May 15, 2009

Overview

Rights group says US procedures inadequate to avoid civilian casualties in Afghanistan

International rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday (May 15) criticized the US military for its failure to avoid civilian casualties in Afghanistan. HRW said its preliminary investigation into US-led airstrikes on May 4 and 5 in Afghanistan's western Farah province that killed scores of civilians revealed that US military safeguards to prevent civilian casualties were "inadequate," the Associated Press (AP) reported. Afghan officials claim that more than 140 civilians, including large numbers of women and children, were killed during airstrikes on two villages in Farah's Bala Baluk district. US officials have disputed Afghan claims, saying that the numbers were exaggerated. US officials also claimed that villagers had been used by the Taliban insurgents as human shields. Rachel Reid, a researcher for HRW, said that HRW condemns the use of civilians as human shields by the Taliban. However, she said, "The villagers that we spoke to did not say that they had been forced to stay in their homes," adding she had thus far no evidence that civilians had been used as shields by the Taliban in the incident last week. Brad Adams, HRW's Asia director, said, "The US needs to answer some basic questions about the sources and quality of information it requires before authorizing these kinds of devastating bombing runs." He said, "Even if some Taliban remained in the village, dropping a dozen bombs into a residential area doesn't seem to make much sense." The group is calling for "fundamental changes" to military operations to prevent civilian deaths like those this month in Farah. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday (May 14) that the US military will review its operations and use of air power in Afghanistan to minimize civilian casualties. He said "offense" is one area that needs a closer look, as careful planning and execution could help minimize civilian casualties, the AP reported.

US names new commander for Afghan mission

The US has named a new commander for its forces in Afghanistan. Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, director of the staff for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, has been nominated to replace Gen. David McKiernan, pending Senate confirmation. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday (May 11) that he had asked McKiernan to resign, several media outlets reported. Gates also named Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez, his top military aide, to serve as McChrystal's deputy. Speaking to reporters at a press briefing at the Pentagon, Gates said, "The focus here is simply on getting fresh thinking, fresh eyes." Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said, "There was a need for new leadership." Gates said McChrystal and Rodriguez will be a team, and their combined skills will offer fresh opportunities looking forward. McChrystal is a former commander of special operations forces seasoned in counter-insurgency-style combat favored by the Pentagon and the White House. Both nominations have to be approved by the US Senate. The change comes as the US readies some 21,000 additional troops for Afghanistan to get a handle on the worsening security in the country.

Afghan authorities investigate school poisoning

Afghan authorities are investigating three incidents of possible poisonings at girls' schools in east-central Afghanistan that sickened hundreds of students. The latest incident took place on Tuesday (May 12) in the east-central province of Kapisa, where more than 130 people, including 98 students and six teachers, became sick with headaches, vomiting and dizziness as a result of toxic fumes, Reuters reported. Five of the girls briefly slipped into comas following exposure to the yet to be identified fumes but later stabilized. The suspected gas attack is the third in less than three weeks in the country's relatively calm east-central region. On Monday some 61 students and a teacher were hospitalized in neighboring Parwan province with a sudden illness that caused some to pass out. On April 26, dozens of students were hospitalized in Parwan following exposure to toxic fumes. Authorities have sent blood samples from victims to the US base in Bagram and are awaiting results, Reuters said. Afghan officials suspect the incidents to be deliberate gas attacks against schoolgirls by elements linked to the hardline Taliban. There has been an increase in attacks against schoolgirls. Last year (2008), a group of female students had acid thrown in their faces in southern Kandahar province. The Taliban has been known for its opposition to girls' education. Girls were banned from school during Taliban rule that ended in late 2001.

Movement

2008: The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) held a press conference in Kabul on Monday (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)

Some 2,800 Pakistani families crossed the border into northeastern Afghanistan over the past two months to escape fighting between militants and Pakistani security forces in Bajur region.  Most of the people are reportedly in Kunar province.  (AFP, Sept-19)

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).

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	No New Information
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	No New Information
NFIs -Shelter	No New Information IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM
Water & Sanitation	No New Information UNICEF
Security	US and Afghan forces detained one insurgent in Baraki Barak district in Logar province on Friday (May 15). (Reuters, May-15) Four Taliban insurgents were killed on Monday (May 11) in Ghazni province when they ambushed an office of a construction firm. (Reuters, May-12) A child was killed and two others wounded in central Maidan Wardak province on Monday when a mortar hit a house. (Reuters, May-12) Three employees of a construction firm were killed in Zabul on Sunday (May 10) in a roadside bomb attack. (Reuters, May 10) A roadside bomb on Saturday (May 9) killed three Afghan soldiers in Zabul. (Reuters, May-10)
Comments	Avalanches in Daykundi province killed one woman and three children during the first week of April.  (IRIN, Apr-2)

