AFGHANISTAN REVIEW ECONOMIC STABILIZATION. Inside This Issue FOR MORE DISCUSSION CLICK HERE

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1 1 AFGHANISTAN REVIEW 14 October 2010 Inside This Issue Economic Stabilization Governance & Participation Humanitarian Assistance Infrastructure Justice & Reconciliation Security Social Well-Being This document is intended to provide an overview of relevant sector events in Afghanistan from 06 October 13 October More comprehensive information is available on the Civil-Military Overview (CMO) at Hyperlinks to original source material are highlighted in blue and underlined in the embedded text. For further information on CFC activities related to Afghanistan or inquiries about this publication, please contact the Afghanistan Team Manager: Valeria Davanzo, ECONOMIC STABILIZATION The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) began distributing 13,000 tonnes of improved-quality wheat seed and 40,000 tonnes of fertilizer to approximately 360,000 farmers, reported Tolo News. Pajhwok Afghan News highlighted that the seeds and fertiliser are not being given away free of charge but rather are being sold at a discount of 37% relative to the prevailing market price. The project will cost USD 90 million and is funded jointly by the United States, Japan, France and the United Kingdom. While significant, this initiative builds upon similar schemes undertaken in previous years; Pajhwok, for instance, noted that in 2009 MAIL distributed more than twice as much improved -quality wheat seed (but no fertiliser). It was not wheat, however, but rather Afghan pomegranates which were featured at the Seventh Annual International Agricultural Fair in Kabul. Tolo News noted that the three-day event involved more than 200 Afghan businesses and 30 international companies. Indian importers reportedly signed large contracts for pomegranates. The largest deals struck at the Agricultural Fair were worth approximately USD 2 million, according to a separate report by Tolo News. Afghan pomegranates and other agricultural exports are likely to benefit from the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), which, while signed back in July of this year, was formally ratified by the Pakistani Federal Cabinet this past week, reports the Associated Press of Pakistan. The agreement, once implemented, will facilitate the export of Afghan products to India though not the import of Indian products into Afghanistan without the restrictions and delays they currently face. The Afghan Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock told Pajhwok that the high quality of the seeds and fertiliser being distributed is anticipated to increase per hectare wheat yields by up to 50%. Grains, particularly wheat, comprise 60% of the average Afghan individual s daily caloric intake and pose a particular concern for Afghanistan this year as a result of export bans on wheat issued by Pakistan and Russia. Finally, the situation facing Kabul Bank, which faced a run by depositors last month after public doubts in its financial soundness surfaced, once again made the news. The Washington Post noted that disagreements over an audit of the Bank s finances are holding up a USD 120 million line of credit offered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Afghanistan. While not financially significant for the Afghan government, the IMF loan is being interpreted as an important symbol of stability for Afghanistan s financial sector in the aftermath of the crisis at Kabul Bank (for more information, please see the CFC Economic Development Special Report on this subject). (Comments? Click

2 2 GOVERNANCE & PARTICIPATION Anne-Catherine Claude, / The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced on 09 October the invalidation of votes from 142 additional polling centres across the country. This brings the total number of voting centres where ballots have been invalidated due to the suspicion of fraud up to 442. Meanwhile, the IEC has decided to audit and recount votes from 334 polling centres in the presence of the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC). Pajhwok Afghan News reports that the Head of the IEC, Fazil Ahmad Manawi, declared that the announcement of the preliminary election results (expected on 09 October) would be postponed until 17 October due to ongoing investigations into suspicious votes. The ECC has registered 4,149 complaints since polling day on 18 September According to an ECC media release, 55% of the complaints are categorised as likely to affect the election results if the allegations are proven. Furthermore, Agence France- Presse reports the ECC confirmed the 175 candidates (out of a total of around 2,500) have been accused of fraud. Ahmad Zia Rafat, a member of the ECC, was quoted by Reuters saying, out of those candidates accused of fraud, 25 are current members of the parliament and if the accusation of fraud against the candidates are proven, their votes will be nullified and they will be presented to the courts. Earlier this week, Tolo TV reported that the ECC planned to disclose the names of those individuals involved in fraud during the parliamentary elections and they would be tried by the Afghan courts. The head of NATO s civil-military mission in Helmand province, Lindy Cameron, told the Associated Press that she has witnessed significant progress in the provincial government over the past six months and she expects to see a strong and capable government by the end of the year. According to Cameron, since NATO s intervention intended to push Taliban insurgents out of the province, the government has been able to provide more services to the population and civil servants have actually been able to take up their posts throughout the province. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that 20 representatives from various civil society organisations held a meeting in Herat to discuss how to improve the delivery and monitoring of government services throughout the province. The pilot project is being supported by the United Nations Development Programme s Accountability and Transparency Project (UNDP-ACT) and has received backing from the provincial governor. The press release states that the project is expected to be replicated in the cities of Jalalabad, Mazar-e Sharif and Kabul. (Comments? Click HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE In an event which renewed security concerns among the humanitarian community in Afghanistan, a Scottish aid worker who had been kidnapped by insurgents was killed during a rescue attempt last Friday, according to the New York Times. While initial reports suggested that the aid worker, Linda Norgrove, had been killed by her captors, subsequent reviews, highlighted in The Guardian and other news sources, suggest that she may have died as a result of a grenade thrown by an American soldier. A separate article published by The Guardian questioned the decision to launch a military rescue given that attempts to negotiate the aid worker s release were still ongoing. In other news, reports concerning the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Afghanistan continued this past week, with the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) noting that an additional 100,000 Afghans have been displaced over the course of the past year as a result of fighting. International aid workers and Afghan government officials have raised concerns that the expansion of violence in northern Afghanistan could generate additional numbers of Afghan IDPs and refugees. Indeed, refugees were a key issue raised during the recent visit of a senior American official to Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to a press release from the United States Department of State (DoS). Tolo News further reported that the American Undersecretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration formally announced a grant of USD 40 million to assist Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Population movements, particularly motivated by conflict, have recently claimed the lives of an increasing number of civilians, especially in Kandahar province, says Tolo News. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also told The Guardian that in August and September alone, more than

3 3 1,000 civilians were killed in Kandahar; twice as many as during the same period a year earlier. Conflict has also resulted in a rising need for prosthetic limbs, which the ICRC is addressing through the opening of a new prosthetic/orthotic centre in Helmand province. According to ICRC, this centre is the seventh of its kind operated by the organisation in Afghanistan, where conflict and insufficient medical services have resulted in a significant number of amputees and physically-challenged individuals. (Comments? Click INFRASTRUCTURE Infrastructure rehabilitation and development continues to progress across Afghanistan, with particular attention being paid to schools. Pajhwok Afghan News, for instance, reports that in Jowzjan province, the Turkish Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) began construction on the Miserabad Village Girl School in the city of Shiberghan. The school construction project cost USD 230,000 and supports 823 girls. In Kunar province, a school building was inaugurated on 08 October, according to reports from Pajhwok. The facility was built with USD 262,000 provided by the PRT operating in that area. The school had previously accommodated 560 students in two shifts each day. Kunar officials note that only 126 of the 400 schools in the province have physical premises; the remainder meet outside, beneath tents and in temporary buildings. Several other construction and rehabilitation projects were reported over the course of the past week, including those described below: The construction of a bridge began in Nangahar province, according to government officials interviewed by Pajhwok. The bridge, which is located in the town of Chaparahar, will extend 112 meters and is supported by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). It will enable access to areas which were previously unreachable during the rainy season. In Zabul province, construction of a 2.5 acre park began. The park, which is being funded by the PRT in Zabul at a cost of USD 135,000, will provide recreation for surrounding populations, says Pajhwok. A USD 277,000 meeting hall has opened in Logar province, reports Pajhwok. The facility, with the capacity to hold 400 people, will primarily be utilised by the municipal administration which, until the construction of this building, was obligated to hold meetings outside. A commercial market was inaugurated in Samangan province after two years of construction work. Twenty-six shops will be housed within the market, which will be expanded to include a wedding hall and other facilities in the future. The building, funded by the municipality, cost AFN million (USD 346,378), according to Pajhwok. Finally, a 16 km road was completed in Nangahar province this past week. Construction on the road, which is funded by a