July 18, 2008

Overview

Afghanistan suspends meetings with Pakistan
Accusing Pakistan's army and intelligence service of being behind several recent attacks inside Afghanistan, the Afghan government on Monday (July 14) suspended a series of scheduled meetings with its neighbor. Pakistan has been quick to deny Afghanistan's charges, including the blame for the July 7 suicide car bombing that killed at least 41 people outside the Indian embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Following a cabinet meeting Monday, Afghan officials also implicated Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency and its army in a string of attacks, including an attempt to kill President Hamid Karzai in April and an assault on a prison last month in which about 400 Taliban were freed, Reuters reported. Saying that it would continue to support Pakistan's new civilian government and maintain person-to-person contacts, the cabinet called off at least three meetings on border cooperation and bilateral and regional economic cooperation scheduled for the coming weeks, according to Reuters. Afghanistan has routinely accused the ISI, which once had strong ties to the Taliban, according to CNN, of organizing attacks in Afghanistan and has also accused the government of not doing enough to stop Taliban- and al-Qaeda-linked militants operating out of its northwestern tribal areas. But Pakistan denies the accusations. "Such allegations are unhelpful... We're in the business of confidence building, not conflict creation," Reuters quoted Pakistani Information Minister Sherry Rehman as saying on Tuesday (July 15). India has also accused the ISI of being behind last week's embassy attack, but has not threatened to disrupt the four-and-a-half-year peace process between itself and Pakistan.

Several, including civilians, dead in US-led military strikes in western Afghanistan
Dozens of people, including some civilians, have been reportedly killed in separate US-led airstrikes in western Afghanistan since Tuesday. At least 15 Taliban insurgents were killed on Thursday (July 17) when US-led coalition forces and Afghan troops called in airstrikes during a joint security operation in Zerkoh Valley in Shindad district in the western province of Herat. Humayun Azizi, an Afghan provincial council official, said the strike targeted a militant cell involved in kidnappings, roadside bombings and other attacks. A provincial official said the operation freed 15 hostages held by the militants, and killed two local militant commanders and two of their sons. Three of the houses were also destroyed in the operation. Reports by Shindad District Chief Mullah Lal Mohammad and a tribal elder, Haji Zalmai, said more than 50 civilians were killed in the villages of Farmakan and Bakhtabad as a result of NATO-led airstrikes Thursday in Shindad. In a statement released today Friday (July 18), the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said, "Our extensive investigation reveals that the closest airstrikes carried out were 13 kilometers (8 miles) to the southeast of these villages. ISAF therefore rejects these claims as baseless."  Meanwhile, US-led coalition forces acknowledged on Thursday that eight civilians were among the dead in airstrikes in western Farah province on Tuesday. A coalition statement said it regretted the loss of civilian lives, adding that coalition troops never intentionally target civilians. Civilian casualties continue to be a serious issue for the Afghan government, which, according to most analysts, is deteriorating Afghan public support for allowing foreign forces in the country.

