June 26, 2009

Overview

Kyrgyz parliament approves US base deal for Afghanistan

The Kyrgyz parliament on Thursday (June 25) ratified a deal that will allow the US to continue to use Manas air base in support of US and NATO operations in Afghanistan, BBC News reported. The US will pay US$180 million to the Central Asian republic for the use of the facility that is used to refuel US and NATO aircraft during operations against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbayev told the parliament, "The main goal of the agreement is to jointly fight terrorism by providing security assistance to the government of Afghanistan." He said, "The cooperation will be rather broad," implying no restrictions on how the US can use the base, Reuters reported. Citing Aibek Sultangaziyev, a Kyrgyz government spokesman, Reuters reported that the status of the existing military base as it now operates would formally change in August to a "logistics center." In March, the Kyrgyz parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of rescinding the use of its air facilities at Manas following a dispute over financial compensation for the use of Kyrgyz facilities. Manas base, located just outside the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, employs more than 1,000 servicemen, some 95 percent of whom are Americans. The base is pivotal to the US mission in Afghanistan. Last year (2008), more than 189,000 US personnel traveled to and from Afghanistan from this base. There were more than 6,370 flights, and it re-fueled aircraft with 204 million pounds of fuel. Last week, Afghan President Hamid Karzai also requested his Kyrgyz counterpart Kurmanbek Bakiyev to allow coalition forces to continue using Manas, the Associated Press reported.

Scores killed in security incidents across Afghanistan

Dozens of people, mostly Taliban insurgents, were killed in separate security incidents across Afghanistan this week.  In the latest violence on Friday (June 26), three Afghan civilians were killed and two others were wounded when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in Gereshk district in southern Helmand province, while US-led coalition forces detained five militants in Helmand’s Nad Ali district Thursday night (June 25), Reuters reported.  A man was killed in another roadside bomb attack in the eastern province of Khost on Friday.  The Taliban, who claimed responsibility for the attack, said the slain man was a spy.  At least seven civilians were killed when a roadside bomb struck a mini-van in southern Helmand province on Wednesday (June 24), the Voice of America reported.  Afghan and NATO-led forces backed by close air support, killed 23 Taliban insurgents during a security sweep overnight in southern Uruzgan province, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Wednesday. Citing General Sher Mohammad Zazai, AFP reported that the operation took place against a militant hideout in Chinarto district near the provincial capital, Tirin Kot, Tuesday night (June 23) that killed Taliban commander Mullah Ismail, among other militants. The Afghan defense ministry said troops had killed 25 "terrorists" during an operation in Helmand province that ended on Tuesday, the AFP reported. Afghan and foreign forces killed four insurgents and wounded three others in clashes in Zhari district in southern Kandahar province, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Taliban militants killed two Afghan intelligence officers on Tuesday in an ambush in southern Zabul province, while four Taliban militants were killed when they ambushed an Afghan army patrol in Zabul's Arghandab district on the same day, AFP reported. Three German soldiers were killed in the northern province of Kunduz on Tuesday after insurgents ambushed a patrol some four miles southwest of the provincial capital. Two civilians were killed on Tuesday in the central province of Ghazni when a suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of foreign troops. None of the foreign troops were reportedly hurt in the attack, Reuters reported. Three Afghan policemen were killed and four others were wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Dand district in southern Kandahar province Monday night (June 22). Also on Monday, two Afghan soldiers and nine Taliban insurgents were killed during a four-hour fire fight in western Farah province, Reuters reported. NATO-led forces fatally shot an Afghan civilian on Sunday (June 21) in Helmand after he failed to stop while driving his car towards their patrol in Babji district.

