KUNAR GOVERNOR WAHIDI DISCUSSES MOVE TO HERAT,

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 002463 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM STATE PASS USAID FOR ASIA/SCAA E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS EAID MASSAF ECON AF SUBJECT: KUNAR GOVERNOR WAHIDI DISCUSSES MOVE TO HERAT, ELECTIONS, DEVELOPMENT AND SECURITY Classified By: Interagency Provincial Affairs Deputy Coordinator Hoyt Y ee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: In an August 8 meeting at the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Kunar offices, Kunar governor Sayed Fazullah Wahidi said he has accepted an assignment as Herat governor, to start at an unspecified date after national elections. Wahidi said election preparations in Kunar were &very good8 and residents were eager to vote. (Note: For reporting on Afghanistan,s August 20 elections, please see septel reporting.) Numerous election-related shuras have brought people closer to their government. The governor described the insurgency in Kunar as economically driven, and said jobs generated by and for Afghans would tamp down the conflict. Wahidi spoke at length about the need to professionalize the national police force. The governor agreed to work with us to convene a multi-province shura for government officials and tribal elders to consider cross-provincial security and trade. The shura will be designed to connect the government to more traditional structures and build more regional governance cohesion. End Summary. - - - - - - - - - - - - Enthusiasm for Elections - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (C) On August 8, Task Force Mountain Warrior Commander (TFMW CDR),Department of State Regional Representative and PRT Kunar Department of State Representative met with Kunar governor Wahidi for general introductions and a tour d,horizon of Kunar. Wahidi said election preparations in Kunar were &very good8 and residents were eager to vote. Numerous election-related shuras had been helpful and positive, Wahidi said, noting that elders have reviewed site security and have raised objections regarding the proposed closing of as many as twenty polling centers due to insecurity. The election-related shuras &are bringing the people closer to the government,8 he added. In the previous national election, Wahidi said, many people &did not know how to work with the candidates,8 or their own political views. &Now,8 Wahidi emphasized, &many nominees are young people, better educated, and more committed.8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jobs, Training of Trainers Wanted - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶3. (C) Wahidi lobbied for more training of trainers for Kunar, and for projects &run by our own people.8 The governor described conflict in Kunar as economically-motivated, tied to timber and gems. Wahidi said that jobs will give people alternatives to smuggling and other activities that finance the insurgency. The governor also complained about lack of transparency for international development assistance and said as of now, &Afghans are not involved in decision making over projects.8 The governor received warmly the Colonel,s description of how the Commander,s Emergency Response Project (CERP) can be used to catalyze budget processes in Kunar. To create transparency, the governor said he has stressed the need for signing ceremonies, so that administrators and contractors cannot simply fix their prices behind closed doors. Ideally, Wahidi said, &the whole shura will be at the signing ceremony.8 mphasized, &many nominees are young people, better educated, and more committed.8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Police Professionalization Needed - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (C) Turning to rule of law, Wahidi remarked that &The system is good, but the implementation is not good.8 Wahidi complained that judges are passive and the police are plagued with corruption. Wahidi noted that police do not want to relocate to Kunar due to low salaries. Acknowledging that many communities have lobbied for more locally-hired police, Wahidi contended that local police may have worked when the government first formed, but circumstances now mandate a trained, professional and truly national force. The Colonel and the governor discussed the possibility of swapping police across districts, followed by swapping police with neighboring provinces. - - - - - - - - - - - Security Challenges - - - - - - - - - - - ¶5. (C) The governor emphasized that Kunar,s lengthy and porous border, along with cross-border tribal dynamics, pose considerable security challenges. Kunar needs a flexible approach to security and must not let insecurity spread. Wahidi said more Afghan Border Police (ABP) should be KABUL 00002463 002 OF 002 deployed to the border to stop anti-Afghan forces (AAF) when they first descend from the mountains, before they disappear into villages, but he underscored that &complete control is not possible.8 The Colonel said a common strategy between Afghan and international forces is needed for the border. The governor suggested that Kunar also faces threats from neighboring Nuristan, and from certain valleys in northern Kunar, such as the Korengal, that must be monitored so as not to become a &house of al-Qaeda.8 The Colonel and the governor discussed at length a proposal to create a multi-province mega shura of government officials and tribal elders to address cross-provincial security and trade. The shura will be designed to connect the government to more traditional structures and build more regional governance cohesion. ¶6. (C) Toward the end of the meeting, the governor revealed that he had been appointed, two months ago, as the next Herat governor, effective sometime after the elections. Wahidi said he has groomed his staff and other local officials for more senior roles in the wake of his departure, citing his office,s Executive Director, the Asadabad Mayor, and the Mangal District Sub-Governor as rising talent. ¶7. (SBU) SCR-E and TFMW CDR have reviewed this cable. EIKENBERRY