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	No New Information UNICEF, CARITAS, MSF, IFRC, IRC, ICRC
Non-Food Items - Shelter	No New Information UNHCR, ACTED, MSF, IRC, ICRC, IOM
Security
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	NATO entered talks with Afghanistan’s northern neighbors to allow the shipment of more supplies through those countries. The move comes as Taliban attacks on NATO supply lines through Pakistan increase and the local transport association suspended any convoys to Afghanistan beginning December-15. At least 75 percent of supplies to foreign troops travels through Pakistan. (BBC, Dec-15)

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	No New Information
Non-Food Items - Shelter	No New Information CWS, UNICEF
Security	Two US soldiers from NATO-led forces were killed in a clash in eastern Afghanistan on Friday (May 15). (Reuters, May-15) A suicide car bomb attack outside Camp Salerno - a US base - in Khost province on Wednesday (May 13) killed at least seven Afghan civilians and wounded 21 others. (AFP May-13) Eleven Taliban insurgents were killed in Wednesday night fighting with Afghan and NATO-led forces in Paktika province. Ground forces called in air strikes after insurgents attacked a police post. (ABC, AP, May-14) On Sunday (May 10), eight Afghan construction workers were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in eastern Nangarhar province. (Reuters, May-10) Taliban insurgents killed two Afghan policemen in an ambush in Paktia on Sunday. (Reuters, May-10) Afghan forces backed by close air support killed 20 Taliban militants in a clash in Paktia province on Saturday (May 9). Four policemen were also wounded in the clash. (TOI, May-10) US-led forces killed one militant in an overnight operation in Paktika on Saturday. (Reuters, May-10) Afghan policemen killed seven Taliban militants and wounded one during an operation on the night of May 8 in Ahmad Khail district in Paktia.  (Reuters, May-9)
Water & Sanitation	CARITAS; ICRC, UNICEF
Comments	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
Water & Sanitation	No New Information
Comments	The Mine Detection Center (MDC), an Afghan NGO, has cleared 1 million square meters of landmines in Afghanistan’s northeastern region since January. According to UNAMA, 165 people have been killed and more than 1100 people have been injured in mine accidents in the four northeastern provinces of Kunduz, Baghlan, Takhar and Badakhshan. (UNAMA, Oct-21)

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	No New Information
Health	No New Information MSF, ICRC, UNICEF
NFIs –Shelter	No New Information IOM, ACTED, Mercy Corps
Security	Police killed four militants in a clash in Faryab province on Monday (May 11). (Reuters, May-12)
Water & Sanitation	No New Information UNICEF, ICRC, DACAAR
Comments	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	Afghan and foreign forces backed by close air support kill 22 militants in overnight fighting in Helmand province on Friday (May 15). (Reuters, May-15) A British soldier was killed in a roadside bomb explosion near the provincial capital Lashkar Gah in Helmand on Thursday (May 14). (Reuters, May-15) One policeman was killed and five others wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a police station near the border town of Spin Boldak in Kandahar province on Thursday. (AP, BBC, May-14) A British jet crashed in Kandahar on Thursday on takeoff. Lt. Commander Christopher Hall, a spokesman for NATO-led forces, attributed the crash to a mechanical failure. The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely but suffered minor injuries. (AP, May-14) Two employees of a construction firm were killed in a roadside bomb blast in Zabul province on Tuesday (May 12). (Reuters, May-12) On Sunday (May 10), nine people, including four policemen, four civilians and an army soldier, were killed and 17 others wounded when two suicide bombers on foot detonated their explosives near a police station in Gereshk district in Helmand province. (AFP, TOI, May-10) Two Afghan army soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb attack on Sunday in Helmand. (Reuters, May-10) A roadside bomb killed two Afghan policemen and wounded two others in a roadside bomb attack in the Arghandab district in Zabul on Saturday (May 9).  (Reuters, May-9) An Afghan army soldier on May 7 killed two Taliban insurgents during a patrol in Musa Qala district in Helmand.  (Reuters, May-9)
Water & Sanitation	No New Information UNICEF
Comments	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 the volatile southern province of Kandahar. He will be officially sworn in on December-20. (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	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
Water & Sanitation	No New Information UNICEF
Comments	The International Organization for Migration (IOM) inaugurated an upgraded Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) radio station and a media center in Qal-i-Naw district in the province of Badghis. IOM installed an AM transmitter and studio, with funding from the Spanish government. The new equipment has allowed the station to broadcast to every district in the province. (IOM, Oct. 24)

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