September 25, 2009

Overview

McChrystal warns war may be lost within a year if no troops added

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan, has warned that more troops are needed within the next year or the war “will likely result in failure,” according to a copy of his assessment obtained by the Washington Post. “Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months)—while Afghan security capacity matures—risk an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible,” the Post quoted McChrystal as saying. According to the BBC, McChrystal says that the increase in troop numbers would provide security for Afghans and create space in which good governance can take root. He also provides new details about the sophisticated nature of the Taliban insurgency, criticizes NATO for focusing on fighting insurgents versus protecting civilians, censures the Afghan government for not tackling corruption and warns that prisons in the country have become a sanctuary for insurgents, according to the BBC. McChrystal also said Afghan forces must be increased over the next year to year-and-a-half to maintain international support. Last week, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, also told the US Congress that success in Afghanistan would likely require more troops. Meanwhile, British Maj. Gen. Andrew Mackay has resigned from his post in what analysts say illustrates a rift between the UK military and political leadership over how the war is fought and the amount of support that is being provided for troops, Reuters and the BBC reported. MacKay asked for his reason to resign to remain private. However, according to Reuters, Mackay, who oversaw operations in Afghanistan before returning in April 2008, has been critical of the conduct of the conflict since returning home, saying that the government was not delivering a clear strategic direction, providing the right equipment or support to troops. The resignation reportedly follows reports that other senior military staff and some defense ministry officials feel that Britain needs more than its current level of 9,000 troops. According to the BBC, Maj. Nick Haston, who was Mackay’s deputy chief of staff, resigned earlier this year and Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt stepped down as head of the army over policy, equipment shortages and poor pay and conditions for troops. The warning from the military commanders over the ground realities of the war underscores a growing difference with political leaders who are under increasing domestic pressure not to increase the number of troops. The grim assessments of the war come as violence increases and security deteriorates in Afghanistan amidst a renewed Taliban insurgency. White House officials feel that Pakistan should be the priority because that is where it is believed that top al-Qaeda leaders are, while Afghanistan is thought to have fewer al-Qaeda militants. According to some sources, the Obama administration is looking at expanding counter-terror operations in Pakistan as an alternative to a military escalation in Afghanistan, the AP reported. However, analysts say most US military officials have preferred a classic counter-terror strategy by defeating the Taliban and securing the local population to keep al-Qaeda out of the country.

Afghan official says vote recount may take six weeks

A senior official from Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) said that a ballot recount ordered by the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) would take six weeks to complete and would push back any second round of voting. “The concern we raised to the ECC decision is that it includes all 34 provinces, and it will take at least one-and-a-half months’ time … That’s too long and if we have a run-off, then it is too late,” Agence France-Presse quoted IEC chief electoral officer Daoud Ali Najafi as saying. Last week, early results showed incumbent President Hamid Karzai with 54.6 percent of the vote and his nearest competitor, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, with 27.7 percent of the vote. Allegations of fraud have marred the election. A European Union monitoring team said last week that around 1.5 million ballots of the 5.6 million cast have indications of fraud. The UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission, last week also ordered a recount of votes from some 10 percent of the polling stations because of suspected fraud. If a significant number of ballots are thrown out by the ECC, it could reduce Karzai’s lead below the 50 percent plus one vote threshold and trigger a run-off election with Abdullah. However, analysts say that a runoff election must take place before winter sets in, as it would make it logistically difficult until spring, leaving the country in a power vacuum for months. The ECC said Friday (September 25) that officials have started a partial vote recount. According to Reuters, the ECC has decided to allow election officials to use only a sample of votes from polling stations with suspected irregularities to speed up the recount, Reuters reported.

