BUILDING A POLICE FORCES IN BABAJI, HELMAND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 002969

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM MOPS KJUS AF PAK
SUBJECT: BUILDING A POLICE FORCES IN BABAJI, HELMAND
PROVINCE

Classified By: Interagency Provincial Affairs Deputy Coordinator Hoyt B
. Yee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. Helmand has a critical shortage of trained
police. To address this challenge U.S. Special Forces, Task
Force 72, will begin training 100 Afghans in the Babaji area.
This force will be trained at FOB Price, and after they
complete their training the new police will be based in their
local communities. TF72 will provide sustained mentoring of
the new force and engage with the local communities to
address any issues that arise from this force. Governor
Mangal and Task Force Helmand (TFH) have endorsed this effort
but insisted that the new police must be officially part of
the ANP. Local elders also insisted that any new police
force must not be a militia but an official police force
where the officers are uniformed and have regular pay. This
model may be able to generate additional trained police for
Helmand, but continued support from the local communities,
the Provincial Government and the Ministry of Interior (MoI)
will be essential to success. END SUMMARY.

Police Needed Now
--------------


2. (SBU) Across Helmand the shortage of trained police is
acute. Both UK and U.S. forces are highly motivated to
generate trained police as soon as possible. Over the past
several years TF72, which is based in Forward Operating Base
(FOB) Price just outside Gereshk, has worked extensively with
the local armed group led by Haji Kaduz. This "Kaduz Armed
Group" operated multiple checkpoints around the area and at
times protected local residents but also preyed on them.
Local elders often asked that the armed group be incorporated
into the official police so the men would be trained,
uniformed and paid. They believed these changes would help
them have some accountability over this force and lessen
there efforts to extort money from the local community.
Governor Mangal and Task Force Helmand (TFH) both supported
this local request and worked with TF72 to coordinate their
offer to Kaduz. After some initial push-back from Kaduz, it
was agreed the force would be trained locally by TF72 and the
new police would be based in their communities and not at a
purpose built FOB. TF72, with the cooperation of the local
elders, vetted each police candidate and the proposed
leadership. TF72 agreed to provide long term mentoring and
coordinate the entire effort with TFH, the PRT and the
Provincial Chief of Police. The local elders have endorsed
the agreement and are working closely with TF72 to support
the implementation.

Training and Support
--------------


3. (SBU) TF72 is working with CSTC-A and the Regional
Training Centers (RTCs) to ensure their training package
meets Focused District Development (FDD) standards. They are
also working with these elements to procure the required
material to equip the new unit. All agree that one training
standard has to be used across the country and TF72 is
working to implement the correct training package. The
limited training capacity at the RTCs would not allow this
force to receive the required FDD training soon and this
local effort may be the solution if implemented correctly.
Material support can come from the Provincial Chief of Police
but this will have to be authorized by CSTC-A.

Long Term Mentoring
--------------


4. (C) What may set this effort apart from past failures to
establish a similar local program in Helmand is the
relationship TF72 had with Haji Kaduz and the fact that long
term mentoring is an integral part of this effort. Previous
local police training efforts did not incorporate this and
the units quickly melted away. Also the incorporation of the
new police into the official Afghan police system gives the
local community and the Provincial leadership a real sense of
control of the force. The men will be registered, uniformed,
and paid through the GIRoA, and the Helmand Chief of Police
will have legal control of this force, with the authority to
discipline or remove poorly performing police.

Comment
--------------


5. (SBU) All the involved parties in this program have
learned hard lessons from previous failures. Taking these
lessons into account, TF72 will try to produce a trained
local police force that answers to GIRoA. Before starting

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training, TF72 will require CSTC-A and MoI approval. If
payment and logistics issues can be resolved, this training
initiative has the potential to strengthen the police
presence and security in Helmand province.
EIKENBERRY