June 06, 2008

Overview

Dozens dead in violence across Afghanistan

Dozens of people, including civilians, were killed in separate security incidents across the country this week. In the latest violence, at least 20 Taliban militants were reportedly killed in a US-led coalition airstrike in southeastern Afghanistan on Thursday (June 5). According to provincial officials, the coalition aircraft targeted a band of insurgents in Orgun district in Paktika province near the border with Pakistan. Also on Thursday, two Afghan policemen were killed and two others wounded when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle in the central province of Ghazni. In a similar attack in neighboring Zabul province, two civilians were wounded when a suicide bomber struck an Afghan police convoy Thursday. Two servicemen from US-led coalition forces were reportedly killed when their helicopter crashed in southern Kandahar province Thursday evening. At least 23 people, including 16 civilians and four policemen, were wounded in a suicide car bomb attack on a government building in Jaji Maydan district in the eastern province of Khost on Wednesday (June 4). A suicide car bomb attack aimed at a NATO convoy on Wednesday near the border town of Spin Boldak in Kandahar killed a young boy. At least nine Taliban fighters were killed in US-led airstrikes Wednesday night in Zabul. At least 12 Taliban militants were killed in a US-led coalition airstrike after they attacked a humanitarian convoy near the town of Putay in southern Helmand province on Tuesday (June 3). A Canadian soldier was killed when insurgents ambushed a security convoy on foot patrol in Panjwayi district in Kandahar on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, two soldiers from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed in an attack in Zumat district in eastern Paktia province. The ISAF did not disclose the nationalities of the fallen soldiers. On Sunday (June 1), a woman was killed and five other people were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near an Afghan National Army minibus in the capital, Kabul. Also Sunday, dozens of Taliban militants were reportedly killed in a 12-hour gunfight with Afghan and NATO-led forces in northwestern Badghis province. Two ISAF soldiers were killed and four were wounded Saturday (May 31) when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a military convoy in Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province. The attacks underscore persistent insecurity across the country that is showing no signs of weakening despite a vigorous military campaign under way to flush militants out of the western region that has in recent months seen stepped up violence.

World Bank concerned over use of aid funds in Afghanistan

The World Bank (WB) is concerned over the use of aid funds in Afghanistan. Following a meeting of the Bank's board of directors, Alastair McKechnie, the WB’s director for fragile and conflict-affected countries, said that the effectiveness of aid in Afghanistan was a "huge issue." He said Afghanistan has made "little headway" in tackling corruption. The WB said that although modest progress has been made in reforming public administration, there is still a need for clear priorities for achieving results in delivering services on the ground and reducing poverty. The WB acknowledged that it was not easy to challenge powerful figures in the country, but said more progress is needed in tackling corruption, raising taxes and improving public administration. The Bank is also calling for greater coordination among donors. The WB's sharp criticism comes ahead of an international donors’ conference in Paris next week where the Afghan government is hoping to raise US$50 billion for the next five years to rebuild the war-ravaged country, develop agriculture and improve food security.

WFP says insecurity and export restrictions hamper food aid to Afghans

The UN World Food Program (WFP) says that insecurity across the country and export restrictions on food in neighboring countries are contributing to the delay in delivering food aid to some 2.55 million vulnerable Afghans affected by rising food prices. Speaking to the UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), WFP Country Representative for Afghanistan Rick Corsino said a joint appeal by the UN and the Afghan government for US$77 million to provide emergency food assistance to millions of food-insecure Afghans has been more than 90 percent funded. He said so far aid has reached about 38 percent of the targeted population, adding that export restrictions imposed by some neighboring countries, such as Pakistan, due to rising food prices were causing a delay in procuring adequate food stocks for Afghanistan. He said out of 88,000 metric tons (MT) of food that WFP plans to procure and distribute, so far only 28,000 MT has been procured and only some 20,000 MT distributed. He said of the targeted population of 2.55 million, some 970,000 have so far been assisted. Corsino said WFP is still awaiting a response from the Pakistani government on the purchase of 100,000 MT of wheat. Corsino said worsening security in southern and southeastern parts of Afghanistan is another obstacle. He said WFP has lost some 1,000 MT of food valued at US$800,000 in almost 40 separate attacks on food convoys over the past 18 months. He said WFP will continue to work to get food to more places, adding that in some areas food will reach beneficiaries as late as July or August.

