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RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0075

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 001758 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL 
PLEASE PASS TO DOJ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID SNAR AF TI
SUBJECT: TAJIK BORDER POSTS STILL SUFFER FROM LAST YEAR'S FLOODING 
AND LACK OF SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT 
 
DUSHANBE 00001758  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Embassy Officers visited four border posts in the 
Moscovsky region bordering Afghanistan and saw how last year's 
severe flooding destroyed the units' buildings, seriously 
hindering the border guards' ability to protect the Tajik border 
from illicit activity.   In addition to flood damage and years 
of wear and tear, the departing Russian border troops stripped 
the posts of critical equipment and supplies.  In the winter, as 
in many rural areas of Tajikistan, electricity is scarce, only 
available one to two hours per day.  Generators at the border 
posts are nothing more than Soviet-style hunks of metal, too 
inefficient to run given the price of fuel.  Minefields 
installed by Russian troops remain active and pose a real threat 
to unsuspecting visitors and civilians. EmbOffs, guided by 
Colonel Kamolov, the State Border Protection Committee engineer 
responsible for designing architectural plans for construction 
of new buildings, surveyed the border posts.  Post will 
recommend that outposts number 8 and 7 described below receive 
priority consideration for renovation/reconstruction using 
existing INL funding.  The rest should be funded using DoD 
Counter-narcotics FY06 supplemental funding. 
 
RIBHOZ, FISHFARM, #8 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  In early 2005, floods from the Pyanj River ripped 
through the outpost and split it into two, destroying training 
facilities.  The water left a bed of rocks about 500 yards wide 
in the middle of the post.  The post evacuated staff and moved 
ammunition, but have since returned to the same location. 
Border guards report that Afghans crossed the border and 
periodically looted the facilities after the 2005 flood up until 
July 2006.  Ribhoz currently has no functioning communications 
system, however, through U.S. government funding, Post will be 
installing Harris radio communications system at the outpost. 
 
¶3.  (U)  The Pyanj is known to flood frequently and each year 
the river's destruction takes its toll in property and lives. 
The Asian Development Bank is working with the government on an 
embankment reinforcement project in Moscovsky to prevent future 
flooding, but work is not yet complete. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The State Border Protection Committee intends to move 
the post's location one to two kilometers further away from the 
river.  Ribhoz is the name of border post number 8 in Moscovsky 
District, so named because of the area's former abundance of 
fish farms.  Fish farming used to be profitable, but the 
supplies have since depleted and many large dried-out man-made 
lakes remain.  It is in one of these lakes that the State Border 
Protection Committee intends to relocate the border post site. 
 
SAYOD, HUNTER, #7 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The effects of the Pyanj floods is most striking at 
Sayod, number 7 of the Moscovsky posts.  Little remains of the 
post, established at least twenty years ago.  Prior to the 
flooding, Sayod had 12 buildings, now there are only four.  The 
floods cause land erosion, which claimed 8 of the buildings, 
including warehouses and offices.  Although the water flow has 
been diverted, land continues to erode away and threatens what's 
left of Sayod's property.  The State Border Protection Committee 
wants to build a new post on nearby higher ground with a better 
view of the Afghan border and safe from the Pyanj. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Sayod has a minimal communications system comprised 
of only Motorola radios.  The post's commander reported the 
soldiers received Halal meals from U.S. assistance, but that 
many fell ill after eating what they commonly believe to be 
expired MREs.  He claimed a doctor lab-tested them and deemed 
 
DUSHANBE 00001758  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
them unacceptable to eat.  (Note:  The border guards do not have 
a qualified lab technician to conduct tests and provided no 
evidence supporting their finding.  Post is working to train and 
set up a proper forensics lab in Tajikistan.) 
 
JAIROLI, PORCUPINE, #6 AND MUHOJOROBAD, LAND OF REFUGEES, #5 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The Jairoli #6 post and Muhojorobad #5 post face 
problems common to border posts throughout Tajikistan.  Each 
post houses approximately 50 soldiers, but their dilapidated 
buildings and poor facilities make living conditions difficult. 
Jairoli is at least 25 years old and Muhojorobad's construction 
dates to the 1940s or 1950s.  Both Jairoli and Muhojorobad could 
benefit from a water well and water pump.  Tajikistan's rural 
water supply system has deteriorated since the Soviet times. 
Currently, Jairoli gets its water supply through a rudimentary 
pipe and water wheel operating on a stream that runs through the 
post's compound. 
 
¶8. (SBU)   Both posts need significant renovation.  Areas of 
importance include establishing bathroom and shower facilities, 
constructing new roofs, renovating warehouses and repairing 
crumbling internal walls.  Both posts currently have Motorola 
radios and also utilize an old ineffective cable telephone line. 
 Building officers' quarters would boost morale at the posts. 
Currently officers live and work in their offices.  With 
officers' quarters they could bring their families to live with 
them at post.  That way, they would be able to remain on site 
longer throughout the year. 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  State Border Protection Committee guides told EmbOffs 
Jairoli and Muhojorobad also received Halal meals, but we did 
not see any uniforms, boots, sleeping bags or other U.S. 
assistance. 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  Post will reexamine and increase end-use 
monitoring of border guard assistance and devise an improved 
plan to directly provide INL assistance to the border posts 
instead of routing it through the central government where 
bureaucracy and corruption can delay essential assistance. 
Post's Senior Law Enforcement Advisor has visited the site for 
follow-on assessments and will bring direct assistance during 
future site visits instead of relying on the State Border 
Protection Committee which has responded slowly to needs.  In 
addition, post will consider providing food assistance in the 
forms of staples locally purchased instead of U.S. military 
Halal meals which Tajik soldiers do not favor. 
 
¶11.  (SBU)  The devastation caused by flooding at the posts on 
the Afghan border shows the destructive potential of the river. 
In addition, the country's inadequate water delivery system is 
extremely evident at these border outposts.  Water issues have a 
tremendous effect on the environment, health and economy.  Here 
in Tajikistan, we also see the important role that water plays 
in security issues.  The border posts need to be repaired or 
relocated with potential flooding hazards in mind if Tajikistan 
wants to continue to be successful in protecting its borders. 
 
END COMMENT. 
JACOBSON