1-15 July 2012

CONFIDENTIAL— NGO use only No copy, forward or sale © INSO 2012 Issue 101 REPORT 1‐15 July 2012 Index COUNTRY SUMMARY Central Region 1-5 The NORTH witnessed two BBIED at- The SOUTH suffered significant civilian 6-9 Northern Region tacks in provinces that rarely see such ac- casualties in a number of separate inci- Western Region 10-12 tivity. Samangan’s first ever BBIED target- dents, albeit primarily IED attacks. Most ed a parliament member (PM) and regional notable in terms of overall casualties Eastern Region 13-16 power broker, Ahmad Khan “Samangani,” (civilian and non-civilian) was a prolonged and in the process caused the most fatali- complex attack against an ANP HQ in Southern Region 17-20 ties of any singular security incident in the Kandahar, but in the same province, an 21 ANSO Info Page region this year. Shibirghan city in Jawzjan SVBIED detonated against a bus full of also recorded a BBIED blast, although daily workers from an IMF base, and fur- with much more limited results. In the ther civilian casualties occurred in an IED HIGHLIGHTS NORTHEAST, Kunduz - which last year detonation against a civilian bus in Ghazni, High profile attacks against was the northern province most often on as well as in a variety of other IED detona- GOA officials in Samangan the receiving end of such attacks – con- tions throughout these provinces, Helmand and Laghman ducted its transition ceremony, denoting and Uruzgan. Tranche 3 of the transition the most conflict prone province yet to Although devoid of BBIEDs this period, moves into increasingly transition in the North, although one that contested provinces and the EAST region saw a high profile attack districts is expected to soon be followed by Faryab. in Laghman, when an IED detonated One of only two NGO incidents in the against the vehicle of the head of the High numbers of civilian country this period occurred when in Ba- casualties in multiple IED Women’s Affairs Department, demonstrat- incidents in the South dakhshan, a message was sent to an NGO ing the degree to which GOA officials of in the form of a grenade thrown into their any capacity are branded “legitimate” tar- compound, injuring three staff members. gets by AOG. In Nangarhar, an IO staff The CENTRAL region notched the only member received a threating letter caution- other NGO incident this period in ing him against his involvement with for- ANSO is supported by Daykundi, when an NGO staff member eigners. was pulled out of his car and beaten due to In the WEST, Farah city was the recipient an interpersonal dispute. However, more of a complex attack against the provincial notable to the region was the initiation of governor’s compound, while in Ghor, stage three of the transition process, which complicated conflict dynamics between a moved into more contested areas country- local IEA-affiliated AOG, a large armed wide, including Kapisa province as well as group from Murghab, and the tribesmen of Puli Alam and Khushi districts of Logar. a recently slain provincial judge resulted in In Kapisa this initiated French IMF prepa- clashes and a worsening of the overall se- rations to withdraw in full and the planning curity situation in the northern districts. of an ANSF clearing operation, while in IOs were also directly or indirectly in- Logar, the transition ceremony suffered a volved in three separate incidents in the low level “statement attack,” when rockets region, although in each the individuals detonated against the ANP HQ as the dele- involved were left unharmed. gation from Kabul was preparing to depart. ANSO is a project of the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), a registered charity in England & Wales no.1140276 and a company limited by guarantee no.7496737 THE ANSO REPORT Page 1 C ENTRAL REGION NGO Incidents KABUL K ABUL Year to Date 9 50 This Report Period 0 Kabul did not see any repeat of 40 the previous period’s complex Street 9 by an NDS QRF unit, 30 attack, but did see multiple NDS having recently rented a house on 20 arrests of AOG members across the street; it remains unclear what 10 the city. This included a coordi- his role was to be, but the im- 0 nated set of raids related to a portance of the incident lies again complex attack network in PD 9, in its demonstration of both on- in and around Chehel Metra/40 going AOG presence in the city, Meter Road; a total of eight AOG and of often-effective NDS dis- KABUL AOG KABUL Crime operatives were arrested, including ruption. In Shahr-e Naw, two Aside from these operations, Kabul city re- two positively identified as ANA soldiers were detained in the mained characterized by minor ANP actions, BBIED operatives. While the Bakhtar Hotel for suspected links and petty as well as more serious criminality. intended target of the operation to the armed opposition, while in Most significant