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13 January 2010 REVIEW

Inside This Issue

Economic Stabilization Governance & Participation This document is intended to provide an overview of relevant sector events in Afghanistan from 07 January - 12 January 2010. More Humanitarian Assistance comprehensive information is available on the Civil-Military Overview Infrastructure (CMO) at www.cimicweb.org. Hyperlinks to original source material are Justice & Reconciliation highlighted in blue and underlined in the embedded text. Security Social Well-Being

ECONOMIC STABILIZATION Matthew Hall, [email protected] / +1 757-683-5273 Back to top

President Karzai continues working towards filling his Pajhwok News from Helmand‟s provincial capital new cabinet. According to local Pajhwok News re- Lashkar Gah reported that US Secretary of Agricul- ports, Mohammad Zaher Wahid has been nominated ture Tom Vilsack met with President Karzai and Ag- for the post of Minister of Commerce and Industries riculture Minister Asif Rahimi on a recent visit to one day after Mohammad Hadi Hakimi turned down Afghanistan. Vilsack stressed the need for coopera- the position. Wahid attended graduate school tion with Afghanistan‟s neighbours to improve ex- abroad in Tokyo and London, and his locally re- ports and demand for Afghan goods and products. leased biography reveals extensive experience in He also focused his comments on the need for con- international finance and development. Karzai also tinued agricultural alternatives to poppy. Addition- nominated Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal to head the Min- ally, Vilsack signed a Memorandum of Understand- istry of Economy. According to Radio Free Europe, ing (MoU) with his Afghan counterpart and expects Arghandiwal is the leader of the Islamic Party of Af- 64 officials from the US Department of Agriculture ghanistan and has been linked to Gulbuddin Hek- in Afghanistan by February. According to McClatchy matyar‟s Hezb-e Islami, one of the main insurgent Newspapers, the United States has budgeted more groups connected to the Taliban. The Washington than USD 400 million for the Afghan agricultural Post reported that seven of Karzai‟s 24 initial ap- sector this fiscal year. (Comments? Click here) pointments have been accepted by parliament, in- cluding Muhammad Asif Rahimi (Agriculture), Omar Zakhilwal (Finance) and Wahidullah Shahrani (Mines).

GOVERNANCE & PARTICIPATION Ann-Kristin Otto, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4368 Back to top

Foreign Policy-The Cable reported that according to contract. Holbrooke said he had talked to di Mistura an interview with US Special Representative for Af- about the offer and that the candidate was cur- ghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, Swedish rently considering his options. UN Secretariat diplomat Staffan di Mistura has been offered the Spokesman Farhan Haq stated that no official ap- post of UN Special Representative of the Secretary pointment had yet been made. Di Mistura (click General (SRSG) in Afghanistan once it becomes va- here for biography) served as SRSG in Iraq from cant in March. Current SRSG Kai Eide announced 2007 to 2009. late last year that he would not seek renewal of his 2

According to the New York Times, after the Wolesi The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has Jirga (Lower House of National Assembly) rejected published details on the schedule for the 22 May 17 of the 24 nominees for ministerial posts intro- National Assembly elections. Chief Electoral Officer duced by on 02 January, the President Daud Ali Najafi stressed that the poll will take place re-submitted a list of 16 new names, including the despite the international concerns reported by the previously missing candidate for Foreign Affairs, Zal- Associated Press over the August 2009 presidential may Rasoul, the long time National Security Advisor. balloting fraud, a significant lack of security and One day later, Pajhwok News reported that Karzai inadequate time for suggested electoral reforms. At introduced Abdul Qadus Hamidi as his nominee for a news conference covered by local Noor TV in Ka- Minister of Telecommunications and Information bul, Najafi claimed that the IEC was in favour of Technology, a post previously been left vacant. The reforms, but that major changes had to be initiated remaining 15 names were new candidates, including by the President first. Najafi also responded to calls three female nominees for the ministries of Women‟s for a delay by saying that the international commu- Affairs, Public Health and, Labour and Social Affairs. nity had no authority to interfere in the elections. Karzai has not yet announced a replacement for Is- He did, however, admit that without the financial mail Khan, the Minister for Water and Energy, who backing of international donors the IEC would face was rejected on the initial vote. The Associated significant challenges organizing the poll. According Press quotes Second Vice President to Najafi, the elections will cost USD 120 million, urging parliament to “think about the national inter- USD 70 million of which could be covered with left- est of the country [and] make a good decision” over funds from the 2009 presidential elections; a when choosing which ministers to reject. According remaining USD 50 million is required from the inter- to the Wall Street Journal, the nominees are still national community. generating resistance among many Members of Par- liament who claim that the new list includes many The Afghan Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) political unknowns. Presidential Spokesman Waheed has announced that it has completed investigations Omar told a journalist that the President had a third on all electoral complaints addressed to the IEC list of candidates prepared and is ready to introduce before, during and after the 20 August 2009 presi- the new names in the event that candidates are re- dential and provincial council elections. The ECC jected in the second vote of confidence expected submitted all final decisions to the IEC on 16 De- later this week. cember 2009, making the findings public on their website. (Comments? Click here)

