October 31, 2008

Overview

Dozens killed in violence across Afghanistan

Dozens, including civilians, were killed in violence across Afghanistan during the week.  At least five people were killed on Thursday (October 30) in a suicide bomb attack inside the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture in the capital, Kabul. The attack took place around 09:45 local time near the presidential palace. Four men and a woman were killed. Abdullah Fahim, a health ministry spokesman, told Agence France-Presse that 23 of the wounded had been taken to the hospital, two of whom later died. Zabihullah Mujahid, a purported Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack. Elsewhere in Afghanistan, four Afghan policemen were killed in a roadside bomb blast in southern Kandahar province on Thursday, while a US-led coalition air strike in the central province of Ghazni killed seven Taliban insurgents on Wednesday (October 29). On Monday (October 27), two US soldiers were killed and three others wounded when a suicide bomber disguised as an Afghan policeman blew himself up inside a police station in the provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri (also spelled Pul-i-Khumri) in northern Baghlan province, CNN reported. A soldier from the US-led coalition was killed on Monday when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in western Afghanistan. On Sunday (October 26), Taliban militants kidnapped 17 road construction workers in eastern Kunar province. Two foreign nationals, a Briton and a South African, working for the international courier service DHL were gunned down in Kabul when an Afghan guard opened fire as their vehicle approached the office on Saturday (October 25). Two other guards were wounded in the incident. Following the shooting, the attacker fatally shot himself. The motive for the attack remains unknown. The US military claimed to have killed several Taliban militants in an air strike in the central province of Ghazni late on Saturday. However, local media reported that as many as 20 security guards working for a road construction firm were also killed in the attack. Afghan authorities are investigating the incident. The incidents underscore relentless violence across Afghanistan, which shows no sign of easing.

British general says war in Afghanistan winnable, but NATO troops have reached limit
A senior British general is warning that the war in Afghanistan is winnable, but cautioned that NATO troops in the country have "reached their limit." In the comments, published on Tuesday (October 28) by the military think-tank Royal United Services Institute, Gen. Sir Michael Rose, former commander of UN forces in Bosnia, said there were not enough troops to continue the momentum against the Taliban. Rose, who recently returned from Afghanistan, said despite the international community's commitment to win the war, serious operational problems remain in NATO's mission. He suggested NATO should consider forming local tribal militias to assist western forces and the Afghan army in stabilizing the country. Rose said, "As in all insurgency wars, winning the confidence and consent of the people of Afghanistan will always be more important than winning any particular tactical level military battle against the Taliban." He added, "By winning the support of the Pashtun tribes who live on both sides of the border and by a sympathetic understanding of their complex tribal systems, it should be possible to achieve security in the key eastern and southern areas of Afghanistan." Rose warned that any security gains without additional troops, good governance and swift reconstruction will be short-lived. He said, "Afghanistan is not Vietnam, it is not even Iraq. The insurgency war that is being fought in Afghanistan today is militarily winnable and it is slowly being won." Worsening security across the country is taking its toll on public opinion. According to a US Agency for International Development-funded survey conducted by the Asia Foundation, the number of Afghans who think they are more prosperous today than they were under Taliban rule has dropped from over 50 percent in 2006 to 46 percent and 36 percent in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Afghanistan needs to pre-position food aid for winter
The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) warned Wednesday that the Afghan government and aid agencies have so far not pre-positioned adequate relief supplies in some of the country's most vulnerable areas ahead of the coming winter. "Snowfall is imminent. Aid has not reached the most needy regions," ANDMA Director Abdul Matin Edrak was quoted as saying by the UN's Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). According to ANDMA, heavy snows, extremely cold weather, diseases and lack of access to adequate food killed over 2,000 people last winter. Most of the victims were children and the elderly. According to IRIN, the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Oxfam International have warned that large parts of the country have become far more vulnerable this year than last. "This year problems have been compounded by crop failure and high food prices," IRIN quoted Fatema Gillani, the president of the ARCS, as saying. Edrak added that aid agencies' response capacity looks weaker than last year, partly due to the worsening security situation in the country. A lack of coordination among aid agencies is also a major challenge, ANDMA reported. The ICRC earlier warned that hundreds of thousands of people may be displaced this winter because of drought, insecurity and rising food prices. According to IRIN, aid agencies say that wheat production is 36 percent down this year compared to last due to the severe drought. The country's Agriculture Ministry says that Afghanistan is facing a deficit of 2 million tons of mixed food items over the next six months. In July, the UN launched an emergency appeal for US$40 million but the UN said that as of October 8, only 16 percent of the appeal had been met.

