September 26, 2008

Overview

UN extends Afghan force mandate until October 2009

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday (September 22) extended the mandate of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for another year beyond October 13, 2008 when it was due to expire. The 15-nation UNSC unanimously adopted Resolution 1833, but expressed its grave concern over the rising number of civilian casualties. The council also called for a redoubling of efforts to minimize civilian casualties, noting that the ISAF needed more troops and equipment to improve the situation. The resolution made it clear that member states taking part in the ISAF were authorized to take all necessary measures to fulfill their mandate.

US considering joint anti-militant force along Pak-Afghan border

The US is reportedly studying an Afghan proposal for a joint force comprising troops from Afghanistan, Pakistan and US-led coalition forces to operate against Afghan insurgents along the Afghan-Pakistan border. Robert Wood, spokesman for the US State Department said the US is taking a good look at the proposal. Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, who visited the Pentagon earlier this week, told reporters on Monday, "We should have a combined task force of coalition, Afghans and Pakistanis to be able to operate on both sides of the border." Wardak said the Afghan government had discussed the proposal with Pakistani officials who were also reviewing it. The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, has welcomed the idea saying, "I think anything that impacts better security on that border is a good thing," adding that he had not heard the details of Wardak's plan. Pakistan in the past has been reportedly opposed to the idea of a joint force because of sovereignty issues. The US has instead focused on creating centers manned by the Afghan, Pakistani and coalition personnel to coordinate operations along the border. On Tuesday (September 23), while speaking at the Asia Society, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that with the newly elected democratic government in Pakistan, he hoped that the region will move "beyond the days where one or the other of us made extremism or radicalism" a matter of policy.

Senior Afghan diplomat abducted in northwestern Pakistan

A senior Afghan diplomat has been abducted in northwestern Pakistan. According to reports, Abdul Khaliq Farahi, Afghan consul general, was on his way home from his office in the provincial capital Peshawar, in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) when unidentified assailants ambushed his car, killing the driver and abducting him. "A gunman came in a car and intercepted this consulate car and shot dead the driver and took away two people," an eyewitness told a Reuters journalist. Farahi has been Afghan consul general in Peshawar since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001. He was recently named as Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan. He was expected to take up his new assignment next month. While in Peshawar, Farahi normally traveled with a security detail. However, on Monday, Farahi was traveling in a private car without a security detail. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has condemned the kidnapping and murder. The ministry said all steps were taken for Farahi's "safe and early recovery." Following the abduction, security in Peshawar and nearby tribal areas, such as Khyber Agency have been increased. No one has claimed responsibility for Farahi's abduction, however, Taliban-linked militants in the tribal area are suspected to be behind the incident.

Taliban free 118 of the more than 150 construction workers abducted in western Afghanistan

The Taliban has freed 118 of the more than 150 Afghan construction workers that were abducted last Sunday (September 21) in western Afghanistan. The provincial governor Rohul Amin told reporters, "Due to the hard work of the elders who were negotiating with the Taliban, 118 of the workers have been released." Mullah Wakil, a purported Taliban spokesman, told Reuters over the phone from an undisclosed location, "We have released 118 of these workers and the rest soon will be freed soon." He said the abduction was carried out to send a message to Afghan workers not to work with American or Afghan troops.  Workers working on a military base for the Afghan army were seized from three buses near the Bala Baluk district as they were traveling home to the neighboring province of Herat. The Afghan government had appealed to the insurgents to release the Afghans and had expressed their intention to resolve the issue peacefully through tribal elders. The abduction was the largest ever carried out by the insurgent groups since the ouster of Taliban regime in 2001.

Movement

2008: 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).  UNHCR said this week that since March 1, when the repatriation campaign resumed from Pakistan, more than 200,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan. (UNHCR, Aug-4))

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
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	IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Security	Six Afghans were killed and four others wounded when a bomb ripped through a civilian vehicle near the provincial capital, Tirin Kot in south-central Uruzgan province on Monday (September 22). (AP, Sept-22) Five Afghan police were reportedly wounded when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in central Logar province on Wednesday (September 17). A provincial official said that at least three police officers were wounded in another roadside bombing in Shindad region in western Herat. (CNN, ABC, The News, Sep-18) Coalition troops killed two Taliban insurgents and detained two others in a clash in the central province of Ghazni on Tuesday (September 16). (ABC, Reliefweb, Sep-16) Six Afghan children were killed and 16 others wounded on Sunday (September 14), in Ghazni when a bomb they were playing with exploded.  (BBC, KT, Sep-15) An ISAF soldier from the Netherlands died Sunday (Sep-7) in a roadside bomb blast in Uruzgan province. (AP, AFP, Reuters, Sep-8) On Monday (Sep-8), four Taliban fighters and an Afghan soldier were killed in a clash in Wardak province. (CNN, ABC, Reuters, Sep-9) At least 15 suspected Taliban militants were killed and two were wounded Tuesday (Sep-9) in Uruzgan when Afghan security forces called in airstrikes during a clash. (CNN, ABC, Reuters, Sep-9)
Comments	IOM provided shelter materials to 21 vulnerable families in Bamyan province the week of July 20.  (IOM, Jul-25)