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE Valeria Davanzo, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4271 Back to top

According to the Pakistani publication The News, it is stan) have been sheltered in the Bagram district of estimated that one million Afghans living as refugees Parwan province. The construction of shelters, com- in Pakistan do not possess identity cards, creating prised of two rooms for each family, began in April problems as authorities deal with trying to identify- 2009 and was completed in early January 2010. ing those caught in the violence and fighting be- Other assistance reportedly includes the provision tween the government and insurgents. This problem of machinery and farming equipment to the Head of is compounded in Peshawar, as the lack of valid the Provincial Agricultural Department by the Ameri- documents of many Afghan refugees does not allow can Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). The ma- for easy travel in this insecure area. For those Af- chinery will be provided to farmers at no cost dur- ghans permitted to reside in Pakistan and assisted ing the first year, after which recipients will be by UNHCR under a voluntary repatriation pro- asked to pay 100 AFN (approx. USD 2.00) for every gramme, the situation is better. The programme was hour of use. to have ended in December 2009, but in March 2009, UNHCR and the Pakistani government agreed IRIN News reports that since November 2009, hun- to extend the stay of Afghan refugees until the end dreds of families have been forced to leave their of 2012. The agreement includes the issuance of homes in Kapisa province due to ongoing conflict identity cards to all Afghan refugees, allowing them and/or ethnic and tribal hostilities. In December to legally reside in Pakistan until their return to Af- 2009, the Ministry of Refugees and Returnees ghanistan. (MoRR) estimated the number of displaced families to be 180. The internally displaced persons (IDPs) Further related to Afghan refugees, local Afghan themselves, however, contradict the figure claiming media reports that more than 400 families returning there are now over 1,200 families. According to from neighbouring countries (namely Iran and Paki- IRIN, the eastern outskirts of City are home 3 to the majority of the displaced, who have sought resentative from the non-government organization shelter in a private market and live in unoccupied Action Contre la Faim (ACF) has recommended nutri- shops without window panes or adequate access to tion monitoring as well as supplementary feeding water. The situation has lead to serious health assistance for vulnerable groups. (Comments? threats including malnutrition and disease. Due to Click here) the severity of malnutrition in the settlement, a rep-

INFRASTRUCTURE Matthew Hall, [email protected] / +1 757-683-5273 Back to top

According to the Kabul-based Hewad, the Iranian The Scotsman reports that on 08 January, British government will provide USD 30 million to Mazar-e soldiers claimed the upper hand in a battle to se- Sharif, Kandahar City and Jalalabad for the construc- cure the Kajaki dam in northern Helmand province. tion of schools. In a meeting with Iranian Deputy In December, efforts to complete upgrades on the Minister of Foreign Affairs on Financial and Admini- dam, including the installation of a large hydroelec- stration Affairs Hossein Farhi, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, tric turbine, were put on hold as a result of heavy Farhi‟s Afghan counterpart, highlighted the friendly insurgent activity in the area, as reported at the relations between the two nations, pointing out their time by The Guardian. The upgraded turbines historical, religious and cultural ties. This relationship would be able to provide electricity for much of the was emphasized by an Iranian Press TV report, southern area of the country. (Comments? Click which stated that in 2009 “Iran was the fourth larg- here) est investor in Afghanistan, with funds going to agri- culture, health care and reconstruction projects, es- pecially those involving infrastructure such as, roads, bridges, and the electricity network.”

JUSTICE & RECONCILIATION Ann-Kristin Otto, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4368 Back to top

According to the Pajhwok news agency, two police- been associated with harsh treatment and a lack of men and an undetermined number of prisoners have legal rights for detainees. No timeline is set for the gone missing while being transferred from Dahan-e final handover of authority, but a spokesman for US Ghowri district prison to the provincial capital Pol-e military detainee operations in Afghanistan said it Khomri in Baghlan province. Baghlan Central Jail could be as early as the end of 2010, depending on Superintendent Colonel Abdol Rauf Mutmayen ac- how quickly the Afghans can be trained. According cused Taliban fighters of kidnapping the prisoners, to Agence-France Press, an Afghan Defence Minis- saying that an investigation into the incident is un- try official confirmed that inmates will be able to derway. A resident of the area claimed that he saw legally challenge their detention once the prison is masked gunmen stop the vehicle that was carrying under Afghan authority. the prisoners and policemen. According to local Noor TV, a court in Ghazni prov- On 09 January Afghan officials signed an agreement ince has sentenced a provincial mayor, the Director allowing the transfer of Bagram Prison from Ameri- of Refugees and Repatriation Affairs and the former can to Afghan control. The agreement was signed by Director of the Information and Culture Department the Afghan ministries of Defence and Justice and to prison on charges of illegal land distribution. allows the American military to start a programme of Head of the Ghazni Primary Court Musa Asadi said training and preparation for an Afghan takeover. that the accused had illegally distributed thousands According to the signed agreement, the Defence of residential plots allocated for refugees and IDPs Ministry will be in charge of the facility, but will in Ghazni. Asadi also said that current Deputy Gov- eventually hand over control to the Ministry of Jus- ernor of Ghazni Mohammad Kazemollah, and former tice. Reuters claims that the move to hand over the Governor Sher Alam Ebrahemi, are being prose- prison could close a chapter in the troubled history cuted on similar charges. (Comments? Click of US detentions since 2001, with Bagram having here) 4