US troops pull out of eastern base after insurgent attack kills nine soldiers

Saying it was of little strategic importance, US-led coalition forces fighting in Afghanistan pulled out of a base in the restive east Tuesday. The base in Wanat, on the border of Nuristan and Kunar provinces and not far from the Pakistani frontier, is the site of an attack by suspected Taliban insurgents that killed nine US soldiers on Sunday (July 13), dealing Western forces their heaviest loss in a one-day attack since 2005. Coalition troops pulled out of the area Tuesday and handed security over to Afghan police, according to the Associated Press (AP). Insurgents subsequently overran the police defenses and took over the area, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. There were also unconfirmed reports that insurgents had taken over the neighboring Waant-Waygal district of Nuristan following the coalition withdrawal, according to AFP. But the AP attributed a provincial police official as saying Wednesday that about 50 additional officers had been deployed to Wanat and regained control. AFP reported a NATO spokesperson as saying that it was a temporary outpost that had served its purpose. NATO said despite the pullout, international and Afghan troops will continue to patrol the area and maintain a strong presence, Reuters reported.
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 percent of returnees from Pakistan were from cities and 30 percent from camps. Over a third returned to Kabul, another 10 percent went to other central provinces, and just over 20 percent returned to each of the north and east.  The Southern region received 6 percent and the Western region 4 percent. 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 percent were from urban areas; only 3 percent 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	There have been at least six attacks on World Food Program (WFP) food convoys in 2008, and WFP has temporarily suspended food delivery to Daikundi province.(IRIN, May-28)
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)
NFIs -Shelter	IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Security	Two French aid workers working for the NGO Action Against Hunger were abducted by unidentified gunmen Friday (July 18) in Nili in Daykundi province.  (MSNBC, Jul-18) In Wardak province, the Afghan Ministry of Defense reported that Afghan troops killed 12 Taliban insurgents after the rebels attacked Afghan National Army posts overnight Monday (July 14) along a vital highway that links Kabul to the southern and western regions of the country. (AP, Jul-15) Taliban insurgents on Monday claimed responsibility for the abduction of a member of the upper house of the Afghan parliament who was abducted on Sunday (July 13) in Logar province.  (Reuters, Jul-14)
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	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	At least 41 people were killed and 141 injured when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into two vehicles approaching the gates of the Indian embassy in Kabul on Monday (July 7) morning. (BBC, IHT, Jul-7) On Thursday (July 10), the NATO-led ISAF reported that its troops had killed a Taliban insurgent in Logar province who was suspected to have been involved in planning suicide bombings. (AP, Jul-10)
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	On Wednesday (July 9), Afghanistan and UNAMA launched a joint appeal for US$404 million to ensure food security for 450,000 households, give livestock and agricultural assistance to 300,000 farming families and protect about 550,000 women and children from malnutrition. The appeal is designed to cover these and other projects through July 2009 and follows a US$77 million joint food appeal that was fully met earlier this year. (IRIN, Jul-9) Malaysia and Australia will soon launch a joint initiative to train 30 “master teachers” who will train Afghan teachers in modern education methods. (GoAustralia, Jul-10)

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 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	Coalition forces claimed to have killed more than 40 insurgents in an airstrike on Tuesday (July 15) near Wanat, on the border of Kunar and Nuristan provinces.  (Reuters, Jul-15) In Ghazni, insurgents on Monday (July 14) shot dead eight civilian passengers they seized from cars, buses and taxis stopped on the main road between Kabul and Kandahar on Sunday (July 13).  (Reuters, Jul-15) Nine soldiers from the NATO-led force were killed when hundreds of Afghan insurgents ambushed a remote US military base in Wanat near the Pakistan border on Sunday.  (ABC, Reliefweb, Jul-14) Two Afghan guards working for a road construction company were killed in a roadside bomb attack on Sunday in Ghazni.  The bodies of two Afghan female detectives were discovered in a ditch in Ghazni on Saturday (July 12). (Reuters, Jul-13)
Water & Sanitation	CARITAS; ICRC, UNICEF
Comments

Northeastern Region

Location	Northeastern Region
Coordination
Population	9,000 active IDPs in North and Northeast
Movement IDPs
Food
Health	WHO, Merlin, UNICEF, MSF; ICRC
Non-Food Items (NFIs) -Shelter	UNICEF, ACTED, Refugees Int’l, Mercy Corps
Security	NATO and Afghan forces killed four Taliban insurgents and wounded six others in a joint security operation in Nuristan province on Saturday (July 12). The defense ministry said dozens of insurgents were killed and dozens more wounded on Sunday (July 13) in a counter-attack by the Afghan army.  (Reuters, Jul-13)
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)