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	Afghan and foreign forces killed 15 Taliban militants during a joint security sweep in the Char Chino district in central Uruzgan province on Wednesday (September 23).  (Reuters, Sep-24) Afghan and foreign forces killed three Taliban fighters, including a local commander, in Uruzgan province late Tuesday (September 15).  (Reuters, Sep-16) 14 civilians were killed after a roadside bomb hit two passenger cars on September 11, the Interior Ministry reported. The provincial police chief put the death toll at 12. (Reuters, Sept-12) 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)
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	A car bomb struck an Italian military convoy on Thursday (September 17) on the road between the US embassy and Kabul’s main airport, killing six soldiers and as many as 10 Afghan civilians. As many as 55 Afghan civilians were also wounded.  (Reuters, AFP, Sep-17) A US soldier and his interpreter were wounded when Afghan National Police fired on them in Kabul on Saturday (September 12), the US military said. One of the police officers was killed. (CNN, September 13) 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)
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	US Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) on September 17 delivered more than 4,000 pounds of supplies, including blankets, pots and pans, tarps, hygiene and dental kits, sandals and backpacks to more than 500 widows, orphans and disabled persons in the provincial capital Asadabad in northeastern Kunar province.  (AFPS, Sep-25)
Security	Two soldiers from the NATO-led force were killed when their patrol struck an improvised explosive device (IED) in eastern Afghanistan. NATO did not disclose further details of the incident.  (Reuters, Sep-20) Afghan forces killed five insurgents and detained six others during heavy clashes in eastern Nangarhar province on Friday (September 18).  (Reuters, Sep-20) Four civilians, including a child, were killed when rockets fired by Taliban insurgents at a NATO-led military base landed in a nearby field.  (Reuters, Sep-20) Soldiers from NATO-led forces shot dead a civilian in Sangin district in southern Helmand province after he failed to stop approaching a foot patrol. NATO said soldiers fired two warning shots before fatally shooting the individual.  (Reuters, Sep-20) A soldier from US-led coalition forces and two Afghans were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan. (Reuters, Sep-20) Eight civilians were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in the eastern city of Khost on Friday (September 18).  (Reuters, Sep-18) An explosion in a shop in Khost killed one civilian and wounded two others on Wednesday (September 16).  (Reuters, Sep-16) Afghan police seized a truck laden with explosives and several vests designed for suicide bomb attacks in Khost on Wednesday.  (Reuters, Sep-16) The Afghan interior ministry said that Afghan police seized a ton of opium, 300 kg of morphine and 30 kg of heroin in Nangarhar province in a joint operation with the US on Monday (September 14). (Reuters, Sept-14) NATO-led forces said in a statement that two US service members were killed by a roadside bomb in the east of the country on Saturday (September 12). (Reuters, Sept-12) The provincial government said that militants killed four police officers in an attack on a patrol in Nangarhar province on Saturday. (Reuters, Sept-12) The provincial governor said that six guards from a local security firm were killed when militants attacked their office in Kunar province on Saturday. (Reuters, Sept. 12) A suspected militant rocket attack killed three civilians in Sabari district of Khost, on Saturday, a spokesperson for the provincial police chief said. (AP, September 12) The interior ministry said that a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in Bermel district in Paktika province on Saturday, but only the bomber died. (AP, September 12) 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)
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	Afghan forces killed 15 Taliban insurgents after an attack by militants overnight Tuesday (September 15) in the Imam Sahib district of the northern province of Kunduz. Three police were also wounded in the clash.  (Reuters, Sep-16) In Kunduz, militants attacked a police post, killing seven police officers, including the commander at a checkpoint in an hours-long battle overnight Friday (September 11), the provincial governor said. Two police officers were missing and feared captured. (Reuters, Sep-12) NATO-led forces said that they raided compounds in Kunduz overnight Friday (September 11), where they “killed a number of militants.”  The provincial governor said that Western troops had killed at least 12 militants. (Reuters, Sep-12) 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)
