August 7, 2009
Overview
Afghanistan unveils stringent security plans for this month's polls
The Afghan government on Wednesday (August 5) unveiled stringent security plans to guard against violence during upcoming general elections on August 20, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. The plans include deploying some 333,000 Afghan and foreign security forces across the country for voting day and suspending all traffic and restricting movement to minimize the risk of suicide bombings. General Eric Tremblay, spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said, ÒYou never can reduce the risk to nil, so thereÕll always be residual risk, but the Afghan national security forces and ISAF will maintain security throughout the polling centers.Ó Last week, the Taliban called on people to boycott the polls and threatened to block all roads to polling stations, raising fears of violence. This weekÕs brazen rocket attacks in the capital Kabul, which left up to two people injured in an area home to a number of diplomatic missions and international organizations, have also raised fears of violence on voting day.
New NATO chief reiterates commitment for Afghan mission
NATO will stay in Afghanistan Òas long as it takes,Ó said the allianceÕs new Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister, CNN reported on Monday (August 3). Speaking at the NATO headquarters on Monday in the Belgian capital of Brussels, Fog Rasmussen said, ÒWe will support the Afghan people for as long as it takes – let me repeat that, for as long as it takes.Ó He said success in Afghanistan was NATOÕs top priority, Òto help prevent Afghanistan from becoming again the Grand Central Station of international terrorism.Ó However, he added that Afghanistan must take the lead to take over responsibility for its own security over the course of his five-year term. Rasmussen told the BBC on Thursday (August 6) that reducing civilian casualties in Afghanistan remained his top priority. He said that although progress had been made against the insurgents in southern Afghanistan, more troops were needed.
Canada to end Afghan mission in 2011
Canada says it will end its present military mission in Afghanistan by 2011. Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon reaffirmed on Thursday that his country will exit Afghanistan as earlier planned, AFP reported. Cannon said, ÒOur government is abiding by the motion in parliament in 2008 – that is that our combat forces will leave by 2011.Ó The comments come shortly after comments made by new NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, while visiting a Canadian project in Kandahar, that he would like to see Canada stay beyond 2011. In 2008, the Canadian parliament voted to withdraw Canadian forces from Afghanistan by no later than 2011.
Afghan Taliban say Pakistani Taliban leader MehsudÕs death to have no impact on Afghan cause
AfghanistanÕs Taliban insurgents say that the reported death of Tehrik-e-Taliban (Taliban movement) leader Baitullah Mehsud in Pakistan to be inconsequential for their cause in Afghanistan. Zabihullah Mujahid, a purported Taliban spokesman, told Reuters news agency over the phone from an undisclosed location, ÒThe TalibanÕs jihad against foreign forces in Afghanistan will not be affected if a Pakistani Taliban leader is killed on the other side of the Durand line,Ó adding, ÒWe feel sympathy for our brothers who fight for the same cause, but resistance against the Afghan government and its foreign allies will continue.Ó PakistanÕs most wanted and feared Taliban leader, Mehsud, who was behind a series of attacks in major cities and against security forces in the North-West Frontier Province is believed to have been killed in a US drone strike at his father-in-laws house outside South WaziristanÕs capital Wana early Wednesday (August 5) morning. Mehsud, along with his wife and another male, believed to be his brother, was on the roof of the house when the strike took place. Authorities have yet to obtain physical evidence of MehsudÕs death. However, early indications are that he was very likely killed in the strike. If true, MehsudÕs death is likely to deal a serious blow to the TalibanÕs operation in Pakistan, albeit temporarily. Among some other high profile attacks, Mehsud was also blamed for PakistanÕs former Prime Minister Benazir BhuttoÕs assassination in December 2007—a charge he denied.
Movement
2008: The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) held a press conference in Kabul on December-15. Nilab Mobarez from the UNAMA SpokespersonÕs 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)
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.
