RC/SOUTH SENIOR CIVILIAN REP MEETS WITH KANDAHAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 003748 SIPDIS STATE FOR SRAP HOLBROOKE, SCA/FO, SCA/A USAID FOR AISA/SCAA USFORA FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/23/2019 TAGS: KDEM PGOV PTER PREL AF SUBJECT: RC/SOUTH SENIOR CIVILIAN REP MEETS WITH KANDAHAR OFFICIALS REF: A. KABUL 3739 ¶B. KABUL 3737 ¶C. KABUL 3045 Classified By: Deputy Coordinator for Interagency Provincial Affairs Ho yt B. Yee, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C//REL TO ISAF) Summary: Regional Command - South Senior Civilian Representative (SCR) Frank Ruggiero discussed local security and governance issues and introduced U.S. stabilization programs in meetings on November 16 with Kandahar Governor Tooryalai Wesa, Kandahar City Mayor Haider Hamidi and senior provincial security officials. Governor Wesa acknowledged that GIRoA's shortcomings, including lack of capacity and the corrupting influence of powerbrokers, had contributed to the insurgency by widening the gap between the government and the people. He praised U.S. stabilization efforts in Arghandab district, which he said were helping to bridge this gap. He evaluated the government's intelligence capability in Kandahar as "not very good." He lamented over-centralization of government that limited his authority over even hiring interns. He criticized the influence of powerbrokers, apparently alluding to the role of Ahmad Wali Karzai. The Kandahar officials were noncommittal on the subject of increasing U.S. troop levels. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief raised concerns of residents over night time raids on homes by Afghan and foreign forces. End Summary. ¶2. (C//REL TO ISAF) Regional Platform/South SCR Ruggiero, accompanied by staff members, travelled to the Governor's compound in Kandahar City on November 16 to meet with Canadian-Afghan Governor Wesa. Kandahar City Mayor Haidar Hamidi (a former accountant in Northern Virginia),Kandahar Chief of Police BGen Sardar Mohammad Zazai and Kandahar Minister of Power Engineer Fazal Ahmad joined the meeting in progress. SCR Ruggiero also visited the NDS headquarters and discussed the state of security in Kandahar with newly appointed provincial NDS chief Col. Mir Ali. SCR emphasized to officials strong USG interest in developments in Kandahar and desire to establish good working relationships with provincial and municipal officials to improve conditions. SCR outlined USG projects in the province, noting, in particular, civil-military stabilization initiatives underway in Arghandab district north of Kandahar City in concert with clearing operations by U.S. forces (Ref A). SCR also introduced USAID/Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) officer who will be developing stabilization projects in Kandahar City. Praise for Civil-Military Efforts in Arghandab -------------- - ¶3. (C//REL TO ISAF) Governor Wesa complimented U.S. accomplishments in Arghandab, commenting specifically on security improvements, the convening of shuras with district elders and the establishment of a Joint District Coordination Center (JDCC). He observed that corruption had hampered many GIRoA development programs and that the government needed to do better to regain popular support. Asked for advice on stabilization activities, he stressed the importance of developing projects with tangible benefits that people could see, such as roads, bridges and markets. (Police Chief Zazai also endorsed road projects from a security response perspective.) The governor underscored the importance of highlighting GIRoA's involvement with the projects to build its credibility with the people. He mentioned in this regard concern about GIRoA being one-upped by NGOs, citing an example of wheat seed distributed by Mercy Corps rather than the Ministry of Agriculture. He also advised vigilance to make sure that projects are contracted locally and benefit actual residents of a village. He noted that some so-called elders participating in shuras are absentee landlords. Problems with Local Governance -------------- ¶4. (C//REL TO ISAF) Governor Wesa remarked on the inadequacies of basic public services. Residents in Kandahar City were receiving four to five hours of power a day (significantly less than normal levels). The situation had just taken a turn for the worse with diesel power stations shut down because of non-delivery of fuel. (SCR noted U.S. efforts underway to map and improve the municipality's power grid; Minister Ahmad welcomed the offer to participate in the planning process.) Mayor Hamidi highlighted problems with sanitation and trash collection and spoke of the resistance he faced from powerbrokers, KABUL 00003748 002 OF 003 shopkeepers and rural migrants to his efforts to clean and modernize the city. With the influx of migrants, he said, Kandahar City operated more like a collection of villages than a unified city. Commerce in the bazaars, however, had improved in the last three to four months, the governor said, in part because people believed Kandahar would be receiving more money in the form of development projects. ¶5. (C//REL TO ISAF) The governor acknowledged that one reason governance in Afghanistan functions badly is that virtually all GIRoA decision-making authority is centralized in Kabul. This includes the collection and expenditure of most revenues. Money collected from electricity bills, for example, had to be sent to Kabul and could not be used for local repairs. Internships for his office were chosen by a committee in Kabul and, consequently, no local youth was assigned