VZCZCXRO1980
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHPW RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHEK #0747/01 2030728
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210728Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY BISHKEK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1222
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2600
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0984
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2995
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2380
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BISHKEK 000747 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN AND SCA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PREL MARR KG
SUBJECT: Kyrgyz Media Embed in Afghanistan Counters Misinformation 
about OEF 
 
Ref:  07 Kabul 2099 
 
BISHKEK 00000747  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  Four Kyrgyz journalists were embedded June 21-27 in 
Afghanistan to allow them better to understand Coalition military 
and reconstruction efforts and the critical role of Manas Air Base 
in supporting those efforts.  The journalists, who spent time at 
Bagram Air Base and a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in 
Panjshir Province, saw evidence that the fighting continues, and 
they were impressed by the many reconstruction projects.  One of the 
journalists confided, "Now that I understand what you are doing in 
Afghanistan, I think it is very important and I support you."  The 
trip has resulted in several positive print articles and television 
coverage that directly contradict widespread negative coverage of 
Coalition operations in Afghanistan in Russian media.  End Summary. 
 
MEDIA EMBED TO COUNTER ANTI-BASE PUBLIC SENTIMENT 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Following on the June 2007 visit of Ambassador Yovanovitch 
and a six-member delegation of senior Kyrgyz officials to 
Afghanistan (Reftel), the Embassy's Public Affairs Section and the 
Manas Air Base helped to organize a similar trip for Kyrgyz 
journalists.  Four Kyrgyz journalists traveled to Afghanistan June 
21-27, accompanied by the DCM and post's Information Officer.  The 
purpose of the trip was to show the journalists, and through them, 
the Kyrgyz public, the situation on the ground in Afghanistan, 
including the reconstruction efforts, so that they would better 
understand the importance of the Manas Air Base in supporting those 
efforts.  Since the base's establishment in 2001, and particularly 
since a spate of incidents in 2006, including the shooting of a 
Kyrgyz citizen by a U.S. serviceman at Manas, Kyrgyz media coverage 
of the base has been largely critical and often based on 
misinformation drawn primarily from Russian media. 
 
¶3. (U) Participating in the trip were Deputy Chief of Mission Lee 
Litzenberger; Information Officer Michelle Yerkin; Editor-in-Chief 
of the Kyrgyz edition of "Komsomolskaya Pravda," Azamat Tynaev; 
correspondent with the most widely-read newspaper in Kyrgyzstan, 
"Vecerniy Bishkek," Azamat Kasybekov; correspondent with Kyrgyz 
National Television and Radio Company, the state channel and only 
nation-wide channel, Batyrbek Mamyrkulov; and Editor-in-Chief of an 
online information agency, "24.kg," Anton Lymar. 
 
CULTURE SHOCK FOR THE KYRGYZ ON BAGRAM AIR BASE 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶4. (U) The Editor-in-Chief of the Kyrgyz edition of Komsomolskaya 
Pravda, who also hopes to publish articles about the embed in 
Moscow, described being in "culture shock" from the quality of life 
for Coalition service members at Bagram Air Base, a former Soviet 
base during the Soviet-Afghan War.  He and the other journalists 
wrote in detail about the game rooms, cafeterias, and the irony that 
the main street at Bagram is now called "Disney Avenue."  The other 
subject that enthralled the journalists was the large number of 
female service members deployed -- something unheard of in the 
former Soviet Union. 
 
"THERE'S A WAR OUT THERE -- NOT TOO FAR AWAY" 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Despite the relative comfort and security of Bagram, the 
journalists quickly discovered that, as one wrote, "There's a war 
out there -- not too far away."  After being briefed about the 
purpose and operations of Bagram Air Base and Regional Command East, 
the journalists visited the Craig Joint-Theater Hospital, where they 
learned that Coalition medical personnel treat everyone, including 
enemy combatants and civilian casualties.  All four journalists 
subsequently wrote about the Children's Intensive Care Unit, where 
they saw several children with burns and a little girl recovering 
 
BISHKEK 00000747  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
from a mine blast.  (Note:  When some of the journalists failed to 
mention that the mines that caused the injuries were old mines from 
the Soviet-Afghan War, the Public Affairs Section clarified this 
point and used the opportunity to provide information on Coalition 
and State Department demining programs.  End Note.) 
 
