VZCZCXRO5359
RR RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #5675/01 3381132
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 041132Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4406
INFO RUCNEXC/ECRBS COLLECTIVE
RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3325
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 6653
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 1991
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC 0249
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAORC/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 005675 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC PVANSON, ACHURCH, JLCOLLINS; CBP/INA FOR CDONOFRIO; 
DOE/NNSA FOR RSTUBBLEFIELD; DOC FOR ELOCKWOOD-SHABAT; DOT FOR 
APARAMESWARAN; SECDEF FOR MHOFFMANN, FLIGHT, AND RVIERKANT 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: ETTC PARM PREL KSTC KNNP AF
 
SUBJECT: EXBS Afghanistan Advisor Monthly Reporting Cable - October 
2006 
 
 
KABUL 00005675  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶I. SUMMARY 
 
¶1.   (SBU) During this reporting period the EXBS Advisor solicited 
the assistance of the Afghan Engineering District (AED) to prepare a 
Statement of Work (SOW) for upgrading the perimeter security at the 
Kabul International Airport (KIA).  The EXBS Advisor has also 
coordinated the efforts of DynCorp and the German Police Project 
Office (GPPO) to provide FAA the information needed to procure 
required security scanners for KIA. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) A Working Group was established within the GPPO Pillar IV 
training program to consolidate the efforts of those entities 
involved in police training.  The EXBS Advisor participated on 
behalf of the Border Management Initiative (BMI) to ensure the 
inclusion of Customs Police and Customs Officers in the future 
development of course curricula affecting those responsible for 
Border Crossing Point (BCP) operations. The Afghan Customs 
Department (ACD) is progressing in its training programs by sending 
personnel to be trained by foreign counterparts in Japan, Pakistan 
and a planned training program in Tajikistan. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The USG Border Management Initiative (BMI) staff is 
continuing its efforts to formulate a 12-person Border Management 
Task Force (BMTF).  In addition, the BMI is working with DynCorp and 
the International Narcotics Law Enforcement (INL) agency to provide 
support for the proposed BMTF 6-person mentoring team to be deployed 
to selective BCPs. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The ACD identified the need to collect additional Customs 
revenue from commercial couriers housed at the U.S. Bagram Air Force 
Base north of Kabul.  ACD has selected and issued the order of 
appointment to five customs officials who are to serve at Bagram 
Airbase for customs controls and clearances. 
 
¶5. (SBU) After meeting with the DCM and a Political Officer from the 
U.S. Embassy Tashkent at the Heratan BCP in Afghanistan on September 
19 - 21, 2006, the ACD is accelerating the transfer of a newly 
completed Customs house from UNOPS to the Ministry of Finance (MoF). 
 This will help pave the way for the transfer of duty collection 
from the Mazar-e-Sharif Inland Container Depot (ICD) to the Heratan 
BCP. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The EXBS Advisor met with the counter-narcotics committee 
that is providing infrastructure to house the central command for 
the Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) in Kabul.  This 
committee is also devising a plan to build several Regional Law 
Enforcement Centers (RLCs) in various strategic locations around the 
country. 
 
END SUMMARY 
 
II. ITEMS OF BROAD INTEREST. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The EXBS Advisor coordinated a security survey at the 
Kabul International Airport (KIA) by DynCorp, GPPO, and the Afghan 
Engineering District (AED) for preparation of a Statement of Work 
(SOW) to upgrade perimeter security at the KIA.  This SOW is 
required for the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation to secure 
$2.5 million available for infrastructure projects at the airport. 
The EXBS Advisor has also coordinated the efforts of DynCorp and the 
GPPO to provide FAA the information needed to procure required 
security scanners for KIA. During this reporting period, FAA 
procured 4 magnetometers and 8 handheld metal detector wands that 
were delivered to the airport and are now in use.  Additional 
scanners required for use in the new KIA terminal under construction 
were identified and submitted to FAA Headquarters by the FAA 
representative for consideration.  Transportation Security 
Administration (TSA) representatives will travel to Kabul to perform 
an integrated security assessment of KIA and validate equipment 
requirements. 
 
KABUL 00005675  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) Issues relating to the training of Customs Police are being 
pursued through the newly formed Training Working Group under 
Pillar-IV of the GPPO Interagency Police Reform Action Group. The 
EXBS Advisor and a representative from the ACD Training Coordination 
Unit will participate in this group to ensure that Customs Police 
and Customs Officers are considered when addressing newly developed 
curriculums as they pertain to BCP operations, including specialized 
training for the airport environment. 
 
¶9. (U) The ACD has developed a Goods Inspection & Examination 
Handbook for Customs Officers in Dari, Pashto and English.  The 
inspection and examination of 'goods under customs clearance' is a 
major function of customs having a direct bearing not only on the 
quantity of customs duties and taxes collected, but also on the 
facilitation of safe and secure international trade and the 
protection of the Afghan people. This major development has resulted 
in developing an implementation guideline for the ACD training team 
as they teach these basic fundamentals to ACD staff. This training 
guide is being incorporated in the larger management guide that will 
be of particular use in implementing and monitoring functions at the 
Customs Training Institute now under construction. 
 