to Kandahar. Requests sent from provincial ministries to Kabul were routinely lost. Asked whether he would like more authority, Wesa said, "Personally, yes, but my hands are tied." He noted that GIRoA could not compete for employees with UN agencies which pay more than the government. He said he had raised the issue of devolving hiring authority in a cabinet meeting after some disastrous staffing of local schools, only to receive a stiff response. Problems of Local Security -------------- ¶6. (C//REL TO ISAF) The Kandahar officials agreed that security was a serious problem and that much of the Kandahar City was insecure. The governor regretted that GIRoA's intelligence capability in Kandahar was "not good." He also assessed the police as poorly equipped and incapable of doing their jobs, including frisking potential suicide bombers. Police Chief Zazai agreed, but said he hoped mentoring and training programs would improve the situation. NDS Chief Ali attributed the decline in security to poor governance. To rectify the situation, GIRoA had to regain the people's confidence. He said that those in leadership positions at all levels had to be more responsible and mix with the people. A district governor could only govern effectively if he knew the people in the district well. ¶7. (C//REL TO ISAF) The NDS chief, who assumed his post just weeks ago after his predecessor reportedly was removed on corruption charges, said he was spending considerable time meeting with people from various districts of Kandahar to hear out their complaints and understand their concerns. He noted that he had just spoken to a delegation of elders from one of the city,s districts. They were complaining about night time entry into their homes by Afghan and ISAF forces. When people were concerned about the security situation, they felt particularly strongly about the need to feel safe in their homes. The Problem of Powerbrokers -------------- ¶8. (C//REL TO ISAF) Mayor Hamidi blamed heavy-handed actions of unnamed local powerbrokers for squandering the good will that followed the ousting of the Taliban. The governor agreed. He remarked, "Nothing will change in Afghanistan until we are able to break the circle of those who have power, are not subject to the law, and receive all the contracts for security and projects." (Comment: Although he did not mention any names, Wesa,s comment is notable, given recent speculation about the future of Ahmed Wali Karzai. End Comment.) The NDS chief suggested that the problem of powerbrokers had to be addressed first at the national level before it could be dealt with effectively at the provincial and district levels. In the interim, he recommended undertaking efforts to "channel their power in good directions." Reactions to More Troops -------------- ¶9. (C//REL TO ISAF) Finally, SCR asked for thoughts on public reactions to a possible increased U.S. troop presence in Kandahar. Governor Wesa said making the country secure was certainly important but suggested that assistance directed toward strengthening Afghanistan's economy and creating jobs was probably more important than military actions for resolvng the country's problems. He said public concerns about foreign troops were two-fold: worries about collateral damage and worries about cultural and religious influence. He did not quantify the concerns. The police chief said people yearned for security and were not concerned about how it was achieved. KABUL 00003748 003 OF 003 The NDS chief said the actions of foreign forces were key. They could be a positive force if they responded to people's needs, creating jobs and tangible benefits. If, however, increased troops widened the gap between GIRoA and the people, they would cause more harm than good. ¶10. (C//REL TO ISAF) Comment: Governor Wesa and Mayor Hamidi are smart and conscientious technocrats recruited from abroad to fill key government positions. The mayor in particular has a reputation for honesty. (Governor Wesa pointedly introduced the mayor as "the only non-corrupt official in the city.") In three years time, Mayor Hamidi appears to have had some success in improving the municipality's balance sheet. Governor Wesa is a former professor of agriculture and a political novice. He has been a good ambassador for Kandahar, especially with his fellow Canadians. Among his pet projects has been to try to establish relationships for Kandahar University (which he founded) with academic institutions in Canada and the U.S. For all their positive attributes, however, it is also clear that the governor and mayor are detached from the centers of political influence in Kandahar. The perception, and probably reality, is that their ability to dictate and deliver is circumscribed by their need to defer to Ahmad Wali Karzai. With limited political pull, the governor and mayor seemed better able to diagnose Kandahar's problems than to engineer solutions. Their relative lack of influence has not freed them from security risks in Kandahar. The governor has been the target of insurgents. After SCR Ruggiero's group visited several sights in the city, the mayor reportedly received a call from a friend saying that he had been seen in the city with several Americans and that he should be careful. The mayor responded that the Americans were his guests and that he would not shy away from being seen with his guests anywhere in the city. RC-South's civlian-military team wil continue to engage Kandahar officials to identify opportunities for supporting improved governance and to encourage officials to propose and pursue solutions. End Comment. Mussomeli