VZCZCXRO2343
PP RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #0735/01 0510619
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 200619Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8413
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5/UNMA//
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//J3//
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUMICEA/JICCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFIUU/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2253
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2465
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 5562
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 1095

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000735 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/FO (AMB QUINN), SA/A, S/CT, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, KAMEND 
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD 
REL NATO/AUST/NZ/ISAF 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID AF
SUBJECT: PRT/LASHKAR GAH - HELMAND PROVINCE: 
DISTRICT ELDERS FRUSTRATED 
 
KABUL 00000735  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Thirteen Mousa Qala district 
elders, including their Provincial Council 
representative, are frustrated by the lack of basic 
services in their district.  Despite repeated 
requests to the provincial government over a several 
year period, they complain that there is little 
power and a key road remains in very poor condition. 
Their experience provides a window into one of 
Helmand province's major challenges:  Convincing 
people that the provincial government deserves their 
loyalty.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On February 13, the PRT commander and 
PRToff met with a group of village elders; the 
Helmand Provincial Director for Power, Engineer 
Faizullah; and a Provincial Council member, Haji 
Naim, who is from Mousa Qala.  Helmand's deputy 
governor, Amir Mohammed, is from Mousa Qala (he did 
not attend the meeting).  The group said that they 
had met with Governor Daoud on February 12. 
 
We're Still Waiting 
------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Discussion focused on the lack of power and 
the poor condition of a key road.  The elders said 
that Mousa Qala has little electricity because it 
shares a line with Kajeki, the nearby district where 
a dam and power station are located.  According to 
Engineer Faizullah, the transformer is insufficient 
to provide power to both districts.  He said that a 
23 kilometer line would be needed to provide 
sufficient power to Mousa Qala.  The elders said 
that the lack of power hampers their ability to 
exploit the irrigation canals and degrades 
agriculture.  They claimed that they have appealed 
to the provincial government over the past four 
years, with no results. 
 
¶4. (SBU) A similar discussion ensued concerning the 
road that heads north from Mousa Qala to Bagran 
district and on to Uruzgan province.  The elders 
said that this is a key road for commerce, with 
several districts affected.  The section in question 
is about 30 kilometers long.  Again, the elders said 
that they have had no response from the provincial 
government despite repeated requests to repair the 
road. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The elders told PRToffs they met with 
Governor Daoud on February 12 to discuss these 
issues.  The governor said that he would look into 
it, but recommended that they appeal directly to the 
PRT.  PRToffs told the elders that a PRT mission to 
visit Mousa Qala is planned for early next March. 
This mission will provide an opportunity to see 
these problems first hand. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) This meeting represents one of the major 
problems in Helmand.  On the one hand, the 
government constantly reiterates the need to 
encourage loyalty in the countryside in order to 
 
KABUL 00000735  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
deter citizens from becoming active (or tacit) 
allies of the Taliban.  On the other hand, its 
failure to deliver basic services, even after 
several years, has had a negative impact.  Incidents 
such as this one exemplify the difficulty of 
establishing government credibility.  As local 
citizens see the lack of response from the 
provincial government (not to mention the pervasive 
corruption), the risk of growing Taliban influence 
is likely to increase. 
 
¶7. (SBU) At another level, it is disappointing that, 
assuming what the elders and Provincial Council 
member Naim told us is true, the Governor sent the 
group to the PRT.  Clearly, this adds to citizens' 
views of the PRT as a parallel institution and 
weakens their image of the government, not something 
we want to project.  PRToffs will continue to work 
with the governor to encourage them to work these 
issues through local institutions (district and 
provincial governments), with the PRT remaining in 
the background. 
 
¶8. (U) Dushanbe minimize considered. 
 
NEUMANN