

Currently released so far... 12453 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
ASEC
AORC
AMGT
APER
AU
AF
AS
ACBAQ
AFGHANISTAN
AFIN
AR
AE
AJ
ADANA
AEMR
AG
ATRN
ADPM
APECO
AGAO
AMED
AX
AM
AL
ADCO
AA
AECL
AADP
ABUD
AMEX
ACAO
ANET
AODE
ASCH
AY
APEC
AID
AORG
ASEAN
AFSI
AFSN
AINF
AGR
AROC
AO
AMBASSADOR
AFFAIRS
ASIG
ABLD
ASUP
AND
ARM
ARF
AQ
ATFN
AC
ACOA
AORL
ADM
AUC
AGMT
ACABQ
ASEX
AFU
ALOW
AZ
APCS
AVERY
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AER
AN
AIT
AMG
AGRICULTURE
AMCHAMS
ACS
BR
BA
BD
BL
BO
BF
BU
BILAT
BEXP
BRUSSELS
BK
BN
BM
BT
BY
BX
BTIO
BIDEN
BG
BE
BP
BBSR
BC
BTIU
BWC
BB
BH
BMGT
CH
CY
CA
CU
CS
CO
CVIS
CPAS
CMGT
CE
COUNTER
CASC
COUNTRY
CJAN
COUNTERTERRORISM
CG
CI
CD
CIDA
CJUS
CDG
CBSA
CEUDA
CR
CM
CLMT
CAC
CBW
CODEL
COPUOS
CWC
CIC
CW
CBE
CHR
CFED
CT
CONS
CIA
CTM
CDC
CVR
CF
CLINTON
CITEL
CLEARANCE
COE
CN
CACS
CAN
CONDOLEEZZA
CB
CSW
CITT
CARSON
CNARC
CACM
CDB
CARICOM
COM
CROS
CAPC
CTR
CV
CKGR
CBC
CL
CICTE
CIS
ECON
EFIN
ELAB
ETRD
EIND
EC
EINV
EAGR
ENRG
ETTC
EAID
EPET
ELTN
EWWT
EAIR
EFIS
EMIN
EG
EU
ER
EUN
EPA
ENVI
EXTERNAL
ECPS
ENGR
ETRC
ECIN
EN
EI
ELN
ET
EINT
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ES
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
EZ
ETRO
EDU
ETRN
EFTA
EAIG
EK
EUREM
EURN
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
ENVR
ELECTIONS
EAP
ENIV
ECONOMY
ESA
EINN
ECONOMIC
EIAR
EXBS
ECA
ECUN
EINDETRD
EUR
EREL
EUC
ESENV
ECONEFIN
ECIP
ENERG
ENNP
EFINECONCS
EFIM
ENGY
EAIDS
EINVEFIN
EINVETC
EUMEM
ETRA
ETC
ERNG
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUNCH
ECINECONCS
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EXIM
ERD
EEPET
IR
IS
IZ
IAEA
IO
IAHRC
ID
IC
IT
IRAQI
IWC
IN
IL
ISLAMISTS
IV
ICAO
INDO
ITPHUM
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
IPR
ICRC
INTERPOL
IQ
IBET
IMO
INR
ITRA
INTERNAL
ICJ
ICTY
IRS
ILO
INRA
INRO
ISRAELI
IEA
INRB
ITALY
ITU
IBRD
IIP
ILC
INTELSAT
IZPREL
IMF
INMARSAT
IRAJ
IDA
ICTR
IA
IGAD
IF
IDP
ITF
ISRAEL
IEFIN
IRC
IACI
KN
KCRM
KOMC
KNNPMNUC
KIPR
KPAL
KWBG
KSCA
KFRD
KNNP
KUNR
KTIP
KWMN
KSTC
KFLU
KOLY
KISL
KPAO
KMDR
KJUS
KSTH
KDEM
KCOR
KIRF
KAWC
KU
KTFN
KWAC
KNPP
KERG
KSEO
KACT
KHLS
KZ
KGHG
KTIA
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCRCM
KE
KPKO
KCIP
KDRG
KVPR
KV
KIDE
KICC
KPRP
KBIO
KSUM
KGIT
KCFE
KG
KBTS
KFLO
KMPI
KS
KGIC
KPAI
KHSA
KTLA
KSEP
KTEX
KFSC
KOCI
KHDP
KPLS
KTDB
KHIV
KCSY
KSAC
KTRD
KID
KMRS
KOM
KSAF
KRVC
KR
KMOC
KNAR
KIRC
KBCT
KSPR
KFIN
KBTR
KJUST
KNEI
KAWK
KGCC
KMCA
KREL
KMFO
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KVRP
KCOM
KO
KLIG
KAID
KVIR
KNSD
KHUM
KSEC
KRAD
KPRV
KCMR
KPWR
KCHG
KIFR
KCFC
KICA
KPIN
KSCI
KESS
KDEV
KTBT
KCRS
KCGC
KOMS
KRIM
KTER
KREC
KPOA
KWWMN
KRGY
KPAK
KWNM
KMIG
KDDG
KRFD
KWMM
KWMNCS
KX
KRCM
KPAONZ
KNUC
KDEMAF
KNUP
MARR
MOPS
MASS
MCAP
MTCRE
MNUC
MIL
MX
MEDIA
MO
MPOS
MU
ML
MA
MP
MY
MERCOSUR
MG
MD
MW
MK
MAS
MEETINGS
MR
MT
MI
MOPPS
MASC
MTS
MLS
MILI
MAR
MTRE
MEPN
MAPP
MTCR
MEPI
MQADHAFI
MAPS
MARAD
MASSMNUC
MEPP
MCC
MZ
MILITARY
MDC
MRCRE
MC
MV
MIK
MUCN
NATO
NL
NZ
NPT
NI
NAFTA
NU
NDP
NIPP
NP
NPA
NG
NRR
NO
NSC
NEW
NE
NH
NR
NA
NS
NSF
NZUS
NATIONAL
NSG
NC
NT
NAR
NK
NGO
NV
NSFO
NSSP
NASA
NW
NPG
NORAD
NATOPREL
OTRA
OAS
OPRC
OIIP
OVIP
OREP
OPDC
OEXC
OSCE
OFFICIALS
OMIG
ODIP
OFDP
OECD
OPIC
OBSP
OPCW
OFDA
OTR
OSAC
OSCI
ON
OCII
OES
OVP
OIC
OPAD
OIE
OHUM
OCS
PREL
PGOV
PK
PHUM
PINS
PARM
PA
PTER
PINR
PREF
PHSA
PBTS
PBIO
PO
POL
PE
PARMS
PM
PROG
PL
PAK
POLITICS
PORG
PTBS
PNAT
PUNE
POLICY
PDOV
PCI
PROP
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PBT
PP
PS
PAO
PG
PY
PTERE
PGOF
PALESTINIAN
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PSEPC
PREFA
PGOVE
