Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program (APRP)

Pre Deployment Training (PDT) APRP Awareness(Phase 1 Training Brief - Battalion to Platoon level)

ISAF/NATO Unclassified

ISAF/NATO Unclassified

(Version 8 dated Oct 2011)

Brief Will Cover:

• Terminology• Overview of APRP• APRP Relevance to Deployed Task Forces (TF)• Current Situation• The ISAF Reintegration Soldiers Card (Commanders

Aide Memoire) • Questions / Discussion

The Vehicle for Reintegration is the Afghanistan Peace & Reintegration Program (APRP)

Critical Take Away From This Brief:

Understand the basic principles of APRP and how you can help with the ‘INFORM’, ‘FIND’ and ‘PROTECT’ effects.

If you are a ‘Mentor’ you must know where to find English, Dari and Pashto briefs on the UNCLASS website

https://ronna-afghan.harmonieweb.org/FRIC

Reintegration Inside Afghanistan Continues as Normal In spite of The Assassination of the Head of the High Peace Council, Prof Rabbani.

Reintegration is ‘Front and Center’ of Comd ISAF plan to defeat the Insurgency

The Vehicle for Reintegration is the Afghanistan Peace & Reintegration Program (APRP)

APRP is an Afghan Government Led Programme.Terminology:

Reintegration: Is the Term Given to Taking the Fighter out of the Fight, with them Opting out of the Insurgency and Peacefully Rejoining their Communities.

Reconciliation: The Process in Which an Insurgent Movement as a Whole Reaches a Political Accommodation with The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) to Bring their Part of the Insurgency to an End.

The Vehicle for Reintegration is the Afghanistan Peace & Reintegration Programme(APRP)

APRP Broad Characteristics• Afghan Led Programme that peacefully returns fighters to their communities.• Supports COIN Whilst Being Enabled by COIN— it is an Offensive Tool• Can Cut the Traditional Afghan Cycle of Violence• Absolutely No Dilution of the Kinetic or Offensive ‘Strike’ Operations – It is Very

Important That ISAF and ANSF Understand This Point• Utilizes Traditional Cultural Methods - Elders, Shuras etc. • Acknowledges Honor, Dignity and the Local Grievances that Drove Many Fighters

into the Insurgency.• Provides for Community Recovery and Benefits.• Starts at District or Provincial level with a ‘Vetting List’ of Potential Reintergrees that

is Passed up the Chain of Command. • Each Set of Circumstance Will be Unique.

End state: Insurgents peacefully leaving the fight and returning to their communities with honor— an accelerated peace process

Afghan Government Led Program to “Remove Fighters out of the Fight - Peacefully!”

•Provincial Governors lead the Provincial level Peace Program (APRP) and are setting up the Provincial High Peace Councils (PHPC). District Administrators are doing the same at District Level. •Provincial Joint Secretariat Teams (PJST) implement APRP from Provincial to District level.

APRP: Three PhasesOUTREACH

• Strategic communications• Peace building capacity and development of government institutions• Negotiation and grievance resolution• Sub-national governance and outreach

DEMOBILISATION• Biometrics, vetting, registration, assessment and immediate support• Weapons management and community security• Detainee release

CONSOLIDATION• Community recovery• Literacy, religious and vocational education• Agriculture conservation corps• Public works corps• Integration to the ANSF

Outreach-

‘FIND and TRACK’

You are to - Assist with Identifying and Report Opportunities Where you Come Across Them.

Demobilization & Consolidation / Development

‘PROTECT’ , ‘SUPPORT’ & ‘SUSTAIN’

You Are To - Protect and Support the Security of Reintegration Opportunities, Communities Engaged in Reintegration and Reintergrees. APRP has Worried the Taliban and it is Attacking Reintergrees as a Means of Dissuading More from Joining APRP.

You Are To - Engage With and Encourage your Afghan Partners (ANSF) to Discuss APRP and Encourage its Acceptance Amongst the Local Population .

Why is APRP Relevant to Deployed Task Forces (TF)?

• Takes Insurgents ‘Out of the Fight’.• Every Conflict is Followed by Some form of ‘Reconciliation and

Reintegration’.• Key Difference In AFG is it Occurs During the ‘Fight’ - ‘Offensive Tool’• 85% of Insurgents are NOT Ideologically Driven and Fight

Reasonably Close to their Homes – i.e. in Your Unit Battle Space• Insurgents, Especially Under Pressure, Will Tire of Fighting• The Insurgent Leadership Fears the Impact of APRP on their Fighting

Strength.• Reintegration is One of COM ISAF Priorities.• It is a Leadership Function to Ensure all your Soldiers Understand

Why Reintegration is Important.

Successful kinetic ops and a developing ANSF / ISAF footprint has encouraged many non ideologically driven insurgents to reassess

Summary of Tasks -‘Effects’

You are to help:

– ‘INFORM’ - inform the population about the Peace Program.

– ‘FIND’ - help identify opportunities where insurgent groups who are tired of fighting may wish to enter the Peace

Program (APRP).

– ‘PROTECT’ - protect reintegration events and communities involved in the Peace Program from Taliban revenge attacks.

– ‘SUPPORT’ - support the Peace Program (APRP) and those tasked to implement it.

Current Situation

• Force Reintegration Cell (F-RIC) Manned by ISAF and Comd by UK 2*

• Over 2,700 Insurgents in the ‘Formal’ Programme as at Oct 2011.

• Between 2,000 and 4,000 in ‘Discussions’ and Considering ’Options’.

• APRP is Developing Across Afghanistan but Faster in Some Areas than Others.