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
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Location |
Central Region |
Coordination |
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Population |
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IDP Movement |
No New Information |
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Food |
There have been at least six attacks on World Food Program (WFP) food convoys in 2008, and WFP temporarily suspended food delivery to Daikundi province.(IRIN, May-28) |
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Health |
No New Information |
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NFIs -Shelter |
No New Information IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM |
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information UNICEF |
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Security |
A guard working for a private security company was killed and two others wounded when a roadside bomb ripped through their vehicle in Ghazni city. (Reuters, Aug-7)
Governor of Maidan Wardak province escaped an assassination attempt when two of the four roadside bombs planted under a bridge exploded near governorÕs convoy on the western outskirts of capital Kabul. (Reuters, Aug-4)
Three Afghan security guards were killed and 24 seriously wounded when an 82mm rocket fell from a vehicle as it was being driven out of compound in Ghazni. (Reuters, Aug-4)
One civilian was killed and several others wounded ina roadside bomb blast in Ab Band district of Ghazni. (Reuters, Aug-3)
A campaign convoy supporting the Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the upcoming presidential elections on August 20 was ambushed five times by Taliban insurgents in Moqur district in Ghazni as campaigners were returning to capital Kabul after a campaign trip to Ghazni. One security guard and five Taliban fighters were killed in the shootout. Two of KarzaiÕs supporters and six insurgents were also wounded. (Reuters, Aug-1)
Eight Taliban fighters were killed and several wounded during a joint operation by Afghan and foreign forces in Gilan district in Ghazni. (Reuters, Aug-1)
Afghan and foreign forces detained six Taliban insurgents during a joint operation in GhazniÕs Nawa district. (Reuters, aug-1)
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Comments |
Avalanches in Daykundi province killed one woman and three children during the first week of April. (IRIN, Apr-2) |
East Central Region
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Location |
East Central Region |
Coordination |
UNHCR |
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Population |
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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) |
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Food |
The UN ChildrenÕs 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) |
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Health |
No New Information UNICEF, CARITAS, MSF, IFRC, IRC, ICRC |
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Non-Food Items - Shelter |
No New Information UNHCR, ACTED, MSF, IRC, ICRC, IOM |
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Security |
Taliban militants fired at least nine rockets at the Afghan capital Kabul just before dawn on Tuesday (August 4) wounding one child and causing minor damage. Two of the rockets landed in Wazir Akbar district, home to diplomatic offices including US and British embassies and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters. (Reuters, Aug-4)
A roadside bomb killed one Afghan soldier and wounded four in Kharwar district in eastern Logar province on Monday (August 3). (Reuters, Aug-4)
A French soldier was killed and two other wounded in clashes with the Taliban insurgents in eastern Kapisa province. (Reuters, Aug-1)
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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) |
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Comments |
No new information |
Eastern Region
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Location |
Eastern Region |
Coordination |
UNHCR, International Islamic Relief Organization; |
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Population |
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IDP Movement |
UNHCR |
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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 |
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Health |
No New Information |
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Non-Food Items - Shelter |
No New Information CWS, UNICEF |
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Security |
Two truck drivers carrying supplies for foreign forces were killed in an ambush by Taliban insurgents in eastern Laghman province on Thursday (August 6). (Reuters, Aug-6)
Six civilians were killed on Wednesday (August 5) when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in eastern Nangarhar province. (VOA, Aug-5)
An explosion hit a campaign office for presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah in a remote district of Paktika province on Wednesday (July 29). There were no casualties. (Reuters, Jul-29)
A campaign worker working for presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah was gunned down by unidentified gunmen Tuesday morning (July 28) in the Dawlat Shah district in eastern Laghman province. (DPA, Jul-28)
An explosion in a shop in the Sarobi district in the eastern province of Khost killed one civilian and wounded two on Tuesday. (Reuters, Jul-28)
Three workers working for a private road construction company were killed on Monday (July 27) when their vehicle struck a roadside mine in eastern Khost province. Security guards opened fire on a gathering of people immediately following the attack, killing three civilians. (DPA, Jul-28)