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	The government and the World Bank signed a US$8 million grant agreement to enhance wheat and cereal production by supporting small scale irrigation at the community level.  The Afghanistan Food Crisis Response project focuses on medium-term investments needed to increase food security.  (World Bank, Sep-11) WFP has begun distributing wheat to some 650,000 beneficiaries affected by high food prices in Kabul and the surrounding areas.  (Reliefweb, Mar-6, 2008) IRC, Action Contra la Faim; WFP
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	UNHCR, ACTED, MSF, IRC, ICRC, IOM
Security	Five Afghan policemen were killed and a senior police official wounded in two separate attacks on the outskirts of Kabul on Wednesday (September 24). General Ali Shah Paktiawal, the head of criminal investigations for the Kabul police was wounded and two of his guards killed as they were investigating the overnight killings of three police officers at a checkpoint in the western outskirts of Kabul, when the blast struck.  (MSNBC,BBC, Sept-24) Afghan police killed six Taliban insurgents in a clash in Maidan Wardak on Tuesday (September 16), while an Afghan intelligence officer, his wife and two sons were killed in an attack by the insurgents at their house in the eastern Kunar province.  (ABC, BBC, Reliefweb, Sep-16) A governor of central Logar province, two of his bodyguards and a driver, were killed in an attack outside the governor’s residence in Paghman city, some 12 miles (20 km) west of Kabul on Saturday (September 13).  (BBC, KT, Sep-15) US-led coalition forces killed 10 militants in a security sweep aimed at a Taliban commander in Kapisa province on Thursday (Sep-11). (Reuters, Xinhua, Sep-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	US Task Force Gladiator, Afghan National Police and a contracted supply company delivered 75 desks, 10 chalk boards and 150 sets of school supplies to Jurghati, Hasanzi and Shawo Katay villages in Kohi Sofi district of Parwan province on August 26. (GoUS, Sep-5) On Wednesday (July 9), Afghanistan and UNAMA launched a joint appeal for US$404 million to ensure food security for 450,000 households, give livestock and agricultural assistance to 300,000 farming families and protect about 550,000 women and children from malnutrition. The appeal is designed to cover these and other projects through July 2009 and follows a US$77 million joint food appeal that was fully met earlier this year. (IRIN, Jul-9)

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 Khost, Nangarhar and southern Kandahar provinces confirmed hundreds of diarrhea cases due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-11)
Non-Food Items - Shelter	CWS, UNICEF
Security	Five people, including three civilians and two Afghan intelligence officials, were killed and seven others wounded in a suicide bomb attack in Jaji Maydan bazaar in eastern Khost province on Friday (Sept-26).  (Dawn, Sept-26) Afghan commando forces killed five insurgents and detained six more during heavy clashes in eastern Nangarhar province on September 19.  (Reliefweb, Sept-20) On Friday (September 19), four civilians, including women and children, were killed when rockets aimed at a NATO-led ISAF base in eastern Paktika province fell short of their intended target and landed on a field in Zirkoh district where they were working. (Reliefweb, Sep-19) Taliban insurgents killed two police officers and wounded three others in eastern Paktika on Thursday (September 18). (CNN, ABC, The News, Sep. 18) A solider from the NATO-led forces was killed Thursday in eastern Afghanistan by insurgents, but NATO did not give out any other details.  (CNN, ABC, The News, Sep. 18) Four US-led coalition soldiers and an Afghan national were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in eastern Paktika province on Wednesday (September 17).  (ABC, CNN, Sep-17) In Khost province, Afghan forces backed by US-led coalition troops killed 15 Taliban militants and arrested two others in a security sweep on Sunday (Sep-7). (AP, AFP, Reuters, Sep-9) Five Taliban fighters were killed when they attacked a convoy carrying supplies for foreign troops near Qarabagh district in Ghazni province on Monday (Sep-8). (CNN, ABC, Reuters, Sep-9) US-led forces targeted a network of veteran Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani in Khost on Monday and detained two suspected members of the group. (CNN, ABC, Reuters, Sep-9) Twelve militants, including nine Chechen fighters, were among those killed in an airstrike in Paktia province on Monday. (CNN, ABC, Reuters, Sep-9) Two civilians were killed and 10 others wounded when a weapon fired by a NATO-led coalition aircraft missed its intended target and landed on a house in Khost on Tuesday (Sep-9). (CNN, ABC, Reuters, Sep-9) A roadside bomb exploded Tuesday at an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan, killing three US-led coalition soldiers and a local contractor. (CNN, ABC, Reuters, Sep-9) On Thursday (Sep-11), US-led coalition forces arrested two members of the Haqqani network in Khost. (Reuters, Xinhua, Sep-12)
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
Water & Sanitation
Comments	The MoPH has asked the NATO-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Badakhshan for air support to enable medical teams to service otherwise inaccessible areas. (IRIN, Feb-14)

