AMBASSADOR EIKENBERRY AND GOVERNOR AMIN DISCUSS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 001423

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SRAP HOLBROOKE, SCA/FO, SCA/A
STATE PASS USAID

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM EAID AF
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR EIKENBERRY AND GOVERNOR AMIN DISCUSS
THE CHALLENGE OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN FARAH PROVINCE

Classified By: Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d
)



1. (C) SUMMARY: An animated Governor Roohul Amin of Farah
told Ambassador Eikenberry on May 30 that the situation in
his province is improving for ordinary citizens as a result
of his efforts to reduce corruption and fight crime, even
though Taliban activity is increasing. Under intense
pressure because of his reform efforts, Amin is highly
critical of both the Government and Parliament but continues
to believe President Karzai himself is being misled and
ill-served by people around him. Given Amin,s experiences,
he is skeptical of proposals to channel more international
funds through the Afghan government, including via the
National Solidarity Program (NSP). Amin has clear
development priorities for his province and appreciates the
help he receives on them from the U.S.-led PRT. He feels,
however, shortchanged by what he sees as the modest
commitment of U.S. resource to his poor, insecure province,
compared to U.S. investment in the East and South. End
Summary.

Why Get Involved?
--------------


2. (U) The Ambassador,s first question, namely why Amin
with his strong NGO credentials agreed to enter government
service, immediately got to the theme that dominated the
evening ) the difference a good person can make but the
risks and difficulties such a person faces, including from
the government itself. The Governor noted that he was
recruited by Jelani Popal, Director of the Independent
Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG),and had to overcome
stiff resistance to his taking on the job from his entire
family, with the exception of his politically minded son (now
at Williams College) and his brother.


3. (SBU) In the 13 months he has held the job, Governor
Amin has come to question why good people ) he insists there
are many ) get so little support, while those pursuing
nefarious or self-serving agendas manage to thrive. He
criticizes both his own government and members of Parliament
for not always having the best interests of the country in
mind. He continues, however, to hold off on direct criticism
of President Karzai, complaining instead of a closed circle
around the President who block the flow of accurate
information (Amin mentioned how difficult it is for him to
get an appointment with the President). He noted in passing
a lack of support from such Farah natives in the Palace as
Deputy National Security Advisor Spinzada and Presidential
Advisor (and former Helmand Governor) Wafa. At one point,
when he was feeling under particular pressure to backtrack on
anti-crime and corruption steps, Amin even composed a letter
of resignation. In the end, he decided to hold off for the
sake of what he characterized as Afghanistan,s only chance
for democracy. If that chance is squandered, he asked
himself, &What will life be like for my children?8 So for
now, he turns a deaf ear to rumors that the Iranians may try
to poison him or that the Taliban have dispatched a suicide
bomber to remove him and the provincial director of the
National Directorate or Security (NDS) from the scene.

Challenges to Good Governance
--------------


4. (SBU) If security is the number one &service8 that
citizens want from their government, Governor Amin must
overcome enormous hurdles to deliver it. He estimates the
Taliban force within the province to number between 300-600,
with about 10 percent made up of foreign fighters. Most roam
from village to village rather than maintaining a fixed
presence. The most dangerous of their leadership is former
Guantanamo detainee Mullah Sultan. Amin mentioned another
commander, Haji Anwar, as also particularly troublesome and
suggested the man has links to Iranian intelligence. Three
of Farah,s 12 districts (including Delaram) are under strong
Taliban influence, with Bala Baluk topping the list. Three
other districts ) Gostestan, Bakva and Delaram ) present
serious but more intermittent problems.


5. (SBU) Against this, the Government has a force of 600
Afghan National ARMY (ANA) and about 1200 Afghan National
Police (ANP) in Farah Province. Amin has high praise for the
ANA but regrets Chief of General Staff Bismullah Khan,s
turn-down of his request that MOD deploy its forces in
smaller units in more locations to back up the police, Khan
arguing that his forces would lose their ability to maneuver
if dispersed as small units. The Governor largely discounts

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the police, given their strong tribal and family links to
malefactors. He also suggested many are drug addicts. He
appreciates the help lent by international forces, but wants
to see more patrolling. Amin faults the Italians on this
score but says he has wrung a commitment from the newly
arrived local Italian commander to get out on the roads. The
Governor had high praise for a recent Special Forces
operation that eliminated six insurgent commanders and said
he would like to see more such actions targeting the Taliban
leadership in the province. At the same time, he expressed
concern with what he believes to be misplaced reliance at
times by international military forces on unreliable Afghan
informers who may be attempting to use international forces
to serve their private agendas, including against local
enemies. The Governor repeated his request for the
stationing of two attack helicopters in Farah, arguing that
such assets would be more effective than fixed-wing aircraft
in surgically eliminating insurgents while minimizing
civilian casualties.