Movement

2008: UNHCR said in the first week of October that some 251,800 registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran had returned to their homes so far in 2008. Most of those repatriated (248,951) under the UN-assisted voluntary repatriation campaign came from Pakistan, while Iran accounted for 2,929 returns. (UNHCR, Oct-7)

Some 2,800 Pakistani families crossed the border into northeastern Afghanistan over the past two months to escape fighting between militants and Pakistani security forces in Bajur region.  Most of the people are reportedly in Kunar province.  (AFP, Sept-19)

UNHCR is asking Pakistan to revise its Afghan refugee repatriation plan, as the current plan to repatriate some 2.4 million refugees by the end of next year (2009) is “unworkable” due to persistent insecurity and lack of economic opportunities.  (BBC, Apr-18).  UNHCR said this week that since March 1, when the repatriation campaign resumed from Pakistan, more than 200,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan. (UNHCR, Aug-4))

2007: UNHCR temporarily suspends the Afghan voluntary repatriation campaign in Pakistan until March 2008 due to seasonal slowdown.  (IRIN, Nov-2).  Pakistan has reportedly extended the deadline to close Jalozai camp until March 2008.  (IRIN, Sep-4).  The UNHCR has asked Pakistan to temporarily suspend closure of Jalozai refugee camp in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) that was originally scheduled to be closed on August 31.  UNHCR said due to the fast approaching Muslim holy month of Ramadan and winter season, conditions were not conducive for the return of some 100,000 camp residents.  UNHCR said any forceful return of these refugees could lead to secondary displacement. 

Pakistan is to close all Afghan refugee camps by December 2009 and to repatriate all refugees living in the country.  UNHCR says it has repatriated over 306,000 Afghan refugees from Pakistan so far this year under its voluntary repatriation campaign.  (UNHCR, Aug-10)

4.2 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan, and 500,000 IDPs returned home since early 2002.  Close to 3 million of the refugees returned from Pakistan. 2.6 million Afghans remain in Pakistan, including one million in 74 long-term camps. About 1.5 million Afghans returned from Iran. Taking into account unassisted returns, perhaps 600,000 to 700,000 Afghans remain in Iran—up to 30,000 are in seven camps.

Iran deported some 85,000 unregistered refugees to Afghanistan during April 21 - May 14, 2007.  Iranian officials say they plan to initially send back 500,000 of over a million illegal refugees in the country.  Earlier this week, Iran said it has reached an agreement with the Afghan government to slow down the pace of expulsions for illegal Afghans living in the country. 

Some 200,000 Afghan refugees in Pakistan have returned to their homes under the UN-assisted voluntary Afghan refugee repatriation program since it resumed on March 1, 2007, following a seasonal winter suspension.  Pakistani authorities said voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan that are without proof of registration (PoR) ended in April, and refugees remaining in the country without PoR are now considered illegal and subject to government action.  Repatriation campaign for Afghan refugees with PoR.

2006: UNHCR expects to assist 550,000 returnees—400,000 from Pakistan and 150,000 from Iran.  However, so far this year only some 60,000 Afghan refugees have repatriated from Pakistan.  Unassisted returns are a factor from Pakistan and have been a major contributor to returns from Iran. The tripartite arrangement among UNHCR-Afghanistan-Pakistan is good through 2006.  The UNHCR-Afghanistan-Iran Joint Program has been extended into 2007.  Repatriation from Pakistan, halted for the winter, recommenced on March 1.  UNHCR assisted nearly 9,000 refugees in returning from Pakistan and over 500 from Iran during March.  In April 2006, Pakistan closed two long-term camps in NWFP, and two in Baluchistan Province with 250,000 long-term residents.  Refugees in Baluchistan can either return to Afghanistan or relocate to Mohammad Kheil camp near Quetta. Refugees in NWFP are moving to Afghanistan or one of ten camps in NWFP—refugees are pushing for a one-year delay. 

2005 plans called for 400,000 Afghan refugees to return home from Pakistan and 200,000 from Iran, down from an earlier 350,000 estimated from Iran. 453,000 returned from Pakistan.  67,000 from Iran were assisted and over 210,000 returned on their own to Iran for a total of nearly 280,000, and a combined Pakistan and Iran total of 733,000—close to the original projection.

