January 29, 2010

Overview

New Afghan strategy discussed at London conference

Afghan and international leaders from some 70 nations met in London, England on Thursday (January 28) to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. Among the highlights of the conference included world leaders agreeing that Afghans should take increasing control of its own security from the end of this year and also pledged support of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s plan to reward moderate Taliban fighters who disarm. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), participants said Afghan security forces will take over an unspecified number of provinces “by late 2010/early 2011.” Much of the conference focused on how to stabilize the country and support Karzai’s government, according to AFP. Proposal’s included an international fund reportedly worth some US$500 million to persuade moderate Taliban to renounce violence in return for jobs. Some US$140 million has reportedly already been pledged for the first year. Karzai also pledged to call for a “peace jirga,” or traditional gathering, and to establish a national council for peace, reconciliation and reintegration. International allies will also help Afghanistan grow its security forces to 171,600 by October 12011. Karzai reportedly had invited the Taliban for peace talks and they had dismissed the conference as propaganda. According to Reuters, on Friday (January 29) Taliban spokesperson Qari Mohammad Yousuf said that the Taliban leadership will decide soon on whether to join talks with the Afghan government. Brown also said that earlier this week the International Monetary Fund and World Bank will provide up to US$1.6-billion in debt relief from major creditors, the Voice of America reported. Regional countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, NATO and the European Union, as well as British and US officials, met in Istanbul, Turkey ahead of the London conference on Tuesday (January 26) to discuss security and improve regional ties. “The aim of the meeting is to find a single voice in the region to take to the London conference … The aim is to help Afghanistan stand on its own feet in the medium and long-term,” Reuters quoted a Western diplomat as saying.

Afghanistan postpones parliamentary elections until September

Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Sunday (January 24) said that it would postpone parliamentary elections from May until September. According to CNN, the IEC said that there were several reasons for the decision, which included security concerns, logistical challenges and a budget shortfall. The election is now set for September 18, CNN reported. “The purpose of the election is for the people to manifest their will through their votes.  If they cannot do that due to issues of security, technical reasons or fraudulent practices, if the issues of fraud that marred the presidential election last year have not been removed—then it is better to postpone the elections until such a time as these issues have been resolved,” CNN quoted Dauod Sultanzoy, a parliament member, as saying. The UN on Sunday (January 24) said it welcomed the decision, saying that it would give election officials more time to prepare for the elections. Kai Eide, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, said that the postponement would allow extra time to prepare for staging the polls. “It also provides time to make improvements to the electoral process based on lessons learned during the presidential and Provincial Council elections in 2009,” the UN quoted Eide as saying. Earlier this week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced his intention to appoint veteran diplomat Staffan de Mistura as the new top UN envoy to Afghanistan. He will take over from Eide on March 1. 

Germany to expand combat troops, while France says no more additional soldiers

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that Germany plans to increase its military commitment to Afghanistan by sending an additional 500 troops. Germany currently has 4,300 soldiers in Afghanistan, which is the third largest foreign contingent after the US and UK. Merkel said that Germany also plans to adjust the parliamentary mandate under which troops serve to allow for another 350 soldiers to be deployed as a “flexible reserve” to help with events such as elections if necessary, the AP reported. Merkel said that Germany would focus more strongly on training local forces and also said that Berlin is not setting a withdrawal date for troops. Meanwhile, France said that it will not send any more combat troops to Afghanistan. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told CNN Thursday (January 28), “No more fighters. We are in charge. We don’t want to send more troops to fight.” According to CNN, however, Kouchner did not rule out sending more trainers for the Afghan army and police. The country currently has around 3,500 troops in Afghanistan, according to CNN.

Aid groups warn of “militarization” of aid

Aid agencies warned this week that there is an increasing danger of militarization of aid in Afghanistan. A new report by eight aid agencies says that aid routed through foreign troops to “win hearts and minds” put the lives of Afghans at risk. The report is titled, “The Dangers of Militarized Aid in Afghanistan” and the agencies include ActionAid, Care, Afghanaid, Christian Aid, Trocaire, Concern and the Norwegian Refugee Council. “Development projects implemented with military money … aim to achieve fast results, but are often poorly executed, inappropriate and do not have sufficient community involvement to make them sustainable … There is little evidence this approach is generating stability and, in some cases, military involvement in development activities is, paradoxically, putting Afghan lives further at risk as these projects quickly become targeted by anti-government elements,” Reuters quoted the report as saying. In a separate report, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the number of civilian casualties from the fighting rose substantially in 2009. Jacques de Maio, the ICRC’s head of operations in South Asia, said that first aid posts were caught in the fighting and even sometimes targeted, while ambulances were also blocked and sometimes came under fire. “More must be done to minimize the war’s impact on civilians not only in combat zones, where fighters and civilians must be distinguished at all times, but also far from the battlefield,” the AFP quoted De Maio as saying. 