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	Two civilians were killed on Tuesday (June 23) in the central province of Ghazni when a suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of foreign troops. None of the foreign troops were reportedly hurt in the attack.  (Reuters, June-23)
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	Three soldiers from NATO-led forces were wounded in a roadside bomb blast on the outskirts of the capital, Kabul, on Monday (June 22).  (Reuters, June-22) On Sunday (June 21), two US soldiers were killed and six others were wounded when several rockets were fired at the Bagram Air Base.  (AP, June-21)
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	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	Taliban militants killed a man in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Khost province on Friday (June 26).  They claimed the man was a spy.  (KT, June-26) Eight civilians were killed and more than 40 others were wounded on Monday (June 22) in Khost.  (Reuters, June-22) NATO-led forces fatally shot an Afghan civilian after he failed to stop his car following a warning on Monday (June 22) in Khost, while four Afghan guards working for a western security company were wounded in an ambush by Taliban insurgents in Khost on the same day.  (Reuters, June-22) A child was killed and 20 others were wounded, including 18 civilians, in an explosion at a government ammunition dump in eastern Nangarhar province on Monday. Authorities are investigating whether the explosion was an accident or sabotage.  (Reuters, June-22) Several civilians were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in overnight clashes Sunday (June 21) between NATO-led forces and Taliban insurgents in eastern Kunar province.  (Reuters, June-21) Afghan army troops killed two Taliban fighters in Ismail Khel district in Khost province Saturday (June 20) after militants tried to ambush them.  (Reuters, June-20)
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	Three soldiers from US-led coalition forces were killed on Thursday (June 4) in Kapisa province when insurgents attacked their vehicle with a bomb and small-arms fire.  (AP, June-4)
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	Three German soldiers were killed in the northern province of Kunduz on Tuesday (June 23) after insurgents ambushed a patrol some four miles southwest of the provincial capital.  (Reuters, June-23)
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	On Friday (June 26), three Afghan civilians were killed and two others wounded when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in Gereshk district in southern Helmand province.  (Reuters, June-26) US-led coalition forces detained five militants during a security sweep Thursday (June 25) night in Helmand’s Nad Ali district.  (Reuters, June-26) At least seven civilians were killed when a roadside bomb struck a mini-van in southern Helmand province on Wednesday (June 24).  (VOA, June-24) Afghan and foreign forces killed four insurgents and wounded three others in clashes in Zhari district in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday (June 24).  (Reuters, June-24) Afghan and NATO-led forces backed by close air support, killed 23 Taliban insurgents Tuesday (June 23) during a security sweep overnight in southern Uruzgan province.  (AFP, June-24) The Afghan defense ministry said troops had killed 25 "terrorists" during an operation in Helmand province that ended on Tuesday.  (AFP, June-24) Taliban militants killed two Afghan intelligence officers on Tuesday in an ambush in southern Zabul province, while four Taliban militants were killed when they ambushed an Afghan army patrol in Zabul's Arghandab district on the same day.  (AFP, June-24) Three Afghan policemen were killed and four others wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Dand district in southern Kandahar province Monday night (June 22).  (Reuters, June-23) On Monday, three Afghan soldiers were killed and seven others wounded, including two civilians, when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a convoy of Afghan troops in southern Kandahar province.  (Reuters, June-22) Three civilians were wounded in southern Helmand province on Monday when a passenger bus struck a roadside bomb.  (Reuters, June-22) NATO-led forces fatally shot an Afghan civilian on Sunday (June 21) in Helmand after he failed to stop while driving his car towards their patrol in Babji district. (Reuters, June-24) On Saturday (June 20), eight Afghan civilians, including five females, were killed and 13 others wounded in southern Zabul province when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.  (Reuters, June-21) NATO-led forces killed some 26 Taliban insurgents in an airstrike near the provincial capital, Lashkargah, in southern Helmand province Friday evening (June 19).  (Reuters, June-20) On Friday, Afghan and NATO-led forces killed eight insurgents in Helmand's Gereshk district.  (Reuters, June-20) Afghan and foreign forces killed seven Taliban fighters in a clash in Arghandab district in southern Zabul province on Friday, while a suicide bomber targeted an Afghan army convoy in Zabul's Shahjoy district the same day.  (Reuters, June-20) A British soldier from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Helmand on Friday.  (Reuters, June-20) Afghan police killed sixteen Taliban insurgents and detained one other during an operation in Khas-Uruzgan district in southern Uruzgan province on Thursday (June 18)  (Reuters, June-20)
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	On Monday (June 22), two Afghan soldiers and nine Taliban insurgents were killed during a four-hour fire fight in western Farah province.  (Reuters, June-23) On Friday (June 19), six civilians, including three women, were killed when a roadside bomb struck their car in Gozara district in western Herat province.  (Reuters, June-20) A bomb struck a police patrol in western Farah province overnight, killing a policeman and wounding three others on Thursday (June 18).  (AFP, Jun-18) Seven rockets were fired at UN offices in the western province of Herat overnight, but no one was hurt in the attack Thursday.  (AFP, Jun-18)
Water & Sanitation	No New Information 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)
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