September 11, 2009

Overview

UN-backed commission declares some votes invalid because of fraud

The UN–backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) on Thursday (September 10) declared invalid votes from some 83 polling stations because of fraud. According to the Voice of America (VOA) the ECC excluded the votes from 51 polling sites in Kandahar, 27 in Ghazni and five in Paktika, areas which showed strong support for incumbent President Hamid Karzai. The ECC also ordered recounts at some polling locations. Karzai has welcomed the partial returns from the August 20 elections and has praised Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission. According to Reuters, the ECC found a number of “indicators of fraud,” such as unfolded and miscounted ballots and lists of voters with numerous fictitious card numbers. Preliminary results so far have him with 54 percent of the vote, with ballots from 92 percent of polling stations counted, while his main challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, has 28 percent of the vote. Abdullah has disputed the results and said that he expects enough votes to be thrown out to trigger a run-off, according to the Associated Press (AP). If votes for Karzai fall short of the 50 percent needed for outright victory, a runoff could be held and October 1 is the tentative date for any such vote. According to the AP, Abdullah has also said he would not accept a position in a new Karzai government, which some Western officials have reportedly suggested as a way to ease the political crisis and avoid a potentially messy runoff election. A spokesperson for the election commission said that complete preliminary results are expected Saturday (September 12), Reuters reported. Analysts say that a lengthy fraud investigation could leave the country in political limbo for months. The commission is investigating more than 2,000 complaints of fraud, including more than 700 it has deemed “Priority A,” according to CNN. 

European leaders call on UN to hold international conference on Afghanistan

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are calling on the UN to hold a major international conference on Afghanistan by the end of the year. The three European leaders made the request in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. According to the BBC and Associated Press (AP), the trio called for a meeting to discuss the aftermath of the Afghan elections and said that new prospects and goals should be set in relation to governance, security, law and economic and social development. A spokesperson for Brown said that London had offered to help organize the conference and that the meeting could take place in two phases, one being held in Kabul and the other in an “international city.” According to the AP, the conference could lay out a timetable in which Afghans can take full control of their country. “It seems a natural occasion to call for an international conference on Afghanistan before the end of this year right after the inauguration of the new Afghan government,” the AP quoted the leaders as writing in the letter. The leaders also called for accelerating and improving the training of Afghan security forces to create the proper “environment” for the handover.

British reporter rescued in controversial operation

A British reporter was rescued on Wednesday (September 9), after being seized by Taliban militants in northern Afghanistan Saturday (September 5). British reporter Stephen Farrell and Afghan journalist Sultan Munadi, who were both working for the New York Times, were seized as they reported from the scene of a controversial NATO air strike on two stolen tankers, which left dozens of Taliban militants and civilians dead the previous week. British-led commandos raided a Taliban hideout in northern Kunduz province before dawn Wednesday and managed to free Farrell, but Munadi, a British paratrooper, a woman and Taliban commander were killed in the operation, according to Reuters. The rescue operation was criticized by the newly formed Media Club of Afghanistan, which said that international troops have a “double standard” for Western and Afghan lives, the AP reported. The club also criticized the Taliban for abducting both journalists. Farrell has also been criticized by some for traveling to the area where there was anger over the NATO-led strike and police had reportedly warned of the dangers, the AP reported. Others have criticized the rescue operation amid reports that the journalists may have been close to being freed through negotiations. Security analysts from the British security company AKE warn that there may be more abductions of journalists and other foreign personnel following the abduction, according to the Voice of America. The analysts say that a foreigner gets kidnapped on average once every other month in Afghanistan and ransom payments for their release have reached hundreds of thousands of dollars.

