January 18, 2008

Overview

Death toll from Afghan cold wave climbs to over 200 people

The death toll from the recent wave of cold sweeping through Afghanistan's western and central highlands has reportedly climbed to over 200 people. The western provinces of Herat, Badghis, Farah and Ghor are among the worst-affected areas, with 105, 53, 20 and 27 fatalities respectively. Like the western provinces, the central province of Daikundi has also been severely affected with the majority of the roads closed from snow, as well as sharply rising food and fuel prices. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), food and non-food items such as blankets, sweaters, heating oil, plastic sheeting and warm clothes are badly needed. Officials from the National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) say nearly 30,000 farm animals have also been killed in Ghor, Faryab, Saripul and Herat provinces since the cold wave took hold about two weeks ago. The Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) -- an umbrella organization of local and foreign aid organizations -- says 24 of the 34 provinces have been affected and at least three of the provinces in the central region remain completely inaccessible. Due to heavy snow, road access to dozens of districts in some 15 of the provinces remains cut off. Although the Afghan Red Crescent Society, other aid organizations and the Afghan government are rushing relief supplies to affected areas, a lack of resources combined with a weak implementation capacity are hindering an effective response. There have been no reports of major outbreaks of cold-related illnesses. However, as the current weather conditions persist, the likelihood of outbreaks of respiratory illnesses remains high. Unusually cold weather is also affecting many neighboring countries, including India and Pakistan, where dozens have also died due to exposure to extreme cold.

NATO-led forces warn Afghan civilians to keep distance from military vehicles

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan is warning civilians to keep their distance from military vehicles. Speaking at a press briefing in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Wednesday (January 16), NATO spokesman Bernd Allert said, "When ISAF convoys are on the road it is important that other vehicles around behave in such a way that they cannot be mistaken for a threat." He told reporters, "If an ISAF soldier thinks a vehicle is a threat he will signal it to stay away," and "if the vehicle does not obey the soldier, the soldier might be forced to fire a warning shot to force the driver to obey." Allert emphasized that "insurgent suicide bombers are a serious threat to ISAF personnel and ISAF soldiers have to protect themselves against this threat." He said all NATO vehicles and armored personnel carriers were marked with signs asking people to stay away and not to approach them. The comments came two days after a suicide attack on Kabul's five-star Serena Hotel that killed six people and wounded six others. Civilian deaths have been a serious issue in Afghanistan. Dozens of Afghan civilians have died as a result of shooting by NATO-led forces when they allegedly failed to maintain a safe distance from NATO vehicles, observe warning signs and adhere to warnings by the NATO forces.

UN mission in Afghanistan condemns hotel attack that killed seven people

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned an attack on the plush Serena Hotel in the capital, Kabul, on Monday (January 14) that left at least seven people dead, including five foreigners. In a statement issued on Tuesday (January 15), UNAMA said the deliberate targeting of foreigners and Afghan civilians who have been working together in support of Afghanistan was of great concern. The statement expressed condolences to those affected by the attack and praised the bravery of the guards who risked their lives to prevent an even bigger tragedy. On Monday evening, as many as five assailants, some reportedly in police uniforms, stormed into Kabul's five-star Serena Hotel and opened fire and threw hand-grenades that left three Americans, one French national, a Norwegian journalist and two Afghan guards dead and several others wounded. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere was reportedly at the hotel when the attack took place. Afghan authorities say they have arrested four individuals in connection with the bombing, which they believe was masterminded by Mullah Abdullah -- a close ally of well-known militant Siraj Haqqani based in Pakistan's lawless tribal region of North Waziristan. The Taliban, who have claimed responsibility for the attack, vowed to increase their attacks against foreigners and restaurants and other food places frequented by westerners. Mullah Zabihullah, a purported Taliban spokesman, told the Associated Press, "We have jihadists in Kabul right now and soon we will carry out more attacks against military and foreigners." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon suggested the attack targeted the Norwegian foreign minister, who was not hurt in the incident. Ban also re-emphasized the need to address terrorism.

