BADGHIS: GOVERNOR ARMAN REQUESTS MORE US ASSISTANCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 002599

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM
STATE PASS USAID FOR ASIA/SCAA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2019
TAGS: MOPS PGOV PREL AF
SUBJECT: BADGHIS: GOVERNOR ARMAN REQUESTS MORE US ASSISTANCE

Classified By: Interagency Provincial Affairs Coordinator Dawn Liberi f
or reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: A subdued but confident Badghis Governor
Delbar Jan Arman told Ambassador Eikenberry on August 13 that
the situation in his province is difficult and getting worse.
He requested U.S. support, both in troops and diplomatic
efforts, to help overcome the lack of activity on the part of
the Spanish PRT and other coalition forces in the area. He
noted the province's need for better governance, in the form
of more and better qualified government officials, including
prosecutors and district chiefs. The May coalition operation
in Taliban stronghold Bala Murghab brought no benefits but
instead provided the Taliban a public relations victory, with
18 ANA killed. Arman called water and the Ring Road his top
development priorities and welcomed the Ambassador's promise
to visit Badghis after the elections. End summary.
Coalition Troops: More U.S. Troops Needed
--------------

2. (C) In a 45-minute conversation in Kabul August 13,
Governor Arman reported that he found the overall situation
in Badghis to be much more difficult than he had expected
when he arrived in April, even coming from four years in
Zabul province. The lack of access to the ring road, coupled
with Badghis's isolation from Kabul and other areas, make it
a more difficult province to govern than his previous post.

3. (C) Arman requested more U.S. troop support for Badghis,
calling the current coalition forces in the province
inadequate for the security situation at hand. (Note:
Currently the U.S. has a Police Mentoring Unit in Qal-e-Now
in Badghis, and a PMT -- Embedded Transition Team in Bala
Murghab district.) He noted that the ANA and ANP are willing
to fight but need foreign troops to back them up. They also
need proper coordination with coalition forces. He called
Badghis provincial ANP chief General Wase very strong, "the
best on my team." He made a "special request" that the
Ambassador weigh in with the Spanish to ensure that the new
U.S. Marines planning to deploy to Qal-e-now are allocated
appropriate space at the new base under construction.
Without direct pressure, Arman worries that the Spanish base
will not provide enough space for the incoming Marines. The
governor was blunt in his assessment of the Spanish PRT:
"They never fight, and they tell me their mission is only
reconstruction." He said that when he arrived, the Spanish
had not welcomed him, but he suggested he is slowly winning
them over. His opinion of them as a security force remains
very low, however.
Bala Murghab and the Taliban
--------------

4. (C) According to Arman, recent operations by coalition
forces, as well as initiatives by the Afghan government, had
done nothing to reduce the Taliban's strongholds. Arman
remains highly critical of the Italian troops' May operation
in Bala Murghab district, a Taliban stronghold, and said that
he had advised strongly against the proposed four-day
operation. He told the Italians that for the operation to
be successful, it needed 1) to be coordinated with the ANSF;
2) to have enough troops to execute the mission; and 3) must
be on-going, with troops remaining to hold the cleared areas
and other troops in pursuit of the enemy. Arman admitted
that after he briefed then-COMISAF GEN McKiernan on the
situation, the Italians were "not happy" and asked him if
they should cancel the operation or start it slowly. Arman
admitted that he did not want them to cancel the operation
and then be accused of doing nothing to change the situation
in Bala Murghab. The actual operation, he said, turned out
just as he predicted: Inadequate force numbers and poor
coordination between the ANSF and ISAF resulted in 18 dead
ANSF and a "huge morale boost" to the Taliban. Bala Murghab
today is no more secure than it was prior to the operation.


5. (C) Arman suggested that the situation became worse when
IDLG Director Jelani Popal started to negotiate with the
"tricky" tribal elders from Bala Murghab in June and July.
Arman suspected it was done with the blessing of President
Karzai and doubted the deal negotiated would result in safer
and better-attended polling stations on August 20. Instead,
he feels it hurt the government to be seen negotiating with
the Taliban from a position of weakness.
Development Priorities
--------------

6. (SBU) Governor Arman laid out five development
priorities, with improved access to potable water and
completion of the Ring Road at the top of his list:
-- Water: The provincial capital Qal-e-now has no decent
irrigation or drinking water system, and the minerals in the
local water supply make it difficult to drink. The
Ambassador noted that many other governors have also cited
water issues as critical for the next phase of infrastructure
development, but significant projects like dams and

KABUL 00002599 002 OF 002


irrigation systems will need to be done on a regional or
national scale, not piecemeal, to avoid unintended
environmental consequences.
-- Ring Road: Arman reported that plans to extend the Ring
Road through Baghdis, connecting Qal-e-now to Herat in the
southwest, and Meymana, Faryab province in the northeast,
have been delayed because of insecurity, particularly through
Bala Murghab. "The road is the only thing that will give us
security," he argued, noting it will allow ANSF patrols to
gain access and provide links to other districts. The Asian
Development Bank and other regional donors are funding the
Badghis road projects, he said.
-- Electricity: With chagrin, Arman noted that Herat and
Faryab both have electricity, but Qal-e-now had none.
-- Pistachios: Calling the 94,000 hectares of pistachio
orchards a huge opportunity for provincial and national
economic growth, Arman noted that the trees around Qal-e-now
have been cut down for fuel in some forests. He suggested
both a policing system as well as an agricultural program to
plant replacement seedlings and teach conservation and
resources management.
-- New City Plans: The Ministry of Urban Development is
working on a master plan to build a new Qal-e-now city, said
Arman, since the old city cannot not expand to accommodate
new businesses.

7. (C) Arman highlighted narcotics as another "big
problem." Badghis',s border with Turkmenistan provides
several routes for smugglers and drug traffickers, said
Arman; he would appreciate U.S. assistance with counter
narcotics and border management. "The Spanish will probably
not support this," he opined.
Governance
--------------

8. (C) More troops and better government officials are the
keys to change, said Arman. "We need more troops, we need
better district chiefs, governors and prosecutors." The
Ambassador noted that more U.S. and NATO troops will be
arriving soon to improve the security situation in
Afghanistan. Arman also suggested that the United States
must not wait for other countries to contribute. "That would
be a mistake -- it must be the Afghans and the Americans."
He asked for "political and economic support" for governors.
Arman's Future
--------------

9. (C) When the Ambassador asked what he wanted to do next,
Arman was guarded about his post-election future. "We will
talk about that after the election," he said. "But if I do
not get more support from Kabul, I am too tired to be
governor." He admitted that he has felt undercut by Kabul
when he has tried to combat corruption on several occasions,
and noted that the "phone calls from Kabul" are the bane of
every governor's existence.
EIKENBERRY