Movement

2010: According to the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), hundreds of families allegedly forced out of their homes in northeastern Kapisa province by fighting have sought refuge in the eastern outskirts of the capital, Kabul. According to IRIN, a newly built private market in the Nassadji Bagrami area of Kabul is home to the displaced who began settling there in November. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Returnees (MoRR) estimates that there are 180 families as of December, but the displaced say there are over 1,200 families (70,000 individuals). According to the UN, most of the displaced say they had received no assistance from the government or aid agencies and faced food, water, cold and health-related problems. According to the MoRR, hundreds of displaced families live in 17 locations in and around Kabul. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates some 275,000 internally displaced in the country, but the MoRR claims over 400,000 displaced. (IRIN, Jan-12)

The Afghan government says that the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is significantly higher than estimated by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The new Ministry of Refugees and Returnees (MoRR) figures from all 34 provinces indicates that 82,778 households or 413,890 individuals are currently internally displaced, the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported. According to IRIN, the UNHCR estimate of 275,000 IDPs in Afghanistan is based on the findings of a National IDP Task Force which included UN agencies, NGOs and government bodies. Over one million people were reportedly internally displaced in 2002 due to conflict, ethnic tensions and land disputes, according to IRIN. Afghans have also been displaced due to natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, and some returnees from Pakistan and Iran have also become displaced due to landlessness and other socio-economic problems. Most of the displaced have been assisted to return home over the past seven years, but thousands still live in camps in Kandahar, Herat and Helmand provinces. UNHCR said that finding a definite figure for those displaced by conflict was difficult. “As soon as the security situation improves [in a given area] people tend to go back to their places of origin,” IRIN quoted UNHCR spokesperson in Kabul Nader Farhad as saying. The government and UN ended a formal IDP program in March 2006 and since then efforts have been made to encourage the remaining displaced to return home and aid distribution has been made on an ad hoc basis. (IRIN, Jan-4)

2009: According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 262,000 people are displaced across Afghanistan with conflict, natural disasters, poverty and communal tensions being the major factors. According to the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), more than 1 million people were internally displaced in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2005, according to aid agencies. Most stayed in camps in southern Kandahar and Helmand provinces and western Herat provinces, where they received UN aid. The assistance program ended in March 2006 and many of the displaced resettled in their original areas mostly in the northern provinces, but tens of thousands remain in camps, saying that it is not safe for them to return. IRIN reports that aid agencies warn that the most vulnerable of the displaced are children who are forced to beg or work on the streets, while some fall under the control of insurgents, accused by the UN of using them for military purposes. (IRIN, Nov-26)

The UNHCR has begun a winter aid program for some 200,000 of the most vulnerable people, mainly internally displaced persons and returnees from Iran and Pakistan, IRIN reported. In Kabul, UNHCR has begun distributing supplies to some 1,500 displaced people and returnees. The aid is worth some US$3.85 million and includes non-food items. UNHCR says it has moved supplies to areas with harsh winters, such as the western region. The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) also says that over 27,400 tons of food aid has been prepositioned in 18 of the country’s provinces.  “Since 2007, our winterization strategy has emphasized preparedness rather than emergency response… We hope to prevent illness and hardship for the most vulnerable people,” IRIN quoted Ewen Macleod, UNHCR’s representative in Afghanistan, as saying. UNHCR says its winterization program is expected to be completed by the end of the month. (IRIN, Dec-1)

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), military operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in northwestern Pakistan have forced hundreds of households to abandon their homes and seek refuge in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan, the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported. A joint assessment by the Afghan government and UNHCR indicates that 440 families, mostly from FATA’s Bajaur Agency, are living in two districts of Kunar province, but no formal camps have been set up for them. The refugees are reportedly being hosted by relatives and local Afghan communities. UNHCR says that it has distributed tents and other relief supplies and the World Food Program said it was planning to deliver food to some 290 families in the near future. The NATO-led provincial reconstruction team has also helped distribute food to the refugees. According to IRIN, over the past few months, up to 3,000 Pakistani households have sought temporary settlement in eastern Kunar and Nangarhar province. A local official in Kunar said that most have returned, but hundreds of families were still displaced. (IRIN, Nov. 9)

The UNHCR said that it has almost completed its shelter program for more than 50,000 of the most vulnerable Afghan returnees this year, bringing to some 1.2 million those who have benefited since the re-integration project started in 2002. The refugee agency says that this represents some 25 percent of the more than 4.3 million Afghans assisted home by the UNHCR since the end of 2001, which include 3.4 million from Pakistan and over 865,000 from Iran. UNHCR says its re-integration program will continue for the next two years, especially in the shelter sector and will continue to support the government-led program to allocate land to landless returnees. (UNHCR, Oct-27)

According to the UN, aid agencies and local officials say that several thousand people returning to their homes in northern Jowjan and Sar-i-Pul provinces need assistance before winter sets in. The agencies say that most are returnees from Iran and from a camp of displaced persons in southern Afghanistan. UNHCR says that it has set up a tented camp in Sozma Qala district in Sar-i-Pul province to accommodate hundreds of returnees from Iran. Provincial officials say that around 300 families had returned to Jowzjan province from the Zhari IDP camp in Kandahar province. (IRIN, Oct-29)

