June 8, 2007

 

 

Overview

 

NATO chief calls on alliance to minimize civilian casualties in Afghanistan

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is calling on NATO alliance’s countries to take steps to minimize civilian casualties in Afghanistan. Speaking at a defense conference, De Hoop Scheffer said, "Any loss of innocent civilian life and damage to civilian property risks eroding the support we continue to receive from the vast majority of people in Afghanistan." He said better coordination was needed between the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the Afghan army and the US-led coalition. He said any future incidents of civilian casualties must be promptly investigated and urged renewed efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Afghans. Earlier this year (January 2007), NATO acknowledged mounting number of civilian casualties during military operations led by western forces and vowed to minimize them in 2007. However, so far this year NATO has not been able to rein in civilian casualties which many experts say are increasing the disenchantment of the Afghan public with the foreign security presence in the country.

 

Taliban militants free Afghan hostages following the release of body of Taliban commander

Taliban militants have released four kidnapped Afghan health workers in exchange for the release of the body of their fallen comrade and prominent militant leader, Mullah Dadullah, to his family. A spokesman for the Taliban confirmed today that Afghan officials had handed over the body of the senior commander to his family members. Dadullah was killed in a military operation by Afghan and NATO-led forces three weeks ago, and his body was buried by authorities in a secret location. The Taliban had demanded Dadullah's body turned over to his family, otherwise they would kill the five male hostages, including a doctor, three nurses and their driver, who were captured by the militants in March. On Tuesday (June 5), the militants beheaded one of the five hostages, the doctor, after what they described as the Afghan government's failure to release Dadullah's body. One of the freed hostages told reporters that he and his colleagues were released on Wednesday (June 6) morning in Gereshk district in Helmand province. Dadullah was known as one of the most fearsome Taliban commanders, and is believed to be behind a string of bombings, beheadings, kidnappings and suicide bombings in Afghanistan. His killing was the biggest success for Afghan and Western forces in Afghanistan in recent years.

 

ICRC asked to operate hospital in Helmand

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it is considering the Afghan government's request to run a hospital in the country's southern Helmand province. Michael O'Brien, an ICRC official in Afghanistan, said on Tuesday (June 5), "We have received the government's request and will make a decision about whether to expand our medical services once we have conducted a medical assessment of the hospital in the provincial capital Lashkargah." Abdullah Fahim, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health, confirmed that a request to support a 150-bed emergency hospital has been made to the ICRC, which is already supporting a hospital in the neighboring Kandahar province. The Italian NGO, Emergency, which operated three hospitals of the same name, including the one in Helmand, pulled out of Afghanistan in late April.

 

Scores of Taliban killed in clashes with security forces in southern Afghanistan

As many as 30 suspected Taliban fighters were killed or wounded in a clash with Afghan and foreign security forces in Garmsher district in southern Helmand province on Wednesday (June 6). More than 50 Taliban fighters were also reportedly killed in separate clashes with Afghan and NATO-led security forces in southern Afghanistan. The Afghan Defense Ministry said on Tuesday (June 5) that NATO-led helicopters attacked and sank a boat in the Helmand River, killing as many as 30 Taliban fighters on board trying to flee Helmand province for Musa Qala district. General Zahir Azimi, a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, said NATO helicopters attacked the boat after being shot at by the insurgents on the boat. In a similar incident last Friday (June 1), as many as 60 Taliban fighters fleeing Helmand were killed after their boat sank in the Helmand River. Separately, Afghan and US-led coalition forces on Monday (June 4) killed as many as 24 Taliban fighters in a clash near the village of Chenar in Shah Wali Kot district, some 22 miles (35 kilometers) north of Kandahar city. There were no reports of civilian casualties in the clash.

 

 

 

 

Movement

 

2007 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 say voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan that are without proof of registration (PoR) ended this week (April 15), 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 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	Taliban militants released four kidnapped Afghan health workers in Helmand province in exchange for the body of Taliban leader, Mullah Dadullah – one other hostage was beheaded. (Reuters, Thursday, June 7)   At least two policemen were killed in a roadside bomb blast in Kandahar and another policeman was killed in a similar incident in Zabul on Thursday (June 7). (BBC, June 8)   At least 30 Taliban fighters were killed when US-led helicopter gunships sank their boat on the Helmand River on Tuesday (June 5) (AP, June 5)   As many as 60 suspected Taliban fighters were killed on Saturday (June 2) when their makeshift boat sank on the Helmand River. (AP, BBC, June 4)   Suspected Taliban militants stormed into the house of a police commander in Ghazni, killing his wife, two sons and two nephews. (AP, June 1)
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 have 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, March 23)   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	On Wednesday (May 30), 10 suspected Taliban insurgents were killed and another 15 wounded in a clash with Afghan security forces in Pusht Road district in western Farah province. (CNN, AP, May 30)   At least 14 suspected Taliban militants were killed in NATO and US-led coalition airstrikes in Bakwa district in western Farah province on Thursday (May 17). (AP, May 18)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	Provinces of Herat, Badghis and Ghor have also been affected by the floods. (OCHA, Apr. 6)

 

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)   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)