Movement

2007: UNHCR temporarily suspends the Afghan voluntary repatriation campaign in Pakistan until March 2008 due to seasonal slowdown. (IRIN, Nov-2). Pakistan has reportedly extended the deadline to close Jalozai camp until March 2008. (IRIN, Sep-4). The UNHCR has asked Pakistan to temporarily suspend closure of Jalozai refugee camp in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) that was originally scheduled to be closed on August 31. UNHCR said due to the fast approaching Muslim holy month of Ramadan and winter season, conditions were not conducive for the return of some 100,000 camp residents. UNHCR said any forceful return of these refugees could lead to secondary displacement.

Pakistan is to close all Afghan refugee camps by December 2009 and to repatriate all refugees living in the country. UNHCR says it has repatriated over 306,000 Afghan refugees from Pakistan so far this year under its voluntary repatriation campaign. (UNHCR, Aug-10)

4.2 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan, and 500,000 IDPs returned home since early 2002. Close to 3 million of the refugees returned from Pakistan. 2.6 million Afghans remain in Pakistan, including one million in 74 long-term camps. About 1.5 million Afghans returned from Iran. Taking into account unassisted returns, perhaps 600,000 to 700,000 Afghans remain in Iran—up to 30,000 are in seven camps.

Iran deported some 85,000 unregistered refugees to Afghanistan during April 21 - May 14, 2007. Iranian officials say they plan to initially send back 500,000 of over a million illegal refugees in the country. Earlier this week, Iran said it has reached an agreement with the Afghan government to slow down the pace of expulsions for illegal Afghans living in the country.

Some 200,000 Afghan refugees in Pakistan have returned to their homes under the UN-assisted voluntary Afghan refugee repatriation program since it resumed on March 1, 2007, following a seasonal winter suspension. Pakistani authorities said voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan that are without proof of registration (PoR) ended in April, and refugees remaining in the country without PoR are now considered illegal and subject to government action. Repatriation campaign for Afghan refugees with PoR.

2006: UNHCR expects to assist 550,000 returnees—400,000 from Pakistan and 150,000 from Iran. However, so far this year only some 60,000 Afghan refugees have repatriated from Pakistan. Unassisted returns are a factor from Pakistan and have been a major contributor to returns from Iran. The tripartite arrangement among UNHCR-Afghanistan-Pakistan is good through 2006. The UNHCR-Afghanistan-Iran Joint Program has been extended into 2007. Repatriation from Pakistan, halted for the winter, recommenced on March 1. UNHCR assisted nearly 9,000 refugees in returning from Pakistan and over 500 from Iran during March. In April 2006, Pakistan closed two long-term camps in NWFP, and two in Baluchistan Province with 250,000 long-term residents. Refugees in Baluchistan can either return to Afghanistan or relocate to Mohammad Kheil camp near Quetta. Refugees in NWFP are moving to Afghanistan or one of ten camps in NWFP—refugees are pushing for a one-year delay.

2005 plans called for 400,000 Afghan refugees to return home from Pakistan and 200,000 from Iran, down from an earlier 350,000 estimated from Iran. 453,000 returned from Pakistan. 67,000 from Iran were assisted and over 210,000 returned on their own to Iran for a total of nearly 280,000, and a combined Pakistan and Iran total of 733,000—close to the original projection.

2004 plans were for one million to return. Actual returnees were around 850,000, with 385,000 from Pakistan and 460,000 from Iran, including 80,000 spontaneous returns. Pakistan closed camps in South Waziristan and all new camps, with remaining new refugees going to Mohamed Kheil camp in Baluchistan Province.

Emphasis in 2003 was on repatriation from old camps and cities in Pakistan to rural areas in Afghanistan. 70% of returnees from Pakistan were from cities and 30% from camps. Over a third returned to Kabul, another 10% went to other central provinces, and just over 20% returned to each of the north and east. The Southern region received 6% and the Western region 4%. The 2003 peak months were June and July.