According to the UNHCR, there were more than 1,300 Afghans seeking asylum in Tajikistan in 2008, but the number has almost doubled in the first five months of this year, according to the BBC. Some of the reasons for the influx include violence over the border in Afghanistan. Tajikistan is struggling to provide the refugees with jobs and health care and a special government decree outlawed the settling of refugees in the capital and job opportunities in small towns are almost non-existent. (BBC, Oct-21)

2008: The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) held a press conference in Kabul on December-15. Nilab Mobarez from the UNAMA Spokesperson’s Office reported that the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation and UNHCR just published the first national IDP profiling report. Findings of the report include that the various conflicts and natural disasters in Afghanistan in the last decade have uprooted about 1.2 million people. Currently, about 235,000 people are estimated to be displaced within Afghanistan. According to the report, aid agencies and the Afghan government must focus on local integration to help bring long-term displacement to an end. (UNAMA, December-15)

According to UNHCR, fewer Afghan refugees are returning home, while more people are leaving the country for better jobs and security, a trend that may increase regional tension. More than 5 million of 8 million Afghan refugees have returned home since 2002, but the number of those returning is falling, according to UNHCR. Amid pressure from Iran and Pakistan to send home millions of refugees, representatives from UNHCR, about 30 countries and international organizations met in Kabul in mid-November to mobilize support for the sustained return and reintegration of the refugees. (AFP, BBC, Nov-19)

UNHCR said in the first week of October that some 251,800 registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran had returned to their homes so far in 2008. Most of those repatriated (248,951) under the UN-assisted voluntary repatriation campaign came from Pakistan, while Iran accounted for 2,929 returns. (UNHCR, Oct-7)

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.

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	No New Information
Food	Fifty tons of wheat seeds, 70 tons of urea and 25 tons of fertilizer were distributed by the provincial Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and was supported and funded by the Czech Provincial Reconstruction Team in Logar province. Around a thousand farmers are expected to benefit from the distribution. Yields are expected to be two times higher than previously. (NATO, Nov-4) There have been at least six attacks on World Food Program (WFP) food convoys in 2008, and WFP temporarily suspended food delivery to Daikundi province.(IRIN, May-28)
Health	No New Information
NFIs -Shelter	No New Information IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM
Water & Sanitation	No New Information UNICEF
Security	District police chief Nabi Patang said that Afghan security troops shot and wounded two demonstrators when they tried to approach a police compound in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni. The men were reportedly demonstrating over alleged civilian casualties in a raid by Afghan and foreign forces this week. (Reuters, Jan-23) The provincial governor’s spokesperson said four Afghan soldiers were killed and one wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Maidan Wardak province southwest of Kabul on Friday (Jan-22). The governor was reportedly travelling in the same convoy, but was unhurt. (Reuters, Jan-23) NATO and Afghan forces killed four suspected insurgents during a raid at a compound in Qara Bagh district in the central province of Ghazni Wednesday night (January 20). Locals claim all those killed were civilians and did not possess any weapons. (AFP, Jan-21) As many as 20 people were killed and at least 13 wounded when a suicide bomber targeted a crowded market in Dehrawud (also spelled Deh Rawood) district in central Uruzgan (also spelled Oruzgan) province on Thursday (January 14).  (BBC, Reuters, Jan-14) One Afghan policeman was killed and six others wounded when a roadside bomb struck a police vehicle in Ghazni province.  (Reuters, AP, Jan-13) Two Afghan employees of a western aid group were killed in Uruzgan province (also spelled Oruzgan) on Sunday (January 10) when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. (Reuters, Jan-11) Eight Afghan soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Uruzgan (also spelled Oruzgan) province on Thursday (January 7) as they were returning from the provincial capital, Tirin Kot. (AP, Jan-8) Two Afghan intelligence officials were killed in Logar province on Friday (January 8) when a suspected suicide bomber entered a dog fight venue and opened fire. The assailant was gunned down by other intelligence officials at the scene. (AP, Jan-8)
Comments	The commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Gen. Stanley McChrystal, met with the Governor of Uruzgan, Assadulah Hamdam, on November 11 and opened a bridge in Tarin Kowt, the provincial capital, ISAF reported. The Afghan people built it with funds from ISAF and the new bridge spans the Teri Rud River to provide better access to Tarin Kowt for people who live north of the city. (NATO, Nov-17) Three schools for girls were completed in Logar province and will serve more than 1,000 girls. Two schools were built in Khoshi district in eastern Logar, while the third was built in Muhammad Agha district. The construction was led by the Provincial Ministry of Education and funded by the Czech PRT. The Czech PRT has been assisting the people of Logar since March 2008. (Czech PRT, Oct-18)

