This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 KABUL 005110 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INL/FO AND SA AMBASSADOR QUINN, NSC FOR 
AHARRIMAN/KAMEND 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/14/2015 
TAGS: SNAR PREL PGOV PTER KCRM AF
SUBJECT: POPPY ELIMINATION PROGRAM (PEP) STATUS REPORT 
 
REF: A) KABUL 04880 B) KABUL 04957 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: The Government of Afghanistan (GOA) sponsored 
Poppy Elimination Program continues to move forward. The 
Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MCN) is on-target to hire all 
PEP personnel by early 2006. All seven PEP teams have Afghan 
members and four international advisors (IA) have been hired. 
Housing for the IAs is being worked out. The provincial PEP 
teams are coming together and have begun working with local 
officials and farmers to spread the message regarding 
governor-led eradication. As the PEP program moves forward, 
it is crucial that the Embassy be able to support the GOA's 
efforts. In REF B, the Embassy asked for funding to carry out 
PEP activities in 2006. This funding will provide necessary 
support to governor-led eradication efforts. End Summary. 
 
PEP Personnel 
------------- 
 
¶2. (C)  Four PEP International Advisors (IA) have been hired. 
One has been deployed to the Kandahar PEP office, the other 
is in-country awaiting his assignment. Two additional PEP 
advisors are scheduled to arrive December 26. Interviewing 
for both Afghan and international PEP continues. The MCN is 
on-target to have all Afghan PEP personnel hired, for all 
seven PEP Provinces, in early 2006. Afghan teams have been 
deployed to Nangarhar (Team Leader plus four members), 
Kandahar (Team Leader plus three members and an International 
Advisor), Farah (Team Leader plus three members), Balkh (Team 
Leader plus two members), Helmand (Team Leader plus one 
member), Badakshan (one member) and Uruzgan (one member). 
 
Housing of International Advisors 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) As originally proposed, IAs were supposed to be housed 
at either the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) bases or 
Regional Training Centers (RTC-police training centers run 
via an INL CIVPOL contract). The ideal situation, from the 
Embassy's perspective, was to have them reside at the PRTs so 
that they could establish close working relationships with 
the civilian and military PRT leadership, who have first-hand 
knowledge on activities in their respective provinces. 
However, some PRTs were concerned that housing the IAs on 
their compounds could raise security issues. Embassy and 
CFC-A agreed that the option of lodging at a Forward 
Operating Base (FOB) when available is also acceptable but 
PRTs will be used when essential. 
 
¶4. (C) The military has approved the housing of IAs at the 
following sites: 
 
Nangarhar: Jalalabad Air Field (JAF) 
Kandahar:  Kandahar Air Field (KAF) 
Helmand: FOB Price 
Uruzgan: FOB Ripley 
 
¶5. (C) In the interim, the IAs will be housed at the RTCs in 
Nangarhar and Kandahar both of which are more convenient 
(with a move to JAF planned for spring 2006 when the RTC 
moves to a more distant location). One of the main advantages 
of RTC housing is that third country national (TCN) security 
staff can be housed in the same location as the IAs. FOB 
Ripley is adequate for space and security, but the risks and 
challenges associated with a difficult one hour's drive to 
Lashkar Gah (the capital), are leading to review this 
placement and consider other options. We expect to resolve 
this issue by the end of December. 
 
¶6. (C) The remaining three provinces, Balkh, Badakshan, and 
Farah contain PRTs that are under International Security 
Assistance Force (ISAF) control. The Afghanistan theater 
supports housing of IAs at their PRTs and have requested 
permission from its headquarters in Brunssum, Belgium to do 
so. Unfortunately, they have indicated to us that this 
request has been denied. ISAF Command Afghanistan told the 
Head of the British Embassy Drugs Team that it expects 
written confirmation of the denial in mid-December and they 
will appeal to SAC EUR. According to ISAF Kabul, SAC EUR has 
advised that they will overturn the Brunssum decision and 
allow PRTs to be utilized to house IAs. Meanwhile, the German 
government, through its Embassy, informed the US Embassy that 
the IAs can be housed at the German PRT in Feyzabad, 
Badakshan province (REF A). The ISAF PRT housing issue will 
be reported SEPTEL, when resolved. 
 
¶7. (C) Since there is an RTC in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh 
Province, the IAs can be housed there. In the case of Farah, 
the only options are the PRT or the provincial government 
compound. The Embassy is pursuing the housing of IAs at the 
PRT in Farah and has support from the PRT Commander. 
 