2004 plans were for one million to return.  Actual returnees were around 850,000, with 385,000 from Pakistan and 460,000 from Iran, including 80,000 spontaneous returns.  Pakistan closed camps in South Waziristan and all new camps, with remaining new refugees going to Mohamed Kheil camp in Baluchistan Province. 

Emphasis in 2003 was on repatriation from old camps and cities in Pakistan to rural areas in Afghanistan.  70 percent of returnees from Pakistan were from cities and 30 percent from camps. Over a third returned to Kabul, another 10 percent went to other central provinces, and just over 20 percent returned to each of the north and east.  The Southern region received 6 percent and the Western region 4 percent. The 2003 peak months were June and July.

In 2002 over 2.3 million Afghan refugees returned with 2 million assisted by UNHCR.  UNHCR repatriated 1.53 million Afghan refugees from Pakistan, including 125,000 from Baluchistan and 1.4 million from the North West Frontier Province.  82 percent were from urban areas; only 3 percent were from new camps.  265,000 refugees were assisted in returning from Iran; and 10,000 refugees from the central Asian republics. 

Afghanistan Relief Efforts:  United Nations Coordination Regions

Central Region

Location	Central Region
Coordination
Population
IDP Movement
Food	There have been at least six attacks on World Food Program (WFP) food convoys in 2008, and WFP has temporarily suspended food delivery to Daikundi province.(IRIN, May-28)
Health	Czech Republic-led PRT to begin construction of a new 20-bed facility for the existing Comprehensive Health Clinic in Mohammad Agha in Lowgar province.  (NATO, Apr-24)
NFIs -Shelter	IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Security	A US-led coalition air strike in Ghazni killed seven Taliban insurgents on Wednesday (October 29). (Reuters, Oct-30) A US Chinook helicopter was forced down by hostile fire on Monday (October 27) in Wardak province. All 10 soldiers on board were reportedly picked up and taken to safety. (CNN, Oct-27) The US military claimed to have killed several Taliban militants in an air strike in Ghazni late on Saturday (October 26). However, local media reported that as many as 20 security guards working for a road construction firm were also killed in the attack. Afghan authorities are investigating the incident. (Reuters, Oct-26) In Ghazni city, capital of Ghazni province, unknown gunmen abducted two Bangladeshi aid workers near a government building on October 23. (Reuters, Oct-23) US military officials reported October 23 that US Special Forces freed a kidnapped US civilian last week in the first known hostage rescue by US forces in Afghanistan. The civilian, who works for the US Army Corps of Engineers, was kidnapped in mid-August and was rescued October 15 in Wardak province’s Nirkh district, about 30 miles (48 km) west of Kabul. Afghan troops assisted in the operation, in which the civilian’s two captors were killed. (AP, AFP, Oct-23)
Comments	IOM provided shelter materials to 21 vulnerable families in Bamyan province the week of July 20.  (IOM, Jul-25)

East Central Region

Location	East Central Region
Coordination	UNHCR
Population
IDP Movement	UN; Government encouraging refugees to return to home provinces to limit burden on Kabul—government land distribution program only in province of origin;
Food	The government and the World Bank signed a US$8 million grant agreement to enhance wheat and cereal production by supporting small scale irrigation at the community level.  The Afghanistan Food Crisis Response project focuses on medium-term investments needed to increase food security.  (World Bank, Sep-11) WFP has begun distributing wheat to some 650,000 beneficiaries affected by high food prices in Kabul and the surrounding areas.  (Reliefweb, Mar-6, 2008) IRC, Action Contra la Faim; WFP
Health	The country remains under the national public health emergency declared on January 8, with 30,000 health workers requested to not take leave for the duration of the emergency period. (IRIN, Feb-14) UNICEF, CARITAS, MSF, IFRC, IRC, ICRC
Non-Food Items - Shelter	UNHCR, ACTED, MSF, IRC, ICRC, IOM
Security	At least five people were killed on Thursday (October 30) in a suicide bomb attack inside the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture in Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. (Reuters, Oct-30) Two foreign nationals, a Briton and a South African, working for the international courier service DHL were gunned down in Kabul when an Afghan guard opened fire as their vehicle approached the office on Saturday (October 25). Two other guards were wounded in the incident. Following the shooting, the attacker fatally shot himself. The motive for the attack was unclear. (BBC, Oct-25) Insurgents gunned down a female British aid worker, Gayle Williams, in Kabul on October 20. Williams, who was working for the Christian aid agency Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprises (SERVE), was killed by Taliban militants on a motorcycle as she was walking to work. The Taliban accused her of spreading Christianity, but SERVE denied the charge. (BBC, IHT, Reuters, Oct-20)
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) ICRC
Comments	US Task Force Gladiator, Afghan National Police and a contracted supply company delivered 75 desks, 10 chalk boards and 150 sets of school supplies to Jurghati, Hasanzi and Shawo Katay villages in Kohi Sofi district of Parwan province on August 26. (GoUS, Sep-5) On Wednesday (July 9), Afghanistan and UNAMA launched a joint appeal for US$404 million to ensure food security for 450,000 households, give livestock and agricultural assistance to 300,000 farming families and protect about 550,000 women and children from malnutrition. The appeal is designed to cover these and other projects through July 2009 and follows a US$77 million joint food appeal that was fully met earlier this year. (IRIN, Jul-9)