¶6. (U) Another reminder that we were in a war zone came on the first 
night of the trip, when the journalists witnessed a ceremony 
dedicated to a fallen Polish soldier.  The tragedy served to 
reinforce that the fight is still on in Afghanistan and that the war 
on terror is a multinational effort. 
 
PANJSHIR PROVINCE: INTO THE LION'S DEN 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) The journalists were captivated by the opportunity to go to 
the Panjshir Valley, the only part of Afghanistan that successfully 
resisted Soviet control during the Soviet-Afghan War, despite nine 
Soviet offensives.  It was during the Soviet-Afghan war that Ahmed 
Shah Massoud, leader of the Afghan Northern Alliance and Afghan 
national hero, became known as the "Lion of Panjshir."  Much of the 
press coverage of the embed focused on Massoud's life and legacy. 
However, a lot of press was also devoted to the reconstruction 
efforts underway in Panjshir under the direction of the regional 
Provinicial Reconstruction Team. 
 
¶8. (U) A good example of the interconnection between security and 
economic development, the Panjshir Province, one of Afghanistan's 
safest provinces, has been called a "haven of prosperity in 
Afghanistan."  The journalists were impressed by the relative safety 
of the Panjshir Valley, where they were allowed to take off their 
body armor and helmets and ride in unarmored SUV's.  The Panjshir 
PRT took the journalists on site visits to schools, Afghanistan's 
first and only wind farm, and micro-hydroelectric stations which 
were built by the U.S. Department of Defense and other U.S. 
agencies.  The journalists learned that in the past year, the PRT 
has built six new schools, four micro-hydroelectric plants, and five 
roads. 
 
FORGING TIES BETWEEN TWO "STANS" 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) Throughout the embed, the Kyrgyz journalists were struck by 
similarities between Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.  Geographically, 
the Panjshir Valley is very similar to parts of Kyrgyzstan. 
Likewise, the Kyrgyz could relate to some of the problems the 
Afghans face, such as difficulty in food processing and transport 
and the challenge of harnessing natural resources to produce 
electricity.  Visiting a developing country with a worse economic 
situation than Kyrgyzstan prompted the journalists to ask how 
Kyrgyzstan could contribute to the reconstruction of Afghanistan and 
whether it would be possible for Kyrgyzstan to export electricity to 
Afghanistan. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) The embed was a success, resulting in six positive print 
articles and glowing TV coverage to date.  More coverage is expected 
in the weeks and months ahead.  In a country where the U.S. military 
presence is widely perceived as evidence of U.S. imperialistic 
designs and a new Great Game, it is critical to get the message out 
about our mission in Afghanistan.  In an often-hostile media 
environment, it was enormously gratifying to hear, as one journalist 
confided, "Now that I understand what you are doing in Afghanistan, 
I think it is very important and I support you." 
 
¶11.  (U)  Embassy Bishkek would like to express its deep gratitude 
to the members of PRT Panjshir, the Media Operations Center in 
Bagram, and all the military and civilian personnel who supported 
this media embed and enabled us to help counter misinformation about 
 
BISHKEK 00000747  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
coalition efforts in Afghanistan.  Special thanks go out to LTC 
Adriane Craig, PAO, Manas Air Base; CPT Jerome Baysmore, Manas Air 
Base; Ben Lowenthal, PRT Director, Panjshir PRT; LTC Russell Kaskel, 
PRT Commander; CPT Jillian Torango, Information Officer, Panjshir 
PRT; and CPT Jennifer Martin of the Media Operations Center in 
Bagram. 
 
LITZENBERGER