Operational Challenges 
---------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) From the beginning, PEP teams, including the IAs, were 
to have a broad mix of backgrounds and expertise: rural 
development, public information, narcotics control, and 
monitoring and verification. As implementer of the PEP 
contract, DynCorp is charged with recruiting and hiring 
fourteen International Advisors (IA), including non-Americans 
(two per province). Initially DynCorp recruited a 
preponderance of candidates with military backgrounds and no 
public information or other relevant experience. In order to 
align recruitment with program goals, INL Washington prepared 
a more detailed job description and permitted DynCorp to 
increase the salary range in order to recruit more senior 
staff. DynCorp has also been asked to focus on recruiting and 
hiring British and Canadian nationals for PEP posts in 
Helmand and Kandahar (the UK will assume command of Helmand 
PRT and the Canadians will assume command of Kandahar PRT in 
Spring 2006). 
 
¶9. (C) To date, INL has approved eleven resumes. Of those 
eleven, two have been hired and are currently in-country and 
two are expected to arrive in mid-December. The fifth 
candidate has yet to decide while the six remaining either 
declined or did not respond to DynCorp recruiting. On 
December 12, the Embassy received three additional resumes of 
applicants for IA positions. The Embassy is optimistic that 
INL Washington and DynCorp have resolved the initial problems 
and the process and timeliness of hiring IAs will improve. 
 
¶10. (C) The establishment of the PEP teams and offices is far 
behind the schedule agreed to in the initial Technical Cost 
Proposal. Most of the deliverables in the PEP contract have 
fallen behind schedule, the most basic of which required that 
all PEP offices and teams be established by November 20. On 
November 30, DynCorp officials (PEP Deputy Program Manager 
Mike O'Donovan, Mark Hannak VP for Security Operations Middle 
East/Africa and Roy Anderson PEP Engineer) met with PEP 
Program Office to discuss the status of operational support 
for PEP. Many of the items ordered for the PEP teams had not 
arrived, including communications systems, office 
furnishings, body armor and weapons. O'Donovan said even if 
the staffing issue was resolved earlier, there is no way 
DynCorp could have met the November 20 deadline. The Embassy 
continues to work with DynCorp to coordinate operational 
support for PEP. 
 
 
Establishment PEP Offices 
------------------------- 
 
¶11. (C) DynCorp along with the PEP Program Manager and CNTF 
Director have surveyed sites for office space in all seven 
PEP provinces and have identified the following as possible 
locations: 
 
Badakshan- site survey conducted on December 11, DynCorp 
reviewing options in Feyzabad for office space. 
 
Balkh- The governor has offered the PEP team two rooms in his 
compound building. DynCorp plans a site survey in 
mid-December. 
Farah- refurbishment of building adjacent to governor's office 
 
Helmand- refurbishment of building adjacent to governor's 
office 
 
Kandahar- placement of connex trailers on governor's compound 
 
Uruzgan- placement of connex trailers on governor's compound 
 
Nangarhar- The Team Leader has negotiated with government 
officials and is currently working out of the provincial 
government building. The governor offered a building to the 
PEP team on an adjacent compound but a site survey concluded 
that the building needed too much work to be usable. The 
alternate plan is to assemble connex trailers on the 
provincial government compound. 
 
PEP Team Activities 
------------------- 
 
¶12. (C) PEP teams have been working and have been pro-active 
and creative in their approach to engage with their 
communities. Recent events include: 
 
Badakshan- PEP team is planning a three day trip to Khashk 
District in mid-December. The team has established a working 
relationship with the Director of CN and has spoken with 
elders and local officials about the program. 
 
Nangarhar- Team Leader personally secured a room in the 
Provincial Government Building. PEP team regularly meets with 
the Governor and has held two working group meetings. The 
team also met with elders of Acheen and Khogiani districts, 
both high-cultivation areas. The Team Leader participated in 
a CN round table discussion on Nangarhar television. The 
monitoring/verification officer also traveled to Acheen, 
Behsood, Bati Kot, Spin Ghar and Khogiani districts. 
 
Kandahar- Team Leader held a working group meeting with the 
relevant provincial government officials and NGOs and IOs in 
November and made the following recommendations : 1) increase 
level of media broadcasting regarding anti-cultivation, 
highlighting Alternative Livelihoods (AL) programs; 2) 
improve coordination of anti-narcotics activities; and 3) 
improve security, so that people wont feel as though they are 
forced to grow poppy. The Team Leader met with the Governor 
who said he would be eradicating poppy fields in Maiwand 
Province before the end of the year. 
 
Helmand- Interim PEP Team Leader organized a November 26 
meeting, which was attended by 100 provincial and district 
officials, a senior mullah, a National Assembly member and 
various tribal elders. The meeting served as an introduction 
to PEP, as well as an opportunity for officials to reiterate 
familiar and important themes concerning the need and desire 
of the government to eliminate poppy. The meeting concluded 
with all parties signing an anti-opium pledge. The Governor 
followed up this meeting with a November 28 meeting with 
district chiefs and police chiefs to discuss the poppy 
problem, warning them that they had one week to combat poppy 
planting or they would face dismissal or arrest. 
 
