CODEL BOEHNER DISCUSSES SECURITY WITH HELMAND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000389 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM STATE PASS USAID FOR ASIA/SCAA NSC FOR WOOD OSD FOR WILKES CG CJTF-101 POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM AF SUBJECT: CODEL BOEHNER DISCUSSES SECURITY WITH HELMAND GOVERNOR MANGAL Classified By: PRT Director Valerie Fowler for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) House Republican Leader John Boehner and five other members of Congress visited Camp Bastion in Helmand Province on February 8, and were briefed by Helmand Governor Mangal on developments in the province. Mangal stated that additional U.S. security and development are needed in Helmand, and welcomed more support for the Afghan National Police (ANP) and Afghan National Army (ANA) to increase their numbers and to improve their performance. He asserted the proposed Helmand Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) was not a good idea and would not work due to the strength of entrenched criminal elements in the province. In a follow-on meeting after the departure of the delegation, Mangal and RC South Deputy Commander Brigadier General John Nicholson reviewed Helmand security. Mangal Welcomes More U.S. and Afghan Forces -------------- ¶2. (C) Governor Mangal told the delegation that more U.S. military and financial assistance are welcome in Helmand and pledged he would do his best to ensure they were used correctly. He explained that he and the current Afghan security forces need help securing the long open border with Pakistan, which enables smugglers to undermine the GIRoA and gives criminal elements too much power in the province. The Governor said that more U.S. troops are needed and also encouraged the delegation to help get more ANA and ANP units into Helmand. He noted that Helmand is the largest province in Afghanistan but hosts just one ANA Brigade, a security force too small to work with the incoming U.S. forces. Mangal also urged the U.S. to step up efforts to improve the ANA and ANP, noting that continued investments in the army and police will improve Afghanistan,s security and allow the Afghan people to take greater control of their own security efforts. He added that ISAF and the Afghan security forces have developed very good coordination mechanisms and cited the successful defense of Lashkar Gah in October 2008 as an excellent example. No APPF for Helmand -------------- ¶3. (C) Mangal stated he had reviewed the APPF proposal and was very disappointed that resources would be dedicated to this effort. The police and army must be improved and expanded before any new programs were initiated. He noted most of the problems in Helmand were caused by "bad men with private armies/militias," and asserted that the APPF is a program that would help these criminal elements and do nothing to bring real security to the residents. He said Helmand had suffered for years because militias had the means to sustain themselves and it was only now that the police and army were growing strong enough to crack down on these criminal organizations. He commented that if the Ministry of Interior wants to do a program like APPF, the forces should be enrolled in the army and used outside their provinces - this would at least bring some control over them. He concluded with a strong message that the APPF must not be attempted in Helmand because the criminal elements were still too strong and they would easily take control of the effort. The Garmsir Model -------------- ¶4. (C) Mangal told the delegation that when U.S. Marines liberated Garmsir in May 2008 the operation was excellent, and encouraged use of this "Garmsir Model" as the template for new U.S. troop commitments. He described how U.S. forces defeated the enemy forces, protected the civilian population and worked closely with the local population throughout the operation, gaining their support for the stabilization efforts. Mangal underscored that the clearance of a city and surrounding area with no civilian casualties helped the city return to normal, and within a few months the bazaar, schools and clinics were repaired and open for business. Mangal added that he had now made three trips to Garmsir: on the first trip 100 people met him, on the next 300 people received him, and on his third and most recent trip, over 1,000 people greeted him. Mangal noted that with the right mix of U.S. and Afghan forces, more districts of Helmand can be brought back under GIRoA control. KABUL 00000389 002 OF 002 CODEL Response -------------- ¶5. (C) The delegation thanked the Governor for his hard work and asked him what he needed besides additional U.S. forces. The Governor said reconstruction efforts must continue across the province and the ongoing efforts in Kajaki, Bost Airfield and other areas showed the local community that the international community was a real partner. He explained that his priority is to expand and improve the Helmand road network to connect the districts to the provincial capital, which would enable thousands of farmers to get their produce/crops to local and regional markets. Mangal underscored that these roads are vital for developing the local economy, connecting Helmand to the rest of Afghanistan and improving security efforts. Mangal and BG Nicholson Review Helmand Security -------------- -- ¶6. (C) After the departure of the CODEL, Mangal and BG Nicholson discussed the security challenges in Helmand. Mangal stressed to BG Nicholson that more ANA were desperately needed in Helmand and that this should be a priority with the U.S. military and civilian leadership. Nawa District residents recently approached Mangal for GIRoA assistance but he lacked sufficient army and police elements to reestablish a real GIRoA presence in the district center. He said the current footprint in Nawa is only a military base, but with sufficient ANA units he could improve security conditions on the ground. Nicholson agreed with Mangal that more Afghan Army units were needed immediately in Helmand. ¶7. (C) Nicholson briefed Mangal on his recent trip to Sangin and said the new UK military plan to expand the security zone to include the bazaar and new district center would move forward. Nicholson said RC South was prepared to help in this process and added he would push CSTC-A to start construction on the new District Police Headquarters. He also noted that more troops were needed and he would try and get U.S. forces in Sangin by late summer to reinstate the police mentoring role the 2/7 Marines performed during most of 2008. ¶8. (C) Mangal thanked Nicholson for the update and said if these points are addressed he is sure Sangin will move forward. He emphasized that having a district center building outside the UK military base was vital so the Afghans could do their business with the District Administrator. The district center would also allow him to have a closer relationship with the city residents. Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) The Boehnor Codel provided an excellent platform for Mangal to lobby for greater international and Kabul support to improve conditions in Helmand. He delivered a consistent message all day that more ANA forces are needed immediately in Helmand to work with U.S. forces but also to help expand the existing security bubbles with Afghan forces. Mangal,s tough words against the APPF indicate that he views the displaced Helmand elite as the real threat to the long term security of Helmand. Mangal insists that only a strong national army and strong provincial police can deal with the entrenched criminal elements of Helmand, who would exploit the APPF program in Helmand to their own benefit. ¶9. (U) The CODEL did not have a chance to review this cable prior to their departure. DELL