International Criminal Court may probe possible war crimes

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), says that he is gathering information about possible war crimes in Afghanistan, and says that he will examine claims relating to both NATO-led troops and Taliban insurgents, according to a report by the BBC. He says that the ICC had received allegations from many sources, however, the court will only become involved if Kabul or the UN Security Council asks it to investigate allegations, the BBC reported. Afghanistan is one of the signatories of the treaty that established the Hague-based court in 2002. Under the treaty, the ICC can take action only when countries are unwilling or unable to dispense justice themselves for war crimes, genocide, or crimes against humanity, the BBC reported. Moreno-Ocampo did not provide details on what incidents the ICC was looking into and said there was no certainty that the court would charge anyone. He added that there would be no need for an investigation by the ICC if Afghanistan launched credible proceedings of its own, the BBC reported. The US has the most troops out of international forces in the country and is not a member of the ICC. The US has argued that its troops abroad should be subject to US law and not international treaties and analysts say that it is doubtful US officials would ever agree to give a foreign court blanket jurisdiction over US troops, 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	The Dutch Defense Ministry said that a Dutch soldier was killed by a roadside bomb on Monday (September 7). Three other soldiers and an interpreter were wounded in the blast. (Reuters, Sep-7) A roadside bomb killed one child and wounded 20 civilians after it exploded as a police convoy drove past in Tirin Kot, the provincial capital of Uruzgan, on Monday. (Reuters, Sep-7) A Dutch soldier was killed in a firefight in Uruzgan province on Sunday (September 6). No other details were available. (Reuters, Sep-6) The Afghan Interior Ministry reported that Western troops killed two Taliban fighters in a clash in Maidan Wardak province on Saturday (September 5). (Reuters, Sep-6) Two US soldiers were wounded in central Logar province when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb Tuesday (September 1) evening. Troops opened fire, but there were no reports of casualties.  (Reuters, Sep-2) Three insurgents and one local guard were killed when insurgents attacked a NATO supply convoy in the Qara Bagh district in Ghazni province on Saturday (August 29).  (Reuters, Aug-29) Taliban fighters ambushed a convoy of Afghan counter-narcotics police, killing three and wounding 23 others on the outskirts of Ghazni city, in Ghazni province on Friday (August 28). (Reuters, Aug-28) A roadside bomb on Wednesday (August 26) killed one Afghan soldier and wounded two others in Mohammad Agha district in Logar province.  (Reuters, Aug-26)
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	At least two people were killed and six wounded in a suicide car bomb attack outside a NATO military base at Kabul’s main airport on Tuesday (September 8). Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack which was aimed at foreign troops.  (Reuters, Sep-8) Police said that a rocket hit a residential area in Kabul, killing a married couple and a child, and wounding two other family members on Monday (September 7). (Reuters, Sep-7) A second French soldier died of wounds suffered in a roadside bomb in Kapisa province on Friday (September 4) the French Defense Ministry said Sunday (September 6). (Reuters, Sep-6) A French soldier was killed and nine others were wounded, some seriously, when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle northeast of the provincial capital, Kabul, during a reconnaissance mission near Showki region in Kapisa province between the coalition bases of Nijrab and Baghram on Friday (September 4).  (AFP, Xinhua, Sep-4) Five unidentified men were killed when a rocket they were trying to set up exploded prematurely in the northeastern outskirts of Kabul on Wednesday (September 2).  (Reuters, Sep-3) A US serviceman with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed as a result of a non-combat-related injury on Sunday (August 23).  (Reuters, Aug-23)
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	A soldier with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed in an insurgent attack during a patrol in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday (September 10). NATO did not provide further details. The majority of the soldiers in eastern Afghanistan are from the US. (Xinhua, Sep-11) A US service member was killed in eastern Afghanistan after an attack by Taliban militants, NATO-led forces said Sunday (September 6). (Reuters, Sep-6) At least 23 people, including Afghanistan’s deputy chief of intelligence Abdullah Laghmani, were killed in a suicide bomb attack outside a mosque in the provincial capital, Mihtarlam, in eastern Laghman province on Wednesday (September 2).  (AP, Sep-2) Afghan and US-led forces killed 34 Taliban insurgents during an operation against an insurgent training facility in Paktika province on Tuesday (September 1).  (Reuters, Sep-1) NATO-led forces said in a statement that a US serviceman was killed when the vehicle he was riding struck a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Friday (August 28). The statement gave no further details. (Reuters, Aug-28) Four Afghan police officers were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in eastern Ali Sher district of Khost on Thursday (August 27). (Reuters, Aug-28) Afghan and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops detained seven suspected insurgents, including a Taliban commander, at a medical clinic in the Sar Hawza district in Paktika province on Wednesday (August 26), where they were being treated.  (Reuters, Aug-27) A roadside bomb killed two civilians and wounded one in Sayed Khel district of Paktika province on Wednesday.  (Reuters, Aug-27) Four civilians working for a construction company were killed in a roadside bomb explosion in Yousef Khail district Paktika province on Tuesday (August 25).  (Reuters, Aug-25)
