VZCZCXRO9125
PP RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #0371/01 0371048
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061048Z FEB 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5933
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3613

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000371 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/FO GASTRIGHT, SCA/A 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC FOR HARRIMAN 
OSD FOR KIMMITT 
CENTCOM FOR CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PTER EAID ECON MARR AF
SUBJECT: PRTSHARANA: PAKTIKA GOVERNOR SEEKS AMBASSADOR'S 
SUPPORT ON SECURITY AND FUNDING 
 
REF: A. KABUL 255 
     ¶B. KABUL 359 
 
KABUL 00000371  001.3 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Paktika Governor Khpalwak used his January 
20 meeting with the Ambassador to seek U.S. support for 
projects in his province.  The Governor requested help in 
funding new projects in the border districts.  The Ambassador 
highlighted the importance of the newly-authorized Afghan 
National Axilliary Police (ANAP) for Khost incorporating a 
board range of individuals rather than being simply a 
grouping of existing militias.  The governor highlighted the 
loss of payments from the Ministry of Interior to the 
Governor's Discretionary Fund, noting that he relies on the 
Fund to pay for the Governor's militia and provide bonuses to 
regular police serving in dangerous and remote districts. 
The Embassy is looking at ways to address problems with the 
Discretionay Fund (Septel).  The underlying challenge is to 
ensure a transparent and sustainable system is in place to 
provide regular payments to Afghan security forces.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
THE STICK THEN THE CARROT 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Governor Khpalwak of Khost Province used his 
January 20 meeting with the Ambassador to highlight that in 
Bermel and Paktika's other border districts there is a need 
for small relatively inexpensive projects to employ local 
people and demonstrate that the government cared about them. 
The Governor cited an example of a case where Afghan and ISAF 
forces had worked together to protect the integrity of 
Afghanistan.  On January 10, a Taliban attempt to attack the 
Afghan security force outpost at Margah village in Bermel 
district had been repelled, resulting in a large number of 
Taliban casualties.  Governor Khpalwak said he followed up on 
this Taliban defeat by addressing a Bermel District Tribal 
Shura within days of the event.  As a further follow-up, the 
Governor would like to be able to provide a number of small 
projects for Bermel and in particular Margah village in order 
to demonstrate the Afghan government not only can protect its 
people but can provide projects as well.  Governor Khpalwak 
reported that the people of Bermel, through the Shura, had 
indicated that they needed drinking water wells, small water 
retention reservoirs and retaining walls to channel flood 
waters away from agricultural land.  The Ambassador inquired 
about the National Solidarity Program (NSP) and if it could 
be used for this purpose.  The Governor agreed that NSP was 
an option, but a very slow one.  He said he needed projects 
that could be started as soon as the spring weather 
permitted.  The Governor underlined that the people of Bermel 
were not against the government but were afraid of the 
insurgents and needed to be shown that the Afghan government 
can and will assist them. 
 
PAKTIKA GETS AUXILIARY POLICE 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU)  The Ambassador announced that an expansion of the 
Afghan National Auxiliary Police (ANAP) program would begin 
soon in Paktika and said he would send down a joint 
Embassy-CSTC-A team to ensure that the force would be 
broad-based.  (Note: The expansion of the ANAP effort to 
Paktika was approved by the PAG on January 11 (reftel) and is 
scheduled to commence in mid-February.  The manning of the 
ANAP in Paktika will initially come from the pool of 
individuals recruited prior to the PAG-ordered cessation of 
recruiting outside the six priority provinces.  Once this 
existing pool of recruits is exhausted, additional recruiting 
efforts may occur.  There are currently 82 personnel awaiting 
training in Paktika with a requirement for 720 ANAP within 
the province.  End Note)  The Ambassador asked that the 
Governor ensure recruitment focused on individuals rather 
than on groups of men belonging to local commanders.  The 
idea was not to recruit militias but individuals.  Moreover, 
these individuals should not be from just one tribe.  The 
Governor welcomed this idea, stating he currently relied on 
 
KABUL 00000371  002 OF 003 
 
 
his own militia (sometimes otherwise referred to as Arbakei 
or irregulars or contract police) assisting the ANP in 
Paktika.  He said he had a plan to recruit five to ten men 
from each district for the ANAP.  In the Governor's view, 
recruiting police would not be a problem if a good salary 
were provided along with proper police weapons and equipment. 
 
