July 24, 2009

Overview

Afghan President Hamid Karzai opts out of first presidential debate

Afghanistan’s privately-held Tolo Television on Thursday aired the first of three presidential debates. Two of President Karzai’s former cabinet members and contenders for next month’s election, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani participated in the debate, while President Karzai did not participate. Both of Karzai’s rivals attacked his policies and his ineffectiveness in bringing the nation together and to provide security for its people. Karzai’s campaign had announced on Wednesday (July 22) Karzai’s decision not to participate in the debate due to a lack of time and the fact that more of the country’s 41 presidential candidates had not been invited. Karzai’s rivals criticized Karzai’s decision, saying that it showed his weakness. Jahid Mohseni, the chief executive of the company that owns Tolo TV said President Karzai was welcome to join the remaining two debates. 

Mongolia to send troops to Afghanistan

Mongolia said on Thursday (July 23) it will send at least 150 troops to Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, citing the country’s defense ministry sources. Bayasgalan Misheel, spokesman for the defense ministry, said troops will be on the ground by September and will be mainly engaged in security operations and training. He said, “This is important for regional stability and Mongolia wants to contribute. It is also a good experience for the Mongolian army so that it can become more professional in its armed forces.” Misheel said troops will be in Afghanistan for at least six months. Mongolia has sent eight separate teams comprising 25 troops to Afghanistan since 2003. The present commitment will be its largest contingent in Afghanistan since it began sending troops. Lieutenant Colonel David Tatman, the US military attaché in Mongolia said that Mongolian soldiers are considered ideal for training in Afghanistan as they use the same soviet-era military hardware commonly found in Afghanistan.

US envoy reiterates support for Pakistan

US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, is on a trip to Pakistan to focus on the plight of people displaced by the government’s ongoing operation against the Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants in the country’s northwest. Holbrooke, who concluded his two-day trip to Islamabad on Thursday (July 23), held talks with Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari as well as the head of the army and intelligence services on economic and security issues. He also hailed the return of 2.5 million people displaced by Pakistan military’s operation against the Taliban militants in country’s northwest. Before departing for neighboring Afghanistan, Holbrooke spoke with the media about the heavy U.S. financial assistance for Pakistan's government, military and its displaced people, and said that he hoped to announce help for Pakistan to overcome its crippling power generation shortages when he returns next month.