East Central Region

Location	East Central Region
Coordination	UNHCR
Population
IDP Movement	The Afghan Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) agreed to work together towards creating sustainable livelihoods for 2,000 recent Afghan returnees from neighboring countries. About 640,000 Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan this year. (IOM, Dec-16)
Food	The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on December 9 that increasing attacks on food convoys by insurgents are leading to a food crisis. The attacks force convoys to take longer routes, thus increasing the cost of transportation and the food itself. Most food prices are already far beyond the reach of ordinary people. Aid agencies fear that the food crisis could exacerbate child malnutrition throughout the country. (UNICEF, Dec-9)
Health	According to the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), Afghanistan is set to receive some 600,000 doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine this week. According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), 948 people have contracted the disease and 17 have died since July 2009. However, according to IRIN, evidence from the past few weeks points to a decline in the rate of its spread.  According to IRIN, over 500 confirmed cases were reported from November 1-24, while only some 10 cases were confirmed from November 24 to January 11. No fatalities have been reported so far this year, according to the MoPH. “Although the influenza has been controlled effectively in the country, we are still concerned that it could rise in the cold season,” IRIN quoted MoPH spokesperson Farid Raaid as saying. The H1N1 vaccines have been pledged by Turkey and the UN’s World Health Organization and would be used for the most vulnerable populations, according to IRIN. The government had ordered a controversial three-week closure of schools on November 1 during the midst of the outbreak. (IRIN, Jan-11) The Afghan Public Health Ministry on Monday (November 30) said that more than 840 cases of H1N1 have been detected in the country. “In total, 843 cases of A/H1N1 have been detected so far and of these, 806 are men and 37 are women,” a report by the ministry said. The report said 448 men and 23 women have been affected by the virus in the capital, Kabul. At least 16 deaths have been reported thus far. (Xinhua, Nov-30) The Afghan government announced Tuesday (November 17) that it would reopen all schools from November 23 to December 12 to allow some 7.5 million schoolchildren take exams following an outbreak of H1N1 in the country, the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reported. Afghanistan’s National Disasters Management Commission on November 1 declared an H1N1 health emergency and ordered a shutdown of all schools and universities for three weeks. Around 9 million students and teachers were reportedly affected, according to IRIN. Officials said however, that universities will remain closed and students will have to take their annual exams in spring 2010. According to IRIN, schools in colder regions, some 65 percent of schools, will be closed until March 2010, but in warmer regions, such as in Kandahar, Khost and Nangarhar provinces, schools will resume after December 12, according to the Ministry of Education (MoE). The MoE added that strong H1N1 preventive measures will be implemented during the exams. According to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), over the past month, more than 500 H1N1 cases and 14 fatalities have been confirmed and a total of over 820 cases have been reported since July, IRIN reported. (IRIN, Nov-17) According to Afghanistan’s National HIV/AIDS Control Program, over 50 people have been diagnosed as HIV-positive in Afghanistan over the past nine months, bringing the total number of registered cases to 556. According to Malika Popal, the program’s advocacy and communications adviser, most have got the virus through intravenous drug use. Afghanistan’s MoPH estimates that some 2,000-3,000 are living with HIV/AIDS in Afghanistan. According to IRIN, the country’s virus prevalence rate of around 0.5 percent is considered among the lowest in the world. Experts say the armed conflict, lack of awareness of HIV/AIDS, lack of access to social services, rising intravenous drug addiction and the poor social status of women could lead to a rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in the country. (IRIN, Nov-5) Afghanistan’s MoPH and the Ministry of Finance on November 4 launched a new Partnership Contracts for Health Service (PCH) program today after signing 16 contracts with 10 NGOs totaling some US$72 million over two years to provide health services in 12 provinces of the country, supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The contracts begin implementation of Basic Packages of Health Services (BPHS) and Essential Packages of Hospital Services (EPHS) for 12 provinces and for assistance to the Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital in Kabul, according to USAID. The contracts are for two years with a one-year extension expected depending on results, according to USAID. The PCH program is expected to be implemented for a total of five years, with a total value of US$236 million. As a result of the contracts, the MoPH will support 462 health facilities and over 4,000 health posts. (USAID, Nov-4)
Non-Food Items - Shelter	No New Information UNHCR, ACTED, MSF, IRC, ICRC, IOM
Security	On Thursday (Jan-28), NATO and Afghan officials said that NATO-led forces mistakenly shot dead an Afghan civilian in the capital, Kabul on Thursday, sparking a protest outside US military base Camp Phoenix. The civilian was reportedly a religious leader. ISAF expressed regret over the killing and said the incident was under investigation. (Reuters, Jan-28) Pakistani police said Thursday (Jan-28) that militants attacked trucks carrying supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan on a main highway on the outskirts of Karachi, wounding three people. (AP, Jan-28) A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car near a US military base, Camp Phoenix, in the capital, Kabul, on Tuesday (January 26). Officials say the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban claimed the blast killed 25 soldiers and damaged three tanks. According to CNN, an Afghan military official said that at least six Afghan civilians and two US service members were injured. (CNN, AFP, Jan-26) On Friday (January 22), protesters blocked roads and chanted slogans against the US and Afghan government for a second day southwest of Kabul, over anger over the killing of four people by NATO forces in the Qara Bagh district of Ghazni province on Wednesday (January 20). NATO says the raid targeted a Taliban commander and the four killed were suspected insurgents, however villagers insist the dead were civilians. (AP, Jan-23) On Friday (January 22) President Karzai’s office issued a decree banning the use, production, storage, purchase or sale of a fertilizer chemical, ammonium nitrate, after investigations showed militants used the chemical in a series of bombings. The decree gives farmers and holders a month to turn in supplies. NATO has been confiscating the chemical compound and have been urging farmers to use fertilizer containing urea nitrate instead. (AP, Jan-22) At least four people, including a child and four members of Afghan security forces were killed and at least 70 people wounded when Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers launched a series of attacks on commercial and government buildings in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday (January 18). Seven militants were also killed. Taliban claimed the presidential palace, justice ministry, ministry of mines and a presidential administration building to be the target of attacks. (KT, BBC, AFP, Jan-18) A rocket hit the Afghan Joint Operations Center in the diplomatic enclave in the capital, Kabul on Friday (January 15). There were no reports of casualties at the time of reporting. (Reuters, Jan-15) Five civilians were wounded on Thursday (January 14) when Afghan and NATO-led forces fired warning shots to disperse a crowd outside a NATO military base in Garmser district in southern Helmand province. Shots were fired when some 200-400 people protesting against the desecration of the Quran by NATO forces, tried to enter the base. (AP, Jan-15) A French soldier was killed on Wednesday (January 13) during a patrol on a road linking Nijrab and Bagram bases. Two other French soldiers were wounded in the attack. (AFP, Jan-13) A French soldier was killed and another seriously wounded in a firefight with the Taliban militants in Alasay Valley on Monday (January 11) in eastern Kapisa province, some 50 miles (80km) northeast of Kabul. (Reuters, AP, Jan-11) Three rockets were fired into a residential area of Kabul on Thursday (January 7) wounding three civilians. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP, Jan-7)
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)
Comments	No new information

