VZCZCXRO4372
OO RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #0058/01 0120728
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 120728Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6662
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000058 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
KABUL FOR USFOR-A COS 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS USAID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
NSC FOR WOOD 
OSD FOR WILKES 
CG CJTF-101 POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL AF PK
SUBJECT: AFGHANS, PAKISTANIS DISCUSS CROSS-BORDER 
COORDINATION WITH CTF CURRAHEE 
 
¶1. (U) Summary.  Two border-related events hosted by CTF 
Currahee January 5 and 6 brought together Afghan, Pakistani 
and Coalition force commanders to discuss better coordination 
of operations to disrupt insurgent activities along the 
border.  At the January 5 Focused Border Development (FBD) 
meeting, Afghan Border Police (ABP) officers from commands in 
Khost, Paktya and Paktika reviewed with Coalition 
counterparts joint plans to enhance ABP recruiting, training 
and capabilities.  The FBD conference was followed January 6 
by a Super Border Flag meeting with Pakistani commanders, 
ANSF and Coalition Forces (CF) to address cross-border issues 
and strengthen communication links.  End Summary. 
 
ABP RECRUITING NUMBERS UP 
------------------------- 
¶2. (U) ABP's ramped up recruitment efforts in the region have 
paid dividends, with an increase in recruits entering Cycle 2 
FBD training, according to ABP MG Mollakhel.  Cycle 1, 
completed in December, produced over 300 graduates from the 
Gardez and Spin Boldak Training Centers; 570 recruits entered 
Cycle 2, now underway, and 600 recruits are expected for 
Cycle 3, set to begin mid-February.  Afghan males between 18 
and 35 years old are ABP's primary recruiting targets.  The 
six-week training program teaches small unit tactics, weapons 
familiarization and marksmanship, driver training, search and 
surveillance techniques, first aid and leadership skills. 
The Gardez course, run by DynCorp, includes an additional two 
weeks of training. 
 
¶3. (U) Better training is having a positive impact not only 
on recruiting and force morale, but also on local support for 
ABP, Mollakhel said.  Much of the recruitment success is due 
to an intensive outreach campaign conducted by MG Mollakhel 
and Colonel Kochi and supported by CTF Currahee, featuring 
shuras, interviews and increased media coverage of ABP 
activities.  Mollakhel pointed to successful shuras in Waza 
Khwa (Paktika) and Jaji Madan (Khost), both initially 
reluctant communities, that ended with high numbers of eager 
recruits and increased local support for ABP.  Jaji Madan 
elders even agreed to donate land for an ABP training 
facility.  Mollakhel plans to conduct recruiting shuras in 
East Paktika's Bermel, Skhin, Margah and Gomal districts 
next; similar efforts by NDS chiefs and governors to reach 
out to elders and mullahs in border areas would help boost 
numbers and support as well. 
 
¶4. (U) Mollakhel emphasized ABP efforts to eliminate 
corruption have also improved the force's public image. 
Excess funds discovered at battalions in East Paktika and 
Khost were sent back to the national treasury, he said, and 
failure to report for duty is no longer tolerated, with 32 
ABP recently fired.  Any ABP conspiring with criminals to 
extort money from citizens will be arrested, as occurred in 
Wardak.  Colonel Kochi, a key player in recruitment efforts, 
said information about pay, equipment and benefits is 
persuading more young Afghans to sign up and reducing the 
number of drop-outs leaving for higher-paying work in Dubai. 
Posting new ABP closer to home initially would also help with 
recruitment and retention, as would increasing the number of 
officers in the field. 
 
¶5. (U) Mollakhel praised the FBD program, aimed at building 
ABP's capacity to defend the border more effectively.  By 
August, following several FBD training cycles, ABP will be a 
fully trained and equipped force.  CTF Currahee is now 
implementing plans to partner a CF company with every ABP 
battalion as part of that effort.  Monthly ANA-CF planning 
meetings will soon include ABP officers to better integrate 
the border fight into regional ANSF operations. 
 