One road worker was killed and two wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Sharan district in Paktika province on Monday. (Reuters, Jul-28)
Afghan and foreign forces killed 16 Taliban insurgents in artillery strikes in Barg-e-Matal district in eastern Nuristan province on Saturday (July 25). (Reuters, Jul-26, 28)
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Water & Sanitation |
CARITAS; ICRC, UNICEF |
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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
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Location |
Northeastern Region |
Coordination |
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Population |
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Movement IDPs |
9,000 active IDPs in North and Northeast |
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Food |
No New Information |
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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 |
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Non-Food Items (NFIs) -Shelter |
UNICEF, ACTED, Refugees IntÕl, Mercy Corps |
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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) |
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information |
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Comments |
The Mine Detection Center (MDC), an Afghan NGO, has cleared 1 million square meters of landmines in AfghanistanÕs 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 |
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Coordination |
UNHCR, IOM |
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Population |
9,000 active IDPs in North and Northeast; 60,000 IDPs from North elsewhere in country. |
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Movement IDPs |
No New Information IOM |
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
No New Information MSF, ICRC, UNICEF |
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NFIs –Shelter |
No New Information IOM, ACTED, Mercy Corps |
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Security |
Afghan police killed eight Taliban insurgents and wounded three more when militants ambushed a police checkpoint in Baghlan on Sunday (August 2). (Reuters, Aug-3)
A roadside bomb killed three policemen in the Dare Ghori district in northern Baghlan province. (Reuters, Aug-1)
Afghan police killed three insurgents and wounded 13 when insurgents attacked their post in the Qale Zaal district in Kunduz province on Friday (Jul-31). (Reuters, Aug-1)
Afghan and foreign forces detained a district-level insurgent commander during a raid at his house in Emam Saheb district on Friday (July 31) in northern Kunduz province. (Reuters, Aug-1)
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information UNICEF, ICRC, DACAAR |
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Comments |
The European CommissionÕs 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 ProvinceÕs Darzab and Qushtepa districts, and in Balkh provinceÕs Dawlatabad and Kaldar districts. (ActionAid, Oct-22) |
Southern Region
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Location |
Southern Region |
Coordination |
UNHCR |
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Population |
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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) |
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Food |
No New Information UNICEF; Mercy Corps; CARITAS; WFP |
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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) |
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NFIs - Shelter |
No New Information UNHCR, Mercy Corps |
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Security |
Three British soldiers were killed and one critically wounded in a roadside bomb blast followed by an Ambush in Helmand on Thursday (August 6). (Reuters, Aug-7)
Five Afghan policemen were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Arghandab district in Kandahar on Thursday (August 6). (Reuters, Aug-7)
A security guard was killed and four wounded in a roadside bomb explosion while guarding a supply convoy for foreign troops in southern Kandahar province. (Reuters, Aug-7)
Five policemen were killed and three wounded in a roadside bomb explosion in Nad Ali (also spelled Nadali) district in Helmand on Thursday (August 6). (Reuters, BBC, Aug-6)
Local officials allege that five farmers were killed in an assault by US Apache helicopter in Zhari district in southern Kandahar province Wednesday night (August 5) as they were transporting cucumbers to a local market nearby. US and NATO officials disputed claim saying those targeted were moving small arms not cucumbers. (NYT, Aug-7)
At least five people were killed and several wounded when a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying people to a wedding party in Garmser (also spelled Garmsir) district in southern Helmand province on Wednesday (August 5). Officials had earlier said as many as 21 people were killed. (Reuters, Aug-6)
Four civilians including three children were allegedly killed in US-led airstrikes late on Tuesday (August 4) in Kowuk village in Arghandab district in southern Kandahar province. US and NATO forces have denied the allegations saying only four insurgents had been targeted. (Reuters, AP, Aug-5)
Two Taliban insurgents were killed when a roadside bomb they were trying to plant exploded prematurely in the Garmser district in Helmand province. (Reuters, Aug-5)