Movement

2008: UNHCR is asking Pakistan to revise its Afghan refugee repatriation plan, as the current plan to repatriate some 2.4 million refugees by the end of next year (2009) is “unworkable” due to persistent insecurity and lack of economic opportunities. (BBC, Apr-18). UNHCR said this week that since March 1, when the repatriation campaign resumed from Pakistan, some 10,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan. (UNHCR, Mar-31)

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
IDP Movement
Food	In Wardak province on Monday (May 26), gunmen hijacked two food trucks carrying 60 MT of wheat in the Shash Gaw area. The trucks were bound for Miramoor district in central southern Daikundi province, but were forced to head toward Jaghatu district in Wardak. This is the sixth incident involving World Food Program (WFP) food convoys this year, and WFP has temporarily suspended food delivery to Daikundi. (IRIN, May-28) 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)
Health	Czech Republic-led PRT to begin construction of a new 20-bed facility for the existing Comprehensive Health Clinic in Mohammad Agha in Lowgar province. (NATO, Apr-24) 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).
NFIs -Shelter	IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Security	On Thursday (June 5), two Afghan policemen were killed and two others wounded when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle in Ghazni. (CNN, ABC, MSNBC, Reliefweb, June-5) In Ghazni province, on Monday (May 28) five Taliban militants and two Afghan policemen were killed in a clash. (Reuters, May-26) On Thursday (May 29) in Ghazni, US-led coalition forces killed several militants and detained 16 others during search operations. (Reuters, May-30) On May 20, two soldiers from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and an Afghan civilian interpreter were killed in an explosion in Ghazni while on patrol. (KT, May-21)
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	WFP has begun distributing wheat to some 650,000 beneficiaries affected by high food prices in Kabul and the surrounding areas. (Reliefweb, Mar-6, 2008) IRC, Action Contra la Faim; WFP
Health	At least 100 pneumonia patients, primarily children, have died in the past month in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said February 14. In the same period, over 170,000 patients with pneumonia and other acute respiratory infections have been treated at health centers across the country. The country remains under the national public health emergency declared on January 8, with 30,000 health workers requested to not take leave for the duration of the emergency period. (IRIN, Feb-14) UNICEF, CARITAS, MSF, IFRC, IRC, ICRC
Non-Food Items - Shelter	UNHCR, ACTED, MSF, IRC, ICRC, IOM
Security	A woman was killed and five other people wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near an Afghan National Army (ANA) minibus Sunday (June 1) morning in Kabul. (BBC, KT, ABC, Jun-2) In Kabul on Thursday (May 29), three civilians were killed and another three wounded in a suicide bomb attack aimed at a convoy of international troops. None of the troops in the two armored vehicles were hurt in the attack. Vehicles suffered minor damage. Three Afghan policemen were killed and eight others wounded when a policeman dropped a rocket-propelled grenade that exploded on Monday in Kabul (May 5). (ABC, BBC, May-5)
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 WFP emergency food aid appeal for US$77 million to feed some 2.55 million Afghans affected by rising food prices is fully met. WFP will provide food aid under this program through July 2008. (KT, May-1) The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is seeking US$13 million in emergency funds to help hundreds of thousands of Afghan children lacking proper food, water, medicines, education and other essential services. (AFP, VOA, Feb-12)

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 eastern Khost, Nangarhar and southern Kandahar provinces confirmed hundreds of diarrhea cases due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-11)
Non-Food Items - Shelter	CWS, UNICEF
Security	At least 23 people, including 16 civilians and four policemen, were wounded in a suicide car bomb attack on a government building in Jaji Maydan district in Khost province on Wednesday (June 4). (ABC, KT, Jun-4) On Tuesday (June 3), two ISAF soldiers were killed in an attack in Zumat district in Paktia province. (ABC, KT, Jun-4) Two soldiers from the NATO-led ISAF were killed and four others wounded when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a military convoy in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, on Saturday (May 31). (BBC, KT, ABC, Jun-2) In eastern Logar (also spelled Lowgar) province, on Tuesday (May 27), four Afghan policemen were killed when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle. (Reuters, May-27) In far eastern Khost province, on Friday (May 30), a suicide car bomber blew himself up beside a convoy of military engineers, but no soldiers were wounded and no equipment was damaged. (Reuters, May-30) At least 25 mortar and artillery shells were fired from eastern Afghanistan across the Pakistani border into South Waziristan on Friday, hitting Angoor Adda but not causing any reported casualties (The News-Jang Group, May-30) At least five people, including four Afghan soldiers and a child, were killed May 23 in a suicide bomb attack eight miles (12 km) west of Khost City in Khost province. (BBC, ABC, May-23)
Water & Sanitation	CARITAS; ICRC, UNICEF
Comments	In Logar province on Tuesday, more than 1,000 people blocked a main highway to protest the killing of a school teacher by US-led forces in an overnight raid. An Afghan official working with the US military said the victim had Taliban links. (Reuters, May-27)