Eastern Region

Location	Eastern Region
Coordination	UNHCR, International Islamic Relief Organization;
Population
IDP Movement	UNHCR
Food	IRC NATO-led ISAF PRT transported water pipes for a nearly seven-mile-long planned water supply project in Baghlan province.  (NATO, Aug-23)
Health	Provincial officials in Khost, Nangarhar and southern Kandahar provinces confirmed hundreds of diarrhea cases due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-11)
Non-Food Items - Shelter	CWS, UNICEF
Security	On Sunday (October 26), Taliban militants kidnapped 17 road construction workers in Kunar province. An Afghan interior ministry statement accused local Taliban leader Mullah Nasrullah of being involved. (AFP, Xinhua, Oct-27)
Water & Sanitation	CARITAS; ICRC, UNICEF
Comments

Northeastern Region

Location	Northeastern Region
Coordination
Population	9,000 active IDPs in North and Northeast
Movement IDPs
Food
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
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) The MoPH has asked the NATO-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Badakhshan for air support to enable medical teams to service otherwise inaccessible areas. (IRIN, Feb-14)

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	IOM
Food	A severe drought has been reported across northern Afghanistan, with the situation being worst in Faryab, Jowjan, Samangan, Saribul and Badghis provinces. Higher-than-normal summer temperatures and a lack of crucial rainfall have left northern rivers at record low water levels, hindering agricultural production and potable water sources. With the added issue of rising global food prices, farming families are unable to purchase basic food items. The governor of Faryab says the province is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis without immediate food aid. Badghis officials say almost all livestock and crops have been lost and more than 200 families are fleeing each day. There are no accurate figures for casualties or losses. Part of a US$404 million joint UN-Afghan appeal announced on July 9 will be used to feed drought-affected populations. (Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Jul-10)
Health	MSF, ICRC, UNICEF At least 20 children have died in several districts of northern Balkh and central Daikundi provinces over the past five weeks due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-12)
NFIs –Shelter	IOM, ACTED, Mercy Corps
Security	On Monday (October 27), two US soldiers were killed and three others wounded when a suicide bomber disguised as an Afghan policeman blew himself up inside a police station in the provincial capital, Pul-e-Khumri, in Baghlan province. The Taliban reportedly claimed responsibility for the bombing. (CNN, Oct-27)
Water & Sanitation	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 Wednesday (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	UNICEF; Mercy Corps; CARITAS; WFP
Health	A UNICEF-led Polio vaccination campaign was suspended in Musa Qala due to military operations.  The campaign was also suspended in parts of five other districts. (ReliefWeb, Dec-20)
NFIs - Shelter	UNHCR, Mercy Corps
Security	Four Afghan police officers were killed in a roadside bomb blast in Kandahar province on Thursday (October 30). (Reuters, Oct-30) Three militants were killed across Helmand in two separate operations on October 18 and 19. (Reuters, AP, Oct-19-20) Afghan and international forces killed 34 militants in a security operation south of Helmand’s provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, on October 19. (IHT, Reuters, Oct-20) A US-led air strike reportedly killed a senior Taliban commander, Mullah Ghafar, in Helmand on October 20. (CNN, Oct-22) At least 35 Taliban militants and three Afghan policemen were killed in an overnight clash that began October 21 in Uruzgan (Oruzgan) province, Afghan forces said October 22. On October 23, the US military said 55 insurgents were killed in the attack. (The News, AP, DPA, Oct-22-23) In Uruzgan, coalition forces killed three militants in Khas Uruzgan district October 21 after the rebels attacked a joint Afghan-coalition patrol. (DPA, Oct-23) A Coalition airstrike and Afghan troops killed 15 Taliban militants, including a commander, in Uruzgan on October 22. (The News, Oct-24) In Kandahar city on October 23, insurgents detonated explosives attached to a donkey, killing a policeman and wounding two other policemen and a civilian. (DPA, Oct-23)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	As part of the first governor-led counter-narcotics plan in Afghanistan to replace poppy crops with wheat, Helmand launched a US$9.7 million (6 million pound) program October 14 to strengthen wheat farming. The program will distribute wheat seeds and fertilizer to 32,000 farmers in Helmand, enough to grow about 64,250 acres (26,000 hectares) of wheat. To receive the free wheat, farmers must sign a commitment to not grow poppy. (DFID, Oct-14) The US and the UN agree that Afghanistan will harvest fewer poppy plants this year after two years of record crops. However, according to the AP, the Bush administration claims that production will plunge by 31 percent, from 8,000 metric tons in 2007 to 5,500 metric tons this year, more than five times the drop in production predicted by the UN in August.  The UN said then that despite a 19 percent drop in cultivation, opium production would go down only 6 percent because of a rise in yield.  The US report estimates poppy cultivation is down a similar amount, 22 percent, but says yields have also fallen. (AP, Oct-24) India's Ambassador Jayant Prasad said that India has completed construction of a strategic road linking Afghanistan with a port in Iran.  The 135-mile (220-km) road in southwestern Nimroz is part of India's US$1.1 billion reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. (Reuters, Sep-12). Afghan security forces and ISAF delivered a new turbine to the hydro-power project at Kajaki Dam in Helmand province on Tuesday (Sep-2). It is the second of three turbines designed to refurbish the power plant, which should supply power for some 2 million people in Helmand and Kandahar. (NATO, AP, Sep-2-3) The Afghan government has approved 19 reconstruction projects valued at US$1.4 million (72 million AFA) for Kandahar province.  Projects are to be completed within nine months and are expected to benefit some 29,000 households in the region. (ReliefWeb, Mar-14).