A roadside bomb killed two Afghan soldiers and wounded two more in Sangin district of Helmand province on Sunday (August 2). (Reuters, Aug-3)
Afghan and foreign forces killed five Taliban insurgents and wounded three more during clashes in HelmandÕs nad Ali district on Sunday (august 2). (Reuters, Aug-3)
Three US soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb blast in southern Kandahar province on Saturday (August 1). (Reuters, BBC, Aug-1-2)
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information UNICEF |
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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 yearÕs elections. (CNN, Dec-15)
On December-19 Tooryalai Wesa, an Afghan-Canadian academic, accepted the post of governor in southern Kandahar province. (AP, Dec-19) |
Southern Region IDP camps
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Location |
Zhare Dasht - South of Kandahar – 6 camps |
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Type |
IDP Camp |
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Coordination |
UNHCR |
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Camp Capacity |
30,000; expandable to 60,000 |
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Population |
125,000 IDPs in south; 48,500 at Zhare Dasht |
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Movement IDP |
No New Information |
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Food |
No New Information WFP |
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Health |
No New Information UNICEF, MSF |
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NFIs – Shelter |
No New Information |
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Security |
No New Information |
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information UNICEF |
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Comments |
Support for Spin Boldak camps terminated in 2004. |
Western Region
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Location |
Western Region |
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Coordination |
UNHCR; ICMC |
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Population |
No New Information
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Movement IDPs |
12,000 IDPs, mostly in Maslakh camp IOM |
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Food |
No New Information IRC, CARITAS, UNICEF, World Vision, IOM, Action Contre la Faim; WFP |
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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) |
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Non-Food Items (NFIs) – Shelter |
No New Information |
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Security |
Four US soldiers on the NATO-led ISAF were killed when their vehicle struck an IED in western Afghanistan on Thursday. (BBC, Reuters, Aug-6-7)
A US soldier was killed in a roadside bomb blast while on patrol in western Farah province on Wednesday (August 5). (Reuters, Aug-6)
A district security official targeted by a Taliban bomb on Monday (August 3) died of his wounds at a military hospital in Kandahar. (Reuters, Aug-5)
A roadside bomb killed at least 12 people, including two policemen, a woman and a 12-year old girl and wounded 26 others in western city of Herat. (Reuters, Aug-3)
Four Afghan soldiers were killed and three wounded when Taliban insurgents ambushed a convoy carrying ballot papers and other election supplies in Bala Baluk district in Farah province on Friday (July 31). (Reuters, Jul-31)
Some 13 people were burned when they tried to take fuel from an overturned fuel tanker that was attacked by Taliban insurgents in Bala Baluk district in Farah province on Friday. (Reuters, Jul-31)
Afghan police claim to have killed 11 Taliban insurgents in the Rabat Sangi district in western Herat province on Thursday (July 30). One policeman was also killed in the clash. A tribal chief claimed five of those killed by the police were civilians. (Reuters, Jul-31)
An Afghan civilian was killed when police fired shots to break up a protest by street hawkers in the provincial capital Herat City in Herat province on Wednesday (July 29). Two policemen were also wounded and a journalist was beaten during a scuffle. The hawkers were protesting against the cityÕs plan to stop them from trading on city streets. (Reuters, Jul-30)
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)
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information UNICEF |
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Comments |
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Refugee Camps in Pakistan
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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 |
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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) |
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Camp Capacity |
About one million mostly long term Afghans in 74 camps—down from about 200 camps. |
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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 campÕs 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) |
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Refugee Movement |
No New Information |
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Food |
No New Information WFP, CRS, ARC |
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Health |
No New Information UNICEF, MSF |
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Non-Food Items (NFIs) - Shelter |
No New Information CRS |
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Security |
No New Information |
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information IFRC, MDM |
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Comments |
No New Information |