¶10. (U) Twenty Five Afghan Customs Officers are undergoing a 6-month 
training program in Islamabad, Pakistan. During the first stage of 
training they are being given an immersion course in the English 
language at the National Institute of Modern Languages (NIML). 
Successive stages of training include Information Technology; 
Management; Customs Processes based on the World Customs 
Organization (WCO) standards; and On-the-Job Training in Peshawar, 
Quetta, and Karachi, Pakistan. 
 
¶11.   (U) The ACD management program selected 5 officers to continue 
their Certificate Courses in Economics, General Management, 
Financial Management, English and Information Technology in Kabul. 
Three ACD officers attended a two-week course in Japan which focused 
on customs management, the World Customs Organization (WCO), the 
Kyoto Convention, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. 
 The course was funded and organized by the Japan International 
Cooperation Agency (JICA). 
 
¶12. (SBU) USG Border Management Initiative (BMI) staff is continuing 
its efforts to form a 12-person Border Management Task Force (BMTF). 
In addition, BMI staff is working with DynCorp and the International 
Narcotics Law Enforcement (INL) agency to provide support for the 
proposed BMTF 6-person mentoring team to be deployed to selective 
BCPs. This team will consist of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents 
and four former Customs Inspectors.  This will allow complete 
mentorship coverage within the BCP for immigration and customs 
matters and augment the DynCorp mentoring program. The EXBS Advisor 
and the BMI Director have submitted their choices to fill the two 
Border Police mentor positions and the BMTF Border Police Systems & 
Immigration Coordinator position to JIACG and the Office of the 
Secretary of Defense (OSD).  BMI staff is awaiting the submission of 
 
SIPDIS 
former Customs Inspector resumes for review to fill the remaining 
BMTF positions. 
 
¶13. (SBU) The Afghan Customs Department (ACD) identified the need to 
collect additional Customs revenue from commercial couriers housed 
at the U.S. Bagram Air Force Base (BAF) north of Kabul.  ACD has 
appointed five customs officials to serve at BAF for customs control 
and clearances.  The EXBS Advisor, working with Bagram military 
officials, CFC-A and the ACD, is scheduling the officers for 
appointments at the Force Protection Screening Cell after completion 
of required forms and a letter of justification for unescorted 
privileges  at BAF. 
 
¶14. (SBU) Efforts are underway by ACD to accelerate the transfer of 
a newly completed Customs house at the Heratan BCP from UNOPS to the 
Ministry of Finance (MoF).  The Director General of the ACD traveled 
 
KABUL 00005675  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
to Heratan in October after a visit by the EXBS Advisor in September 
who received complaints from the Afghan Border Police (ABP) and 
Customs Officers who were not allowed to occupy the newly 
constructed customs house.  As a result, The World Bank's CURE team 
met with the UNOPS infrastructure team to assess the current status 
of this project.  New customs satellite offices at different BCPs 
owned by the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), funded by the World Bank 
and built by UNOPS, are now in various stages of completion and are 
to be transferred to the MoF.  The original plan devised by the 
World Bank CURE unit was to push forward the collection of customs 
duties at the BCPs instead of the Inland Container Depots (ICDs). 
This procedure should help eliminate leakage of goods entering 
Afghanistan that are not being reported to the ICDs for clearance 
and payment of duties.  CURE and UNOPS are working together to 
ensure a smooth relocation of the customs staff and processes from 
Mazar-e-Sharif to Heratan for this purpose. 
 
 
 
¶15.  (U) TRAINING CONDUCTED DURING REPORTING PERIOD. 
 
Nothing to report. 
 
¶16.  (U) EQUIPMENT DELIVERED DURING REPORTING PERIOD. 
 
Under Procurement. 
 
¶17.  (U) IMMINENT TRAINING OR EQUIPMENT STATUS UPDATE. 
 
The BMTF 6-person mentoring team consisting of two former Border 
Patrol agents and four former Customs Inspectors are expected to be 
deployed to the Islam Qalah BCP in 2007.  These mentors will be 
responsible for conducting On-The-Job-Training (OJT) to ABP and 
Customs Officers. 
 
EXBS is awaiting the delivery of x-ray screening machines for 
baggage and cargo, fiberoptic scopes, density meters, radioisotope 
identifiers, explosive detectors, handheld metal detectors, cranes, 
forklifts, vehicle inspection kits, and tool kits destined for the 
Islam Qalah and Towraghundi BCPs. The delivery of the Rapidscan 
x-ray screening machines is scheduled to arrive in Kabul in December 
¶2006.  No delivery dates are available for the remaining items, but 
the EXBS Advisor is coordinating logistical arrangements such as 
temporary storage for the equipment as it arrives. 
 
¶18.  (U) SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXPORT CONTROLS, 
NONPROLIFERATION, OR RELATED BORDER SECURITY. 
 
Nothing to report. 
 
¶19.  (U) OTHER SIGNIFICANT ISSUES/EVENTS. 
 
None to report. 
 
¶20.  (U) RED FLAG U ISSUES. 
 
None to report. 
 
¶21.  (U) Please direct any questions or comments to Barry F. Lory, 
EXBS Advisor to Afghanistan; +93-070-073-652, extension 4836; 
lorybf@state.gov or to Jimmie L. Collins, South Asia Regional 
Program Manager, Office of Export Control Cooperation, 202-647-1778, 
collinsjl2@state.gov. 
 
NEUMANN