In 2002 over 2.3 million Afghan refugees returned with 2 million assisted by UNHCR. UNHCR repatriated 1.53 million Afghan refugees from Pakistan, including 125,000 from Baluchistan and 1.4 million from the North West Frontier Province. 82% were from urban areas; only 3% were from new camps. 265,000 refugees were assisted in returning from Iran; and 10,000 refugees from the central Asian republics.

Afghanistan Relief Efforts: United Nations Coordination Regions

Central Region

Location	Central Region
Coordination
Population	An avalanche in the Murgab area in central Ghor killed at least 16 people. On March 19 floods killed 30 people in Uruzgan province.
IDP Movement
Food	On December 26 a landslide had blocked access to Kehmard district in Bamiyan province, leaving an estimated 40,000 vulnerable to food shortages as prices of food rose sharply. (IRIN, Dec-27) A rapid food needs assessment by USAID’s Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) suggests that due to failed wheat crops, unfavorable weather and higher food prices, Ghor province would need in the short-term (December-April) some 14,231 metric tons of food assistance to feed its vulnerable population. (ReliefWeb, Oct-18) According to local officials, thousands of students attending 40 schools in Ghazni province have not received WFP food assistance for over a month due to insecurity. FAO on July 5 said that 6.5 million Afghans suffer from chronic food insecurity. (IRIN, July-8)
Health	UN agencies and the local provincial government raise funds to build a new maternity wing in the Bamiyan main hospital. The new facility is expected to provide essential healthcare for expectant mothers in central Bamiyan province and to reduce the risk of both maternal and child mortality. (UNAMA, July-17). At least 20 children have died in several districts of central Daikundi and northern Balkh provinces over the past five weeks due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-12) Typhoid fever has claimed five lives and infected some 200 others in the Charsada district of central Ghor province. (People’s Daily Online, Feb-15)
NFIs -Shelter	IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Security	Two Dutch and two Afghan soldiers died in separate friendly fire incidents on Saturday (January 12) in Dehrawud district of Uruzgan province. (Reuters, Jan-13) Two civilians were killed and five others wounded in a clash between NATO troops and Taliban insurgents in the provincial capital, Tirin Kot, in Uruzgan province on January 4. (ABC, Jan-7) Four Afghan policemen were killed in a landmine explosion on December 30 in Uruzgan province. (ABC, KT, Jan-1) A family of five on a motor bike was killed near Uruzgan province’s capital, Tirin Kot, on December 16 when the motor bike ran over a freshly planted landmine, killing the husband, wife and their three children. (HT, Xinhua, Dec-17)
Comments

East Central Region

Location	East Central Region
Coordination	UNHCR
Population
IDP Movement	UN; Government encouraging refugees to return to home provinces to limit burden on Kabul—government land distribution program only in province of origin;
Food	ISAF troops carried out a two-day food donation near the village of Gulbagh in Chahar Asiab district, (NATO, Feb-11) IRC, Action Contra la Faim; WFP
Health	President Karzai helped inaugurate the new hospital of the National Department of Security on September 14. (GOA, Sep-14) More than 10,000 people, mostly children, have been affected by diarrhea in flood-stricken provinces across the country, including Kabul. (IRIN, July-12) Kabul is home to the world’s worst outbreak of leishmaniasis, thought to have spread to hundreds of thousands of people. The sandflies that spread the parasites causing the disease are present in all Afghan cities, but more prominently in poor, crowded areas where they breed on waste land and in trash. (Reuters, May-7) UNICEF, CARITAS, MSF, IFRC, IRC, ICRC
Non-Food Items - Shelter	UNHCR, ACTED, MSF, IRC, ICRC, IOM
Security	Seven people, including five foreigners, were killed in an attack on Kabul’s five-star Serena hotel on Monday (January 14). (KT, BBC, Jan-14) including people were killed and six others wounded Eight children were wounded in the capital, Kabul, on December 24 when a rocket shell they were playing with exploded. (KT, TNI, Dec-24)
Water & Sanitation	An agreement has been signed between the UNHCR and the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) to provide safe drinking water for Afghan returnees from Pakistan and Iran, as well as IDPs. (UNHCR, Sep. 24) ICRC
Comments	The Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (MAPA) says it has completed demining the community of Karte Sakhi in Kabul. (UNAMA, Sep-15)

