December 19, 2008

Overview

Major expansion planned for UN's Afghan mission

After a UN meeting in New York on Tuesday (December 16), UN Special Envoy Kai Eide said Wednesday (December 17) that the budget for the UN mission in Afghanistan will soon double from US$80 million a year and staff numbers will increase to more than 2,000 from 1,500, Reuters reported. In addition, the Canwest News Service reported Eide as saying that the new budget will allow the UN to recruit experts within key areas such as agriculture, power and capacity building. With insurgents gaining ground and violence reaching its worst levels since 2001, Afghanistan has become a growing international focus. Eide encouraged more clarity among donor countries regarding how much direct aid they contribute to Afghanistan, insinuating they need to take responsibility for their projects and not leave them to the UN. Reuters stated that in addition to the scope of UN agencies involved, more than 100 non-governmental organizations are active in Afghanistan. However, Eide commented that poor coordination between them has plagued development efforts and mentioned a need for an "international coordination center" with a representative from each major donor country. He also added that "there is not a lack of projects, but there is a lack of focus."

Afghan president issues demands on foreign troop conduct

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday (December 18) called on international forces to respect the culture and laws of his country. In a speech to an audience of foreign diplomats and government officials in the capital, Kabul, Karzai said his repeated demands to the almost 70,000 NATO and US-led troops in the country to put an end to detentions and house searches have so far been unheeded.  "The unilateral actions of them (foreign forces) is an obstacle for applying the rule of law in Afghanistan. This way the Afghan government will be destroyed and it will never be strengthened when in my country, the foreign soldiers go and arrest people, hit them and even kill them," Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) quoted Karzai as saying. International forces have routinely targeted houses in southern and eastern provinces in pre-emptive strikes to search for suspected insurgents and those who provide them with weapons. Karzai also said that he has sent a list of demands to the US about troop conduct ahead of the potential arrival of more US troops, the Associated Press reported.  In his speech, he said that he asked the US last month to cooperate with the Afghan government and security troops in all its operations.  "Part of that list was that they shouldn't, on their own, enter the houses of our people and bombard our villages and detain our people," the AP quoted Karzai as saying. According to the AP, US officials say they are hesitant to share details and plans of raids against militants because they are afraid Afghan officials connected to the Taliban could alert the militants. Karzai was speaking a day after the UN chief in Afghanistan, Kai Eide, called for international forces to revise their agreements with Kabul to include practices that will better safeguard civilians, the AP reported. According to the AP, the UN said in September that 577 Afghan civilians had been killed this year by US, NATO and Afghan soldiers, which is a 21 percent jump from 2007. The UN also said that Taliban fighters and other militants were responsible for the deaths of at least 800 civilians this year. Separately, Lt. Gen. Jim Dutton, the deputy commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, said Wednesday (December 17) that he believes the security situation in Afghanistan will improve next year amid plans to boost the Afghan army and police and increase the number of foreign troops, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. Dutton also said the new US administration will likely have a positive impact on security as president-elect Barack Obama has vowed to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, according to AFP. In other news, the French military on Thursday denied reports that it was planning to expand its troop strength in Afghanistan’s east.  General Christian Baptiste, deputy spokesperson at France’s defense ministry said “Right now, sending extra troops is not on the agenda,” AFP reported. 

Thousands in Pakistan rally against supply route to Afghanistan

Up to 10,000 supporters of a hardline party staged a rally in Pakistan's main northwestern city, Peshawar, on Thursday, demanding that the supply route for US and NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan be closed. According to the Associated Press (AP), the protesters led by the Jamaat-e-Islami party said Pakistan should no longer support the supply route, over which about 80 percent of supplies for foreign forces in Afghanistan pass, because the equipment being shipped across Pakistan into Afghanistan is supporting suspected US drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal northwest, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The protesters plan to wave black flags of protest as the convoys pass their homes in an effort to force the closure of the route, according to the BBC. The protests followed two weeks of frequent militant attacks on supply depots in Peshawar. More than 300 supply vehicles have been destroyed in the late-night attacks and several security guards have been killed, the AP reported. Earlier this week the Khyber Transport Association, which represents the majority of the companies that carry the cargo, said the security situation had made it impossible for its members to continue deliveries. The Pakistani Taliban has been targeting depots and trucks along the supply route since September, according to the BBC. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that militants fired two rocket-propelled grenades Wednesday at a convoy of about 150 trucks that had just taken off from their depot on the outskirts of Peshawar. One woman was wounded in the attack. On Tuesday, NATO played down the attacks, saying that the route is still open and safe, according to the Dawn. The Dawn also attributed Adm. Giampaolo Di Paolo, the head of NATO's military committee, as saying that the organization is also looking to add new routes and is making progress on an agreement with Russia whereby non-lethal equipment could be shipped into Afghanistan. NATO is also in talks with Turkmenistan, Di Paolo said.