JOINT OPERATIONS TO COMBAT ENEMY PROPAGANDA 
------------------------------------------- 
¶6. (U) Mollakhel proposed joint combat operations with ANA, 
ANP and CF to undermine enemy propaganda about night raids 
and civilian casualties.  Combined maneuvers consisting of 
ambushes, small rapid operations and mobile patrols will help 
prevent the enemy from returning to cleared areas and taking 
revenge on locals who help the government.  Cordoning off an 
area and searching at dawn with ANSF in the lead, instead of 
at night, will help gain local support.  Greater sensitivity 
to local customs combined with better trained and equipped 
border police will build public confidence.  Several 
battalion commanders emphasized the need for heavy weapons, 
including DSHKAs, mortars and artillery, to combat a 
 
KABUL 00000058  002 OF 002 
 
 
well-armed enemy.  In some cases, sub-standard Egyptian or 
Pakistani weapons were supplied instead of the Russian and 
Hungarian weapons ordered. 
 
SUPER BORDER FLAG MEETING 
------------------------- 
¶7. (U) Culminating a series of border flag meetings with 
individual Afghan and Pakistani battalions, TF Currahee 
hosted a Super Border Flag meeting January 6, bringing 
together senior commanders from Pakistan's 27th Brigade-11th 
Corps, ABP, ANA and CF.  Afghan and Pakistani officers agreed 
better communication and more coordination would help to 
eliminate misunderstandings that sometimes escalate tensions 
unnecessarily.  "Our soldiers need to know that we and our 
High Commands want cooperation and joint solutions to 
problems by company commanders," ANA 203rd Thunder Corps 
Commander MG Khaliq said. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Noting that the enemy could no longer cross the 
border in vehicle convoys, Pakistani 27th Brigade Commander 
BG Hidayat-Ur-Rehman said foot traffic across the difficult 
terrain continues.  Enemy efforts to control cross-border 
routes include attempts to incite Shia-Sunni conflict, 
particularly during Muharram; Pakistani officials have worked 
hard to prepare communities to resist such tactics. 
Hidayat-Ur-Rehman urged ANSF and CF to let PakMil forces know 
when operations are underway so soldiers in the field will 
not misunderstand what is happening.  The enemy is waiting to 
take advantage of any confusion between border forces, making 
close coordination essential.  While communication has 
improved, Hidayat-Ur-Rehman said there have been lapses.  "We 
need a mechanism that ensures consistent communication both 
ways." 
 
¶9. (SBU) The participants discussed conducting coordinated 
operations, building off a small joint maneuver being planned 
in southeastern Paktika.  Hidayat-Ur-Rehman proposed 
coordinating an on-going Pakistani campaign to disrupt 
Taliban activity in the south with a similar Afghan campaign 
to the north.  Once the areas are clear of insurgents, ANSF 
and PakMil would distribute medical care, blankets, food and 
other necessities to local communities to generate good will. 
 Local support would also increase with better systems for 
allowing civilians, both Afghan and Pakistani, to cross the 
border more easily to tend crops, visit relatives and conduct 
their business, Hidayat-Ur-Rehman said. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶10. (SBU)  By bringing senior Afghan and Pakistani military 
officers face to face, the Super Border Flag Meeting moved 
the border fight one step further along.  The initially tense 
atmosphere was considerably more relaxed at the event's 
conclusion, with both sides acknowledging that Pakistan and 
Afghanistan are each threatened by terrorism, and that 
combined action is needed to defeat a common enemy that 
doesn't recognize borders.  CTF Currahee will continue to 
hold regular border flag meetings aimed at building trust and 
cooperation.  As ABP's capacity improves through FBD and 
partnering with CF, opportunities for combined cross-border 
operations, with CF and eventually with PakMilcounterparts, 
are likely to increase. 
 
¶11.  (U) TF Currahee Commander Col. Johnson has reviewed this 
cable. 
WOOD