Eastern Region

Location	Eastern Region
Coordination	UNHCR, International Islamic Relief Organization;
Population
IDP Movement	UNHCR
Food	IRC NATO-led ISAF PRT transported water pipes for a nearly seven-mile-long planned water supply project in Baghlan province. (NATO, Aug-23)
Health	Provincial officials in southern Khost, Kandahar and eastern Nangarhar provinces have confirmed hundreds of diarrhea cases due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-11) FAO confirmed cases of the H5N1 subtype of avian influenza (bird flu) virus in poultry in the eastern city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province and in Sawki district in Kunar province. (FAO, Feb-26)
Non-Food Items - Shelter	CWS, UNICEF
Security	One policeman was killed and three others wounded when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Wata Pur district in Kunar province on December 23. (KT, CNN, Dec-24) Afghan security forces killed a Taliban commander and his bodyguard in a clash in Gelan district in Kunar province on December 23. (KT, CNN, Dec-24) Afghan authorities arrested a 55-year-old female carrying an explosives belt near Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province on December 24. (KT, Dec-24) Two children were killed in an accidental blast in Bati Kot district in eastern Nangarhar province on December 20 when an explosive device they brought into their home exploded. (TNI, Dec-21)
Water & Sanitation	CARITAS; ICRC, UNICEF
Comments

Northeastern Region

Location	Northeastern Region
Coordination
Population	9,000 active IDPs in North and Northeast
Movement IDPs
Food	On December 27, heavy snowfall had blocked access to at least 10 districts in Badakhshan province, leaving some 200,000 people in need of food assistance. (IRIN, Dec-27)
Health	WHO, Merlin, UNICEF, MSF; ICRC
Non-Food Items (NFIs) -Shelter	UNICEF, ACTED, Refugees Int’l, Mercy Corps
Security	Taliban insurgents ambushed and killed two Afghan policemen and abducted a police commander in Nuristan province. (BBC, Oct-7) Twelve people, including five government employees and seven policemen, were killed on September 23 when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle as it traveled through northeastern Badakhshan province. (CNN, Sep-24)
Water & Sanitation
Comments	At least 13 people were killed in an avalanche in Baharak district in northeastern Badakhshan province on December 11. Fifteen others were rescued. (IRIN, Dec-12)

Northern Region

Location	Northern Region
Coordination	UNHCR, IOM
Population	9,000 active IDPs in North and Northeast; 60,000 IDPs from North elsewhere in country.
Movement IDPs	IOM
Food
Health	MSF, ICRC, UNICEF At least 20 children have died in several districts of northern Balkh and central Daikundi provinces over the past five weeks due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-12)
NFIs –Shelter	IOM, ACTED, Mercy Corps
Security	More than 65 people, including six members of Afghanistan’s lower house of the parliament and 59 schoolchildren, were killed and more than 100 others wounded in a suicide bomb attack near a sugar factory in northern Baghlan province on November 6. (ABC, BBC, Reuters, Nov 6-8) Four people, including a district police chief, his brother and two other policemen, were killed in a roadside bomb blast in northern Baghlan province on September 24. (The News, Sep-25)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF, ICRC, DACAAR
Comments	ISAF PRT helps flood-affected families in Khamyab and Qarqin districts in Jowzjan province at the request of provincial authorities. (Frontier Post, Aug-12)