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
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	NATO-led forces freed Stephen Farrell, a New York Times (NYT) reporter who was abducted along with his Afghan interpreter Sultan Munadi on Saturday (September 5) in the northern province of Kunduz. Munadi was fatally shot during the rescue. At least three other people, including a British commando, also died in the operation that took place early Wednesday (September 9). (NYT, Sep-9) Afghan forces killed 12 Taliban insurgents during an operation in northern Baghlan province on Tuesday (September 8). A policeman was killed and 21 others wounded by a roadside bomb as they returned from the clash. (Reuters, Sep-8) Taliban guerrillas abducted six Afghan doctors in a separate incident in Baghlan on Tuesday. (Reuters, Sep-8) As many as 90 people, including insurgents and civilians, were killed in Afghanistan’s northern province of Kunduz when NATO aircraft struck two fuel tankers that were hijacked by Taliban insurgents. The strikes took place Thursday night (September 3). The civilians were reportedly killed while collecting fuel.  (Reuters, Sep-4) Afghan police killed three Taliban insurgents in a clash in Kunduz province on Wednesday (September 2).  (Reuters, Sep-3) A girl was killed and six people, including four school children, were wounded when a bomb attached to a bicycle exploded in northern Jawzjan province on Wednesday as a convoy from the International Red Cross drove past. One of the Red Cross vehicles was reportedly damaged.  (AFP, Sep-2) Afghan police killed eight Taliban insurgents and wounded five others in a clash in Qala Zaal district in northern province of Kunduz on Wednesday.  (Reuters, Sep-2)
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	A service member from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed by a blast in southern Afghanistan on Monday (September 7). NATO did not provide further details. (Reuters, Sep-8) Unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead a female employee of the Women’s Department in Kandahar city on Monday (September 7).  (Reuters, Sep-7) Canada confirmed that two of its soldiers were killed and five wounded by a roadside bomb nine miles (14 km) southwest of Kandahar, on Sunday (September 6). (Reuters, Sep-7) A member of the NATO-led force died of wounds sustained during a clash with insurgents on Sunday in southern Afghanistan. (Reuters, Sep-7) A US member of NATO-led forces was killed in southern Afghanistan in an explosion on Sunday. (Reuters, Sep-7).  A soldier with NATO-led forces was killed in an ambush by Taliban insurgents during a patrol in southern Afghanistan on Thursday (September 3). No further details were available.  (Reuters, Sep-4) Two US service members were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan on Thursday (September 3). NATO forces did not provide further details.  (Reuters, Sep-3) A British soldier was fatally shot Wednesday night (September 2) in Babaji district in Helmand province while on foot patrol.  (Reuters, Sep-3) A roadside bomb killed a British soldier from NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Helmand on Wednesday.  (Reuters, Sep-3) Four insurgents were killed and three wounded when a roadside bomb they were planting went off in Arghandab district in southern Kandahar province Tuesday (September 1) evening.  (Reuters, Sep-2) An Afghan employee of a US security company was killed and three others wounded when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Zabul province on Tuesday.  (Reuters, Sep-1) A US soldier died on Tuesday (September 1) of wounds sustained on Monday (August 31) in southern Helmand province.  (Reuters, Sep-1) Two British soldiers were killed in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, in southern Helmand province on Monday while on foot patrol.  (Reuters, Sep-1)
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	Seven people were wounded when a remote-controlled bomb planted on a bicycle exploded in the western city of Heart on Friday (September 4).  (Reuters, Sep-4) Three guards working for a local security company were killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest near their car in Delaram district in western Nimroz province on Friday.  (Reuters, Sep-4) Spanish troops killed 13 Taliban insurgents in a 15-hour battle in Qala-i-Naw in western Badghis province on Thursday (September 3).  (Reuters, Sep-3) Four Afghan police escaped a Taliban prison in western Faryab province on Sunday (August 30), killing six of their captors in a gunfight that also left one police officer dead.  (AFP, Aug-31) Six Taliban insurgents were killed by Afghan police backed by western troops in Pusht Rod district in Farah on Friday (August 28).  (AFP, Aug-29) Eight insurgents were killed when police stormed the house of a district-level Taliban commander in the Guzara district in western Herat province on Monday (August 17).  (Reuters, Aug-18)
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