March 16, 2007

 

 

Overview

 

US troops mistakenly kill five Afghan policemen in southern Afghanistan

Five Afghan policemen were reportedly killed last night (Thursday, March 15), when US-led coalition troops mistakenly opened fire at an Afghan police checkpost near Gereshk district in southern Helmand province. According to provincial police officials, American troops on patrol mistook a police checkpost for a Taliban insurgent position and opened fire. Zemeri Bashary, spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, confirmed the killing of the five Afghan policemen by coalition forces, saying that it was inexcusable and calling for a "full explanation." US coalition forces did not have any immediate comment, saying that they were looking into the incident. This is the third incident in less than two weeks in which innocent civilians have reportedly died as a result of US-led military actions in the restive south. According to BBC News, NATO officials have privately expressed their frustration and anger over US forces operating in NATO areas outside NATO's command. They say NATO's efforts to win public support is being gravely undermined by the recent actions of US-led coalition forces involving civilian casualties.

 

Kidnapped Italian journalist in Afghanistan makes video plea

The Italian journalist kidnapped in Afghanistan last week made a plea on Thursday (March 15) to his country's government to save his life. In a recorded video message obtained by Reuters from Afghanistan's Pajhwok news agency, Daniele Mastrogiacomo appealed to the Italian government and to Prime Minister Romano Prodi to do everything, work in every direction, to obtain his release. He said if the kidnappers' demands were not met in two days, he and the two Afghan abductees would be killed. Mastrogiacomo, 52, who worked for Italy's La Repubblica along with two Afghan colleagues, was abducted by Taliban insurgents upon entering southern Helmand province earlier this month on charges of spying for British forces and entering the area without authorization. The kidnappers have demanded the withdrawal of Italy’s troops from Afghganistan and the release of one of their spokesman in exchange for Mastrogiacomo’s release. According to reports today (Friday, March 16), Taliban spokesman Mullah Ibrahim Hanifi said Mastrogiacomo’s driver was killed on Thursday for spying.

 

Powerful explosion rocks Afghan capital, killing at least 13

A powerful explosion in the Afghan capital of Kabul Wednesday (March 14) morning shook the city, killing at least 13 people and wounding over a dozen others. According to the city's deputy police chief, Zulmay Khan, the blast was caused by gunpowder in a bazaar where hunting rifles, bullets and gunpowder are sold. The accidental explosion took place 0630 local time (0200 GMT) in a busy area in central Kabul. Most of the shops were still closed when the blast occurred. The blast left a 3-meter (10-ft) crater, and destroyed or damaged about 100 of the 400 shops in the area. According to reports, most of the casualties were caused by collapsed building structures.

 

Afghan rights commission says self-immolation by women on the rise

Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said yesterday (Thursday, March 15) that life for many Afghan women remains so bleak that some choose a horrific and painful death by immolating themselves. Some 800 testimonies gathered through interviews by the AIHRC of family members whose females killed themselves by self-immolation and anecdotal evidence by other rights workers suggest that the phenomenon is growing. Although the report by the AIHRC focused on five provinces, namely Badghis, Herat, Farah, Nimroz and Kandahar in the south and the west of the country, women's rights advocates suspect self-immolation is a nationwide problem. The report also concludes that self-immolation, which is one of the major consequences of abuse against women, typically stemmed from abuse by a family member or someone the female knew. It also points out the fact that no one has ever been prosecuted for crimes against women in Afghanistan and not even reprimanded. The United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) estimates that despite the ouster of the hardline Taliban regime, one-third of the women in Afghanistan continue to be beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused.

 

 

Movement

 

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.

 

UN-assisted voluntary Afghan refugee repatriation in Pakistan resumed on Thursday (March 1) with a first group of 25 refugees leaving for Afghanistan.

 

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 will close 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

 

 

East Central Region

 

 

Eastern Region

 

 

Northeastern Region

 

 

Northern Region

 

 

Southern Region

 

 

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	An estimated
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	12,000 IDPs, mostly in Maslakh camp
Movement IDPs	IOM
Food	WFP has sent 127 tons of food assistance for some 3,515 flood-affected families in Badghis province. (OCHA, Nov. 23) IRC, CARITAS, UNICEF, World Vision, IOM, Action Contre la Faim; WFP;
Health
Non-Food Items (NFIs) – Shelter	UNHCR sent 50 tents, 1,000 blankets, 500 plastic sheets, 20 jerry cans and 500 lanterns for flood victims in Badghis. (OCHA, Nov. 23) UNHCR, Iranian Red Crescent, UNICEF, IOM, Ockenden Int’l, MSF, IMC;
Security	At least 10 policemen were in a roadside bomb aimed at a police convoy in Bakwa district in western Farah province on Tuesday (March 13), which also killed the newly-appointed district police chief. (ABC, HT, Mar. 13)   Three Afghan policemen were killed and another three wounded in a roadside bomb blast in western Farah province as they were returning from a poppy eradication campaign. (BBC, Feb. 18).   One civilian was killed and four others wounded when policemen clashed with angry farmers during a poppy eradication campaign in Ghor province. (BBC, Feb. 18)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments

Refugee Camps in Pakistan

 

 

Location	Long-term camps in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Baluchistan Province, and by capital, Islamabad; Mohamed Kheil 1 & 2 camps (85 km southwest of Quetta)
Type	Refugee Camps
Coordination	UNHCR.
Camp Capacity	About one million mostly long term Afghans in 74 camps—down from about 200 camps.
Population	Estimated 2.6 million Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan; 63 camps in NWFP, 10 in Baluchistan; and one million elsewhere; Many occupants are long-term residents or were born in Pakistan;
Refugee Movement
Food	WFP, CRS, ARC
Health	UNICEF, MSF
Non-Food Items (NFIs) - Shelter	CRS
Security
Water & Sanitation	IFRC, MDM
Comments	The Pakistan government has identified existing camps in Dhir and Chitral in the northern part of the country as relocation sites for Afghans who can not return to Afghanistan following recent camp closures in NWFP and Balochistan. (UNHCR, Feb. 21)   2,161,984 Afghans were registered between October 2006 and yesterday. Of the total, 1,368,316 were registered in North West Frontier Province; 454,726 in Balochistan; 240,698 in Punjab and Islamabad; 92,189 in Sindh; and 6,055 in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir (PcK). More than 2.87 million Afghans have returned home from Pakistan since 2002, including over 133,000 in 2006. (Feb. 16, Reuters)   As of February 2, 2007, over two million Afghan refugees in Pakistan have registered in a US$6-million refugee registration campaign jointly carried out by the UNHCR and Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). (UNHCR, Feb. 2)   Pakistan will close four Afghan refugee camps in its border areas, Girdi Jungle and Jungle Pir Alizai in southwestern Balochistan province, and Katchagari and Jalozai in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), by August this year. The camps house about 230,000 people. Katchagari and Jungle Pir Alizai will be closed by June 15, while Jalozi and Girdi Jungle will be closed by August 31. (BBC, UNHCR, Feb-09)