August 31, 2007

Overview

Taliban free remaining South Korean hostages

The Taliban freed the remaining 19 South Korean hostages this week and handed them over to officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that mediated direct talks between the Taliban and the South Korean government. Twelve of the hostages were freed in three separate groups on Wednesday (August 29), while the remaining seven were released yesterday (Thursday, August 30) in two separate groups in Ghazni province. The release followed a deal reached on Tuesday (August 28) between the Taliban and South Korean representatives under which South Korea will withdraw some 200 of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, and will also prevent South Korean missionaries from working in Afghanistan. The Afghan government was not part of the hostage negotiations. Some Afghan officials have voiced concerns over the deal, saying that it will only encourage more kidnappings. So far, there have been no reports of any ransom being paid for the release of the hostages.

Dozens of civilians killed this week in violence across Afghanistan

Dozens of people, mostly civilians, were killed in separate incidents across Afghanistan’s restive south and east this week. At least 10 civilians were killed today (Friday, August 31) in a rocket attack aimed at a US-led military base in eastern Afghanistan. The attack took place in Chawkai district in eastern Kunar province when suspected Taliban insurgents fired several rockets at a military base there which fell short of the intended target and landed on nearby homes, killing at least 10 people, and wounding several others. Separately, one Afghan soldier was killed and 11 other people, including two civilians, were wounded when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car near an international military airbase in the Afghan capital Kabul. Taliban militants have reportedly claimed responsibility for the bombing. Up to eighteen civilians were reportedly killed and more than 22 wounded in a NATO-led airstrike in Musa Qala district in southern Helmand province last Saturday (August 25) evening. Citing local residents, The Times of India reported on Sunday (August 26), that NATO planes bombed a house in Musa Qala where a wedding party was underway. The dead reportedly included women and children. Another NATO airstrike, only hours later on a house in Musa Qala, reportedly killed eight Taliban fighters and wounded ten others.

Pakistan extends Afghan refugee relocation deadline by six months

Pakistani authorities have reportedly extended the deadline to close the country's largest Afghan refugee camp by another six months. The Jalozai camp, which houses more than 100,000 Afghan refugees near the provincial capital Peshawar in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), was scheduled to close today (Friday, August 31). However, last week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had asked Pakistan's government to extend the deadline based on humanitarian grounds, given the fast approaching winter season and the fact that the Muslim holy month of Ramadan was starting in less than a month, both of which posed significant challenges in managing a safe and sustainable return of Afghan refugees. The UNHCR also warned that in the past, camp closures late in the year often resulted in "secondary internal displacement". There has been no official confirmation of reports by Pakistani authorities that a deadline to close the Jalozai camp has been extended.

Poppy cultivation sets another record in Afghanistan

Afghan opium poppy cultivation has set another new record, says the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). According to the 2007 Annual Opium Survey released by the UNODC on Monday (August 27), the total area under poppy cultivation in the country increased from 408,000 acres (165,100 ha) in 2006 to nearly 477,000 acres (193,000 ha) in 2007. An almost 17 percent increase in the land area combined with favorable weather conditions produced opium yields of 232 pounds (105 kg) per acre, compared to 202 pounds (92 kg) per acre the year before, resulting in 8,200 tons of opium, which is an increase of some 34 percent over 2006. Speaking at a press briefing in the Afghan capital Kabul, UNODC executive director Antonio Maria Costa said, "The situation is dramatic and getting worse by the day." He said, "No other country in the world has ever had such a large amount of farmland used for illegal activity, beside China 100 years ago" when it was a major producer of opium. The survey noted that Afghanistan now accounts for 93 percent of the world's opium, with land area larger than the total area for coca cultivation in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia combined. This year, five southern provinces along the Pakistan border accounted for some 70 percent of the production. The survey concludes that opium cultivation in Afghanistan is no longer associated with poverty, as Helmand and Kandahar, which are among the top five opium-producing provinces, are also the richest and most fertile. The survey also noted that opium cultivation in the poorer northern region is declining. This year's survey also raises doubts about the effectiveness of efforts by the United States and other western donors to combat illicit drug trade.

