TURKMENISTAN: NEWLY-ARRIVED AFGHAN DIPLOMAT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000344 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2019 TAGS: PREL AF TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: NEWLY-ARRIVED AFGHAN DIPLOMAT DESCRIBES SITUATION AT HOME Classified By: Charge Richard Miles, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: A newly-arrived Afghan diplomat in Ashgabat recently shared his views about the current situation in Afghanistan. He stressed that there needs to be a focus on reconstruction, democratic government and an end to the interference in Afghan affairs emanating from Pakistan. According to him, a military solution will not work without poverty reduction and a government that enjoys popular support. Taliban recruiting efforts are aided by the widespread poverty and by unintentional killing of civilians. In order to eliminate the Taliban, he advocated for a focus on eliminating their bases in Pakistan and developing more regional support for the Afghan Government. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) On March 13, newly-arrived Afghan Embassy First Secretary Akhmad Dehistany shared his views on the situation in Afghanistan with poloff. According to him, there is "no coordination" between the United States and NATO forces. Despite the large amount of foreign assistance money spent, it has not been used effectively. Many Afghan people "see foreign soldiers as the enemy and the Afghan Government as a puppet." He said the Taliban and Al-Qaida have captured most districts in the west of the country. ¶3. (C) According to Dehistany, there needs to be a focus on reconstruction, democratic government and an end to the interference in Afghan affairs emanating from Pakistan. He made the point that a solely military solution will not work, saying "if all the militaries in the world came to Afghanistan, they would not be able to eliminate the Taliban." He cited the Soviet experience, when the Afghan army was powerful, but the government collapsed. He also mentioned the mountainous terrain, which provides limitless places for the Taliban to hide, and the Taliban practice of giving money to people, an effective strategy when there are "no schools, food, or houses, and family members are kidnapped." Dehistany said hunger forces people to support and fight on the side of the Taliban. He urged strong international support for the Afghan National Army since they know both the terrain and the places where Taliban hide. ¶4. (C) As to the internal factor, Dehistany said there is a need for fair and free elections that could bring about a broad-based government. The government and the foreign troops need to eradicate drug cultivation, poverty and corruption, and stop killing civilians. Dehistany said people see that the Afghan Government does not support people. It does not provide basic government services such as water, housing and jobs, and there "exists a big gap between the people and the government." Dehistany reported that mullahs openly say in their mosques that foreign (meaning U.S. and NATO) troops are killing people, and urge listeners to "take rifles and fight." ¶5. (C) Dehistany highlighted a schism between the northern and southern parts of Afghanistan. He said in the north, people are happy, but in the south they want to kill foreigners. When civilians are killed, the affected villages start to help the Taliban. The combination of poverty, corruption and drug trafficking have created a situation in which "most people support the Taliban." Dehistany commented that in the south, people think only about religion, not about democracy. People clandestinely help the Taliban by providing information about the the movements of foreign troops. ¶6. (C) In order to eliminate the Taliban, Dehistany suggested that there should be two focuses: eliminating the bases in Pakistan and pursuing a regional harmony strategy. In order to eliminate the bases, he said there needs to be support from both the Pakistan Government and Pakistan's religious political parties. The regional harmony strategy would involve neighboring countries that currently are not supporting the Afghan Government out of fear that, if the ASHGABAT 00000344 002 OF 002 Taliban would come to power, they would threaten them. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: Dehistany arrived in Turkmenistan one month ago. He spent the previous four years in the UN Department at the Afghan Foreign Ministry in Kabul. He began his career at the Afghan Embassy in Baghdad, but was forced to resign when the Taliban came to power. He returned to Afghanistan, and worked as a teacher in the northern city of Tahar during the Taliban regime. After the collapse of the Taliban, he returned to the Foreign Ministry, serving at the Afghan Embassy in Tashkent prior to his assignment at the UN Department. ¶9. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: Fresh out of Kabul, Dehistany seemed eager to share his views about the situation there. On the subject of Afghan relations with Turkmenistan, the only item was an Afghan initiative to improve inter-parliamentary relations. There was no hint of a broader effort by his government in Kabul to gain Turkmenistan Government support. END COMMENT. MILES