TURKMENISTAN: STATE COUNTER NARCOTICS HEAD SAYS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001256 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2018 TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS SOCI SNAR TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: STATE COUNTER NARCOTICS HEAD SAYS "AMERICA IS THE ONLY ONE THAT DELIVERS," ASKS FOR SPECIAL FORCES TRAINING REF: A. ASHGABAT 1229 ¶B. ASHGABAT 1238 Classified By: Charge Sylvia Reed Curran for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) State Counter-narcotics Service Chairman Murat Islamov asked DATT and Office of Military Cooperation Chief for U.S. assistance in helping his Service to develop a special forces capability to counter armed drug traffickers. He asked specifically for special forces or counter-terrorism training for his men. He said where there are illegal drugs, there are guns, money, and there can be terrorism. Therefore, the Service needed its own armed-capable units. ¶2. (C) Describing the type of special forces units he was envisioning, Islamov said that it would be a quick reaction force. Not everyone in the Service would receive weapons training. However, when needed, other men could be replaced by members of this quick reaction force. ¶3. (C) Contrasting U.S. assistance with that of other nations, Islamov said America is the only one that "delivers." He said that Turkmenistan had received lots of offers from many different countries, but the United States was the only one that follows through on what it promises. (NOTE: In June, Islamov had told emboffs that the Russians do not provide aid, they just complain about the United States. END NOTE.) Because the United States is such a dependable partner, Turkmenistan is reallocating resources based on U.S. commitments. For example, since the United States has already agreed to provide communications gear as part of bilateral counter-narcotics cooperation, Turkmenistan instead will use the money that would have been spent on that to construct 12 additional small border posts. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: The shoot-out between heavily armed men and police/military September 12-13 (Ref A) was a wake up call for the Turkmen. It was obvious from reports of the police performance that not only were they confronting a superior, although smaller force, but also the police were confused and scared. President Berdimuhamedov convened a special state security council meeting to decry the incompetence of the police and to call for better training (Ref. B). Islamov is the latest Turkmen official to echo the president's call. Under former President Niyazov, the person who was protected was the president. Police charged with keeping the general peace were not given the weapons' training that their counterparts in other countries would get as a matter of course. It was not a priority, and Niyazov may have even viewed an armed, trained police force as a threat. ¶5. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: The Khitrovka shoot-out aftermath provides an opportunity for the United States to supply the Turkmen with the counter-narcotics/counter-terrorism training that is obviously needed. And, providing much needed, dependable cooperation further cements our bilateral relationship. Nevertheless, we need to keep in mind that Turkmenistan is a neutral country, and one that still receives a great deal of pressure from Russia. They will take our training to fill an obvious need and take it under cover of that obvious need to fight "narcotraffickers." They will still be mindful of redlines, which include not giving any country something to question Turkmenistan's neutral status. END COMMENT. CURRAN