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 KABUL 00002969 002 OF 002 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