Movement

2007: Although not officially confirmed yet, Pakistan has reportedly extended the deadline to close Jalozai camp by six months. (BBC, Aug. 31). The UNHCR has asked Pakistan to temporarily suspend closure of Jalozai refugee camps 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 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 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

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

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. (July 8, IRIN)

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. (Feb. 15, People’s Daily Online)

NFIs -Shelter

IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM

Water & Sanitation

UNICEF

Security

One Afghan soldier was killed and 11 others wounded in a suicide blast near a US-led coalition military base near Kabul on Friday (August 31). Among the wounded include four ISAF soldiers, two civilians and five Afghan soldiers. (Reuters, Aug. 31)

On Wednesday (July 25), a French NATO soldier was killed in a rocket attack while training an Afghan army unit southwest of Kabul in Wardak province, said the French defense ministry. (Reuters, July 25)

On Tuesday, (July 24), 26 suspected militants and two policemen were killed in clashes in Uruzgan province, where militants had blocked the road to Kandahar. NATO and Afghan troops later joined the battle and reopened the blocked road. (Reuters, July 24)

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, (Feb. 11, NATO) IRC, Action Contra la Faim; WFP;
Health	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	As many as seven civilians and three soldiers were wounded in a suicide car bomb attack aimed at a US-led military convoy on the outskirts of Kabul. One Afghan was reportedly killed when US troops opened fire at a police team responding to the scene of the bombing. (MSNBC, July 31) Taliban continue to hold four Afghans and one German abducted on July 18 in central Wardak province. (AlertNet, Aug. 1). They were reportedly civil engineers working for UN building projects. (People’s Daily Online, July 20) A suicide bomber targeted Turkish forces in the capital Kabul but the bomber only managed to kill himself and injure one civilian, according to the Afghan Ministry of Interior. (IHT, July 18)
Water & Sanitation	ICRC;
Comments	Floods triggered by spring rains continue to affect districts in Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces. Floods have killed 13 people in Kunar and another eight in Laghman. Nearly 3,000 people have been affected by the floods in these provinces. (OCHA, Apr. 5)

Eastern Region

Location	Eastern Region
Coordination	UNHCR, International Islamic Relief Organization;
Population
IDP Movement	UNHCR
Food	IRC; *NATO-led ISAF PRT transports water pipes for a nearly 7-mile-long planned water supply project in Baghlan province. (NATO, Aug. 23)t*
Health	Provincial officials in southern Khost, Kandahar and eastern Nangarhar provinces have confirmed hundreds of diarrhea cases due to water contamination from recent floods. (IRIN, July 11) FAO confirmed cases of the H5N1 type of bird flu in poultry in the eastern city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province and in Sawki district in Kunar province. (FAO, Feb. 26) Jalalabad PRT distributed hygiene kits, first-aid kits, tarps, school kits, and student kits to the Char Bagh Girls Middle School in Sirjkh Rod District, in Nangarhar province. (NATO, Feb. 11)
Non-Food Items - Shelter	CWS, UNICEF
Security	Major security offensive in Tora Bora mountains in Nangarhar province continues. At least 50 people, including civilians, are among the dead. (HT, BBC, ABC, Aug. 17) On Wednesday (July 25), Khwaja Najibullah, a journalist of Afghan origin who worked for Danish television, released in eastern Kunar province after being briefly abducted. He said his abductors had released him after being pressured by locals to do so. (Reuters, July 25)
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	WHO, Merlin, UNICEF, MSF; ICRC
Non-Food Items (NFIs) -Shelter	UNICEF, ACTED, Refugees Int’l, Mercy Corps
Security	One civilian was killed and up to 25 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a police station in the town of Faizabad in the relatively calm northeastern Badakhshan province on Thursday (July 19). AP, (Reuters, July 19) NATO/German PRT in Faizabad
Water & Sanitation
Comments

