BORDER SECURITY MEETING ADDRESSES CONTENTIOUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KABUL 002841 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM STATE PASS USAID FOR ASIA/SCAA NSC FOR WOOD OSD FOR WILKES CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A, CG CJTF-101 POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2013 TAGS: MOPS PREL PGOV AF PK PTER SUBJECT: BORDER SECURITY MEETING ADDRESSES CONTENTIOUS ISSUES REF: KABUL 2839 Classified By: PRT Director Valerie Fowler for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Senior Afghan and Pakistani military officers addressed disputes over border outposts at the Border Security Subcommittee Meeting (BSSM) on October 18. While these are minor disputes engendered by the poorly demarcated frontier, in some instances, they have degenerated to the point of threats of force. Even in the absence of firefights, local cooperation and trust between Afghan and Pakistani border units have suffered. Members of the BSSM agreed to dispatch delegations of senior officers to the Nawa Pass to determine the zero line in order to resolve a dispute over the positioning of an Afghan Border Police (ABP) Bunker. End summary. ¶2. (C) Senior Pakistani military officers met October 18 with counterparts from ISAF and the Afghan National Army (ANA) and ABP at the monthly session of the Border Security Subcommittee. In addition to beginning the planning process for coordinated operations in border areas (reftel) the subcommittee addressed issues related to border outposts. ¶3. (C) The Nawa Pass border crossing has been the subject of a series of border flag meetings and a long-standing disagreement over the emplacement of bunkers and border outposts. An April incident in which Afghan forces occupied a post on the Pakistan side of the border for 72 hours after taking fire from the position created an atmosphere of mistrust among local commanders that has hindered the resolution of seemingly minor issues. Disputes over the construction of this bunker at the border crossing have threatened to erupt into armed confrontation. ¶4. (C) Local Pakistani Frontier Corps commanders have refused to permit the construction of an ABP Bunker at Nawa Pass, claiming that the site is on the Pakistani side of the "zero line." Afghan commanders have brought construction equipment to the site and attempted to begin construction in order to provide shelter for their units before the onset of winter. Pakistani commanders have pledged to fire on the position if construction is not halted. Afghan commanders dispute the territorial claim, and contend that the bunker does not represent new construction, but rather reconstruction of a bunker that was damaged in the April incident. Cooperation, communication, and trust between local commanders have all suffered as a result of this dispute. ¶5. (C) The tone of discussion of this issue at the BSSM was reasonably positive and free of rancor. It was agreed that a delegation of senior officers from each side would travel to the site in an effort to determine the actual "zero line." The Afghan senior commanders agreed that if their bunker were determined to be on the Pakistani side of the zero line, they would pull it back. Several Afghan officers noted the need to look beyond individual instances of disagreement over demarcation and focus on the larger issue of effective border management. ¶6. (C) Another unresolved dispute centers on the Binshai Pass. According to the Pakistanis, their forces vacated an outpost there in July 2008 at the request of neighboring villagers. Afghan units subsequently occupied the position, but a local Jirga asked the ABP to vacate the post. The Pakistanis maintain that ABP Headquarters refused to order evacuation of the post. The discussion ended without conclusion, but it remains clear that relatively minor disputes over the poorly demarcated frontier can disrupt and stymie cooperation on broader issues. WOOD