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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000030 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND 
DEPT FOR SA/FO, AMBASSADOR QUINN, SA/PAB, S/CT, SA/A 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD 
REL NATO/AUST/NZ/ISAF 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV AF PK
SUBJECT: PRT-QALAT: GOVERNOR FIRES SHAMULZAI DISTRICT CHIEF, 
CHASTISES ELDERS FOR DEALING WITH TALIBAN 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  Zabul Provincial Governor Arman used a 
carrot and stick approach (local autonomy and good 
officials; development projects) and argued both Islam and 
geopolitics at a shura to try to convince Shamulzai district 
elders not to deal with the Taliban.  While Arman is willing 
to fire incompetent district officials, he realizes real 
change will occur only if the elders can be convinced to 
support the central government.  End Summary. 
 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Shamulzai District in southeastern Zabul Province 
borders Pakistan.  In November, the provincial governor had 
fired the Shamalzai district chief and replaced him with the 
Skinkay district chief, who had not yet arrived at his new 
post.  In the interim, the Shamulzai district chief of 
police was also relieved.  Thereafter, someone allegedly 
`burned down' the ANP compound in Shamulzai village, burned 
a number of vehicles and stole 30 AK-47 rifles.  The 
original report to the PRT was that striking ANP officers 
had done this, at the direction of the relieved police 
chief, to whom they were loyal.  The relieved chief, in 
turn, claimed it was a Taliban attack.  Governor Arman told 
PRToff that President Karzai was upset about this incident 
when he had seen the president in Kabul, and that the 
governor believed both the elders and officials there had 
made a deal with the Taliban whereby they would not conduct 
attacks in Shamalzai if they were left alone as they 
transited Shamulzai going from Pakistan to northern Zabul 
Province.   On December 4, the governor flew out to 
Shamulzai for a shura, accompanied by Provincial Chief of 
Police Nabi, the local ANA battalion commander, several 
other officials, plus TF Rock (Task Force Rock is the US 
maneuver battalion in the province) staffer CPT Kelly, and 
PRToff. 
 
Inspecting the ANP Compound 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) In addition to the shura with the elders, the 
governor and his entourage inspected the ANP compound.  Fire 
damage was minimal, and none of the vehicles burned had been 
operational.  Although most suspected the former police 
chief of culpability, the Governor resisted demands to 
immediately physically remove him, and left him in Shamulzai 
pending a formal investigation   He was kept under watch by 
TF Rock, who moved a squad into the ANP compound.  The 
Governor also refused to immediately fire the missing police 
officers, being more concerned with recovery of their 
weapons.  (Note: Most ANP have had no training and are ill- 
equipped.  They and other local forces, such as the Afghan 
National Border Police (ANBP), often behave more like 
private militias and follow their chiefs with no apparent 
loyalty to the national government (such as demonstrated by 
this incident).  End note.) 
 
Lecturing the Elders on Religion and Geopolitics 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶4. (U) While the governor can fire district officials, he 
cannot dismiss the tribal elders of a village or district. 
Having good reason to suspect the elders had reached a 
bargain with the Taliban, at least implicitly, of not 
interfering with their transit if they leave Shamulzai 
District alone, the governor focused most of his time and 
energy, and that of the other officials, on the shura with 
the district elders. 
 
¶5. (U) An estimated 150 men attended the shura, district and 
village elders but also middle aged and young men.  The 
Governor's performance included `reading them the riot act,' 
but also a good cop/bad cop interaction with other 
officials, offering both carrots and sticks.  He explained 
that the villagers and their families will be the ones to 
lose if the on-going road improvement project is halted, 
along with other projects.  He pointed out the new road 
between Shamulzai and Shinkay (the next district capital, 
between Shamulzai and Qalat) had cut the travel time from 
four hours to two hours in that direction.  He then sharply 
reminded the shura attendees that it was not in accordance 
with Islam to harm people and destroy things (which the 
transiting Taliban went on to do elsewhere).  He lectured 
them for being shameless, gutless and working for other 
people, and not acting in accordance with Islam. 
 