PINF
PHUMPGOV
PNG
PMIL
PGOC
PFOR
PCUL
PLN
PSA
PGIV
POLINT
PAS
POGOV
PHUMPREL
PHUMBA
PEL
PGGV
PNR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PGOVLO
PRAM
PHUS
PDEM
PECON
PF
POV
PROV
PRL
PREO
PAHO
PHUH
PSI
PINL
PU
PRGOV
PAIGH
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POSTS
RS
RU
REACTION
REPORT
REGION
RIGHTS
RO
RW
RCMP
RF
RM
RFE
RSP
RP
RICE
ROBERT
ROOD
RELATIONS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
RUPREL
RSO
SU
SNAR
SO
SOCI
SW
SENV
SMIG
SCUL
SP
SZ
SENVKGHG
SR
SY
SA
SYRIA
SF
SI
SC
SWE
SARS
STEINBERG
SN
SG
SIPRS
ST
SEVN
SL
SPCE
SNARIZ
SSA
SNARCS
SYR
SK
SPCVIS
SHUM
SIPDIS
SHI
SH
SOFA
SEN
SNARN
SAARC
SAN
SANC
SCRS
TRGY
TBIO
TU
TF
TERRORISM
TI
TSPL
TPHY
TH
TIP
TSPA
TC
TO
TW
TX
TZ
TNGD
TT
TL
TV
TFIN
TS
TRSY
TINT
TN
TURKEY
TBID
TD
TK
TR
THPY
TP
TAGS
UNGA
UN
UK
US
UNC
UNSC
USUN
UG
UP
UY
USEU
UNESCO
USPS
USTR
UZ
UNHRC
UNO
UNMIK
UNAUS
UNHCR
UNCHR
USAID
UNVIE
UAE
USOAS
UNFICYP
UV
UNEP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNDC
UNCHC
UNDP
UNCND
USNC
UNPUOS
UNICEF
UNCSD
UE
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 10KABUL467, POWERBROKER AND GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN SPIN BOLDAK
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #10KABUL467.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
10KABUL467 | 2010-02-07 12:12 | 2010-12-02 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Kabul |
VZCZCXRO3435
OO RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #0467/01 0381234
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 071234Z FEB 10 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5420
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000467
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM, INR/B
STATE PASS USAID FOR ASIA/SCAA
USFOR-A FOR POLAD
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2020
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KCOR KCRM PREL AF
SUBJECT: POWERBROKER AND GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN SPIN BOLDAK
REF: A. (A) KABUL 463
¶B. (B) KABUL 408
¶C. (C) 09 KABUL 4039
¶D. (D) 09 KABUL 4024
KABUL 00000467 001.2 OF 003
Classified By: Interagency Provincial Affairs Deputy Director Hoyt Yee
for Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Spin Boldak District in Kandahar Province
and its major border crossing point to Pakistan at
Weech-Chaman have become the focus of a number of high
profile coalition efforts given the upcoming military
operations in Regional Command-South (RC-S). Although there
is a high potential for large scale revenue collections
through customs collected at the border, the lack of a
strong, capable district government has allowed powerbrokers,
especially Afghan Border Police (ABP) Chief Colonel Abdul
Razzik, to fill the void. Accused constantly of illegal
trafficking and taxing activities through Weech-Chaman (most
recently by a January 19 Washington Post article), Razzik has
been careful to maintain a cooperative relationship with the
ISAF leadership to guard his position. ISAF and USG
interlocutors walk a thin tightrope when working with this
allegedly corrupt official who is also a major security
stabilizing force. Despite Razzik's power and influence in
Spin Boldak, we will press the GIRoA to establish and empower
competent district governance to counterbalance the
powerbrokers and make Spin Boldak a profitable customs hub
within southern Afghanistan. As one of the 80 terrain
districts, we expect it to ultimately become a focus of
enhanced capacity building through the District Delivery
Program (DDP). End summary.
