Cablegate: Prt/Herat: Ongoing Security Issues

VZCZCXRO4647
PP RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #5971/01 3611223
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271223Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5091
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3483
RHMFIUU/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005971

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, S/CRS, SA/PB, S/CT,
EUR/RPM
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
NSC FOR A HARRIMAN
OSD FOR KIMMIT
CENTCOM FOR CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD, JICCENT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MARR PGOV PINR PINS PREL AF IR
SUBJECT: PRT/HERAT: ONGOING SECURITY ISSUES

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The normal tranquility of Herat has been
disturbed in recent weeks by political cross-currents that
exist below the surface. The tribal tensions in the
aftermath of Amanullah Khan,s murder in Shindand District,
Iranian nervousness over border training activities at a U.S.
facility near the border, and Night Letters delivered to ISAF
Forces all suggest the potential for increased tensions. END
SUMMARY.

SHINDAND DISTRICT TENSIONS: AMANULLAH KHAN FALLOUT
--------------------------------------------- --

2. (SBU) The death of Shindand warlord Amanullah Khan (AK) on
October 22 created a political void in Shindand district.
AK,s son has formally been annointed as his successor, but
few expect him to be able to fend off competitors for local
control. During the 30-day truce following the murder, AK,s
elder brother Arbab Dawlat assumed some of Amanullah Khan's
roles.

3. (SBU) While the tribal tensions that led to the murder
have been tamped down by GOA intervention, this is a stopgap
measure. A delegation of 20 Barakzai and Noorzai elders met
recently in Kabul with GOA officials, including with
President Karzai. In the end, this conflict will probably be
settled locally. A local Jirga has been proposed and this
may offer a way forward.

4. (SBU) In Kabul, key figures who have been involved in this
mediation include former Karzai advisor Asadullah Wafa
(former Deputy Minister of Boundaries and Tribal Affairs and
newly appointed Governor of Helmand Province), and another
Karzai advisor, Shahzadeh Massoud. Their principal concern
remains the security of Shindand district. Another of AKs
brothers in Shindand, Nasrullah Khan, has been approached by
Aref Noorzai (a Noorzai tribal leader who also serves as
Deputy Speaker of the Wolesi Jirga) to use his influence in
the district to calm tensions. Shindand district is the
largest in Herat Province and important in terms of its
location on the border of Iran.

5. (SBU) A new District Governor from a Pashtun Herati
family, Haji Na'eem Mohmand, has been installed in Shindand.
The Zir-e-Koh area of Shindand has long been relatively
lawless; in that sense little has changed. The concern is
that anti-coalition elements from both Farah and Helmand
provinces have filtered north to Herat Province. ANA, ANP
and ABP elements in the area are cooperating closely with
ISAF forces to counter any threats. The Herat PRT has
stepped up patrols in recent weeks and visits Shindand to
perform Key Leader Engagement (KLE). Shindand borders Iran
and is a conduit for the illegal narcotics flow to Iran. It
has one formal border crossing point at Kaleteh Nazar.
Completion of the Kabul-Kandahar-Herat road project will
leave many men in the district unemployed and may create
opportunities for anti-government forces to recruit. Thus
far, violence has been limited in scope. There have been
several VBIED and IED attacks which injured ANA soldiers, and
the Shindand Police Chief and several colleagues were
murdered recently, but so far Coalition and ISAF forces in
the area have been unscathed.

U.S. PRESENCE NEAR THE IRANIAN BORDER
-------------------------------------

7. (SBU) Five miles from the Iranian border, a USG facility
has been erected which will house around seventy mentors from
Dyncorps, DHS, other USG agencies and the Italian Guardia di
Finanza. This eleven million dollar facility is in the
border village of Islam Qala, where many local residents have
contacts with Iranian counterparts. The Iranians are
apparently spreading rumors among the villagers about this
USG compound. The situation is complicated by the smuggling
trade between the two countries that may be disturbed by the

KABUL 00005971 002 OF 002

new compound, since it lies near the road utilized by
smugglers. One local rumor is that the new facility will be
used for offensive operations against Iran by U.S. Special
Forces in the region. According to Afghan sources, the
Iranians have issued pamphlets in the Islam Qala area
suggesting that villagers there are &in the jail of the
foreigners8. Not enough has been done by GOA to assure
villagers that this border training facility will assist the
GOA and the Afghan people. Governor Anwari publicly
chastised a senior U.S. military officer assigned to the PRT
on local TV for not informing him in greater detail about the
border training facility, and local residents of Islam Qala
filed a petition claiming the land for the facility was
acquired illegally.

8. (SBU) The consensus by PRT contacts is that falsehoods
regarding the facility are propagated by businessmen and
border officials who will lose an important revenue stream
when border controls are tightened and oversight of the
customs collection process is improved. Currently, tax
collection is spotty at best, since vouchers are often forged
to indicate a reduced quantity of goods imported. Many
residents of the area may fear the new facility because they
owe their own livelihoods to Iran, where they commute for
work.

NIGHT LETTERS
-------------

9. (SBU) The PRT in Herat has received two Night Letters
within the last several weeks, one allegedly authored by
Mullah Omar and the second by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Both are
now public record, since they were released by the
intelligence service to the media. These letters were the
subject of discussion by a panel of government officials and
political analysts on television.

10. (SBU) The letter credited to Mullah Omar makes an open
appeal for volunteers. In contrast, the letter from
Hekmatyar appeared conciliatory towards the GOA, as it
condemned the murder of GOA officials and school teachers.
In Herat political circles, however, there is considerable
doubt that the second letter was actually authored by
Hekmatyar. Local speculation says it may have been written
by parties with an interest in sabotaging political stability
in Herat, possibly the same people responsible for recent IED
attacks.

COMMENT
-------

11. (SBU) A few key events could have a strong impact on
Herat Province. Recent steps by the GOA, such as the
announcement of the Afghan-Pakistan Jirga and Attorney
General Sabit,s anti-corruption campaign have played very
well locally. In addition, thus far, security forces have
kept a lid on renewed violence in Shindand. The new Shindand
district governor was hand-picked by Karzai and seems to be
enjoying both credibility and support.
NORLAND

© Scoop Media