DST SARKANI: A VIEW FROM THE FIELD

S E C R E T KABUL 002470 NOFORN 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 KDEM ECON MASS AF MOPS SUBJECT: DST SARKANI: A VIEW FROM THE FIELD Classified By: Interagency Provincial Affairs Deputy Coordinator Hoyt Y ee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (S/NF) The first civilian element of District Support Team (DST) Sarkani found an absence of governance in Sarkani, despite USG investment in the physical facility for the District Headquarters. Sarkani officials will need a great deal of capacity building and mentoring to ensure that local government is functioning at a basic level. The environment is kinetic, and five rocket propelled grenades were fired at forward operating base (FOB) Joyce, where the DST will be nested, on the evening of August 2, but no one was injured. End Summary. Kinetic Environment -------------- arkani Dnt is still rudimentary and needs a great deal of capacity-building, encouragement and mentoring to become more effective. Townspeople came to the S-3 for service requests, rather than to District officials, because they saw the ISAF elements as far more likely to assist. We encouraged the petitioners to approach their own officials instead. We will be careful not to cultivate a local dependency on the DST, and we will ¶7. (U) SCR-E has reviewed this message. EIKENBERRY