in his province. The Governor requested help in
funding new projects in the border districts. The Ambassador
highlighted the importance of the newly-authorized Afghan
National Axilliary Police (ANAP) for Khost incorporating a
board range of individuals rather than being simply a
grouping of existing militias. The governor highlighted the
loss of payments from the Ministry of Interior to the
Governor's Discretionary Fund, noting that he relies on the
Fund to pay for the Governor's militia and provide bonuses to
regular police serving in dangerous and remote districts.
The Embassy is looking at ways to address problems with the
Discretionay Fund (Septel). The underlying challenge is to
ensure a transparent and sustainable system is in place to
provide regular payments to Afghan security forces. END
SUMMARY

THE STICK THEN THE CARROT
--------------


2. (SBU) Governor Khpalwak of Khost Province used his
January 20 meeting with the Ambassador to highlight that in
Bermel and Paktika's other border districts there is a need
for small relatively inexpensive projects to employ local
people and demonstrate that the government cared about them.
The Governor cited an example of a case where Afghan and ISAF
forces had worked together to protect the integrity of
Afghanistan. On January 10, a Taliban attempt to attack the
Afghan security force outpost at Margah village in Bermel
district had been repelled, resulting in a large number of
Taliban casualties. Governor Khpalwak said he followed up on
this Taliban defeat by addressing a Bermel District Tribal
Shura within days of the event. As a further follow-up, the
Governor would like to be able to provide a number of small
projects for Bermel and in particular Margah village in order
to demonstrate the Afghan government not only can protect its
people but can provide projects as well. Governor Khpalwak
reported that the people of Bermel, through the Shura, had
indicated that they needed drinking water wells, small water
retention reservoirs and retaining walls to channel flood
waters away from agricultural land. The Ambassador inquired
about the National Solidarity Program (NSP) and if it could
be used for this purpose. The Governor agreed that NSP was
an option, but a very slow one. He said he needed projects
that could be started as soon as the spring weather
permitted. The Governor underlined that the people of Bermel
were not against the government but were afraid of the
insurgents and needed to be shown that the Afghan government
can and will assist them.

PAKTIKA GETS AUXILIARY POLICE
--------------


3. (SBU) The Ambassador announced that an expansion of the
Afghan National Auxiliary Police (ANAP) program would begin
soon in Paktika and said he would send down a joint
Embassy-CSTC-A team to ensure that the force would be
broad-based. (Note: The expansion of the ANAP effort to
Paktika was approved by the PAG on January 11 (reftel) and is
scheduled to commence in mid-February. The manning of the
ANAP in Paktika will initially come from the pool of
individuals recruited prior to the PAG-ordered cessation of
recruiting outside the six priority provinces. Once this
existing pool of recruits is exhausted, additional recruiting
efforts may occur. There are currently 82 personnel awaiting
training in Paktika with a requirement for 720 ANAP within
the province. End Note) The Ambassador asked that the
Governor ensure recruitment focused on individuals rather
than on groups of men belonging to local commanders. The
idea was not to recruit militias but individuals. Moreover,
these individuals should not be from just one tribe. The
Governor welcomed this idea, stating he currently relied on

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his own militia (sometimes otherwise referred to as Arbakei
or irregulars or contract police) assisting the ANP in
Paktika. He said he had a plan to recruit five to ten men
from each district for the ANAP. In the Governor's view,
recruiting police would not be a problem if a good salary
were provided along with proper police weapons and equipment.

MOI STOPS GOVERNOR'S DISCRETIONARY FUNDS
--------------


4. (SBU) Governor Khpalwak asked the Ambassador's assistance
in getting a resumption in the Governor's Discretionary
Funds. This special MOI fund, some 180,000 USD a month for
Paktika, was last paid in November 2006. The lack of these
monies over the last two months has created a looming
security problem for Paktika. The Governor told the
Ambassador he had been using part of these funds to hire
contract police and to supplement the salaries of ANP based
in remote and high danger posts. These payments are now in
arrears, and the Governor feared that many of his militia as
well as regular police will soon quit their posts over this
pay issue. The Governor explained that he had would have no
problem accounting for and ensuring the transparency of his
Discretionary Fund. The Ambassador agreed to look at the
situation. (Note: As in the last fiscal year, funds
available from the Afghan national budget for the Governor's
Discretionary Fund, provided since 2005 to 15 (mostly eastern
and southern) provinces to meet special security
requirements, have dried up before the end of the fiscal
year, for reasons that are not entirely clear. Embassy is
looking at the problems with the Fund, which the GOA
acknowledges were a stop-gap measure. They include less than
ideal transparency requirements by any standard. There are
indications that the next budget, which is currently being
negotiated and will not be approved until at least March, may
not include provision for the Discretionary Fund - Septel.
End Note)

AFGHAN GOVERNMENT MONETARY RESPONSIBILITY URGED
-------------- --


5. (SBU) The Ambassador and Governor also discussed funding
for the Afghan National Army (ANA) and police development. A
key discussion point was the need to recruit more soldiers to
backfill existing ANA formations and build new units, which
had not been budgeted by the Afghan government this year.
The Ambassador underlined that Afghans themselves would need
to accept the idea of taking responsibility for some of the
short-term salary costs of speeding recruitment, though some
of the costs might have to be borne by donors. The GOA has
already accepted the need to assume responsibility for the
long-term sustainability of new ANA salaries. (This issue is
strictly one of the short-term needs outrunning immediate
budget projections.) The Ambassador underlined that meeting
the government's responsibilities will require generating
revenue, including through taxes. Provincial Councils,
Wolsei Jirga, and the Governor need to take responsibility,
not just the Finance Minister.

SUPPLEMENTAL MAY PROVIDE MORE PROJECTS
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6. (SBU) The Ambassador provided an overview of plans for
the Supplemental Assistance package being considered by
Congress. He noted that he supported more money being put
into road building in Afghanistan. The objective is to tie
every District Center to the Provincial capital with a good
road. He cautioned, however, that the money would not arrive
soon and that projects would not likely be funded until late
summer or early fall.

COMMENT
--------------


7. (SBU) The Governor is facing an active insurgency in his
province and has relied heavily on the Governor's

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Discretionary Fund to pay the salaries of militia and to
top-off the salaries of the ANP. The lack of this money for
several months may have security implications in several
districts in Paktika that rely solely on militia hired by the
governor and paid from these funds. This points to a
weakness in a security system that relies on this special
fund, particularly as it is widely assumed that the funds run
out at the end of the year at least in part because of graft
and corruption. While we expect the upcoming training of the
ANAP to begin to address this issue, we are focusing on the
broader implications as well (septel). We will continue to
press the Government to move to a transparent system that
ensures regular, adequate, sustainable funding for the
security forces.
NEUMANN