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	A severe drought has been reported across northern Afghanistan, with the situation being worst in Faryab, Jowjan, Samangan, Saribul and Badghis provinces. Higher-than-normal summer temperatures and a lack of crucial rainfall have left northern rivers at record low water levels, hindering agricultural production and potable water sources. With the added issue of rising global food prices, farming families are unable to purchase basic food items. The governor of Faryab says the province is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis without immediate food aid. Badghis officials say almost all livestock and crops have been lost and more than 200 families are fleeing each day. There are no accurate figures for casualties or losses. Part of a US$404 million joint UN-Afghan appeal announced on July 9 will be used to feed drought-affected populations. (Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Jul-10)
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	Abdul Hamid Akhundzada, an insurgent the Taliban had recently named the shadow governor of Faryab province, was killed Wednesday (July 9) in Faryab along with at least one other insurgent. While Reuters said he was killed in a raid by Afghan security forces, the AP reported that a group of villagers attacked the insurgents because they had tried to abduct aid workers. (Reuters, AP, Jul-10)
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)
Food	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)
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	A blast on Friday (July 18) in Helmand’s Nava district killed three guards and wounded four others. (MSNBC, Jul-18) Reuters reported Tuesday (July 15) that a roadside bomb likely intended to target a military convoy instead hit a car and killed six or seven civilians in Paktika province on Monday (July 14).  (Reuters, Jul-15) At least 24 people, including 20 civilians, mostly children, were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a police patrol in a crowded market in Deh Rawud district in Uruzgan province on Sunday (July 13).  (Reuters, Jul-13) On Saturday (July 12), three police officers were killed in Zabul province when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle.  (Reuters, Jul-13) A Canadian ISAF soldier on foot patrol died Monday (July 7) after a bomb attack on the unit’s foot patrol in Kandahar province’s Panjwaii district early Sunday (July 6). (AFP, Xinhua, Jul-8)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	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
Movement IDPs	IOM
Food	IRC, CARITAS, UNICEF, World Vision, IOM, Action Contre la Faim; WFP Provincial officials are seeking 1,733 tons of food aid to feed some 100,000 most vulnerable people affected by rising food prices in Ghor province. (IRIN, May-19)
Health	At least 17 people have been reportedly killed in Gulran district in western Herat province by “Charmak” disease after consuming contaminated flour.  There have so far been 200 confirmed cases of the disease known as hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD), also known as 'camel belly.'  (IRIN, Reliefweb, May-15) Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), with the help of US-led coalition forces, carried out a Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) in Shewan, Farah province on August 30 and treated more than 811 people, including 576 women and children.  (USG, Sep-2)
Non-Food Items (NFIs) – Shelter	Islamic Development Bank (IDB) distributed some 12,500 blankets and 150 tents to some 2,500 families in Herat.  (FP, Apr-22)
Security	At least 15 Taliban insurgents were killed on Thursday (July 17) when US-led coalition forces and Afghan troops called in airstrikes during a joint security operation in Zerkoh Valley in Shindad district in Herat province. (ABC, Reuters, Jul-17) US-led coalition forces conceded on Thursday that eight Afghan civilians were killed during an airstrike in Farah province on Tuesday (July 15).  (Reuters, ABC, Jul-17) On Monday (July 14), gunmen abducted two Turkish engineers working for a construction firm in the Herat town of Islam Qala.  (Reuters, Jul-15)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments

Refugee Camps in Pakistan

Location	Long-term camps in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), NWFP, Baluchistan Province, and by capital, Islamabad; Mohamed Kheil 1 & 2 camps (85 km southwest of Quetta)
Type	Refugee Camps
Coordination	Afghanistan, Pakistan and UNHCR on August 2 extended the tripartite agreement governing the voluntary repatriation of registered Afghans from Pakistan through December 2009. The agreement provides a legal and operational framework for the process. To date, more than 3 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan under the voluntary repatriation program since 2002. This year, more than 300,000 Afghans have returned. (UNHCR, GOP, Aug-2) The Kacha Garhi Afghan refugee camp was officially closed on July 26, 2007.  Kacha Garhi, set up in 1980 and located in Hayatabad in NWFP, had 64,000 registered Afghans.  The closure followed two years of negotiations, as many refugees initially did not want to repatriate.  By the camp's closure, some 37,000 refugees had been repatriated by the UNHCR.  Most refugees were originally from Afghanistan's eastern and central provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, Kabul, and Logar. (UNHCR, July-27)
Camp Capacity	About one million mostly long term Afghans in 74 camps—down from about 200 camps.
Population	2.05 million registered Afghans remaining in Pakistan; 63 camps in NWFP, 12 in Baluchistan; and one million elsewhere; Many occupants are long-term residents or were born in Pakistan; (UNHCR, Aug-2) Jungle Pir Alizai (Balochistan): 36,000, originally scheduled to close June 15. Kacha Gari (NWFP): original population of 64,811, officially closed July 26 – 37,000 repatriated. (UNHCR, July-27) Jalozai (NWFP): 109,934, originally scheduled to close August 31.  UNHCR on August 22 requested Pakistan to temporarily suspend the camp’s closure due to insufficient time for some 100,000 people to move and settle into new places in the face of the fast approaching Ramadan and winter season. (UNHCR, Aug-22)  The deadline was extended to April 15 due to the impending winter. According to IRIN, at least 352 have left Jalozai so far in March.  (IRIN, Mar-20) Girdi Jungle (Balochistan): 17,844, scheduled to close August 31. (IRIN, June-14)
Refugee Movement
Food	WFP, CRS, ARC
Health	UNICEF, MSF
Non-Food Items (NFIs) - Shelter	CRS
Security
Water & Sanitation	IFRC, MDM
Comments