High Level Attention
--------------------
¶2. (C) Reflecting the importance of Spin Boldak District to
the coalition effort, particularly in light of the military
surge in the South, COMISAF and the RC-South Commander
visited the Weech border crossing point on January 18,
arriving in Afghanistan from the Pakistan side of the border
along with the head of the Pakistani Frontier Corps. The
goal of their visit was to engage Afghan authorities on
issues related to border security, including cooperation
between the neighboring countries and ISAF convoy traffic.
Unlike the Pakistani and ISAF delegations, which were
comprised of high-level commanding officers, the Afghan
contingent was led by Colonel Abdul Razzik, Fourth Zone Chief
of the Afghan Border Police (ABP) responsible for Spin Boldak
and local powerbroker, accompanied by the weak District
Governor, Haji Abdul Ghani. No higher level Afghan
officials, political or military, were in attendance, a sign
of Razzik's apparent unquestioned -- but also unaccountable
-- authority over issues pertaining to Spin Boldak and its
environs.
Cost Benefit Analysis
---------------------
¶3. (C) Razzik's apparent autonomy and connections to many
influential officials, including President Karzai (through
former Helmand governor Assadullah Wafa, an Achekzai kinsmen
and the president's adviser on tribal affairs) and former
Kandahar governor and mentor Gul Agha Sherzai leave him well
positioned to maintain power and influence in the district.
Additionally, he has been amenable to many of the requests
made of him by ISAF, including allowing his troops to partner
with coalition forces. Requests to which he has acquiesced
include support for interim improvements planned at the
border crossing point intended to both expedite the increase
in ISAF convoys and lay the groundwork for more efficient
customs generation. The January 18 COMISAF visit underscored
Razzik's key enabling role in this regard, and his calculated
approach to working with ISAF.
¶4. (C) To this end, Razzik is not obstructing coalition
requirements at the border (or throughout the district)
though his longstanding disapproval of a visible ISAF
presence in and around the crossing point during daylight
hours is well known. (Note: Razzik tells ISAF that the
reason for this is that the troops would become targets and
result in civilian casualties. However, daylight is also the
time of day when commercial traffic and money-making
opportunities are at their peak. End note.) He knows that to
reject coalition requests would be to engender unwanted ill
will by ISAF and, in the near term, there is money to be made
in labor and materials at the border and further up Highway 4
where ISAF plans to build a staging area for convoys on land
near Razzik's compound and owned by his associate. A January
KABUL 00000467 002.2 OF 003
18 meeting with MG Riley of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
provides an insight into his personal calculations: Razzik's
main talking point was concern that trucks providing
materials to ISAF in Spin Boldak were not locally-owned. It
is probably not a coincidence that he himself owns a
locally-based trucking fleet.
Abetting the Status Quo
-----------------------
¶5. (C) Contrary to the prevailing narrative of Razzik's
unchallenged authority in Spin Boldak, anecdotal evidence
paints a picture of less than harmonious dynamics within
Razzik's own Achekzai tribe with regard to the Colonel's
prominence. Razzik's immediate predecessor in the ABP, Haji
Fida Mohammad (a member of the Tribal Shura and District
Development Assembly) does not hide his contempt in public
for his nephew. One local account suggests that Razzik did
not achieve his position through a tribal consensus but that
he was thrust upon Spin Boldak by GIRoA, a view bolstered by
the Colonel's reported links to former Governor Sherzai.
