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