Southern Region

Location	Southern Region
Coordination	UNHCR
Population	IFRC says that flash floods and avalanches in early March have affected 2,200 families in Helmand/Sangreen Grishk, Musa Qala, and Nowzad districts; and 400 families in Uruzgan/Dehraud district. (IFRC, Mar-23).
Movement of IDPs	Intense military operations against Afghan insurgents in southern Helmand province, especially in Musa Qala district, have caused hundreds of families to flee their homes to neighboring districts and the provincial capital, Lashkargah. (IRIN, Dec-6) UNOCHA reports that over 2,500 families have left their homes in different districts of Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar provinces over the past two months, according to provincial officials. Many of the displaced say they are leaving because of forced recruitment attempts by the Taliban and air strikes by international forces. Many have sought shelter in Kandahar city. (UNOCHA, Sep-27) In Uruzgan province, 880 families affected by conflict in Chora district have been settled in Tirin Kot and Dehrawud districts with the help of UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and UNICEF. (ReliefWeb, July-30) About 2,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled their homes in several parts of Helmand province due to heavy fighting between Taliban insurgents and NATO-led forces. (IRIN, July-9)
Food	WFP says it could not deliver 50 tons of mixed food to Geeti district in Daykundi province due to security concerns. WFP plans to deliver food as soon as safe passage is guaranteed. (IRIN, Nov-14) The World Food Program (WFP) delivered 500 metric tons of food to the provincial capital Lashkargah, in southern Helmand province for some 4,500 families affected by fighting in Musa Qala, Sangin, Kajakiand Nawzad districts. (ReliefWeb, Sep-3) WFP also distributed 300 tons of food to some 37,000 beneficiaries in Kandahar and Helmand under food-for-work and literacy programs. (ReliefWeb, Sep-3) UNICEF; Mercy Corps; CARITAS; WFP
Health	A UNICEF-led Polio vaccination campaign was suspended in Musa Qala due to military operations. The campaign was also suspended in parts of five other districts. (ReliefWeb, Dec-20) Afghan and US-led coalition forces treated some 700 Afghans during a two-day outreach operation in Kandahar on December 7 and 8. (Reliefweb, Dec-12) The Australian Reconstruction Task Force (RTF), part of the Dutch-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Regional Command South, has completed the redevelopment of the Tarin Kowt Hospital and the construction of the Yaklengah Comprehensive Health Clinic. (NATO, Sep-17) The Afghan Ministry of Public Health and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) signed a memorandum of understanding under which the ICRC will significantly increase its support for the 390-bed regional referral Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar for the next two years. The hospital formerly run by Italian NGO Emergency provides essential care for thousands of patients, including men, women and children wounded in hostilities in the neighboring provinces of Zabul, Helmand and Uruzgan. (ICRC, July-26)
NFIs - Shelter	UNHCR, Mercy Corps
Security	Eight policemen were killed in Kandahar province’s Maywand district on Sunday (January 13) when dozens of Taliban fighters attacked a police post. (Reuters, Jan-13) One policeman was killed and six were wounded Sunday when a suicide bomber blew himself up when a policeman grabbed him as he tried to enter the home of a senior police official in Helmand’s provincial capital, Lashkar Gah. (Reuters, Jan-13) One Afghan policeman was killed and four others wounded when a suicide bomber struck their vehicle in the border town of Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province on Monday (January 7). (ABC, Jan-7) Two policemen and two civilians were killed and four others wounded Monday in a failed attempt to defuse a roadside remote-controlled bomb in Nad Ali district in Helmand province. (ABC, Jan-7) On Sunday (January 6) three Taliban militants were killed in a clash with Afghan and NATO troops in Kandahar’s Zhari district. (ABC, Jan-7) Taliban militants killed an Afghan soldier and wound another in an ambush in southern Helmand province. (ABC, KT, Jan-2)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	Some 2,500 families (roughly 13,000 people) who fled ongoing violence in Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar are staying around Kandahar city in urgent need of temporary shelter. (IRIN, Oct-3) UNICEF estimates some 262 of the 740 schools in the southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul are currently unable to provide education. (UNNS, July-30)

Southern Region IDP camps

Location	Zhare Dasht - South of Kandahar – 6 camps
Type	IDP Camp
Coordination	UNHCR
Camp Capacity	30,000; expandable to 60,000
Population	125,000 IDPs in south; 48,500 at Zhare Dasht
Movement IDP
Food	WFP
Health	UNICEF, MSF
NFIs – Shelter
Security
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	Support for Spin Boldak camps terminated in 2004.

Western Region

Location	Western Region
Coordination	UNHCR; ICMC
Population	According to the IFRC, flash floods and avalanches in early March affected some 200 families in Herat city; 918 families in Gulran district; 35 families in Cheshte Sharif district