• Whereas not the ‘Silver Bullet’ it has Potential to be a ‘Game Changer’.

Many insurgents who are in ‘Dialogue’ are waiting to see how current reintegrees fare in the Afghan Peace and

Reintegration Programme (APRP)

Demobilization

UNCLASSIFIED

APRP Demobilization Trend

110432

617720

821

1152

17121928

2043

2303

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Oct-2010 Nov-2010 Dec-2010 Jan-2011 Feb-2011 Mar-2011 Apr-2011 May-2011 Jun-2011 Jul-2011

# of C

andi

date

s Reg

ister

ed

Afghanistan Reintegration Sep 2011

Reintegration Itself Forces the Pace

Reintegration Activity

Provinces with Opportunities

Provinces with Events

Provinces with No Activity

Events 41

Reintegrees 2497

Opportunities 23

Provincial Established Emerging

Council 32 2

JS Team 23 2

BADAKHSHANTAKHAR

KUNDUZBALKH

JOWZJAN

FARYABSAR-E PUL

SAMANGAN

BAGHLAN

BADGHIS

HERAT GHOR

FARAH

NIMROZ

HELMANDKANDAHAR

ZABUL

DAYKUNDI

URUZGAN

PAKTIKA

GHAZNI

WARDAK

BAMYAN

NURISTAN

KUNAR

NANGARHAR

PANJSHAYR

LAGHMAN

KAPSIA

PARWAN

KABUL

LOGAR

PAKTIYA

KHOST

Kandahar is the one emerging PPC

18

06

10

UNCLASSIFIED

To Help You there is the ISAF Reintegration Soldiers Card:

• An ‘Aide memoire’ for ISAF patrol commanders

• Issued by RC Reintegration Cells, by unit or on arrival into theatre (RSOI).

• An ANSF version (slightly different to the ISAF version) is distributed down ANSF in Dari and Pashtu.

1. Purpose:

• Offers Guidance to ISAF personnel -‘INFORM’ the local Afghan population.

• Enable ISAF to assist with the ‘FIND’ and to identify of opportunities shouldthey encounter Afghan insurgents (or go-betweens) wanting to enter the formalReintegration (APRP) process

2. General. The Commanders Card Offers a broad outline of APRP and stresses that:

• APRP is primarily a GIRoA ledprogramme.

• Provincial Governors and Provincial High Peace Councils (PHPC) are the keyplayers at the Provincial level.

3. Initial Meeting (Contact): Contact could be direct or through a ‘go-between’.Actions to be taken:

a. Notify the Chain of Comd and conduct initial contact interview:

• Name & contact details.

• Why he / they want to reintegrate?

• Is this the first contact with ISAF/ANSF?

• If a the subject is a ‘go-between’, what is their relationship with Insurgents?

• If he is a comd then how many fighters are under his comd?

b. On the completion of meeting:

• How can ISAF make contact again?

• Inform him that final acceptance into the formal process is a GIRoA decision.

4.Follow Up Action.

•Reported IMMEDIATLY as an ‘Incident’ to your Ops Room.

•Your HQ or TF will coordinate the next steps.

5. Do Not:

• Do Not offer an ISAF guarantee of amnesty or immunity from GIRoA prosecution.

• Do Not tell insurgent /go-between whether the insurgent is on an ISAF or GIRoA Targeting List.

• Do Not offer money or development aid directly to insurgents to stop fighting.

6. SOP: Your Regional Command(RC) Reintegration SOP will providethe more details if required.

7. Key Points: (Important):

• APRP acknowledges ‘Honour & Dignity’ and is NEVER profiled as ‘Surrender’.

• Reintegrating fighters can keep a personal weapon for self defence.

• Only GIRoA can offer Amnesty.• APRP benefits peaceful communities

not just the communities of reintegrating insurgents.

• Often a lengthy period of ‘negotiation’.

• APRP removes Insurgents from the battlefield.

• Insurgents who chose not to join their ‘Afghan brothers’ in the Peace Programme (APRP) will continue to be targeted.

• It is Important that ISAF and AFG Partners Clearly Understand that Kinetic Strike Continues Unabated Alongside Reintegration.

Summary of Tasks

– ‘INFORM’ - inform correctly - use the Commanders Card.

– ‘FIND’ - identify opportunities.

– ‘PROTECT’ - protect reintegration from Taliban revenge attacks.

– ‘SUPPORT’ - support and facilitate the Peace Programme (APRP)

We Want To See More Former fighters Joining the Peace Process (APRP).

Remember that Reintegrating Insurgents Can Keep a Personal Weapon (rifle) Once it is Registered with ANP / MoI for Self Protection – the Reintegree Must ‘Survive the Process’.

Useful Links and / Websites The Following can be found at :

• https://ronna-afghan.harmonieweb.org/FRIC (CAAT Website)

• ISAF Secret main ISAF page - FRIC Portal

ISAF APRP Commanders Cards, ANA & ANP APRP Commanders Cards (Eng Dari & Pashtu) and ISAF Reintegration Handbook (Eng &Dari)

– ISAF CARD (version 6)

– ANSF CARD and translations (version 6) (English, Pashtu and Dari)

– ANSF CARD and translations (version 6) (Pashtu and Dari) pfd

– ISAF Reintegration Handbook (Coy Comd / Bn Staff +) (printable in booklet form when print option selected)

– Reintegration Handbook (Coy Comd / Bn Staff +) – (in Dari Pashtu Sep 11)

– ANSF training briefs (Eng, Dari Pashtu) (ISAF partners can deliver to partnered ANSF units

– ISAF training briefs

Questions / Discussion