December 28, 2007

Overview

Afghan and Pakistani presidents pledge more cooperation to fight terrorism

Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Pakistan this week, where he held talks with his Pakistani counterpart, President Pervez Musharraf. In a joint press conference on Wednesday (December 26) following their meeting, the two leaders pledged better cooperation in their fight against terrorism that they said was "destroying both countries." Musharraf told the press conference, "We have developed a strong understanding of each other's problems," adding, "The key to enhancing our capability against terrorists and extremists is intelligence cooperation." Karzai said people in both countries were suffering as a result of terrorism, adding, "... it is incumbent upon us -- the leadership of the two countries, the governments -- to find ways to bring peace and stability to each home, each family, in both countries." This was the first meeting between the two leaders in four months. They have in the past blamed each other for their country’s problems. This week’s meeting was reportedly held in a warm and friendly atmosphere with President Musharraf hosting a state banquet in Karzai's honor Wednesday night.

Afghanistan expels UN and EU officials accused of threatening state security

Two senior officials, one working for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the other working for the European Union (EU), were expelled from Afghanistan on Thursday (December 27) as ordered by the Afghan government after talks between the government and UN officials failed to resolve the matter. The Afghan government declared Michael Semple, the acting head of the EU mission in the country, and Marvin Patterson, a senior UNAMA official, both "persona non grata" and threats to national security following their visit to restive southern Helmand province, during which they allegedly held an illegal meeting with the Taliban. Both officials are British nationals and are well respected and have considerable experience and knowledge of Afghanistan's history, culture, language and tribal affairs. According to Aleem Siddique, a UN spokesman, the Afghan government had misconstrued the nature of the meetings the two officials had held in the town of Musa Qala and the UN was trying to clarify the mission. Siddique said the officials had met with tribal elders and members of the community in Musa Qala, including those who opposed the government. He denied that the two officials had met with the members of the Taliban, saying that, "We do not talk to the Taliban." Siddique, however, stressed the need for the UN mission to talk to all parties in Afghanistan, including those "less supportive of the government," in the interest of peace. The order to expel the foreign diplomats reportedly came directly from President Hamid Karzai's office as he left on a visit to neighboring Pakistan. Siddique said the misunderstanding could not be resolved before the two men were to fly out of the country on Thursday.

Seven killed in security incidents across Afghanistan's south

At least seven people, including three children, were killed and several others wounded in separate security incidents across Afghanistan's restive south and southeast over the weekend. Eight children were wounded on Monday (December 24) in the Afghan capital, Kabul, when a rocket shell they were playing with exploded. According to Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary, the children were rushed to the hospital and their injuries were not life threatening. One policeman was reportedly killed and three others wounded when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb blast in the Wata Pur district in eastern Kunar province on Sunday (December 23). Afghan security forces claim to have killed a local Taliban commander and his bodyguard in a clash in Gelan district in the southeastern province of Ghazni Sunday. Provincial officials say two civilians were killed and four others wounded when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb near Shah Wali Kot in southern Kandahar province also on Sunday. A policeman and a civilian were also killed in a separate incident in Kandahar's Panjway district Sunday when they tried to remove a dead body that had been booby-trapped. Afghan authorities claim to have arrested a 55-year-old foreign female who was carrying explosives west from the eastern Kunar province to neighboring Nangarhar province. The female was arrested near the city of Jalalabad. Her nationality was not disclosed. Nangarhar lies along the border with Pakistan.

Poland to send 400 additional troops to Afghanistan

Poland is expected to send 400 additional troops to Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led mission in the country. Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich told reporters in the capital, Warsaw, that President Lech Kaczynski, the supreme commander of the armed forces, had proposed the deployment of 400 additional troops and eight helicopters to Afghanistan by the end of April 2008. The new deployment will bring Poland's troop contributions to Afghanistan to some 1,600. Klich told reporters, "The situation in Pakistan and the danger of the destabilization spreading in the region, also into Afghanistan, is forcing us to strengthen the mission." The Polish cabinet is expected to approve the plan. Poland is also planning to send some 350 troops to Africa as part of the EU mission to protect refugees in Chad. The announcement comes only weeks after Poland expressed its intention to withdraw some 900 of its troops who are currently part of the US-led mission in Iraq by the end of October 2008.