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	A US-led coalition soldier was killed when a bomb struck a military vehicle on May 9. (The News, May-9) At least 20 people, including civilians, were reportedly killed in US-led coalition airstrikes in Nuristan province on April 6. (ABC, Apr-7-8)
Water & Sanitation
Comments	The MoPH has asked the NATO-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Badakhshan for air support to enable medical teams to service otherwise inaccessible areas. (IRIN, Feb-14) 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 About 200 families (1,200 individuals) were displaced by flash flooding from heavy rainfall on Sunday (May 25) in Hazrat Sultan district in Samangan province. No human casualties were reported, but 26 houses were destroyed, more than 100 were damaged, and dozens of animals were killed. The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) is providing tents and kitchen kits. The WFP will send food following a needs assessment. The provincial ARCS warned more rain is possible, emphasizing the urgent need for assistance so the vulnerable are not affected by more flooding. (IRIN, May-26)
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	Dozens of Taliban militants were reportedly killed in a 12-hour firefight with Afghan and NATO-led forces backed by close air support in Bala Murghab district in Badghis province on Sunday (June 1). (BBC, KT, ABC, Jun-2) Three border security officials were killed in northwestern Badghis province when their vehicle hit a landmine during a routine patrol on April 23. (CNN, BBC, ABC, Apr-23) Two Afghan aid workers working for German aid organization KinderBerg International have been reported missing in northern Afghanistan since April 8. (KT, AFP, Apr-11) Three German soldiers were wounded, two critically, after a roadside bomb struck their vehicle overnight in Kunduz province. (ABC, AFP, Mar-27) Five Afghan deminers working for the UN-funded mine clearance program were killed and seven others wounded when two unidentified assailants on motorbikes opened fire on their vehicle in Chimtal district in Balkh province on March 23. (UNNS, KT, AFP, Mar-24) Two Afghan deminers working for the Mine Detection and Dog Center were gunned down in Balkh on March 24. (KT, AFP, Mar-24) A bomb wounded four people near a shrine in Mazar-i-Sharif on March 21. (The News, Mar-21)
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)
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)
NFIs - Shelter	UNHCR, Mercy Corps The Netherlands will provide US$713,000 (470,000 euros) for repair of war-damaged homes for 400 families in Deh Rawood and 150 families in Tirin Kot. (Reliefweb, Feb-28)
Security	At least 20 Taliban militants were reportedly killed in a US-led coalition airstrike in southeastern Paktika province on Thursday (June 5). (ABC, IHT, Jun-6) In Zabul province, two civilians were wounded when a suicide bomber struck an Afghan police convoy on Thursday. (CNN, ABC, MSNBC, Reliefweb, Jun-5) Two servicemen from the US-led coalition forces were reportedly killed when their helicopter crashed in Kandahar province Thursday evening. (CNN, ABC, MSNBC, Reliefweb, Jun-5) At least nine Taliban fighters were killed in US-led airstrikes Wednesday night (June 4) in Zabul. (CNN, ABC, MSNBC, Reliefweb, Jun-5) A suicide car bomb attack aimed at a NATO convoy on Wednesday near the border town of Spin Boldak in Kandahar province killed a young boy. (ABC, KT, Jun-4) A Canadian soldier was killed when insurgents ambushed a security convoy on foot patrol in Panjwayi district in Kandahar on Tuesday (June 3). (ABC, KT, Jun-4) At least 12 Taliban militants were killed in a US-led coalition airstrike after they attacked a humanitarian convoy near the town of Putay in Helmand province on Tuesday. (ABC, KT, Jun-4) In Kandahar, on Monday (May 26) two police officers were killed when the Taliban raided their remote police post. In Kandahar on Tuesday (May 27), Taliban insurgents killed nine policemen and wounded three others in two separate attacks. Three children and a Taliban insurgent were killed when a mine an insurgent was planting exploded prematurely in Kandahar’s Daman district. Also on Tuesday, gunmen freed four Afghan employees of a foreign-funded health group who they had kidnapped in Kandahar on Monday. (Reuters, May 26-27) In Helmand province, on Thursday (May 29), Afghan security forces and US-led coalition troops killed several militants near Sangin after coming under fire. (Reuters, May-30) In Helmand’s Musa Qala district on May 18, four civilians were killed and eight others, including five policemen, were wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a police convoy. (ABC, KT, May19) In southeastern Zabul province on May 20, airstrikes and a three-hour gun battle left at least 14 Taliban insurgents and an Afghan army soldier dead. (KT, MSNBC, May-21)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	In Kandahar on Saturday (May 24), the ISAF helped open a new causeway spanning the Tarnack River, north of Mola Kuchi Kalay village, to improve road transport between Dand district and Kandahar city. (NATO, May-28) The British Royal Air Force financed and oversaw the construction of a 10-room school in the Kandahar village of Mulla Abdulla Kariz, which is set to open soon. (GoUK, May 27) The Afghan government has approved 19 reconstruction projects valued at US$1.4 million (72 million AFA) for Kandahar province. Projects are to be completed within nine months and are expected to benefit some 29,000 households in the region. (ReliefWeb, Mar-14).

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; 150 families in Shindand district, 6,500 families in Badghis/Jawand and Murghab districts, and 20 families in Gour district. (IFRC, Mar-23) 12,000 IDPs, mostly in Maslakh camp