July 20, 2007

 

 

Overview

 

NGO workers gunned down in central Logar province

NGO workers working for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) were gunned down on Wednesday (July 18) by two unidentified assailants in central Logar province, southeast of the capital Kabul. According to the IRC, Akram Mohammad, 40, a resident of Logar, and his car driver, were killed when two gunmen opened fire at their vehicle as they crossed a bridge in the village of Dabar Alo in Charkh District. Both Akram and his driver died of multiple gunshots. Ciaran Donnelly, the IRC's Afghanistan Country Director said, "Their tragic death represents a crime not just against their families, but against the whole Afghan people." She said the fallen workers were “committed, respected colleagues who worked tirelessly for the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan.”

 

UK report says Canada says NATO forces insufficient in Afghanistan

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Wednesday (July 18) that NATO did not have sufficient forces in Afghanistan to accomplish the “daunting challenge” of stabilizing the war-wrecked impoverished nation. He said that if the international community works together it can make progress in that country to the point where it becomes irreversible and it becomes a functioning nation. He said Canada’s more than 2,500 troops were already doing more than their fair share. He said without additional troop commitments, NATO and the international community won’t be able to accomplish the objectives they had set for themselves. Canada has so far suffered some 66 casualties. Most of the Canadian troops are deployed in Afghanistan’s volatile south. Canada is unhappy that other NATO nations have deployed their troops in more peaceful regions. The Canadian mission is due to end in February 2009, and opposition parties have indicated that they will not support further extension of the mission. Meanwhile, the British parliament also on Wednesday released a report stating that the Taliban are growing stronger in Afghanistan and urged an increased NATO presence. The House of Commons Defense Committee's report highlighted concerns ranging from the lack of support from other NATO countries, to lack of training for Afghan police and the eradication of opium poppy fields. However, the main concern was that the British-led NATO force does not have sufficient troops, with the report saying that the International Security Assistance Force is two battalions short of NATO-set requirements. It also stated that a far larger force than the current 37,000 troops was needed to stabilize the country.

 

United Nations World Food Program says despite recent US contribution its current three-year program still under-funded

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said earlier this week (July 17) that its three-year US$378 million Afghanistan operation is currently 61 percent funded. Rick Corsino, Country Director of WFP Afghanistan welcomed a US$26 million in-kind contribution by the United States for most vulnerable Afghans in the country. Corsino said the generous contribution from the US will help millions of Afghans, including those affected by emergencies, such as floods, drought and landslides, and those displaced by fighting. He said 45,000 metric tons of wheat provided by the US will be distributed to poor Afghans involved in a variety of WFP projects.

 

UNHCR resumes voluntary repatriation of registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has resumed voluntary repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan since Tuesday (July 17). UNHCR said on Monday (July 16) that Baleli Voluntary Repatriation Center (VRC) along Quetta-Chaman road and Hayatabad VRC in Peshawar will process registered Afghans to return from Pakistan under the UNHCR-assisted program. Hayatabad VRC is open Sunday to Thursday from 7 am to 7 pm. Baleli VRC on Quetta-Chaman road is open from 730 am to 2 pm.

 

23 South Koreans, two Germans kidnapped in eastern Ghazni province

Taliban gunmen kidnapped 23 South Korean Christians from a bus traveling along the Kabul-Kandahar highway, in the Qarabagh district of Afghanistan's eastern Ghazni province, 110 miles (175 km) south of Kabul, on Thursday (July 19). This marks the biggest group of foreigners abducted by militants in their campaign against the current government and its Western supporters. Officials said that they were not aware of the group’s presence until after the kidnapping. Provincial police chief Ali Shah Ahmadzai said, "They did not inform police about their presence in the area. We have found their empty bus and police have launched a major search operation in the area." The Korean Embassy confirmed a search operation and negotiations were in progress with the abductors, who were demanding the release of Taliban prisoners from Afghan jails. The group of Koreans in their 20's and early 30's reportedly belong to the Saem-mul Community Church in Bundang, near Seoul. South Korea has no combat troops in Afghanistan, but has a contingent of 200 engineers, doctors, and medical staff. On Wednesday (July 18), two German nationals and at least five Afghans were kidnapped along the same highway, and were thought to be taken to the border area with neighboring Ghazni province. They were reportedly civil engineers working for UN building projects in the country. The Taliban have said they would free the Germans if Berlin withdraws troops from Afghanistan and if Taliban prisoners were released from prison. However, the German government said on Friday (July 20) expressed doubts on the claims, saying that reports on Thursday (July 19) were conflicting on whether the hostages were in the hands of the Taliban or not. However, the German Foreign Ministry said that a German crisis group is reportedly working for their release.

Movement

 

2007 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 say voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan that are without proof of registration (PoR) ended this week (April 15), 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 will close 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% of returnees from Pakistan were from cities and 30% from camps. Over a third returned to Kabul, another 10% went to other central provinces, and just over 20% returned to each of the north and east. The Southern region received 6% and the Western region 4%. 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% were from urban areas; only 3% 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

 

 

East Central Region

 

 

Eastern Region

 

 

Northeastern Region