VZCZCXRO5728
RR RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHPW RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #0450/01 0551039
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241039Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2951
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000450 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO SCA/A, S/CRS, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC FOR WOOD 
OSD FOR SHIVERS 
CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A, CG CJTF-82 POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE, SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MCAP MOPS PREL PGOV PTER PHUM AF
SUBJECT: PRT LASHKAR GAH, HELMAND PROVINCE: MUSA QALA RECONSTRUCTION 
AND POLITICAL UPDATE 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Reconstruction efforts continue in Musa Qala (MQ). 
 The District Governor, Mullah Salam, continues to work well with 
the stabilization team and is conducting Shuras outside the District 
Center (DC) in an effort to overcome continued Taliban intimidation 
of rural citizenry.  Residents are pleased the high school 
renovation is complete and students are back in school.  Task Force 
Helmand and the Afghan National Army coordinated the movement of 
convoys to the city, and security inside the DC remains stable. 
 
Musa Qala Politics 
------------------ 
¶2. (SBU) Salam continues to work well with the PRT stabilization 
team in MQ and meets daily with them and the Shura to review 
security and reconstruction efforts.  He continues to urge faster 
implementation of construction projects but has displayed less 
interest in the administrative details of project implementation or 
local government.  Haji Zahir, leader of the MQ Shura, has emerged 
as Salam's project coordinator and MQ administrator.  Salam remains 
the face and voice of the MQ government and is comfortable 
addressing security and political issues but not the details.  Zahir 
is a natural administrator and is able to keep Salam and the Shura 
working together to resolve development issues.  The two men have 
established a good working relationship, and this division of labor 
supports the implementation of development projects. 
 
Expanded Outreach 
----------------- 
¶3. (SBU) Salam is an excellent public speaker, and this week he 
moved outside the DC and conducted several outreach Shuras around 
MQ.  At Landiwa village on February 16, 150 locals listened to Salam 
deliver a strong message calling on them to support ISAF and urging 
them to work with the UK forces to defeat the Taliban.  Salam 
repeated the same message at Wasak village on February 19, where 200 
villagers greeted him with great respect and welcomed the message to 
support ISAF against the Taliban.  Salam consistently called on 
local residents to support ISAF and the GIRoA, a message that TF 
Helmand welcomed.  Salam's willingness to move outside the wire and 
interact with the people is expanding his personal base of support 
from the DC to across MQ District. 
 
Development Update 
------------------ 
¶4. (SBU) This week the Afghan National Army facilitated the delivery 
of World Food Program (WFP) supplies.  TF Helmand delivered 
USAID-provided equipment for the renovated high school. 
Stabilization officers and teachers spent several days organizing 
the new equipment, and by the end of the week, school attendance was 
over 500 children.  The central bazaar road is now under 
construction and is about 20 percent complete.  Two flood control 
projects just outside the DC are now under construction.  Residents 
have told PRT officers this week that the reconstruction projects, 
and the jobs created, are encouraging more area residents to risk 
intimidation and seek work in the city.  Every day about 280 
residents show up for the cash-for-work program, and contractors 
employ several dozen residents. 
 
Security 
-------- 
¶5. (SBU) MQ residents told PRT officers that the security situation 
in the city is acceptable and that Commander Koka is doing good 
work, but that they do not trust many of the Afghan National Police 
(ANP).  This week TF Helmand received credible reports that several 
suicide bombers were targeting Salam and the MQ Shura, but TF 
Helmand and Koka moved quickly and tightened security around the DC. 
 Residents said Koka punished several ANP this week for stealing WFP 
packages and more should be done to control the "bad ANP."  The two 
UK police mentoring teams are working with Koka to improve policing 
and control the ANP force, but monitoring the 300-plus ANP in the 
city is a challenge.  Salam reviews security operations constantly 
and pushes Koka very hard to keep the criminals, Taliban supporters 
and terrorists out of the city and to improve the ANP force. 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The main obstacle to project implementation remains 
intimidation of project recipients or those seen to be 
"collaborating" with the international community.  Ministry of Rural 
Reconstruction and Development reports that although they have had 
some initial success with the villages and project identification, 
 
KABUL 00000450  002 OF 002 
 
 
nothing has started yet as recipients are afraid to begin work on 
the projects.  Intimidation and insecurity on the roads also remain 
problems outside the security cordon of MQ town.  PRT will work with 
TF Helmand and local officials to build more sources of information 
for the people about the good things happening in MQ and to build 
more confidence in the government presence in the district, with the 
goal of giving people the confidence to resist the Taliban and their 
intimidation. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Two months after liberation, Musa Qala has seen continued 
infrastructure and political development, but the ANP require 
additional mentors and training to improve their capacity, and 
construction of the Central Mosque is delayed.  Continued helicopter 
shortages restrict the movement of civilian staff to the city.  This 
has delayed efforts to develop budgeting and governance capacity in 
MQ.  These issues need to be resolved to maintain reconstruction 
momentum and improve governance capacity. 
WOOD