July 02, 2009

Overview

US urges NATO allies to commit more funds and troops for Afghanistan

The US is urging its NATO allies to commit more resources for Afghanistan.  Speaking at a conference on transatlantic relations in the German capital, Berlin, on Wednesday (July 1), the US envoy to NATO, Ivo Daalder, said, “The US is doing its part – Europe and Germany can and should do more.”  He said additional troops sent to Afghanistan ahead of the elections must stay there after the elections.  Daalder said an estimated US$17 billion was needed to train and equip the Afghan army and an additional US$2 billion a year was needed to sustain it.  He said the US would pay US$5.5 billion this year and another US$7.5 billion next year, adding it was critical that Europe make up the difference.  He said there was no way Afghanistan would pay for its forces, noting that the country took in about US$750 million in revenues last year.

US launches major offensive in southern Helmand province

Thousands of US marines and hundreds of Afghan army troops launched a major operation overnight in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, which is known as a Taliban stronghold and hotbed of insurgency.  More than 4,000 US marines and some 650 Afghan army soldiers are taking part in Operation Khanjar, meaning “Strike of the sword” or dagger.  The operation was launched after 1:00 AM local time on Thursday (July 2) when troops backed by close air support moved into Taliban-dominated villages.  As of the latest reports, only sporadic gunfire involving small arms was reported. The operation is aimed at flushing out the Taliban insurgents from hotly contested Helmand River Valley before the country’s upcoming nationwide general election on August 20^th.  The operation is different from the ones in the past as foreign forces will seek to establish a long-term presence in the areas they clear out.  Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson said in a statement, “Where we go we will stay, and where we stay, we will hold, build and work toward transition of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces.”  Speaking at a briefing at the US military’s Camp Leatherneck in Helmand, Nicholson said, “The security forces will build bases to provide security for the local people so that they can carry out every activity with this favorable background, and take their lives forward in peace,” BBC News reported.  The statement reflects US Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s new strategy in Afghanistan that is centered on expanding security while protecting civilians.  Officials hope the new strategy will provide ordinary Afghans a secure environment to conduct their daily lives and restore public confidence in the government and foreign forces. 

Dozens killed in security incidents across Afghanistan

Dozens of people, mostly militants, were killed in security incidents across Afghanistan this week.  At least two people, including a child, were killed and more than eight others were wounded when a suicide bomber dressed as a woman blew himself up inside a female security check point at the Torkham border crossing in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Tuesday (June 30), several media outlets reported. Zaman Mamozai, the border police chief, said one child and a police officer were killed and nine other people, including four police and five civilians, were wounded in the attack. The US military claimed to have killed more than a dozen Taliban from the Haqqani group in an operation overnight in the southeastern province of Khost, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. A US military statement said that coalition-led airstrikes against senior commanders of the Haqqani network killed more than a dozen people. Abdul Wali Zadran, a provincial official, said the strikes took place in Waza Khwar district and killed 22 Taliban insurgents, AFP reported. On Monday (June 29), 15 Taliban and two police officers were killed in a clash in Kokchinar area in Baghlan-e-Markazi district in northern Baghlan province, DPA reported. The provincial police chief, Abdul Rahman Saeedkhili, said the fighting broke out late Monday and lasted several hours. There are concerns that a recent uptick in violence may derail the country's nationwide general elections.

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	On Monday (June 29) the Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing of four foreign soldiers in a roadside bomb attack in Wardak province, just outside Kabul. (DPA, June 29) Four Taliban militants were killed while planting a mine in Ghazni province Tuesday night (June 30). (Reuters, July 1) Two civilians were killed on June 23 in 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	The US military said Thursday (July 2) that an American soldier missing since Tuesday (June 30) was abducted in Paktika province along with three Afghan soldiers and was most likely “sold” to a network led by warlord Siraj Haqqani.  (CNN, July 2) On Wednesday (July 1), three members of a family were killed and four wounded when a rocket hit a house in Kunar. It was unclear who fired the rocket. (Reuters, July 1) At least two people were killed and nine others wounded when a suicide bomber dressed as a woman blew himself up inside a female security check point at the Torkham border crossing in Nangarhar province on Tuesday (June 30).  (AFP, DPA, June 30) On Sunday (June 28), a child was killed, and nine others, including four police officers, were wounded when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a police convoy in Behsud district in Nangarhar province. (Reuters, June 28) On Friday (June 26), a soldier from the ISAF was killed in a roadside bomb explosion in eastern Afghanistan. (Reuters, June 26) 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)
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	On Monday (June 29), 15 Taliban militants and two police officers were killed in a clash in Kokchinar area in Baghlan-e-Markazi district in Baghlan.  (DPA, June 30) On Tuesday (June 30) a key Taliban commander, Mullah Nader, was killed in the Darzab district of Jawzjan province during a clearing operation by the NATO-led ISAF and Afghan soldiers. According to ISAF, the commander was killed after the militants attacked a convoy of Swedish and Finnish troops. ISAF said another militant was killed and two others wounded after forces called in air support.  (DPA, July 1) 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 Thursday (July 2), US Marines and Afghan troops captured the remote southern district of Khanishin in the south of Helmand during Operation Khanjar. (AFP, July 2) NATO said an explosion Wednesday (July 1) in southern Afghanistan left two of its troops dead and six others injured. NATO did not reveal the troops’ nationalities or the location of the blast. (AP, July 1) The US military said soldiers killed more than a dozen Taliban militants from the Haqqani group in an overnight airstrike operation in Khost. (AFP, June 30) On Monday (June 29) at least nine Afghan police officers, including the provincial police chief, were killed in Kandahar province during a clash between Afghan police and security guards working for US-led coalition forces. Afghan President Karzai ordered the guards to be released to Afghan custody after they reportedly sought shelter at a US base following the incident.  At least 41 guards had been disarmed and arrested to face trial. (AP, CBS, June 29) Three Afghan civilians were killed and two others wounded when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Gereshk district in Helmand province on Friday (June 26). (Reuters, June 26) On Friday, gunmen dressed as police officers killed eight Afghan police officers in an ambush in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah in Helmand. (Reuters, June 27) US and Afghan forces detained five militants during a security sweep in Nad Ali district in Helmand on Thursday night (June 25). (Reuters, June 26) 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)
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 Wednesday (July 1) one security guard was killed and two wounded when gunmen attacked their vehicle in Ghoryian district near the Iranian border.  The guards were working at a construction site.  (Reuters, July 1) On Tuesday (June 30), at least one police officer was killed and three others wounded after the Taliban attacked a UN World Food Program (WFP) convoy in Herat.  Police said the aid convoy was carrying food from Herat city to the Kush-e-Kuhna district.  The Taliban claimed they killed seven police officers.  (DPA, July 1) On Tuesday night, one police officer was killed and three wounded when their checkpoint was attacked by insurgents in Rabaat Sangee district.  A spokesperson for Harakut-ul-Mujahedin, a new Herat-based militant group, said they killed six police officers and captured six more.  (Reuters, July 1) On Saturday (June 27), five police officers and seven insurgents were killed when insurgents attacked a police checkpoint in Posht-e-Rud district in Farah province. (Reuters, June 28) Two police officers and five insurgents were killed in a clash in Bala Baluk district on Saturday. (Reuters, June 28) 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)
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