District Governance
-------------------
¶6. (C) At present, the District Government of Spin Boldak is
presided over by Haji Abdul Ghani, a Popalzai tribesman and
Karzai kinsman. The third District Governor (DG) in two
years, Abdul Ghani's predecessor reportedly was removed for
offending local sensibilities by pledging to tackle
corruption. Abdul Ghani functions in an "acting" capacity,
and recently requested coalition assistance to press Kabul to
make his appointment permanent. The DG asserts that
resolving his status will give him the necessary clout to
properly address development needs and tackle corruption.
However, the DST's experience to date with the DG does not
instill confidence that this is all that is required to
improve governance. A broader effort to empower local
authority and fill civil service vacancies will be essential
to strengthening local governance and reducing the unfettered
role of local power brokers in the area. (Note: Reported to
have little more than a fourth grade education, DG Abdul
Ghani has demonstrated to the DST that what he may lack in
managerial capacity he may make up for in other useful
character traits. In a November shura in the village of Luy
Karez, the DG challenged village elders, support of the
Taliban. As reported in reftel A, the local ABP commander
similarly confronted elders in the same shura only to be
assassinated soon afterwards. End note.)
¶7. (C) The other pillar of district governance is a
two-headed Tribal Shura-District Development Assembly
(Shura/DDA), dominated in equal measures by the Noorzai and
Achekzai tribes and their most assertive local leaders.
Functioning as private clubs, the bodies primarily ensure
that donor funds are monopolized by a select group of Spin
Boldak notables. The cooperation of the district's two main
tribes within this context belie the argument that Razzik,s
mediation has averted inter-tribal conflict. As Haji Fida
Mohammad told the DST in the company of fellow Achekzai and
Noorzai Shura/DDA members, "there are some who don't want the
tribes to get along," referring to his relative, the ABP
chief. Without an empowered District Government, however,
there is little check on the self-serving actions of these
institutions, which ultimately undermines equitable
distribution of development resources in Spin Boldak.
District Development
--------------------
¶8. (SBU) One consequence of the interests and arrangements
underpinning district security is the limited reach of
development outside of Spin Boldak center (reftel A). While
security, or lack thereof, contributes to the precarious
state of many communities in the areas north and south of
Highway 4, district government staffing deficiencies and the
absence of permanent representatives from ministries critical
to district development -- specifically within the Ministry
of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and the Ministry of
Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) -- equally
hamper progress. Not receiving the services they need or the
attention they deserve from the government, citizens outside
the Highway 4 corridor, particularly in Noorzai tribal areas,
do not see themselves as stakeholders in the district's
development and thus are more susceptible to intimidation and
insurgent propaganda. Razzik regularly spins this potential
for the spread of this instability to his advantage in his
dealings with the coalition.
KABUL 00000467 003 OF 003
¶9. (SBU) A number of initiatives are underway to remedy the
developmental needs of the District and the alienation of its
residents. USAID's Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased
Production of Agriculture Plus (AVIPA Plus) program, for
example, has the potential to play an important role in
revitalizing the current state of agriculture in Spin Boldak
and, thereby transform perceptions of GIRoA. A key component
in realizing these end states will be the involvement of
empowered local government officials beyond Razziq and the
Shura/DDA to enable equitable distribution of resources -- a
dynamic that does not currently exist in the district.
Comment
-------
¶10. (C) Colonel Razzik's alleged involvement in the
District's illicit trafficking and illegal taxation on
transit trade has been widely reported (most recently in a
January 19 Washington Post article). His presence, however,
need not forestall Spin Boldak's progress nor should it be an
accepted excuse for continued neglect and underdevelopment in
the district. By accepting the view that Razzik is both the
guarantor of district security and the lynchpin in tribal
power relations, we potentially are overlooking steps which
could be taken in the near term to improve the overall state
of governance and development in the district, short of
removing Razzik. Additionally, by ascribing unaccountable
authority to Razzik, the coalition unintentionally reinforces
his position through its direct and near-exclusive dealings
with him on all major issues in Spin Boldak.
¶11. (C) As a first step in remedying the current imbalance of
power between Razzik and other GIRoA authorities, a public
and visible commitment by GIRoA to the district's citizens is
required. Attracting competent civil servants from key
ministries should be a first step. Spin Boldak is among the
80 key terrain districts and likely will be targeted for the
District Delivery Program (DDP) by the end of 2010. We will
need to carefully manage eventual implementation of the DDP
to emplace empowered, competent government personnel and the
full complement of line ministry representatives and their
respective resources. A carefully managed approach to
support the growth of a functioning district government can
lay an important foundation for improved governance with or
without Razzik.
¶12. (U) This message was drafted at the DST in Spin Boldak
and in Kabul.
Eikenberry