Afghan 'civilian surge' bogged down by red tape

The so-called US "civilian surge" in Afghanistan is mired in bureaucracy and may not succeed in time to help the war effort, a State Department report said.

The report said US diplomats spent too much time giving war-zone tours to visiting officials.

It said they had struggled to house, feed and transport an influx of new civilians and could not get regular sleep because bosses at the National Security Council and others in Washington call for briefings from midnight to 4am Afghanistan time, ignoring the different time zones.

The department's inspector general said US ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and his team made impressive progress during their first six months in Kabul towards carrying out the "civilian surge" ordered by the Obama administration to accompany its military push.

The force of agriculturalists, lawyers, engineers and others - which nearly tripled from 320 people to about 900 early this year - is meant to encourage the Afghan people to like their government more than they like the Taliban.

Mr Eikenberry's team had been challenged, however, by the unprecedented pace and scope of the civilian build-up, the report said.

"Even with the able leadership of senior officers, the best of intentions and the most dedicated efforts, Embassy Kabul faces serious challenges in meeting the administration's deadline for 'success' in Afghanistan," the 146-page report said.

The report said about 100 groups, comprising more than 700 people, had visited by October, and a dozen more congressional delegations were expected by the end of 2009.

"Some describe the incredible volume of visitors from all branches of the federal and even state governments as 'war tourism'," the report said

"Although congressional and other VIP travel builds crucial support for US efforts in Afghanistan, it also taxes the same military and civilian assets that would otherwise be deployed in the vital counterinsurgency and reconstruction efforts that the visitors seek to evaluate."

Because the majority of assignments to Kabul are for one year with multiple rest and recreation breaks, most US staff spend approximately two months of their tour on leave.

The report said that hindered their ability to develop expertise, hurt continuity, required more people on the ground, and resulted in what one former ambassador called "an institutional lobotomy".

The report makes more than 100 recommendations on a wide range of issues, from managing resources to morale and quality of life.