MOI STOPS GOVERNOR'S DISCRETIONARY FUNDS 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Governor Khpalwak asked the Ambassador's assistance 
in getting a resumption in the Governor's Discretionary 
Funds.  This special MOI fund, some 180,000 USD a month for 
Paktika, was last paid in November 2006.  The lack of these 
monies over the last two months has created a looming 
security problem for Paktika.  The Governor told the 
Ambassador he had been using part of these funds to hire 
contract police and to supplement the salaries of ANP based 
in remote and high danger posts.  These payments are now in 
arrears, and the Governor feared that many of his militia as 
well as regular police will soon quit their posts over this 
pay issue.  The Governor explained that he had would have no 
problem accounting for and ensuring the transparency of his 
Discretionary Fund.  The Ambassador agreed to look at the 
situation.  (Note: As in the last fiscal year, funds 
available from the Afghan national budget for the Governor's 
Discretionary Fund, provided since 2005 to 15 (mostly eastern 
and southern) provinces to meet special security 
requirements, have dried up before the end of the fiscal 
year, for reasons that are not entirely clear.  Embassy is 
looking at the problems with the Fund, which the GOA 
acknowledges were a stop-gap measure.  They include less than 
ideal transparency requirements by any standard.  There are 
indications that the next budget, which is currently being 
negotiated and will not be approved until at least March, may 
not include provision for the Discretionary Fund - Septel. 
End Note) 
 
AFGHAN GOVERNMENT MONETARY RESPONSIBILITY URGED 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  The Ambassador and Governor also discussed funding 
for the Afghan National Army (ANA) and police development.  A 
key discussion point was the need to recruit more soldiers to 
backfill existing ANA formations and build new units, which 
had not been budgeted by the Afghan government this year. 
The Ambassador underlined that Afghans themselves would need 
to accept the idea of taking responsibility for some of the 
short-term salary costs of speeding recruitment, though some 
of the costs might have to be borne by donors.  The GOA has 
already accepted the need to assume responsibility for the 
long-term sustainability of new ANA salaries.  (This issue is 
strictly one of the short-term needs outrunning immediate 
budget projections.)  The Ambassador underlined that meeting 
the government's  responsibilities will require generating 
revenue, including through taxes.  Provincial Councils, 
Wolsei Jirga, and the Governor need to take responsibility, 
not just the Finance Minister. 
 
SUPPLEMENTAL MAY PROVIDE MORE PROJECTS 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU)  The Ambassador provided an overview of plans for 
the Supplemental Assistance package being considered by 
Congress.  He noted that he supported more money being put 
into road building in Afghanistan.  The objective is to tie 
every District Center to the Provincial capital with a good 
road.  He cautioned, however, that the money would not arrive 
soon and that projects would not likely be funded until late 
summer or early fall. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Governor is facing an active insurgency in his 
province and has relied heavily on the Governor's 
 
KABUL 00000371  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
Discretionary Fund to pay the salaries of militia and to 
top-off the salaries of the ANP.  The lack of this money for 
several months may have security implications in several 
districts in Paktika that rely solely on militia hired by the 
governor and paid from these funds.  This points to a 
weakness in a security system that relies on this special 
fund, particularly as it is widely assumed that the funds run 
out at the end of the year at least in part because of graft 
and corruption.  While we expect the upcoming training of the 
ANAP to begin to address this issue, we are focusing on the 
broader implications as well (septel).  We will continue to 
press the Government to move to a transparent system that 
ensures regular, adequate, sustainable funding for the 
security forces. 
NEUMANN