was the fatal shooting of a remains unclear, the raids demon- Macroyan, a civilian employee of local man who attempted to resist during an strate both continued AOG inten- the Supreme Court was arrested armed robbery in Kart-e Naw, when three tionality vis-à-vis high profile by NDS. These two incidents gunmen in a vehicle targeted another vehicle complex attacks in the city, and each suggest active AOG efforts that was transporting a large amount of cash the ability of security forces to to penetrate the capital’s state in- for a local businessman; the incident reinforces disrupt many of them. stitutions in an ever-changing ANSO’s standing assessment that resistance is Further NDS arrests of AOG manner, although the inherent the primary risk for the targets of such ordi- members or AOG-affiliated indi- opacity involved in NDS opera- narily non-violent armed robberies. In a simi- viduals were also recorded in the tions also means it is difficult to lar but non-violent instance, an IO staff mem- past fortnight. In Taimani, a reli- get the full picture behind the mo- ber was accosted and robbed of his valuable gious leader belonging to the tives of the detained individuals. while walking home in Macroyan. Haqqani faction was arrested on NGO Incidents P ANJSHIR Year to Date 0 PANJSHIR This Report Period 0 50 During the past fortnight, there 40 were no security-related develop- absent from the province – with 30 ments in Panjshir, in a close ap- last year’s October combined VBIED/BBIED attack a singular, 20 proximation to the long-run aver- 10 age for the province. During the spectacular exception. previous period, a single IED det- Relative to the same period in 0 onated in the area of the Paryan 2011, this year maintained steady DAC, which, as with other such overall incident volumes, increas- kinetic incidents so far this year ing only from seven to eight (a PANJSHIR AOG PANJSHIR Crime (which amount to a total of three) mix of armed criminality stem- incident volumes in the country, although is a function of local political and ming from personal disputes and NGO actors and foreign tourists in the valley economic rent-seeking behavior the aforementioned elite-driven often do not enjoy a freedom of movement by provincial elites, not of any rent-seeking). As such, it contin- that would reflect this, given the tight control activity by the armed opposition, ues to be the case that Panjshir as that local security personnel exercise over the which continues to be functionally a whole has some of the lowest province’s terrain. THE ANSO REPORT Page 2 NGO Incidents KAPISA K APISA Year to Date 0 50 This Report Period 0 40 Along with Logar, Kapisa was one of two provinces in the central its intention for a large ANSF 30 region with areas formally an- clearing operation to take place 20 nounced to be soon undergoing after IMF withdrawal (and as such 10 likely to start shortly after Rama- transition during the first half of 0 the month, with a formal ceremo- dan), focused on the AOG- ny taking place in Mahmud Raqi dominated districts of Tagab, on July 4th. However, unlike Log- Alasay and Nijrab. This operation ar, Kapisa’s transition is to be to- is, though, likely to face little KAPISA AOG KAPISA Crime tal, with the French IMF contin- AOG resistance; a public an- increasing penetration of Mehtarlam has been gent soon departing the entire nouncement of such an operation significantly eased by the recent IMF with- province, as well as neighbouring will almost inevitably be followed drawal from the province’s western districts, Surobi, after an extended period by a concerted AOG cadre out- which remained much more contested. of operational presence. flow beforehand, mostly into those western Laghman districts A similar dynamic is likely to play out in Ka- The ceremony took place in ad- recently vacated by the IMF, pisa. Indeed, the French IMF detachment is vance of the actual physical with- where the armed opposition has not just departing from the relatively uncon- drawal of the IMF detachment already made strong gains. tested northern districts – of Mahmud Raqi from the province, which is slated and the Kohistans – but from the entire prov- to begin around the 21st of July Beyond that operation and into ince. As such, the timeline described above and is expected to last until mid- next year’s fighting season, we can for Laghman may be accelerated for Kapisa, August. The concurrency of this expect the province’s armed op- with AOG cadres capable of exploiting the withdrawal operation with Rama- position to exploit withdrawal by more complete absence of any IMF presence dan is not a coincidence; the IMF substantially escalating its target- more quickly than they were able to in Lagh- are expecting their road-bound ing campaign of ANSF and GOA man.

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