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	An Afghan working for the Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR) who was wounded in Qadis district in northwestern Badghis province on Sunday (July 29) while trying to escape the scene of fighting, has reportedly died. DACAAR has suspended its activities in Qadis until security improves. (ReliefWeb, Reuters, Aug. 1, 2). A suicide bomb attack in Kunduz killed an Afghan intelligence official and wounded eight civilians and a policeman on Monday (July 30). (MSNBC, July 31)
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, March 23).
Movement of IDPs	880 families affected by conflict in Chora district in Uruzgan province 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	ISAF troops delivered some eight tons of food and non-food items and medical supplies to a village near Kandahar. (NATO, Mar. 28) UNICEF; Mercy Corps; CARITAS; WFP;
Health	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) Members of the NATO-led ISAF medical team with the support of the Afghan National Police deployed recently to Arghestan district, Kandahar province, to provide temporary medical assistance to the local populace. Working alongside with ANP in Khughani village, the medical mission treated 575 local Afghans and 30 policemen. (NATO, July 23) Up to 80 diarrhea patients are daily visiting a hospital in Laskargah, the provincial capital of Helmand province, due to contamination from recent floods. Provincial officials in southern Khost, Kandahar and eastern Nangarhar provinces have also confirmed hundreds of diarrhea cases. (IRIN, July 11)
NFIs - Shelter	UNHCR, Mercy Corps;
Security	Up to eighteen civilians were killed and more than 22 wounded in a NATO-led airstrike in Musa Qala district in Helmand province on Saturday (August 25). A second strike on a house only hours later killed eight suspected Taliban militants and wounded 10 others. (BBC, AP, Aug. 27) *At least 10 civilians were killed in an attack aimed at a US-led military base in Chawki district in Kunar province on Friday (August 31). (Reuters, TOI, Aug. 31)* Three British soldiers were killed and another two critically wounded in a “friendly fire” incident involving US fighter jets in Kajaki dam area in Helmand Thursday night (August 23). (BBC, ABC, Aug. 24)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	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) Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) to launch 72 new projects worth US$2.6 million in southern provinces, creating jobs benefiting thousands of families. (Reliefweb, July 30) Floods in Kunar province on Monday (June 25) left seven dead and three missing. The floods also damaged houses, agricultural lands and infrastructure. (IFRC, June 29) Five people were killed in flash floods that hit Qarabagh and Farza districts in Kabul province on Monday (June 25). In Nirjab district, in Kapisa province, three people were killed and one left missing by floods. In Parwan province, five people were killed and eight others injured in Surkhparsa district. (IFRC, June 29)

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	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, March 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 on Wednesday (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	Some 3,800 people have been treated for gastrointestinal disorders due to contaminated water from floods over the past three weeks in Herat province. (IRIN, July 11)
Non-Food Items (NFIs) – Shelter	UNHCR, Iranian Red Crescent, UNICEF, IOM, Ockenden Int’l, MSF, IMC;
Security	At least five Taliban fighters and two tribal villagers were reportedly killed in a clash in Nal village in western Farah province on Friday (August 10). (KT, Aug. 10) Seven Afghan soldiers and 20 Taliban militants were killed in a clash in western Badghis province on Friday (August 10). Afghan troops called in a NATO airstrike that caused mostly enemy casualties. (AFP, Aug. 10)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments

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 Thursday (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, August 2) The Kacha Garhi Afghan refugee camp was officially closed on Thursday (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, August 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, 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 reportedly extended the camp closure deadline for another six months. (BBC, Aug. 31)* 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 has resumed voluntary repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan since Tuesday (July 17). VRCs along the Quetta-Chaman road and in Peshawar will process registered Afghans. (Frontier Post, July 17)
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