QANOONI: MOVING FORWARD FROM SHINDAND

C O N F I D E N T I A L KABUL 002467

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
NSC FOR JWOOD
OSD FOR MCGRAW
CG CJTF-101, POLAD, JICCENT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL AF
SUBJECT: QANOONI: MOVING FORWARD FROM SHINDAND

Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY. On September 7, Ambassador and Wolesi Jirga
(WJ) Speaker Qanooni discussed how the US should engage the
GIRoA in the aftermath of the Shindand operation. Qanooni
stressed his confidence in the good intentions of the US in
Afghanistan and his belief that US military support is
essential to Afghan security. Ambassador affirmed USG,s
commitment to eliminating operational misunderstandings and
reducing civilian casualties to the absolute minimum.
Qanooni expressed optimism about moving forward from
Shindand, citing recent legislative successes and forward
momentum in the WJ. END SUMMARY.

New Military Strategy
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2. (C) Qanooni did not directly encourage the Ambassador to
reach out to other MPs regarding Shindand or suggest a
specific strategy of direct engagement with other government
officials other than citing recent discussions between Karzai
and the Ambassador as a positive step. He said he had
blocked introduction of a bill on the regulation of foreign
forces from WJ's agenda but did seem concerned that other MPs
could continue to use Shindand to leverage support for an
anti-coalition bill.


3. (C) Qanooni said that Afghan leadership needs to come to a
new consensus on how to define and deal with insurgents.
The policy should be fight first, then reconcile, as
discussions with insurgents would not yield results if the
insurgents felt strong militarily. The Ambassador expressed
support for a more coherent national approach to combating
Taliban and other insurgents and also agreed that any talks
with the enemy must be from a position of GIRoA strength.


4. (C) According to Qanooni, insufficient military presence
allows Taliban to hide out until the military deploys to
another area and then move back into the community. As a
result of this pattern, the Afghan people feel abandoned and
are afraid to support the coalition. Qanooni also expressed
concern that Taliban are encroaching on areas that until
recently were secure. The Ambassador agreed that the
military effort must be more than moving Taliban around the
country and said that the US plans to send more troops to
Afghanistan. The Ambassador also shared that the JCMB will
soon endorse raising the limit of ANA troops to 134,000.

Importance of Telling Our Story
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5. (C) When asked how to move forward from Shindand, Qanooni
stressed the need for strategic use of press. He said that
the population often receives propaganda from the Taliban but
does not hear enough positive news about coalition forces or
detailed information about Taliban atrocities. GIRoA silence
surrounding Taliban and other insurgent or terrorist activity
is as dangerous as the frontline war, argued Qanooni. The
Ambassador agreed that advertising Afghan and coalition
efforts to secure Afghanistan and also the civilian
casualties at the hands of the insurgency is crucial. He
said that we look to GIRoA to initiate this effort as an
Afghan-led media campaign would be more credible to the
population.

Afghanistan Moving Forward
--------------


6. (SBU) Qanooni expressed pride that the WJ recently passed
several bills including the electoral commission and media
bills. (To be reported Septel) Qanooni noted that the WJ was
working with a new efficiency and a different spirit. He
expressed confidence that this productivity would continue.
The Ambassador congratulated Qanooni on his accomplishments
as leader of the WJ and thanked him for his support of the
United States.


WOOD