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
Food	WFP
Health	UNICEF, MSF
NFIs – Shelter
Security
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	Support for Spin Boldak camps terminated in 2004.

Western Region

Location	Western Region
Coordination	UNHCR; ICMC
Population	According to the IFRC, flash floods and avalanches in early March affected some 200 families in Herat city; 918 families in Gulran district; 35 families in Cheshte Sharif district; 150 families in Shindand district, 6,500 families in Badghis/Jawand and Murghab districts, and 20 families in Gour district. (IFRC, Mar-23)  12,000 IDPs, mostly in Maslakh camp
Movement IDPs	IOM
Food	IRC, CARITAS, UNICEF, World Vision, IOM, Action Contre la Faim; WFP Provincial officials are seeking 1,733 tons of food aid to feed some 100,000 most vulnerable people affected by rising food prices in Ghor province. (IRIN, May-19)
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	Islamic Development Bank (IDB) distributed some 12,500 blankets and 150 tents to some 2,500 families in Herat.  (FP, Apr-22)
Security	A soldier from the US-led coalition was killed on Monday (October 27), when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in western Afghanistan. The US military did not release the nationality or the identity of the fallen soldier. No other details were immediately available. (Reuters, Oct-27)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	The International Organization for Migration (IOM) inaugurated an upgraded Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) radio station and a media center in Qal-i-Naw district in the province of Badghis. IOM installed an AM transmitter and studio, with funding from the Spanish government. The new equipment has allowed the station to broadcast to every district in the province. (IOM, Oct. 24)

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) The Kacha Garhi Afghan refugee camp was officially closed on July 26, 2007.  Kacha Garhi, set up in 1980 and located in Hayatabad in NWFP, had 64,000 registered Afghans.  The closure followed two years of negotiations, as many refugees initially did not want to repatriate.  By the camp's closure, some 37,000 refugees had been repatriated by the UNHCR.  Most refugees were originally from Afghanistan's eastern and central provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, Kabul, and Logar. (UNHCR, July-27)
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
Food	WFP, CRS, ARC
Health	UNICEF, MSF
Non-Food Items (NFIs) - Shelter	CRS
Security
Water & Sanitation	IFRC, MDM
Comments