August 14, 2009

Overview

US top commander in Afghanistan says Taliban force shift in troop deployments

The top US general in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, said Monday (August 10) that Taliban militants are moving past their strongholds in the south and east to the north and west, which is forcing a shift in deployments of US troops. “It’s a very aggressive enemy right now… We’ve got to stop their momentum, stop their initiative. It’s hard work,” McChrystal was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) newspaper. McChrystal is reportedly preparing an assessment of the war in Afghanistan. Violence in the country has escalated since military offensives were launched in the south this summer and has reached its worst levels since the Taliban were ousted by the US-led invasion in late 2001. According to Reuters, July became the deadliest month of the war for troops in the country after thousands of US and British troops went into southern Helmand province to push Taliban fighters out. Some 74 foreign troops, including 43 Americans, were killed in July. McChrystal said that he would deploy some 4,000 troops into neighboring southern Kandahar and redeploy troops now in sparsely populated areas to areas with more Afghan civilians. According to the WSJ, McChrystal said that means that US casualties will remain high for some months to come. McChrystal’s strategy puts a premium on safeguarding the Afghan population rather than hunting down militants and the redeployment reflects this strategy, according to the WSJ. There are now some 101,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, with US troops numbering around 62,000, according to Reuters news agency.

Incoming UK military chief says Britain may have decades-long role in Afghanistan

The incoming chief of the UK army says that Britain’s commitment to Afghanistan could last for up to 40 years. According to a report by the Times, Gen. Sir David Richards said that “nation-building” would last decades. He takes over the top post on August 28. He said that troops would be required for the medium term, but the UK will continue to play a role in “development, governance [and] security sector reform.” Richards was the head of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) between May 2006 and February 2007 and will take over from Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt as the chief of the general staff, according to the BBC. Richards said that efforts must be made to expand the Afghan National Army and build up the police force before the UK’s military role could “decline,” the BBC reported. 

New Zealand to send elite troops to Afghanistan

New Zealand says it will send elite commando troops back to Afghanistan following a US request. New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key said that around 70 members of the Special Air Service (SAS) will be deployed in three rotations covering a period of 18 months, the BBC reported. “We’re deploying our elite military there to try and stabilize the position,” Key said. According to the BBC, the SAS has already had three tours in Afghanistan, with the last occurring in 2006. Key did not say when and where the SAS troops would be deployed. Additionally, the number of regular troops in New Zealand’s 140-member provincial reconstruction team in Bamiyan province will be reduced and drawn down by 2014, according to the BBC and Associated Press (AP). Civilian specialists in agriculture, health and education would be sent from New Zealand to assist development in Bamiyan, part of a strategy to put emphasis on development aid and less on military power, according to the AP. Key also said that New Zealand would open a diplomatic post in the country versus having diplomatic representation from Iran as is currently being done, the BBC and AP reported.

US to target Afghan drug lords

According to a New York Times (NYT) report, the US has put some 50 Afghans suspected to be drug traffickers on a list of people to be “captured or killed,” according to a Congressional study to be released this week. The move would reflect a major shift in US counter-narcotics strategy in Afghanistan, the NYT reported. According to the NYT, two US generals have told the US Congress that the policy is legal under international law and the military’s rules of engagement, the NYT said. The NYT quoted one of the generals as saying: “We have a list of 367 ‘kill or capture’ targets, including 50 nexus targets who link drugs and the insurgency.” The generals were not identified in the Senate report. The generals reportedly said that two credible sources and substantial additional evidence were required before a trafficker was placed on the list and only those supporting the insurgency would be placed on the list, the NYT reported. Commanders say that the move is an essential part of the plan to disrupt the flow of drug money helping fuel the Taliban insurgency. Afghan opium reportedly accounts for some 90 percent of the world’s supply, according to the BBC.

Movement

2008: The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) held a press conference in Kabul on 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)

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

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 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	Twelve insurgents, including four Arabs, were killed when Afghan and foreign forces targeted a suspected militant compound in Sayed Abad district in central Wardak province on Friday (August 14). (Reuters, Aug-14) At least three Afghan soldiers and a foreign service member were killed when Taliban fighters ambushed a convoy in Ajrestan district on Monday (August 10).  According to provincial officials as many as eight Afghan soldiers and seven Taliban fighters were killed in the fighting.  (Reuters, Aug-11) NATO-led forces are investigating whether they mistakenly killed two civilians while firing mortars at an insurgent position in Uruzgan province on August 7.  (Reuters, Aug-8) 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 governor’s convoy on the western outskirts of capital Kabul.  (Reuters, Aug-4)
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	Two insurgent-fired rockets hit a residential area near Kabul airport on Friday (August 14) but did not cause any casualties.  (Reuters, Aug-14) At least three Afghan police and two civilians were killed when around six Taliban fighters armed with guns and explosives vests attacked government buildings in Pul-e-Alam district in Logar province on Monday (August 10). At least 26 people were reportedly wounded in the attacks.  (Reuters, Aug-10) 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)
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	No new information

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	Afghan troops backed by US forces killed 20 militants and seized a weapons cache during a sweep operation in the eastern Sabari district of Khost province on August 7.  (Reuters, Aug-8) One insurgent was killed and two wounded when a roadside bomb they were planting exploded prematurely in Yaqubi district in Khost province on August 7.  (Reuters, Aug-8) 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)
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	Five civilians, including two women and two children, were killed in the crossfire between Taliban insurgents and government troops in northern Baghlan province on Thursday (August 13).  (Reuters, Aug-14) Two policemen and eight Taliban insurgents were killed overnight in a clash in Dasht-e-Archi district in Kunduz province on Wednesday (August 12).  (Reuters, Aug-13) Taliban militants killed two people, including a district police chief in Dasht-e-Archi district in northern province of Kunduz in a pre dawn attack on a government compound on Wednesday (August 12).  (BBC, Aug-12) Two Afghan female candidates running in provincial elections survived attacks in northern Takhar province on Sunday (August 9). In the first attack in Dargat district, Maria Temori was attacked by gunmen. Two people, including one of Temori’s supporters, and a policeman, were wounded in the incident, while two of the gunmen were killed. In the second attack in Yanga Qala district, unidentified gunmen tried to burn down the house of Sohalia Joya, but they were stopped by other residents.  (Reuters, Aug-10) 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)
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	Eight insurgents were killed in a clash with Afghan troops in Nawzad district in Helmand province on Friday (August 14). (Reuters, Aug-14) Three British soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb explosion while on patrol in Sangin district in Helmand province on Thursday (August 13). (Reuters, Aug-13) Nine civilians were killed by a roadside bomb in Nahr Saraj district of Helmand province on Wednesday (August 12).  (Reuters, Aug-13) Three teenage boys playing outside an orphanage were killed when a landmine planted by insurgents exploded in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday.  (Reuters, Aug-13) A roadside bomb killed an American soldier on Wednesday in southern Afghanistan. NATO declined to give details.  (Reuters, Aug-13) Helicopter-borne US Marines backed by close air support stormed into the Taliban-held town of Dahaneh before dawn on Wednesday in a bid to flush out Taliban fighters. At least eight Taliban insurgents were killed in an initial firefight that lasted more than several hours.  (AP, aug-12) A British soldier was killed by a roadside bomb near Gereshk district in Helmand on Sunday (August 9).  (Reuters, Aug-9) Five Afghan civilians were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Garmsir (also spelled Garmser) district in Helmand on August 7.  (Reuters, Aug-8) 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)
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 southern Kandahar province. (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	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 city’s 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)
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