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	Five US troops were killed in three separate attacks in southern Afghanistan late Thursday (September 24). Of the five deaths, four occurred in southern Zabul province, while, the fifth took place in southwestern Nimroz province.  (LAT, Reuters, Sep-25) Afghan and foreign forces killed several insurgents during an overnight security sweep in Marjah district in Helmand province.  (Reuters, Sep-24) Four Afghan policemen were killed and two others wounded when their military vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Helmand on Wednesday (September 23).  (Reuters, Sep-24) Seven civilians were killed in a roadside bomb blast in Panjwayi district in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday (September 23).  (Reuters, Sep-23) A British soldier was killed in an explosion while on patrol in Gereshk district in southern Helmand province on Monday (September 21).  (Reuters, Sep-22) A US service member was killed in a roadside bomb attack in southern Afghanistan on Monday (September 21).  (Reuters, Sep-22) Soldiers from NATO-led forces fatally shot one Afghan civilian in Kandahar after the vehicle he was in failed to stop as it approached a military convoy on Thursday (September 17).  (Reuters, Sep-19) The US military has deployed 800 additional troops to southern Afghanistan to support Afghan and foreign forces in the region.  (Reuters, Sep-19) Afghan and foreign forces detained three insurgents during a security sweep in southern Kandahar province on Friday (September 18).  (Reuters, Sep-18) A US serviceman with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed in a roadside bomb attack in southern Afghanistan on Thursday.  (Reuters, Sep-18) A Canadian soldier was killed in Kandahar on Thursday when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.  (AP, Sep-18) A suicide car bomber killed two civilians and wounded eight people including three Afghan army soldiers in an attack on Wednesday (September 16) in southern Kandahar province.  (Reuters, Sep-17) A British soldier died Wednesday of wounds he suffered in an attack while on patrol in southern Helmand province.  (Reuters, Sep-17) A NATO spokesperson said that three US servicemen were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday (September 15). He did not give out any other details. (BBC, Sept-16) The NATO-led alliance said that a soldier was killed in a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan on Sunday (September 13). Details of the incident and the nationality of the student were not released. (Reuters, Sept-14) The British ministry of defense said that a British soldier working for NATO-led forces died form a gunshot wound Sunday during a foot patrol in Babaji district in Helmand. (Reuters, Sept-14) Afghan police said that two suicide bombers attempted to enter a detention center run by the National Directorate of Security in Kandahar city on Saturday (September 12). The two bombers were shot dead, but one bomber detonated his explosives and a guard and child were killed. (Reuters, Sept-12) The Afghan interior ministry and the provincial governor of Kandahar said that a roadside bomb killed six civilians on Saturday. (Reuters, Sept-12) 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).
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	A roadside bomb wounded seven people, including a provincial intelligence chief, four of his bodyguards and two civilians, in the western city of Farah.  (Reuters, Sep-24) Five civilians were killed and two others wounded when their car was hit by a roadside bomb in Gulistan district in Farah province on Tuesday (September 22).  (Reuters, Sep-23) Taliban militants stormed the home of an Afghan police officer in Guzara district in Herat, killing his teenage son and wounding his wife and daughter.  (Reuters, Sep-23) Three insurgents were killed when a roadside bomb they were planting in a dirt road exploded in the western Khash Rod district in southwestern Nimroz province.  (Reuters, Sep-23) A suicide bomber and two accomplices were killed late on Monday (September 21) when the bomber’s vest exploded prematurely as he was preparing to attack foreign forces near Delaram district in Nimroz.  (Reuters, Sep-22) A soldier from the US-led coalition forces was killed in western Afghanistan when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device on Friday (September 18). No further details were provided by the US military about the identity and/or location of attack.  (Reuters, Sep-19) Nine Taliban militants and one Afghan soldier were killed in a clash in Ghormach district in northwestern Badghis province on Thursday (September 17).  (Reuters, Sep-18) Afghan police killed four militants during an operation in southwestern Nimroz province on Wednesday (September 16).  (Reuters, Sep-17) A 14-year-old girl and a government employee were injured by mortar fire by insurgents on Sunday (September 13). A Taliban militant was also killed and eight others injured, the police chief of the province said. (CNN, Sept-13) A press officer for US and NATO-led troops said that three US service members were killed by a roadside bomb attack in western Afghanistan on Saturday (September 12). No other details were available. (Reuters, September 12) An Afghan army commander said seven Afghan soldiers were killed in a lengthy gun battle in Farah province on Saturday. Ten Afghan troops were wounded and many Taliban militants were killed, although a figure was not reported. (Reuters, September 12) The governor of Farah province said that three civilians were killed when a rocket struck their house on Saturday. (Reuters, September 12)
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