- Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland on Wednesday 7 June 2017

Information on indiscriminate violence vis-à-vis internal armed conflict; Information on what provinces including are safe from indiscriminate violence/internal armed conflict

A report issued in February 2017 by the Assistance Mission in Afghanistan points out that:

“…UNAMA continued to document indiscriminate attacks carried out by in public places that harmed civilians and other attacks directly targeting civilians” (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (6 February 2017) Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Annual Report 2016, p.83)

This report also points out that:

“Civilian casualties increased in five of Afghanistan’s eight regions in 2016” (ibid, p.11).

In March 2017 the United Nations Security Council points out that:

“The overall security situation continued to deteriorate throughout 2016 and into 2017. The United Nations recorded 23,712 security incidents, an almost 5 per cent increase compared with 2015 and the highest number in a single year ever recorded by UNAMA. While the fighting remained particularly prevalent in the five southern and eastern provinces of Helmand, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Kunar and Ghazni, where 50 per cent of all incidents were recorded, the conflict spread in geographical scope, with increasing Taliban activities in northern and north-eastern Afghanistan, as well as in Farah in the west” (United Nations Security Council (3 March 2017) The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, p.3).

A report released in April 2017 by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan notes that:

“Anti-Government Elements continued to target civilians intentionally and deploy indiscriminate tactics in areas with a civilian presence…” (Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (25 April 2017) UNAMA First Quarter 2017 Civilian Casualty Data).

In April 2017 Amnesty International points out that:

“The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recently released a report on civilian casualties containing data documenting 715 deaths and 1,466 injuries during the first quarter of 2017. Kabul, the Afghan capital, had suffered the highest levels of civilian casualties, followed by Helmand, Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces” (Amnesty International (27 April 2017) Afghanistan: Civilian casualties show how unsafe it is for refugees to be returned).

In April 2017 a report released by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction states that:

“…fighting has remained heavy in the key areas of Helmand, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Kunar, and Ghazni” (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (30 April 2017) Quarterly Report of the United States Congress, p.82).

A report published in May 2017 by Amnesty International states:

“The Taliban now control more territory than at any point since 2001. In April, The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a report on civilian casualties containing data documenting 715 deaths and 1,466 injuries during the first quarter of 2017. Kabul, the Afghan capital, suffered the highest levels of civilian casualties, followed by Helmand, Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces” (Amnesty International (31 May 2017) Afghanistan: Kabul bombing is horrific act of deliberate violence).

In May 2017 Human Rights Watch points out that:

“Civilian casualties have reached record levels as the Afghan conflict has intensified this past year, with two-thirds of civilian casualties caused by insurgent groups launching suicide attacks or using improvised explosive devices in densely populated areas. Attacks of this kind that deliberately or indiscriminately target civilians are war crimes, and could amount to crimes against humanity if found to be part of a widespread or systematic attack on the civilian population” (Human Rights Watch (31 May 2017) Kabul Bombing a Reminder of Civilian Suffering in Afghanistan).

Action on Armed Violence in May 2017 notes:

“Afghanistan has already seen 1,229 civilians deaths and injuries from explosive violence, including those from today's IED attack in Kabul, which killed 80 and injured 350. This is a 53% increase compared to the harm seen in the same period last year. 88% of all civilian casualties from explosive violence in Afghanistan so far this year have been caused by IEDs. Afghanistan has consistently been one of the states worst impacted by explosive violence. Between 2011-2016 Afghanistan has seen 20,625 deaths and injuries from explosive violence. Of these, 63% (12,922) were civilians” (Action on Armed Violence (31 May 2017) Afghanistan sees 53% rise in civilian casualties from explosive violence, compared to first 5 months of 2015).

No further information on these issues could be found among sources available to the RDC.

References

Action on Armed Violence (31 May 2017) Afghanistan sees 53% rise in civilian casualties from explosive violence, compared to first 5 months of 2015 http://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-sees-53-rise-civilian-casualties- explosive-violence-compared-first-5 Accessed Wednesday 7 June 2017

Amnesty International (31 May 2017) Afghanistan: Kabul bombing is horrific act of deliberate violence https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/05/afghanistan-kabul-bombing-is- horrific-act-of-deliberate-violence/ Accessed Wednesday 7 June 2017

Amnesty International (27 April 2017) Afghanistan: Civilian casualties show how unsafe it is for refugees to be returned http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=printdoc&docid=590880624 Accessed Wednesday 7 June 2017

Human Rights Watch (31 May 2017) Kabul Bombing a Reminder of Civilian Suffering in Afghanistan https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/31/kabul-bombing-reminder-civilian-suffering- afghanistan Accessed Wednesday 7 June 2017

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (30 April 2017) Quarterly Report of the United States Congress http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1226_1493715474_2017-04-30qr.pdf Accessed Wednesday 7 June 2017

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (25 April 2017) UNAMA First Quarter 2017 Civilian Casualty Data http://ecoi.net/doc/339682 Accessed Wednesday 7 June 2017

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (6 February 2017) Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Annual Report 2016 http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/protection_of_civilians_in_armed _conflict_annual_report_2016_feb2017.pdf Accessed Wednesday 7 June 2017

United Nations Security Council (3 March 2017) The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1226_1489408972_n1705111.pdf Accessed Wednesday 7 June 2017

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Refugee Documentation Centre within time constraints. This response is not and does not purport to be conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please read in full all documents referred to.

Sources Consulted

Amnesty International BBC News Electronic Immigration Network European Country of Origin Information Network Freedom House Google Human Rights Watch Immigration and Refugee Board of Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre International Crisis Group IRIN News Lexis Nexis Minority Rights Group International Online Newspapers Refugee Documentation Centre E-Library Refugee Documentation Centre Query Database Reliefweb Reuters United Kingdom Home Office United States Department of State UNHCR Refworld