6. (SBU) Amin insisted most Afghans hate the Taliban, who
in Farah oppose education, impose their own taxes, demand
food and reportedly have even started demanding a levy of one
suicide bomber per village. The problem, as he sees it, is
the absence of an Afghan government presence in wide areas,
feeding the feeling of vulnerability on the part of the
population. The situation is exacerbated, he argued, when
internationals suggest the insurgents are getting stronger,
since this reinforces people,s tendency to fear a return of
the Taliban and so withhold support from the government. The
insurgents themselves press this impression home with their
intimidation tactics. In one instance cited by the Governor,
a moderate mullah who recited prayers at the funeral of a
policeman was later beaten and killed by the Taliban.


7. (SBU) Another huge challenge is corruption, which he
labeled &the biggest and most dangerous8 concern to him.
He cited the case of the head of the provincial Red Crescent
Society, against whom the NDS chief brought evidence of
having sold off donated humanitarian assistance to a local
shopkeeper for profit. Amin said he came under tremendous
pressure to release the man, including from the prominent and
politically well connected head of the national Red Crescent
Society. He anticipates that money will change hands to
ensure the individual (since sentenced to 10 years in prison)
is released on appeal. In another instance, the Governor
encountered serious obstacles to taking action against a
local ANP commander involved in kidnapping and murder. While
he again in the end was able to take action and so
significantly reduce kidnappings, Amin said he has had to
stand up to intense pressure and incur great personal risk
for doing so.


Development: More Resources and Greater Flexibility Needed
-------------- --------------


8. (U) Governor Amin is clear on what he thinks his
province does and does not need. Top on his wish list is the
Bakshaba dam, which would irrigate 200,000 additional
hectares of agricultural land but is opposed by the Iranians
(who want the water for themselves). Most other needs are
also agriculture-related ) paved roads to bring goods safely
to market, cold storage facilities, small processing
facilities, additional irrigation canals. The Governor is
also a big believer in spreading electrification, pointing
out the impact television could have on women from
conservative families who are confined to the home. More
bridges across the Farah River that bisects the province
(there are currently only two, and the PRT is building a
third) are also important. Amin is very much against
distribution of humanitarian assistance in Farah, arguing
that it makes people there lazy and unwilling to do what is
necessary to feed themselves. They should also clean their
own canals and do basic repairs on the roads. He cautioned
against seeing the National Solidarity Program as a panacea,
at least in places like Farah, where ) he claims ) the
Taliban press locals to ask for projects and then try to
impose a &tax8 of up to 50 percent. He also expressed
qualms about development money being channeled through GIRoA,
given the difficulty of getting funds to flow from the center
to the periphery. He noted one case in which the President
gave instructions for a project to be funded, but 14 months
later the money has yet to arrive. Working projects through
the PRT, he said, is more dependable, if encumbered by
paperwork. He would, however, like to see the PRT able to
respond more quickly and flexibly to emerging needs. Most of
all, though, he would like to see the U.S. making available
to Farah the same level of resources he sees us putting into

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Afghanistan,s East and South.


9. (SBU) Comment: The case of Governor Amin says much about
the challenges we face on the governance front. While we all
recognize the critical importance of good governance, even
having a competent, honest and energetic individual in place
does not necessarily translate to decisive success. This is
the case not least of all because of the lack of support
provided by GIRoA itself. This means that the assistance
that we provide ) material and personnel, including quite
importantly additional armed forces ) becomes that more
valuable. It is gratifying that the Governor, despite his
frustrations, feels he has made some progress in addressing
people,s needs by his moves against criminality and
corruption. But with the summer fighting season just getting
underway and the likely spillover into Farah from the
increased pressure to be put on neighboring Helmand, the
Governor and his province face difficult days ahead.


EIKENBERRY