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	Afghan police backed by close air support killed nine Taliban insurgents in an operation overnight Thursday (July 23) in Gilan district in Ghazni province. (Reuters, Jul-24) Afghan forces killed four Taliban insurgents in an operation in Ghazni province on Thursday.  (Reuters, Jul-24) Ten Taliban militants were killed and three wounded when a roadside bomb they were planting exploded prematurely in Deh Yak district of Ghazni on Monday (July 20).  (Reuters, Jul-21) A US F-15E Strike eagle fighter jet crashed in Ghazni Saturday morning (July 18) killing both crew on board. The US military said the incident was not a result of hostile fire.  (Reuters, Jul-18) Four policemen, including a district police chief, were killed and four others wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Maidan Wardak province on Monday (July 13).  (Reuters, Jul-13) A roadside bomb killed four Afghan police and wounded one other in Charkh district in central Logar province on Saturday (July 11).  (Reuters, Jul-12) At least 25 people, including 15 school students and five policemen, were killed in a blast in central Logar province on Thursday (July 9) when explosives in an overturned truck near a school exploded. According to reports, the truck had been overturned purposely near the school. Police were checking the truck when the explosives went off. (Reuters, DPA, Jul-9)
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	A roadside bomb killed 4 US troops in eastern Afghanistan on Monday (July 20).  Authorities declined to give further details of the incident.  (Reuters, Jul-21) Taliban fighters abducted 13 construction workers in the Wazi Zadran district of Paktia province.  (Reuters, Jul-21) At least eight people were killed when Taliban militants attacked government buildings in the provincial capital Gardez in Paktia on Tuesday (July 21). The Governor’s compound, police headquarters and the National Directorate of Security Offices came under attack, leaving five Afghan security troops and three militants dead. (Reuters, Jul-21) Three people, including two Afghan police, were killed and several others wounded when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives vest at the gate of a main border crossing point in Nangarhar province on Sunday (July 19).  (Reuters, Jul-19) A US military helicopter made an emergency landing near a military base in eastern Kunar province on Sunday. There were no fatalities. Those injured were taken to a medical facility for treatment.  (Reuters, Jul-19) Afghan and foreign forces killed 10 Taliban insurgents after militants attacked their patrol in Pech district in Kunar province on Saturday (July 18).  (Reuters, Jul-20) Two villagers and three insurgents were killed in a clash when Taliban insurgents tried to attack a home of an Afghan army officer in Achin district in Nangarhar overnight on Friday (July 17).  (Reuters, Jul-18). Afghan and foreign forces backed by close air support killed eight Taliban fighters in the Barg Matal district in eastern Nuristan province on July 17.  (Reuters, Jul-18)
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	13 Taliban fighters were killed and 12 wounded during a security operation in Kunduz on Tuesday (July 21). Four Afghan soldiers were also killed and five wounded in the same clash.  (Reuters, Jul-21) Unidentified gunmen killed a candidate for the provincial council elections in the northern province of Kunduz overnight Saturday (July 18).  (Reuters, Jul-19) Two ISAF soldiers from Turkey were killed and two wounded in a vehicle accident in northern Faryab province on Tuesday (July 14).  (Reuters, Jul-15) Afghan police killed four Taliban fighters on Saturday (July 11) in a clash in Baghlan province.  (Reuters, Jul-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	Two US soldiers from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed on Friday (July 24) in southern Afghanistan. No further details were provided by NATO-led forces.  (Reuters, Jul-24) Two US soldiers were reportedly killed in a bomb explosion in southern Afghanistan on Friday. (AP, Jul-25) An Afghan girl was accidentally shot by a Canadian soldier when he fired a warning shot at a fast approaching motorbike that failed to heed signals to stop on Tuesday (July 21) in Kandahar province.  (AP, Jul-23) A British soldier from the NATO-led force was killed while on patrol in Helmand province on Wednesday (July 22).  (Reuters, Jul-23) Two US soldiers were killed on Wednesday in southern Afghanistan. NATO did not provide further details on the identity of the soldiers or the location of the attack.  (AP, Jul-22) A soldier from ISAF was killed in southern Afghanistan on Monday (July 20). No further details were available.  (Reuters, Jul-21) A British Tornado GR4 fighter jet used by NATO-led forces crashed on Monday, shortly after take-off from Kandahar airfield. Two crew members ejected safely and only suffered minor injuries.  (Reuters, Jul-20) A British soldier was killed by a roadside explosion while on foot patrol near Sangin district in Helmand province on Sunday (July 19).  (Reuters, Jul-20) A “civilian contracted” helicopter crashed during take-off from Kandahar airfield killing 16 civilians and wounding five others on Sunday.  (Reuters, Jul-19) Afghan and foreign forces claim to have killed 35 insurgents in an operation in Kandahar on Saturday (July 18).  (Reuters, Jul-19) An Australian soldier was killed in an explosion near the provincial capital Tirin Kot in Helmand province during an operation against a suspected compound in the Baluchi Valle early Saturday morning.  (Bloomberg, Jul-19) Three Afghan soldiers were killed and three wounded when an explosives-laden car exploded in Shah Joy district in southern Zabul province on Saturday.  (Reuters, Jul-18) A roadside bomb attack killed one Afghan soldier and wounded three more in Gereshk district in Helmand province on Friday (July 17).  (Reuters, Jul-18) Afghan security forces killed two insurgents, wounded two others and detained one more during a gun battle in Zabul’s Arghandab district on Thursday (July 16).  (Reuters, Jul-18) Nine people, including five children and two women, all members of the same family, were killed on Friday (July 17), in a roadside bomb blast in the border town of Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province. Two women were also wounded in the incident.  (Reuters, Jul-17)
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	At least 12 civilians were killed and four other wounded when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb while traveling on a dirt road between Gulistan and Delaram districts in Farah province on Sunday (July 19).  (Reuters, Jul-20) Taliban insurgents killed an Afghan army soldier in Bala Murghab district in western Badghis province on Monday (July 13).  (Reuters, Jul-14) A US soldier was killed in a clash with the insurgents in western Farah province on Wednesday (July 8). (AFP, Jul-8) Two soldiers from NATO-led forces were wounded when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden motorbike into an Italian military vehicle in Shindad region in western Herat province.  (Reuters, Jul-3)
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