Eastern Region

Location	Eastern Region
Coordination	UNHCR, International Islamic Relief Organization;
Population
IDP Movement	UNHCR
Food	NATO-led ISAF PRT transported water pipes for a nearly seven-mile-long planned water supply project in Baghlan province.  (NATO, Aug-23) IRC
Health	The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is chlorinating hundreds of public water sources and conducting hygiene promotion to help areas hit by an outbreak of cholera in eastern Nangarhar. The outbreak comes less than two months after heavy rains triggered flash floods that left thousands homeless. The health ministry has recorded over 670 cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhea in around a third of the country’s 34 provinces, including Kabul. Almost 30 people have been killed by the disease. IRC says almost 300 cholera cases have been reported in Nangarhar. (IRC, Oct-27)
Non-Food Items - Shelter	A Norwegian journalist and his Afghan interpreter have been released. Paal Refsdal, working for a Norwegian production company, was abducted last week (November 6) along with his Afghan colleague in eastern Kunar province near the Pakistan border. The Norwegian media earlier did not report on the abduction for fear of jeopardizing their colleague’s safety. (Reuters, CPJ, Nov-12) One Afghan soldier was killed and another wounded by insurgent fire in the eastern Laghman province overnight. (Reuters, Nov-9) US Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) on September 17 delivered more than 4,000 pounds of supplies, including blankets, pots and pans, tarps, hygiene and dental kits, sandals and backpacks to more than 500 widows, orphans and disabled persons in the provincial capital Asadabad in northeastern Kunar province.  (AFPS, Sep-25)
Security	ISAF said that a 16-year-old boy was killed when he stepped on an improvised explosive device in the Tanai district of Khost province. (CNN, Jan-25) Two US service members were killed in a bomb explosion in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday (January 13) bringing the total US casualties since the beginning of this year to 12. However, NATO did not disclose further details.  (AP, Jan-13) Four soldiers and a civilian were killed in eastern Khost province when one of the explosives they recovered exploded just outside a police barracks. (AP, Jan-13) NATO-led forces killed five militants in a air raid in eastern Kunar province after militants attacked a convoy of foreign troops on Sunday (January 10). (Reuters, Jan-11) A bomb exploded in a garbage container outside provincial governor’s compound in Khost on Thursday (January 7), wounding six people, including the governor. All injuries were reportedly minor. (AP, Jan-7) At least Two Afghan children and a policeman were killed and more than a dozen wounded, including nine NATO soldiers, when a roadside bomb struck foreign troops on Wednesday (January 6), in eastern Nangarhar province. According to a local official, ISAF soldiers were visiting a US-funded road project. (Reuters, Jan-6) At least 13 people were wounded in an explosion at a market in eastern province of Khost on Wednesday (January 6). Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion. (AP, Jan-6) Two French journalists that were abducted in eastern Kapisa province along with three Afghan assistants last week are reportedly alive and in good health, French media reported on Friday (January 1). (BBC, Jan-1)
Water & Sanitation	CARITAS; ICRC, UNICEF
Comments	USAID and US Forces are working together to conduct both large infrastructure projects, such as the building of roads and smaller infrastructure projects, such as building a gravity powered water tank and faucet system. In Nawa village in Sirkani District of Kunar province, Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Kunar is building a road passing by Nawa to the border with Pakistan. USAID is following the road with development projects, such as installing 46 water taps to Nawa village. The water flows from a 10,566 gallon tank that sits over a natural spring. The project took about six months, according to USAID. (USAID, Nov. 20) As many as 40 people were killed in two earthquakes that struck Nangarhar province early Friday (April 17) morning. More than 60 people were wounded and over 200 houses damaged, according to preliminary reports. (VOA, Reuters, AFP, Apr-17)