Farah- PEP team conducted two working groups in November and 
have prepared a short-term work plan for their activities. 
 
Balkh- Team Leader held meetings with Deputy Governor and 
Chief of Police. Balkh Police forces have arrested 21 farmers 
for planting poppy; news of these arrests were broadcast on 
radio and televison. The arrested were later released after 
Elders from their villages promised provincial authorities 
that they would eradicate the fields that have been planted. 
 
 
Uruzgan- At a November 28 meeting with the PRT Commander, PRT 
State Representative, CNTF Director, PEP Country Director and 
senior provincial directors, the Governor agreed to allow 
space on his compound for connex trailers to house the PEP 
team. The Governor assured the assembly that he is concerned 
about the rise of poppy cultivation and is committed to 
eradication. He asked for international assistance to procure 
tractors to conduct eradication, as he could not afford to 
pay to rent tractors. 
 
 
CNTF and PEP Directors Visit PEP Provinces 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶13. (C) Over the past three weeks, the PEP Program Manager, 
PEP Country Director and Embassy Kabul CNTF Director have met 
with Governors and/or Deputy Governors in Helmand, Uruzgan 
and Farah to discuss PEP and the importance of the governor's 
involvement in dissuading farmers not to plant. They also 
talked about the development of eradication plans for their 
provinces and were asked by the PEP Country Director to 
submit plans to the MCN by December 15 so that the PEP 
Directorate can evaluate and organize funding for the plans. 
 
Funding 
------- 
 
¶14. (C) Per REF B, the Embassy asked for provisions to carry 
out PEP for 2006. This Advice for Allotment for the PEP 
Program is needed as soon as possible. 
 
 
Public Information campaign 
--------------------------- 
 
¶15. (C) The public information campaign has moved into its 
second phase and is broadcasting messages on governor-led 
eradication. Eradication messages are being delivered in 
conjunction with ongoing rule of law, health and alternative 
livelihood messages. The same messages will be disseminated 
in educational pamphlets, posters, stickers and matchbooks. 
 
¶16. (C) The Public Information Campaign Program Manager has 
devised a three-part strategy to communicate the PEP message. 
The campaign will use prominent Afghans to deliver the 
message that poppy growing is wrong. The second part of the 
campaign will focus on eradication, warning Afghans that 
forced eradication is coming and if they have planted poppy 
they should eradicate their crops in time to plant licit 
crops. 
 
 
PEP Producing Results 
--------------------- 
 
17.(C) While the PEP program is not fully-staffed or equipped 
in the provinces (and will not likely be until Spring 2006) 
the Embassy notes a marked rise in the level of engagement by 
the central and provincial governments of Afghanistan on CN. 
A good example of this commitment is the Ministry of Interior 
supported by the Ministry of Counter Narcotics, will host an 
eradication operational planning meeting with representatives 
from 12 key opium producing provinces (Nangarhar, Kunar, 
Helmand, Uruzgan, Farah, Badakshan, Baglan, Balkh, Sar-e-pol, 
Bagdhis and Samangan). Governors, police chiefs, mullahs, 
elders and local leaders are scheduled to participate in 
these meetings beginning on December 14. Also significant is 
that the Ministry of Counter Narcotics with the Ministry of 
the Hajj and Religious Affairs, the Supreme Court, the 
Governor of Nangarhar and the Provincial Council will host a 
meeting of 200 mullahs in Jalalabad on December 22. The 
meeting is designed to inform the mullahs of the law, the 
Constitutional provision on drugs, the GOA policy on 
eliminating opium cultivation, to share the GOA message on 
prevention and to inform them that eradication will occur 
where poppies have been planted. 
 
¶18. (C) These events are significant because they are 
locally-led initiatives aimed at garnering support for 
eradication from community leaders. The GOA is working with 
the mullahs in an effort to get them to ask the governors in 
their provinces to conduct eradication, as opposed to this 
directive coming from Kabul or the Provincial Governor. The 
MCN said that it will hold similar meetings with mullahs in 
other PEP provinces. 
 
¶19. (C) Comment: PEP, like any program of this magnitude and 
complexity, will continue to have growing pains. All three 
partners in the program-the Government of Afghanistan, the 
United Kingdom and the USG understand the challenges of PEP 
and are working together to meet them. All agree that PEP is 
the only way forward if poppy elimination is to be achieved 
in Afghanistan. End Comment. 
 
NEUMANN