PRT from the United States, has been ongoing for two years and cost USD 3.5 million. Building the road also required the construction of 70 bridges and 300 retaining walls. As a result of the road, several thousand farmers will be able to bring their agricultural products to market more easily. (Comments? Click JUSTICE & RECONCILIATION Anne-Catherine Claude, anne-catherine.claude@cimicweb.org / President Hamid Karzai officially inaugurated the High Council for Peace on 07 October, reports Tolo TV. During his opening remarks, President Karzai requested all members of the Council to work endlessly to ensure lasting peace and security in the country. He also emphasised that the Afghan government will support the Council but will not interfere in the decision-making process. According to Reuters, the 68 members of the Peace Council chose their chairman, Afghanistan s former President ( ) Burhanuddin Rabbani, to lead the work of the Council, while United Press International reports that Rabbani was directly appointed by Karzai. Rabbani is known as the political leader of the Afghan Mujahideen faction which, with the help of the United States, overthrew the Taliban in His nomination was fiercely criticized by the Taliban who declared that the appointment of Rabbani is actually an obstacle to peace rather than a step towards peace. In an interview with Reuters, Tali-

4 ban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that we fought Rabbani and his warlords as enemies for a long time so how can we sit with him and discuss peace. Additionally, the Taliban once again emphasised their conditions for formal peace talks, namely that the US present a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops in Afghanistan (see 29 September CFC Weekly Afghanistan Review, Justice and Reconciliation section). 4 Pajhwok Afghan News reports that the United Arab Emirates has arranged a meeting of delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Arab countries to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. The closed-door meeting was supposedly set up to discuss how to initiate ing Helmand, the Taliban have begun to reinstitute In some provinces in southern Afghanistan, includ- talks with the Taliban, reports Tolo TV. However, the same brand of justice the group was notorious according to the Pakistani Minister of Defence, for when they ruled the country, the New York Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Pakistan is thus far not Times reports. This brand of justice is known for its playing a direct role in the talks happening in Afghanistan. Mukhtar explained that Pakistan does not ence and order. In some areas where the Taliban brutality and use of intimidation to ensure obedi- want to take the blame for any potential failure, says have asserted control, prisons have also been established. According to the article, the Taliban are The Nation. At the same time, the Associated Press reports that Pakistan s Prime Minister declared that targeting mainly aid workers employed by foreign peace talks between the Afghan government and organisations and Afghans assisting the NATO the Taliban will not succeed without the involvement forces. Judgements are often left to the Taliban of Pakistan due to the country s close and historical shadow governor and local Taliban commander and links with the Taliban. are commonly unpredictable. (Comments? Click In an interview with CNN, President Hamid Karzai confirmed that unofficial talks are taking place with Taliban members and that the High Council for Peace is now in charge of furthering efforts to reach out to the insurgents. Karzai also indicated that the Afghan government would not negotiate with groups affiliated with Al Qaeda or other terrorist networks. Richard Holbrooke, the US Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, underlined that the US is supporting reconciliation talks but warned that some of the recent reports (see 06 October CFC Weekly Afghanistan Review, Justice and Reconciliation section) might be exaggerating the nature and level of talks. SECURITY Rens De Graaff, rens.de.graaff@cimicweb.org / According to International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) reports, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killed nine civilians in Paktiya province on 10 October. Three women and three children were among the victims. The IED exploded when the civilian vehicle hit the device which was placed on the roadway by insurgents. A combination of NATO airstrikes and ground operations have led to the death of Maulawi Jawadullah, the Taliban district leader for Yangi Qalah in Takhar province, reports CNN. Seven of his associates were also killed during the operations, which took place on Wednesday 06 October. According to ISAF, Jawadullah was responsible for killing 10 Afghan police officers in Kunduz and was involved in the kidnapping of Afghan security forces. A separate operation that took place on Wednesday led to the death of Mullah Ismail, the shadow governor of Badghis province responsible for various attacks on ISAF and Afghan troops, states ISAF. According to the Associated Press, Takhar has seen an increase in military operations over the past weeks in an attempt by coalition forces to regain control of the Taliban-dominated south. Meanwhile, Takhar provincial police chief General Shah Jahan Noori reported an attack on his convoy, with the ensuing gunfight leading to the death of four insurgents. No coalition forces were killed in the fight, according to Noori. Additionally, the