VZCZCXRO3740
RR RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHPW RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #1373/01 1590931
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070931Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4260
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 001373 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS, EUR/RPM 
NSC FOR WOOD 
OSD FOR WILKES 
CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A, CG CJTF-101 POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ECON AF
SUBJECT: NURISTAN: IMPROVING GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Nuristan's capacity for governance continues to 
grow.  Physical construction and institutional development have led 
to more effective government.  Security problems have increased with 
the spring thaw.  A "security shura" in the most problematic 
district, Kamdesh, is working to convince insurgents to stop 
fighting.   Governor Tamim wants to create a similar body in Waigal 
District.  Roads and power are the focus of infrastructure projects. 
 Business development activities have met with enthusiasm in the 
province.  End Summary. 
 
Governance 
---------- 
¶2. (SBU) The primary task for Nuristan's government is construction, 
both physical and institutional.  Parun, the new provincial capital, 
has added several new buildings in the past year, although most are 
incomplete.  The PRT and the provincial government plan to construct 
offices for ministerial line directors.  However, there is still no 
housing. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Governor Tamim remains the driving force behind Nuristan's 
political development.  He has pressed for staffing and has worked 
to make officials more effective.  Notably, with the Governor's 
encouragement and support, the District Administrator of Do-Ab 
district has become very active in the past half-year, visiting the 
PRT several times to coordinate development strategies in Do-Ab. 
The Governor addressed disputes over the leadership of Kamdesh 
District, agreeing to recommend the replacement of the current 
administrator, Enayatullah, with former administrator Gul Mohammad. 
New deployments of police and staff to Mandol District have 
energized District Administrator Ataullah, who had been a 
non-factor. 
 
¶4. (SBU) USAID's capacity-building programs have also improved 
government effectiveness.  Training through Local Governance and 
Community Development (LGCD) programs is having an impact both in 
making officials more effective and in fostering a sense of 
provincial unity. 
 
Security 
-------- 
¶5. (SBU) The Afghanistan NGO Security Office (ANSO) continues to 
advise NGOs against operating in Nuristan.  The end of winter has 
brought an increase in hostile activity.  Kamdesh, especially, has 
been the scene of frequent contact.  In Do-Ab, tensions remain after 
a major operation by Afghan and coalition forces.  The ambush of a 
PRT mission in northwest Nurgram District indicates that area is 
relatively insecure.  Insurgents have moved with relative ease in 
Do-Ab, lower Mandol, and even Parun. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Governor Tamim has sponsored a "100-Man" security shura in 
Kamdesh, where elders are trying to convince their relatives to stop 
fighting coalition forces.  The Governor is attempting a similar 
effort in Waigal District.  Bargimatal is peaceful and 
pro-government.  However, instability in Kamdesh, to the south, 
makes travel on the only road to the rest of Afghanistan dangerous. 
In Wama, a strong group of elders has kept the peace. 
 
Development 
----------- 
¶7. (SBU) There are significant delays in completion of the U.S. 
CERP-funded road network.  A road from Nurgram to the Do-Ab and 
Mandol district centers is over a year behind schedule, because the 
contractor, Amerifa construction company, apparently lacks the 
capacity to finish the work it has undertaken.  The asphalt road 
from Parun to Kunar province should be ready in the next few 
months. 
 
¶8. (SBU) There are no plans to link Nuristan to the national power 
grid.  The PRT will build a 1.4-megawatt power plant in Parun and an 
800-kilowatt plant in Kala Gush, Nurgram.  However, in most of the 
province, access to electricity will remain a problem. 
Micro-hydroelectric plants will not provide sufficient power to 
spark an expansion of economic activity. 
 
¶9. (SBU) USAID's Afghan Small and Medium Enterprise Development 
(ASMED) program has become more active.  In Nurgram, an initiative 
to form the "Dairy Association of Western Nuristan" to produce and 
market goat cheese, a traditional Nuristani product, met with 
enthusiasm.  Initiatives are underway for similar associations in 
 
KABUL 00001373  002 OF 002 
 
 
other sectors.  Another program has successfully introduced more 
than 100,000 fruit and nut trees.  The PRT has also found 
significant interest in initiatives to preserve and regenerate 
Nuristan's forests.  The notion of a "conservation corps" to carry 
out such work has gained traction. 
 
¶10. (SBU) The French NGO MADERA (Mission d'Aide au Developpement des 
Economies Rurales) is expanding its portfolio.  The International 
Medical Corps (IMC) implements the European Commission's program of 
assistance to health clinics. 
 
WOOD