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	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	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	A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car near a convoy of German and Afghan troops in the northern city of Kunduz, in Kunduz province, killing himself.  No injuries were reported among Afghan and German troops.  (KT, Sept-23)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF, ICRC, DACAAR
Comments	The Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development of Afghanistan has inaugurated 15 schools in seven districts of Balkh province. (GoA, Aug-30).  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
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	UNICEF; Mercy Corps; CARITAS; WFP
Health	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)
NFIs - Shelter	UNHCR, Mercy Corps
Security	One civilian passer-by was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Kandahar city, in Kandahar province, on Thursday (September 25). The attack was aimed at a police bus full of police trainers, but missed its intended target when it was remotely detonated.  (KT-Sept-25) Two Afghan policemen were killed Wednesday night (September 24) when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in the border town of Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province.  (KT, Sept-25) Six Afghans were killed and four others wounded when a bomb ripped through a civilian vehicle near the provincial capital, Tirin Kot in south-central Uruzgan province on Monday (September 22). (IHT,ABC, Sept-22) Nine Taliban militants were killed and three Afghan policemen wounded in a clash at a police checkpoint on Sunday (September 21) in southwestern Nimroz province.  (KT, TOI, Sept-22) NATO-led forces shot dead one civilian in Sangin district in southern Helmand province on Saturday (September 20) when the civilian failed to stop approaching a foot patrol after warning shots were fired. (Reliefweb, Sept-20) At least three persons, including a tribal commander allied with Afghan President Karzai, was killed by NATO forces in southern Uruzgan province Wednesday (September 17).  (ABC, The News, Sep-18) Two Afghan doctors were killed and 16 other people wounded when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a marked WHO convoy near the border town of Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province on Sunday (September 14). (BBC, KT, Sep-15)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	India's Ambassador Jayant Prasad said that India has completed construction of a strategic road linking Afghanistan with a port in Iran.  The 135-mile (220-km) road in southwestern Nimroz is part of India's US$1.1 billion reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. (Reuters, Sep-12). Afghan security forces and ISAF delivered a new turbine to the hydro-power project at Kajaki Dam in Helmand province on Tuesday (Sep-2). It is the second of three turbines designed to refurbish the power plant, which should supply power for some 2 million people in Helmand and Kandahar. (NATO, AP, Sep-2-3) The Afghan government has approved 19 reconstruction projects valued at US$1.4 million (72 million AFA) for Kandahar province.  Projects are to be completed within nine months and are expected to benefit some 29,000 households in the region. (ReliefWeb, Mar-14).

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 Provincial officials are seeking 1,733 tons of food aid to feed some 100,000 most vulnerable people affected by rising food prices in Ghor province. (IRIN, May-19)
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	Islamic Development Bank (IDB) distributed some 12,500 blankets and 150 tents to some 2,500 families in Herat.  (FP, Apr-22)
Security	The Taliban have freed 118 of the 156 Afghan construction workers abducted on Sunday (Sept-21) in western Afghanistan.  Workers working on a military base for the Afghan army were seized from three buses near the Bala Baluk district in Farah province as they were traveling home to the neighboring province of Herat.  (KT, Reuters, Sept-22, 26) At least 15 Taliban fighters were killed Friday (Sep-12) in Farah province’s Bakwa district when they ambushed a security convoy carrying supplies for US-led coalition forces. Local police said staff from US Protection and Investigations, a security company that was escorting the convoy, also suffered casualties. Another official said four Afghan guards and four civilians were killed in the ambush. (Reuters, Xinhua, Sep-12)
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 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, 2007.  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)  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
Food	WFP, CRS, ARC
Health	UNICEF, MSF
Non-Food Items (NFIs) - Shelter	CRS
Security
Water & Sanitation	IFRC, MDM
Comments