US embassy cable - 05DUSHANBE1620

C O N F I D E N T I A L  DUSHANBE 001620 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  10/7/2015 
TAGS: MCAP, TI 
SUBJECT: IIR 6 947 0054 05/TAJIK BORDER GUARD ASSESSMENTS (U) 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Jonathan Edwards, DATT, USDAO Dushanbe, DIA. 
REASON: 1.4 (b) 
 
CONFIDENTIAL 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SERIAL:  (U) IIR 6 947 0054 05. 
 
COUNTRY:  (U) TAJIKISTAN (TI) 
 
IPSP:  (U) IFC1116; IFC1139; IFC2230; IFC2540; IFC2550; IFC2330. 
 
SUBJECT: IIR 6 947 0054 05/TAJIK BORDER GUARD ASSESSMENTS(U). 
 
WARNING:  (U) THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY 
EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.  REPORT CLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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                  DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
DOI:  (U) 20050504 
 
REQS: (U) DHCD1110547; DHCD111052; DHCD111053; DHCD111045; 
DHCD111044; DHCD045061; U-UDX-1130-040-04. 
 
SOURCE:  (C) //6 947 0024// RETIRED WESTERN MILITARY OFFICER 
CURRENTLY WORKING WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION WITH DIRECT 
ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION.  USDAO HAS AN ESTABLISHED 
RELATIONSHIP WITH SOURCE.  CONTEXT STATEMENT - RO AND SOURCE MET 
IN AN INFORMAL SETTING BUT REPORT ITSELF WAS PASSED ON AN 
OFFICIAL BASIS. SOURCE IS AWARE THAT INFORMATION WILL REACH U.S. 
GOVERNMENT. 
 
SUMMARY:  (C) REPORTS PROVIDE ASSESSMENT OF TAJIK BORDER GUARD 
FORCES IN THE GORNO-BADAQHAN AUTONOMOUS REGION ALONG THE 
TAJIK-AFGHANISTAN BORDER AND OF THE TAJIK BORDER GUARDS MORE 
GENERALLY.  REPORTS ARE HIGHLY CRITICAL OF CURRENT BORDER GUARD 
CAPABILITIES. ENCLOSURES. 
 
TEXT: 1.  (C)  SOURCE VISITED THREE INTERNATIONAL BORDER 
CROSSING POINTS AND SEVEN BORDER POSTS ALONG THE TAJIK-AFGHAN 
BORDER.  NONE OF THE CROSSING POINTS OR POSTS HAD AN OPERATIONAL 
VEHICLE, BACKUP POWER, OR IT EQUIPMENT AND THOSE FEW EQUIPPED 
WITH RADIOS HAD TO FLAG DOWN CIVILIAN VEHICLES TO TRAVEL TO THE 
NEAREST VILLAGE TO CHARGE THE RADIO BATTERIES. 
 
2.  (C) THE FOLLOWING BORDER CROSSING POSTS WERE VISITED: 
DARVOZ //GEOCOORD: 3827.25N/07049.668E//, 
KHOROGH (TEM) //GEOCOORD: 3731.717N/07130.282E//, 
ISKASHIM //GEOCOORD: 3701.262N/07127.856E//. 
 
3. (C) THE FOLLOWING BORDER POSTS WERE VISITED: 
ISKASHIM - 3KM NORTHWEST OF CROSSING POINT, HOUSES CROSSING 
POINT BORDER GUARDS; 
YOGET //GEOCOORD: 3820.884N/07036.719E//; 
VISHKARV - LOCATED ALONG THE ROAD BETWEEN THE TOWN OF DARVOZ AND 
THE DASHTAK BORDER POST; 
DASHTAK //GEOCOORD: 3828.215/07101.076E//; 
SHITZ - LOCATED ALONG THE ROAD BETWEEN DASTHAK BORDER POST AND 
TOWN OF KHOROG; 
SOKHCHARV //GEOCOORD: 3743.320N/07133.218E//; 
ANDARAK //GEOCCORD: 3714.092N/07128.939E//; 
 
4.  (C)  SOURCE OBSERVED ON AVERAGE TWENTY FIVE PERSONNEL PER 
BORDER POST, INCLUDING PERSONNEL ON PATROL, COMPARED TO THE 
AUTHORIZED STRENGTH OF BETWEEN 150 AND 200. 
 
5.  (C)  BASED ON THIS VISIT AND SOURCES OVERALL EXPERIENCE WITH 
THE BORDER GUARDS, SOURCE CONCLUDED THAT "THE 'GREEN 
BORDER'[I.E. THAT AREA OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER BETWEEN 
RECOGNIZED INTERNATIONAL BORDER CROSSING POSTS] IS ALMOST 
TOTALLY UNPROTECTED." 
 
 
COMMENTS:  1. (C//REL TO USA, GBR AND AUS) FIELD COMMENTS. WHILE 
SOURCE MAY AT TIMES BE IMPOLITIC IN HOW HE STATES HIS CASE, HIS 
ASSESSMENTS ARE BASED ON FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE AND OBSERVABLE, 
VERIFIABLE QUANTIFICATIONS.  THE REPORTS DETAIL JUST HOW 
DIFFICULT A CHALLENGE COLONEL GENERAL ZUHOROV FACES IN BUILDING 
A COMPETENT BORDER PROTECTION FORCE. 
 
2.  (U) SOURCE IS AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER CONTACT. 
 
3. (U) DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS IIR TO DIA/DHO-2 AT 
STU III (703) 907-0235, OR DSN 283-0235. 
 
INSTR:  (U) U.S.  NO. 
PREP:  (U) 6-04797. 
ENCL: (C) TO FOLLOW - 2 ENCLOSURES. 
1. MEMORANDUM, "SPECIAL REPORT - PILOT ZONE 1"(U), 1 COPY, 33 
PAGES, 20050504 (C). 
2. MEMORANDUM, "TAJIK BORDER FORCE - THE NEED FOR AN ASSESSMENT 
IN ORDER TO SOLVE ITS MYRIAD DEFICIENCIES" (C), 1 COPY, 5 PAGES, 
20050519 (C). 
ACQ:  (U)  DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN (20050708) 
DISSEM:  (U)  FIELD:  EMBASSY AT DUSHANBE. 
WARNING:  (U) REPORT CLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL 
DRVD FM: DHS HUMINT SCG OCT 04 
DECL ON:  201507012 
 
 
HOAGLAND 
 
 
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