Movement

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% of returnees from Pakistan were from cities and 30% from camps. Over a third returned to Kabul, another 10% went to other central provinces, and just over 20% returned to each of the north and east. The Southern region received 6% and the Western region 4%. 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% were from urban areas; only 3% 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

An avalanche in the Murgab area in central Ghor killed at least 16

people. On March 19 floods killed 30 people in Uruzgan

province.

IDP Movement

Food

On Wednesday (December-26) a landslide had blocked access to Kehmard district in Bamiyan province, leaving an estimated 40,000 vulnerable to food shortages as prices of food rose sharply. (IRIN, Dec-27)

A rapid food needs assessment by USAID’s Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) suggests that due to failed wheat crops, unfavorable weather and higher food prices, Ghor province would need in the short-term (December-April) some 14,231 metric tons of food assistance to feed its vulnerable population. (ReliefWeb, Oct-18)

According to local officials, thousands of students attending 40 schools in Ghazni province have not received WFP food assistance for over a month due to insecurity. FAO on July 5 said that 6.5 million Afghans suffer from chronic food insecurity. (IRIN, July-8)

Health

UN agencies and the local provincial government raise funds to build a new maternity wing in the Bamiyan main hospital. The new facility is expected to provide essential healthcare for expectant mothers in central Bamiyan province and to reduce the risk of both maternal and child mortality. (UNAMA, July-17).

At least 20 children have died in several districts of central Daikundi and northern Balkh provinces over the past five weeks due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-12)

Typhoid fever has claimed five lives and infected some 200 others in the Charsada district of central Ghor province. (People’s Daily Online, Feb-15)

NFIs -Shelter

IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM

Water & Sanitation

UNICEF

Security

A family of five on a motor bike was killed near Uruzgan province’s capital, Tirin Kot, on Sunday (December 16) when the motor bike ran over a freshly planted landmine, killing the husband, wife and their three children. (HT, Xinhua, Dec-17)

Six civilians were killed and six others wounded when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb on a road outside the provincial capital, Tirin Kot, in Uruzgan province on Thursday (December 13). (ABC, Dec-13)

Comments

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	ISAF troops carried out a two-day food donation near the village of Gulbagh in Chahar Asiab district, (NATO, Feb-11) IRC, Action Contra la Faim; WFP
Health	President Karzai helped inaugurate the new hospital of the National Department of Security on September 14. (GOA, Sep-14) More than 10,000 people, mostly children, have been affected by diarrhea in flood-stricken provinces across the country, including Kabul. (IRIN, July-12) Kabul is home to the world’s worst outbreak of leishmaniasis, thought to have spread to hundreds of thousands of people. The sandflies that spread the parasites causing the disease are present in all Afghan cities, but more prominently in poor, crowded areas where they breed on waste land and in trash. (Reuters, May-7) UNICEF, CARITAS, MSF, IFRC, IRC, ICRC
Non-Food Items - Shelter	UNHCR, ACTED, MSF, IRC, ICRC, IOM
Security	*Eight children were wounded in the capital, Kabul, Monday (December-24) when a rocket shell they were playing with exploded. (KT, TNI, Dec-24)* Afghan security forces gunned down an unarmed civilian near the Kabul airport after mistaking him for a suicide bomber on Monday (December 17). (Xinhua, KT, Dec-17) Five civilians were killed and nine others wounded in two separate attacks, including a suicide car bomb attack in Kabul on Saturday (December 15). (KT, Reliefweb, Dec-17)
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	The Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (MAPA) says it has completed demining the community of Karte Sakhi in Kabul. (UNAMA, Sep-15)

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 southern Khost, Kandahar and eastern Nangarhar provinces have confirmed hundreds of diarrhea cases due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-11) FAO confirmed cases of the H5N1 subtype of avian influenza (bird flu) virus in poultry in the eastern city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province and in Sawki district in Kunar province. (FAO, Feb-26)
Non-Food Items - Shelter	CWS, UNICEF
Security	*One policeman was killed and three others wounded when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Wata Pur district in Kunar province on Sunday (December 23). (KT, CNN, Dec-24)* *Afghan security forces killed a Taliban commander and his bodyguard in a clash in Gelan district in Kunar province Sunday. (KT, CNN, Dec-24)* *Afghan authorities arrested a 55-year-old female carrying an explosives belt near Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province on Monday (December 24). (KT, Dec-24)* Two children were killed in an accidental blast in Bati Kot district in eastern Nangarhar province on Thursday (December 20) when an explosive device they brought into their home exploded. (TNI, Dec-21)
Water & Sanitation	CARITAS; ICRC, UNICEF
Comments