Movement

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

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).

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	No New Information
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	No New Information IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM
Water & Sanitation	No New Information UNICEF
Security
Comments	In Ghazni province, the governor said on Thursday (December-18) that US$60 million will be spent on reconstruction next year. Citing the dismal conditions of the infrastructure in his province, the governor excluded any entertainment, hotel and electricity projects. (ReliefWeb, Dec-18)

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 German Federal Foreign Office is giving another US$1.3 million (1 million Euros) to the UN World Food Program (WFP) to provide basic necessities to people in particularly remote areas of Afghanistan during the winter. Germany’s winter aid for Afghanistan amounts to US$8.45 million (6.5 million Euros). (Government of Germany, Dec-4) The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Tuesday (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	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	No New Information UNHCR, ACTED, MSF, IRC, ICRC, IOM
Security	Reuters reported on December 12 that roadside bomb attacks on US and NATO forces in Afghanistan have increased sharply in the fall, off-setting the usual decline with the onset of winter, the Pentagon said. IED incidents rose 19 percent from 264 in October to 315 in November. (Reuters, Dec-12)
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	NATO entered talks with Afghanistan’s northern neighbors to allow the shipment of more supplies through those countries. The move comes as Taliban attacks on NATO supply lines through Pakistan increase and the local transport association suspended any convoys to Afghanistan beginning Tuesday (December-15). At least 75 percent of supplies to foreign troops travels through Pakistan. (BBC, Dec-15)

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	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	No New Information CWS, UNICEF
Security	In Paktika province, Taliban militants abducted six musicians and an election worker on Saturday (December-13). One of the musicians was later found dead. Local authorities said they had no information on the fate of the other five musicians. (AFP, Dec-13) In Kunar province, coalition and Afghan forces captured two Taliban chiefs and another militant in the city of Jalalabad on Tuesday (December-16). (AP, Dec-16) In Khost province, Afghan Army soldiers shot a suicide bomber attempting to attack a government office. The wounded bomber blew himself up, injuring one army soldier on Tuesday. On Wednesday (December 17), US and Afghan troops killed three militants in an overnight raid. Independent sources claim that the killed people were civilians. (Dawn, DPA, Dec 16-17)
Water & Sanitation	CARITAS; ICRC, UNICEF
Comments	No New Information

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	No New Information
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	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	No New Information MSF, ICRC, UNICEF
NFIs –Shelter	No New Information IOM, ACTED, Mercy Corps
Security	No New Information
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 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	No New Information UNICEF; Mercy Corps; CARITAS; WFP
Health	NATO reported on Sunday (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	In Kandahar province, three Canadian soldiers were killed and one was wounded when an IED exploded next to their vehicle in Arghandab district on December 12 or Saturday (December-13). (CNN, Dec-13) An ongoing Afghan-NATO operation in Nad Ali and Murja districts of Helmand province began on December 11 and as of Monday (December 15) had resulted in the deaths of 40 militants, including the head of the Taliban’s council in the two districts. (AP, Dec-15) On Sunday (December-14), a bomb hidden in a wooden cart exploded in the city of Kandahar, killing three police officers and wounding 11 others. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP, Dec 13-15) A British soldier was killed in Helmand province on Monday by enemy fire at a forward operating base. (AP, Dec-15) Also in Helmand on Monday, two Afghan police officers and one Taliban fighter were killed during a firefight at a checkpoint about 2 miles (3 km) south of Lashkar Gah, Helmand’s capital. (AP, Dec-16) In southern Uruzgan province, three militants were killed when the roadside bomb they were planting exploded prematurely in Deh Rawood district on Tuesday (December-16). (DPA, Dec-16)
Water & Sanitation	No New Information UNICEF
Comments	British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Saturday (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 Friday (December-19) Tooryalai Wesa, an Afghan-Canadian academic, accepted the post of governor in the volatile southern province of Kandahar. He will be officially sworn in on Saturday (December-20). (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	No New Information
Water & Sanitation	No New Information 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)
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