PRT PANJSHIR: SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT ON SECURITY,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000373 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 RELEASABLE TO NATO/ISAF/AUS/NZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2017 TAGS: PGOV PTER MASS ECON EAID SOCI AF SUBJECT: PRT PANJSHIR: SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT ON SECURITY, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS Classified By: PolCounselor SRosenberry for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) Over the past year, Panjshir Province has recorded remarkable progress. Security is holding, governance is maturing, reconstruction is advancing and society is evolving. Constraints remain, however, both in terms of infrastructure and mentality. The Governor highlights education as the long-term agent for change. End Summary. Security -------------- ¶2. (C) The security environment in the province is permissive. A few incidents have punctured the calm, including explosions in a prominent school last August and under a USAID car last December. In both cases, the explosive charge was small; no one was injured; the purpose seemed to be to warn rather than kill. Also in December, a suicide attacker reportedly sought entrance into the valley but was thwarted. Otherwise the valley has been spared terrorist activity and roadside IED,s. PRTers move freely and interact openly throughout the province. ¶3. (C) To be sure, Panjshir is not tranquil. Local disputes erupt periodically, often involving land or water rights. Homicides take place occasionally. Over the past few months, we have heard of a grisly ax murder and the slaying of a young woman. But these incidents are &Afghan on Afghan.8 They do not endanger PRT security. Local authorities dispense justice, without international involvement. ¶4. (C) We see several reasons for the positive security record: a mono-ethnic (Tajik) society, making Taliban or al Qaida infiltration difficult; a close-knit society, causing outsiders to stand out; a cul-de-sac topography, allowing provincial authorities to control access; a refusal to cultivate poppy, negating the corrupting side-effects of drug trafficking; a network of former mujahideen, who cooperate with the government and the PRT in sharing intelligence; and an activist Governor, who ranks security as his top priority and works closely with the PRT to assure it. In a sense, Panjshir derives its security from a province-wide &neighborhood watch.8 Politics and Governance -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The province is young; it attained it provincial status in 2004. Its Governor is new; he assumed his position in 2005. As a result, the administrative structure is weak and the administrative experience thin. The recruitment of competent line directors has also been a challenge, since living conditions in the valley are considered unattractive. ¶6. (U) Hence recent gains in governance have stood out. One year ago, Panjshir had neither a framework for allocating resources nor the resources themselves. Six months ago, the resources started to flow, led by CERP projects; but a framework was not in place. Over the past several weeks, local administrators have constructed a framework ) more specifically, a functioning Provincial Development Council (PDC) and a formulated Provincial Development Plan (PDP). The PDC used to be a gripe session; now it is a deliberative body. The PDP started as a wish list; now it is a prioritized strategy. ¶7. (SBU) Governor Bahlul, though lacking formal administrative training, has emerged as a strong lobbyist for Panjshir interests in GOA corridors. He has also assembled an effective &kitchen cabinet.8 He delegates (not a natural skill for Afghans generally) paperwork requirements KABUL 00000373 002 OF 003 to his able deputy. He draws on a handful of line directors to engage in strategic planning. He has begun to consult the PRT,s Subject Matter Expert funded by USAID (the one whose car was targeted, see para 2). He works around the weak and venal line directors. The GOA has recognized the administrative progress by designating Panjshir as one of three provinces included in a pilot plan to decentralize funding decisions. Economics and Reconstruction -------------- ¶8. (U) Panjshir, as the center of resistance against the Soviets and then the Taliban, suffered destruction and deprivation for over two decades. Its infrastructure is rudimentary, its standard of living low. This past year marked a turning point. The Governor speaks of &the new prosperity.8 He calls on Panjshiris to seize the unique chance, &the golden opportunity,8 to improve their province. ¶9. (U) The main road rehabilitation, funded by USAID and stretching 47 km through the largest towns, is the linchpin. From an economic standpoint, it is transformational. Traffic has already increased three-fold. The time to drive to Kabul is down by two-thirds. The road allows products to flow more easily to metropolitan markets, especially in the capital. It enables young men to find work outside Panjshir and send remittances back to their families. It facilitates the stream of investment and tourism into the valley. ¶10. (U) From an economic standpoint, roads enable but power constrains. Panjshir, with its meager electricity supply, may never host large-scale enterprises. Micro-hydro and wind power now rank high among PRT projects, in alignment with the PDP. These projects, predominantly CERP, have an added impact by employing hundreds of local laborers. The PRT gives preference to Panjshir contractors as a way to enlarge local construction capacity. Perhaps the most significant recent development deals with telecommunications. A CERP-supported road to a central ridgeline has attracted three Afghan telecommunication firms, whose towers and transmitters will soon introduce cell-phone coverage. Social Conditions -------------- ¶11. (SBU) For the first time in its history, Panjshir is opening up. More people, including outsiders, are coming and going. Social attitudes are changing. The PRT has noted a steady evolution in the stance toward foreigners. Two-thirds of Panjshiris, according to the Governor, were skeptical of the PRT when it established a permanent presence in November ¶2005. Now only pockets of resistance remain. The road construction company has brought in scores of foreigners, mostly Turkish, who, in their interaction with locals, have experienced some friction but no major incidents. ¶12. (U) The PRT has engaged in extensive outreach to local communities, but within the guidelines of Amrullah Saleh, a Panjshiri now serving as director of NDS. He counseled us early on to respect local tradition, avoid interference with religious practice and refrain from seeking to introduce social change too quickly. Female PRTers have established links to the women of Panjshir, including the four office holders (three members of the Provincial Council and one line director). ¶13. (U) One of the Ambassador's priority projects, the road is the main agent of immediate social change as it brings the isolated valley into contact with the wider world. The long-term force for change is education, according to the Governor, who regards it as a top priority. Drawing on CERP, the PRT has obliged by investing over USD two million in schools. The strongest line director is that of education. KABUL 00000373 003 OF 003 His vision is of an educated populace with secular schools. The Governor shares the goal, while recognizing the hold of traditional culture on the Panjshir mentality: &Change in infrastructure is daily, but progress in mentality is generational.8 NEUMANN