Northeastern Region

Location	Northeastern Region
Coordination
Population	9,000 active IDPs in North and Northeast
Movement IDPs
Food	*On Thursday (December 27), heavy snowfall had blocked access to at least 10 districts in Badakhshan province, leaving some 200,000 people in need of food assistance. (IRIN, Dec-27)*
Health	WHO, Merlin, UNICEF, MSF; ICRC
Non-Food Items (NFIs) -Shelter	UNICEF, ACTED, Refugees Int’l, Mercy Corps
Security	Taliban insurgents ambushed and killed two Afghan policemen and abducted a police commander in Nuristan province. (BBC, Oct-7) Twelve people, including five government employees and seven policemen, were killed on September 23 when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle as it traveled through northeastern Badakhshan province. (CNN, Sep-24)
Water & Sanitation
Comments	At least 13 people were killed in an avalanche in Baharak district in northeastern Badakhshan province on Tuesday (December 11). Fifteen others were rescued. (IRIN, Dec-12)

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
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	More than 65 people, including six members of Afghanistan’s lower house of the parliament and 59 schoolchildren, were killed and more than 100 others wounded in a suicide bomb attack near a sugar factory in northern Baghlan province on November 6. (ABC, BBC, Reuters, Nov 6-8) Four people, including a district police chief, his brother and two other policemen, were killed in a roadside bomb blast in northern Baghlan province on September 24. (The News, Sep-25)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF, ICRC, DACAAR
Comments	ISAF PRT helps flood-affected families in Khamyab and Qarqin districts in Jowzjan province at the request of provincial authorities. (Frontier Post, Aug-12)

Southern Region

Location	Southern Region
Coordination	UNHCR
Population	IFRC says that flash floods and avalanches in early March have affected 2,200 families in Helmand/Sangreen Grishk, Musa Qala, and Nowzad districts; and 400 families in Uruzgan/Dehraud district. (IFRC, Mar-23).
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) UNOCHA reports that over 2,500 families have left their homes in different districts of Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar provinces over the past two months, according to provincial officials. Many of the displaced say they are leaving because of forced recruitment attempts by the Taliban and air strikes by international forces. Many have sought shelter in Kandahar city. (UNOCHA, Sep-27) In Uruzgan province, 880 families affected by conflict in Chora district have been settled in Tirin Kot and Dehrawud districts with the help of UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and UNICEF. (ReliefWeb, July-30) About 2,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled their homes in several parts of Helmand province due to heavy fighting between Taliban insurgents and NATO-led forces. (IRIN, July-9)
Food	WFP says it could not deliver 50 tons of mixed food to Geeti district in Daykundi province due to security concerns. WFP plans to deliver food as soon as safe passage is guaranteed. (IRIN, Nov-14) The World Food Program (WFP) delivered 500 metric tons of food to the provincial capital Lashkargah, in southern Helmand province for some 4,500 families affected by fighting in Musa Qala, Sangin, Kajakiand Nawzad districts. (ReliefWeb, Sep-3) WFP also distributed 300 tons of food to some 37,000 beneficiaries in Kandahar and Helmand under food-for-work and literacy programs. (ReliefWeb, Sep-3) UNICEF; Mercy Corps; CARITAS; WFP
Health	Afghan and US-led coalition forces treated some 700 Afghans during a two-day outreach operation in Kandahar on December 7 and 8. (Reliefweb, Dec-12) The Australian Reconstruction Task Force (RTF), part of the Dutch-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Regional Command South, has completed the redevelopment of the Tarin Kowt Hospital and the construction of the Yaklengah Comprehensive Health Clinic. (NATO, Sep-17) The Afghan Ministry of Public Health and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) signed a memorandum of understanding under which the ICRC will significantly increase its support for the 390-bed regional referral Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar for the next two years. The hospital formerly run by Italian NGO Emergency provides essential care for thousands of patients, including men, women and children wounded in hostilities in the neighboring provinces of Zabul, Helmand and Uruzgan. (ICRC, July-26)
NFIs - Shelter	UNHCR, Mercy Corps
Security	*Two civilians were killed and four others wounded when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Shah Wali district in Kandahar on Sunday (December 23). (KT, CNN, Dec-24)* *A policeman and a civilian were killed when they tried to remove a dead body that had been booby-trapped in Panjwayi district in Kandahar on Sunday (December 23). (KT, CNN, Dec-24)* Afghan security forces claim to have killed at least 20 Taliban insurgents and arrested nine others in Kandahar’s Zhari district on Sunday (December 16). (AP, KT, Dec-17) 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) One British soldier, two children and 12 Taliban insurgents were killed during a security operation in Musa Qala in Helmand province on Saturday (December 8). (BBC, AP, Dec-10) Afghan and US-led coalition forces recaptured the town of Musa Qala on Monday (December 10). More than 50 suspected Taliban insurgents were killed in two days of fighting that ended on Tuesday (December 11) around Musa Qala. (BBC, ABC, KT, Dec- 12) Afghan security officials claim to have killed at least 35 Taliban insurgents during a three-day joint military operation that ended on December 1 in Kandahar’s Shah Wali Kot district. (BBC, Yahoo, TNI, Dec-3) Unidentified armed men ambushed a WFP truck carrying 18 tons of high energy biscuits on Sunday (December 2), killing the driver and abducting his assistant. The truck and its cargo remain missing. (WFP, Dec-6)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	Some 2,500 families (roughly 13,000 people) who fled ongoing violence in Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar are staying around Kandahar city in urgent need of temporary shelter. (IRIN, Oct-3) UNICEF estimates some 262 of the 740 schools in the southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul are currently unable to provide education. (UNNS, July-30)