¶6. (U) Next he proclaimed that the five years lack of water 
was God's punishment because the Taliban had closed schools 
and hospitals.  God was especially punishing Zabul and 
Kandahar provinces, he continued, due to the Taliban's 
murder of women and children there.  He continued that the 
country needed laws to supplement the Koran, not replace it, 
noting that the first law passed was to name the country the 
Islamist Republic of Afghanistan, and that one can follow 
the Koran and still be democratic.  He added that women in 
refugee camps voted, leaders voted, mullahs voted, and in 
September, two religious people had been elected in the 
provincial elections.  Only the Taliban had not voted.  He 
added that President Karzai had been selected by educated, 
Muslim scholars, and that it was against Islam to fight him. 
Going back in history, he stated that when Ali was not 
selected to succeed the Prophet Mohammed, he did not respond 
by burning or destroying mosques. 
 
¶7.  (U) He then switched briefly from the religious to the 
geopolitical, noting that Pakistan has hospitals, roads and 
schools, and that they don't burn them down, but send people 
here to Afghanistan to burn these things down, and that 
Pakistan does not want Afghanistan to have hospitals and 
schools.  He concluded by threatening to return the $180,000 
the GoA had given him for education in Shamulzai, and asked 
rhetorically who loses if all district schools are closed. 
 
¶8.  (U) Governor Arman was followed by the new district 
police chief, who noted that the district would now be 
getting more ANA and ANP guidance and involvement in trying 
to halt Taliban infiltration.  He addressed the young, 
stressing their right to attend school, and asking 
rhetorically if it is good for one to be illiterate, and 
therefore only able to work for someone else.  He also ended 
on a geopolitical note, saying that many Afghan sons die 
because the Pakistanis teach them to fight standing up, but 
noting that Iran victimizes Afghanistan as well. 
 
¶9.  (U) The new district director, who had recently arrived 
from Shinkay village, spoke next.  He urged the villagers to 
support the government and not lose aid because of a few bad 
people.  A local mullah came next, stating that education is 
important for all, including females, based on the Koran. 
He accused the Taliban of `making up' Koranic verses. 
 
¶10.  (U) Provincial police chief Nabi spoke next, somewhat 
playing the `good cop' to the Governor's `bad cop.' He urged 
the villagers not to let the Taliban stay among them. 
However, he also admitted that they had a tough border area 
with Pakistan.  He said that he would ask Governor Arman not 
to stop all aid projects in Shamulzai. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The ANA battalion commander (who is also a 
mullah) also combined Islam and regional geopolitics.  He 
accused the Pakistanis of using uneducated Afghans "like 
donkeys" and stressed the need for education.   He continued 
that the Taliban do not follow the Koran by murdering and 
maiming people, and that they were hypocritical when in 
power, such as by prohibiting VCR tapes for others while 
keeping their own.  He contrasted Shamulzai to his home 
district up north, which has had three years of peace and 
lots of development, noting that that could happen in 
Shamulzai also if not for five or six thieves running things 
there.  Stressing that one needs security for development, 
he said the government planned to build a border town in the 
district to help, while noting that the Shamulzai people 
also lose when the Pakistanis pay the Taliban to kill people 
and destroy buildings in Afghanistan. 
 
¶12.  (U) The Governor then invited the two Americans present 
to make remarks.  CPT Kelly noted that the guns were stolen 
from the people of Shamulzai, not from TF Rock, adding that 
they were donated to the ANP by Hungary, a country that - 
like Afghanistan - had once been under Soviet control. 
PRToff noted that the US is a religious country and respects 
Islam. 
 
Aftermath 
--------- 
 
¶13.  (SBU) As of December 21, the Governor had not yet 
reviewed the formal investigation results, and 17 out of the 
30 rifles were still missing.  There is no word yet on 
disciplinary actions against individual ANP officers. 
During a PRT trip on 14 and 15 Dec (septel), PRT and UNOPS 
engineers met with village leaders in Shamulzai village and 
the border village of Zanjshir (also in Shamulzai District) 
to discuss the layout and location for planned schools and 
clinics, reinforcing `the carrot' that the district could 
continue to receive development aid if the government 
approved it. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶14.  (SBU) Whether the governor's shura, and the change in 
district officials, will change the situation in Shamulzai 
remains an open question.  The reach of the central 
government in remote districts is very tenuous, plus there 
is a limited pool of honest, effective officials that can be 
appointed.  As the governor realizes, it is key to convince 
the local leaders and elders to support the central 
government. 
 
NEUMANN