governor s spokesman in Kandahar province reported that a joint patrol captured a truck carrying large amounts of heroin, hashish and opium along with anti-personnel mines and material to create bombs. Five separate Afghan and coalition operations took place in southern and eastern Afghanistan over the past week resulting in the capture of several Taliban and Haqqani insurgents, reports Defense Video Imagery and Distribution System (DVIDS). Among the targets was a compound in Wardak province that housed a Taliban leader known for using suicide bombers and vehicle-borne IEDs. After clearing occupants from the compound, security forces apprehended the insurgents. Another operation in Khost province targeting a Haqqani Network leader ended in the arrest of two insurgents without incident after searching various compounds. Meanwhile, in Kandahar and Zabul province, three different search missions ended in the arrest of three

5 5 insurgents. According to reports, no weapons were fired and civilians were protected throughout the execution of the operations. (Comments? Click SOCIAL WELL-BEING Stefanie Nijssen, / In keeping with the recognition of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, Afghan government officials, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission (EC) emphasised the need to make strides against mental, neurological and substance use disorders amongst Afghans. Urging the donor community to rapidly increase funding for such programmes, Acting Minister of Public Health Dr. Suraya Dalil stressed the need for improvement of both treatment and social services available to those suffering from mental illness. WHO reports that mental health only accounts for a fraction of the health budget, leading to a persistent shortage of trained mental health specialists, particularly in rural areas. The WHO Representative to Afghanistan, Peter Graaff, asserts that placing mental health patients into the primary health care system will not only significantly increase the number of people who can access care but that people will feel that the authorities are concerned about their psychosocial well being. Additionally, the joint press release reveals that women account for half of those who suffer psychosocial problems and mental disorders with the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) reporting a rise in the number of women and children experiencing depression or attempting suicide. Afghanistan s schools, especially those in rural areas, often lack adequate hygiene and sanitation facilities, reports IRIN. In schools where no toilets are working or available, students are often forced to go home or outdoors as an alternative. The Ministry of Education (MoE) reported that of all 12,600 government schools, half of them do not have a building, let alone toilets or safe drinking facilities. Diarrhoea, caused by contaminated food or drinking water, kills about 67,500 Afghan children each year, according to the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF). As discussed in the IRIN article, although no school in Afghanistan provides soap, on 15 October students in 1,700 schools will take part in Global Handwashing Day with soap being provided by UNICEF. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is looking to the private sector to fill its current funding gap. A 12 October conference on business in health saw the Global Fund s Executive Board stress the rising importance of private sector contributions since government donors are shying away from fully funding the global health financing mechanism. Businesses generally show support through in-kind donations (i.e. the provision of goods and services as opposed to cash) such as the provision of country staff, providing skills training or by acting as a service provider. Global Fund sources expressed ambivalence, however, as to whether they would be able to procure the necessary donations to sustain current programming, with some businesses remaining wary of joining forces with the Fund s government partners. The Fund has to date donated upwards from USD 47 million in grants to Afghanistan. Twenty-three midwives graduated from the Badakhshan Community Midwifery Education School in October, reports the website Good Afghan News. The course, which has produced 88 graduates thus far, is 18 months long and includes training in pre and post-delivery care, techniques of safe delivery, nutrition, birth complications and family planning. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that the Kandahar regional hospital saw 1,000 new patients suffering from weaponrelated injuries in August and September, doubling the number of patients suffering from war-related injuries compared to the same period in The head of the ICRC delegation in Kabul, Reto Stocker, said that this number is just the tip of the iceberg as people often suffer indirectly from conflict. (Comments? Click The Civil Military Fusion Centre (CFC) is an Information and Knowledge Management organisation focused on improving civil-military interaction, facilitating information sharing and enhancing situational awareness through the web portal, CimicWeb. CFC products are developed with open-source information from governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, international organisations, academic institutions, media sources and military organisations. By design, CFC products or links to open sourced and independently produced articles do not necessarily represent the opinions, views or official positions of any other organisation.