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 Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR) is providing safe drinking water to the drought-affected western Afghan provinces of Farah and Herat. Some 7,000 families, or 42,000 individuals, will be provided safe water and hygiene training. (DACAAR, Aug-22) WFP said July 11 that it has resumed some food deliveries along the southern ring road, allowing it to deliver food to the western region. Normal operations moving 1,500 to 1,200 tons of food each week are planned. In late May, WFP suspended some of its deliveries to parts of southern, eastern and western Afghanistan due to insecurity. (WFP, July-11)
Health	Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), with the help of US-led coalition forces, carried out a Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) in Shewan, western Farah province on August 30 and treated more than 811 people, including 576 women and children. (USG, Sep-2)
Non-Food Items (NFIs) – Shelter	UNHCR, Iranian Red Crescent, UNICEF, IOM, Ockenden Int’l, MSF, IMC
Security	A German national married to an Afghan female was abducted by unidentified armed assailants on Sunday (December 16) in western Herat province. Authorities have arrested four of his wife’s relatives on suspicion of their involvement in the abduction. (BBC, AFP, Dec-20) A suicide bomber blew himself up near an Afghan police patrol on Monday (December 3), killing four people, including two policemen. The attack took place in southwestern Nimroz province and also wounded seven people, including three policemen. (BBC, TNI, YAHOO, Dec-3)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	The US Provincial Reconstruction Team in Farah launched a US$1.7 million bridge project that will benefit more than 10,000 residents of Tojg and thousands of others in neighboring districts during the flooding season. (ReliefWeb, 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. 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) Pakistan has extended the camp closure deadline until March 2008. (IRIN, Sep-4) Girdi Jungle (Balochistan): 17,844, scheduled to close August 31. (IRIN, June-14)
Refugee Movement	Pakistan wants some 2 million Afghan refugees to return home by 2009. (AP, June-14) UNHCR temporarily suspends Afghan voluntary repatriation campaign in Pakistan until March 2008 due to seasonal slowdown. (IRIN, Nov-2).
Food	UNHCR in coordination with local and international organizations is helping some 4,000 Afghans in five flood-affected Afghan refugee camps in Balochistan province. The assistance mainly included non-food items such as tents and tarpaulins. (IRIN, July-26). WFP, CRS, ARC
Health	UNICEF, MSF
Non-Food Items (NFIs) - Shelter	CRS
Security	At least three Pakistani villagers and an Afghan refugee were killed when hundreds of villagers and refugees living in and near the Jungle Pir Alizai camp in Balochistan province clashed with police sent to demolish their homes. (AP, June-14)
Water & Sanitation	IFRC, MDM
Comments