Northeastern Region

Location	Northeastern Region
Coordination
Population
Movement IDPs	9,000 active IDPs in North and Northeast
Food	No New Information
Health	Afghan officials and the medical team assigned to the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Panjshir province coordinated with local leaders in two districts to augment health care to 563 people. (GoUSA, Oct. 23) WHO, Merlin, UNICEF, MSF; ICRC
Non-Food Items (NFIs) -Shelter	UNICEF, ACTED, Refugees Int’l, Mercy Corps
Security	Fourteen civilians were killed and 38 wounded when three rockets fired by Taliban insurgents struck a busy market in Tagab Valley in northeastern Kapisa province on Monday (November 16). (Reuters, Nov-17)
Water & Sanitation	No New Information
Comments	The NGO, Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), has helped more than 2,375 women farmers grow crops and earn an income through their Through the Garden Gate project. According to MEDA, based on 2008 harvest data, the average farmer’s income from these horticulture projects has tripled from US$106 in 2007 to US$352. MEDA says that contributing to the growth is the production of off-season cucumbers, increased sales of processed/dried products, planting of potatoes and average yield increases of three to eight times among tomato, onion and cucumber crops. (GC, Nov-27) Three French soldiers were killed in a violent storm in northeastern Kapisa province.  (BBC, Sep-27)

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	No New Information IOM
Food	The World Food Program (WFP) says it is moving 33,000 metric tons of food to remote areas of the country to prepare for the fast approaching winter. The pre-positioning began in August and will continue through November. The food is expected to support some 862,000 Afghans. (WFP, Oct-27)
Health	No New Information MSF, ICRC, UNICEF
NFIs –Shelter	No New Information IOM, ACTED, Mercy Corps
Security	ISAF officials said Thursday (January 28) that Afghan and NATO forces called in air support after coming under attack in northern Baghlan province and killed up to 20 militants. Afghan army general Murad Ali Murad said the incident occurred along the Kabul-Kunduz highway. (AFP, Jan-28) A Norwegian soldier died Monday when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Faryab province, the Norwegian military said. (AP, Jan-25) Afghan officials on Tuesday (January 12) recovered the body of an Afghan soldier in Dushi district of northern Baghlan province. The soldier was abducted from his house on Monday (January 11). (AP, Jan-13) Fourteen suspected militants were killed Tuesday night (January 4) when their explosives-laden bus blew up prematurely in the northern province of Kunduz. (CNN, Jan-6) Afghan and foreign forces killed two insurgents during an overnight raid at a compound outside Kunduz city. (Reuters, Jan-6) Afghan commandos killed at least 10 insurgents overnight in northern province of Kunduz after they staged a botched ambush against forces in the area.(Reuters, Jan-4)
Water & Sanitation	No New Information UNICEF, ICRC, DACAAR
Comments	The UN reports that OCHA’s field offices are updating lists of emergency stocks in each region to identify gaps ahead of the coming winter. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is assisting with procuring relief items for pre-positioning. The European Union Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) has also allocated resources for winter needs for areas affected by spring floods. ECHO will support food/cash for work for 3,089 households and shelter support for 991 households in 10 districts of Baghlan and Badakshan in the northeast. (OCHA, Nov. 20) The UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has supported the Afghan government in implementing the Swedish-funded Rural Accessibility Improvement Project to supplement rural accessibility in the northern provinces of Sar-i-Pul and Samangan since December 2007. According to UNAMA as part of the project, women started to be employed in June 2009 to help build 50 km of road with gravel surface and structures. UNAMA says so far 52 women are employed. (UNAMA, Nov-23) A strong 6.2-magnitude quake struck around 50 miles southeast of Feyzabad in Badakshan province in a sparsely populated area in the Hindu Kush mountains early Friday (Oct-23) morning. No serious damage was reported from the quake, which was centered some 170 miles below the surface. (CNN, DPA, Oct-23) The European Commission’s Humanitarian aid Office and the NGO ActionAid launched a cash for work program in northern Afghanistan on October 22 aimed at providing about 5,000 families with enough food to cover half of their daily requirements through the winter. The program is active in 40 villages in Jawzjan Province’s Darzab and Qushtepa districts, and in Balkh province’s Dawlatabad and Kaldar districts. (ActionAid, Oct-22)

Southern Region

Location	Southern Region
Coordination	UNHCR
Population
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	No New Information UNICEF; Mercy Corps; CARITAS; WFP
Health	NATO reported on December-14 that hundreds of people received medical care and humanitarian assistance in Zabul province. Members of the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), the Afghan Army and coalition forces participated in the operation. (NATO, Dec-14) Members of the Zabul PRT and of the Kentucky Army National Guard delivered four pre-fabricated medical containers to the Atgar district center. The delivery will help to improve the health care capacity in the province that has only one health care provider so far. (NATO, Dec-6)
NFIs - Shelter	No New Information UNHCR, Mercy Corps
Security	According to the AP, Afghan troops backed by NATO helicopters fought off an hours-long attack by Taliban fighters armed with machine guns and suicide vests in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. Six militants were killed and six government troops were reportedly wounded. According to the AP, Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousef Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack and said they had sent a team to attack the local UNAMA branch and a guesthouse used by government officials. He claimed 20 foreigners had been killed and wounded, but Afghan officials denied this. (AP, Jan-29) Officials said Tuesday (January 26) that at least four Afghan police officers were killed in an attack in southern Helmand province. According to the BBC, reports say that the bodies of the victims were found near the ministry of information and culture in the regional capital, Lashkar Gah. Officials say an investigation is under way. (BBC, Jan-26) On Sunday (January 24) a rocket attack on a major military air base, Kandahar Air Field, left four Bulgarian and four Romanian soldiers injured, according to NATO. (AP, Jan-25) The British Defense Ministry said that an explosion Sunday (January 24) in Helmand province killed a British soldier. (AP, Jan-24) ISAF reported that insurgents killed three Afghan women and wounded three people in southeastern Paktika province on Saturday (January 23) as they were traveling in a taxi. (CNN, Jan-25) ISAF reported that two Afghan children were killed and two other civilians wounded by a homemade bomb in a market in Khan Neshin in the southern part of Helmand. Initial reports suggested the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, according to ISAF. (Reuters, Jan-23) The US military said two U.S. service members from the NATO-led force were killed by a homemade bomb in the south of the country. (Reuters, Jan-23) A British soldier was killed by an explosion in Sangin in Helmand on Friday (Jan-22), Britain's Ministry of Defense said. (Reuters, Jan-23) Afghan and international forces killed 12 Taliban militants during an operation in the Gereshk district of Helmand on Friday (Jan-22) night, district governor Abdul Ahad said. (Reuters, Jan-23) NATO reported that two US service members from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed by an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday (Jan-19). No other details were available. (Reuters, Jan-19) Five members of an Afghan family, including four children, were killed and two wounded on Friday (January 15) when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb intended for Afghan and foreign security forces. The incident took place near Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province as a family was returning from a shrine visit. (AP, Jan-15) Three policemen and three civilians were killed when a suicide bomber targeted a police compound in the Daman district of Kandahar province. Three vehicles, including an ambulance, were also damaged. (AP, Reuters, Jan-13) NATO said on Wednesday (January 13) that its forces in a joint patrol with Afghan security personnel seized 250 pounds (113 kg) of homemade explosives, a dozen bombs pressure plates, radio-controlled bomb devices and other bomb-making materials during a patrol in Helmand province on Sunday (January 10). (AP, Jan-13) At least 13 Taliban militants were killed in a US-led airstrike carried out by a drone in Naw Zad district in Helmand on Monday (January 11). (DPA, Jan-12) An airstrike in Helmand’s Nad Ali district on Monday killed three insurgents. (DPA, Jan-12) Four NATO soldiers, including three Americans, were killed in separate incidents in southern Afghanistan on Monday (January 11). Reuters, Jan-11) A NATO helicopter made a hard landing in Helmand on Monday (January 11), but the landing caused no casualties. An investigation into the incident is underway.  (DPA, Jan-11) Afghan and NATO-led forces killed 11 Taliban insurgents and wounded nine others during a security sweep in Musa Qala district in southern Helmand province on Sunday (January 10).  (DPA, Jan-11) A NATO soldier was killed in a roadside explosion in southern Afghanistan on Sunday (January 10). (Reuters, Jan-11) At least nine people were killed in the provincial capital, Gardez, in Paktia province of Thursday (January 7) when a suicide bomber on foot targeted a convoy of guards that provides security for international troops. At least 24 others were also reportedly wounded in the attack that took place near a busy market. (AP, Jan-7) The NATO-led ISAF says that troops have seized more than 6,000 pounds of illegal drugs.  ISAF says that troops found more than 5,300 pounds of processed opium, more than 1,000 pounds of wet opium paste, 50 pounds of heroin, and firearms with ammunition in a truck in the Maiwand district of southern Kandahar province. Officials arrested two people and destroyed most of the drugs. (CNN, Jan-8) Four US soldiers and a British service member were killed in two separate roadside bomb blasts in southern Afghanistan on Sunday (January 3). Although NATO did not provide further details, according to some reports, attacks took place in Kandahar and Helmand provinces. (Reuters, Jan-4)
Water & Sanitation	The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) says that since a drought in 1996, many traditional irrigation sources have been drying up in southern provinces. MAIL says that drought has destroyed more than 80 percent of “kareze” (Channel water from underground aquifiers for use in irrigation) and springs in Kandahar. MAIL says the drying up of irrigation sources and poor irrigation management has forced more people to consider alternative livelihoods. (IRIN, Nov. 4)
Comments	A US military official says that the Taliban has been defeated by US forces in southern Helmand province and reinforcements will be charged with holding the region. Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Mills told USA Today on Tuesday (January 12) that “(U.S. forces have) taken on the Taliban, the insurgency, right in the heartland and they’ve defeated them.” According to USA Today, Mills warned that the Taliban are still dangerous, but the developments may have broad implications for the war because Helmand is a key area for the Taliban. “I see us moving away from the clear phase and moving into the hold and build” phase, USA Today quoted him as saying. US Marines are reportedly in control of most of Helmand’s major town and villages, leaving the Taliban in remote areas where they are less likely to sway local populations. (USA Today, UPI, Jan-12) More than 200 students at the Afghan-Canadian Community Center (ACCC) in Kandahar graduated on Monday (November 2) from a professional education program funded largely by the Canadian International Development Agency. (CIDA, Nov. 4) The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) to date has helped provide loans to over 1,441 microfinance clients, including farmers in Helmand, totaling US$832,800. Funds are provided via the Afghan government to the World Council of Credit Unions and is distributed via Islamic Investment and Finance Cooperatives (IIFCs) to members. DFID says the loans are aimed to boost counter narcotics work by giving famers incentives to plant legal food crops instead of illegal poppy. DFID’s activities in Helmand are closely coordinated with USAID. (DFID, Oct-23) British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on December-13, that Britain will help Afghanistan with upcoming elections and has also offered to set up a task force to fight corruption. Britain plans to give Afghanistan US$10 million to register voters for next year’s elections. (CNN, Dec-15) On December-19 Tooryalai Wesa, an Afghan-Canadian academic, accepted the post of governor in southern Kandahar province. (AP, Dec-19)

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	No New Information
Food	No New Information WFP
Health	No New Information UNICEF, MSF
NFIs – Shelter	No New Information
Security	No New Information
Water & Sanitation	No New Information UNICEF
Comments	Support for Spin Boldak camps terminated in 2004.

Western Region

Location	Western Region
Coordination	UNHCR; ICMC
Population	No New Information
Movement IDPs	12,000 IDPs, mostly in Maslakh camp IOM
Food	No New Information IRC, CARITAS, UNICEF, World Vision, IOM, Action Contre la Faim; WFP
Health	Afghan soldiers and civilian medical personnel with the assistance of Spanish and US forces treated more than 300 people each day between October 6-8 at a cooperative medical engagement near Camp Zafar. The Afghan army sent buses to multiple villages to ensure that villagers received care. More than US$30,000 in medications, antibiotics and hygiene items were purchased from the local economy and distributed. (ISAF, Oct-21) At least three people were killed in an outbreak of highly contagious Viral Hemorrhagic Fever in Herat city that was first reported on August 25, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Officials confirmed 10 suspected cases as of August 27 and said most of the infected were butchers, shepherds or others involved with animals. The patients were put in quarantine. (IRIN, Aug-27)
Non-Food Items (NFIs) – Shelter	No New Information
Security	On Monday Afghan and foreign forces killed unknown number of “known insurgents” in western Herat province. (DPA, Jan-12) An Afghan district official was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Delaram district in southwestern Nimroz province on Monday (January 11). (Reuters, Jan-11) Some 15 Taliban and three Afghan police have been killed in separate clashes since Sunday (December 27) in Bala Murghab district in western Badghis province, near the Turkmen border. (Reuters, Dec-28) A provincial security official said that Taliban insurgents attacked the runway at a civilian airport in Herat province on Thursday (December 3) night, close to the Iranian border, with about 13 rockets. There were reportedly no casualties. The official said that the airport would be closed until further notice. A spokesperson for NATO forces said that Herat’s military airfield next to the runway and used by NATO was not damaged. (Reuters, Dec-4)
Water & Sanitation	No New Information UNICEF
Comments	ISAF troops from the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in western Ghowr province has distributed thousands of handmade hats to schoolchildren on November 25. ISAF reports that almost 2,000 hats were given out as part of the final phase of the project, “Warm Hats for Afghan Children.” The project reportedly began in August when the PRT asked their Lithuanian countrymen to knit hats for the Afghan children. A PRT officer said the project exceeded expectations with more than 5,000 hats being made and an additional 1,500 hats expected. The additional hats are expected to be delivered in a few weeks. (NATO, Nov. 30) The NGO, ACTED, says it has added three more courthouses to Faryab province, which previously only had two court buildings. The NGO says that a pending follow-up province will add two more court houses. ACTED is helping to conduct a “Support to Justice Sector” project jointly financed by the European Commission through the International Organization for Migration and the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ACTED says the partnership with the International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences and the coordination with the provincial Supreme Court will eventually lead to the construction of three new courthouses and the training of 29 local judges and 28 prosecutors. (ACTED, Nov. 16)

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)
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	No New Information
Food	No New Information WFP, CRS, ARC
Health	No New Information UNICEF, MSF
Non-Food Items (NFIs) - Shelter	No New Information CRS
Security	No New Information
Water & Sanitation	No New Information IFRC, MDM
Comments	No New Information