SECURITY John McClaire, [email protected] /+1 757-683-4302 Back to top

The death of Sunday Mirror defence correspondent threatened by enemy gunfire, improvised explosive Rupert Hamer was announced by the British news- devices (IEDs) and suicide bombers. Soldiers on the paper The Guardian on Sunday. Hamer was embed- ground report there is currently not enough security ded with US Marine Corps Expeditionary Forces op- in the immediate area to allow for the dam and erating in the southern region and is the first British power plant to become fully operational. The inten- journalist to be killed in the Afghanistan conflict. In tion is to put a third turbine in place to fully support addition to Hamer, one US Marine was killed in the the existing two. The United States Agency for Inter- roadside explosion, and a photographer working national Development (USAID), which is overseeing with Hamer as well as five other US Marines were the dam project, estimates that based on the current seriously injured. Hamer is the second journalist to security environment, completion of the project is be killed in the past two weeks, following Canadian still a few years away. journalist Michelle Lang from the Calgary Herald who died as a result of an IED on 30 December. According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), NATO- Since 2001, the organisation known as the Commit- led forces have confirmed that US Air Force drones tee to Protect Journalists reported a total of 18 in the Naw Zad district of Helmand province targeted journalists killed in Afghanistan. and killed 13 Taliban insurgents. This attack was pre- ceded by aerial drones targeting and killing three According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, Taliban insurgents in the Nad Ali district of the same British forces in Afghanistan are preparing for a province. According to the organisation icasual- spring offensive focused on pushing Taliban fight- ties.org, coalition forces reportedly have suffered 19 ers out of the Nad-e Ali area of Helmand province. fatalities since the beginning of the year. The offensive will reportedly involve approximately 1,000 British troops, with many coming from a re- To wrap-up events of 2009 with respect to the Af- cent Christmas „surge‟ comprised of elite Welsh and ghanistan conflict, the Center for Strategic & Inter- Grenadier Guards. British operations will focus on national Studies (CSIS) released on 04 January 2010 the area to the west of Nad-e Ali, alongside 2,500 the report, “The Afghan War at the End of 2009: US troops as well as 3,000 members of the Afghan Why the War Is at a Crisis Stage.” The report pro- National Army (ANA). vides a concise end of year summary assessment of the Afghanistan conflict with specific focus on the As reported in the Infrastructure section, British fighting. In the report, Anthony Cordesman explains forces have been engaging insurgent forces to keep that it is essential to win tactical-level victories and the isolated Kajaki Dam in operation. According to show that the new US and Coalition strategy, when The Telegraph, troops from C Company, 3rd Battal- focused on the proper metrics, has the ability to ion based at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Zee- achieve success. (Comments? Click here) brugge in northern Helmand province are regularly

SOCIAL WELL-BEING Valeria Davanzo, [email protected] /+1 757-683-4385 Back to top

According to the Times of India, Afghan graduate technical capacity and knowledge to hold influential students represent the largest contingent of foreign- positions in their country. ers studying in India, followed at a distant second by Nepalese. For decades, the Indian authorities have With the support of a French ISAF regiment, the offered services and funding to attract Afghans and first FM radio station has been launched in the rural other foreign students to their universities. Accord- Surobi district of Kabul province. The Washington ing to the Indian Council of Cultural Research, in Post reports that the station differs from other mili- 2010 it plans to increase the number of scholarships tary-run initiatives in that it specifically focuses on allocated by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs the local population with the aim to broadcast com- from 500 to 675. The visa application process has munity-based news and cultural topics. Two resi- also been simplified for foreign students. With these dents have reportedly been hired to host various modifications, the Indian government intends to en- shows and have received a quick induction course hance the number of educated Afghans with the 5 in journalism to prepare newscasts. NATO units are troops stationed in Afghanistan. Of those questioned, distributing 4,000 solar and battery-powered radios 95% recognise the major issue facing Afghanistan as to help ensure the programme will reach the maxi- the high levels of corruption within government insti- mum number of residents. tutions and the police force, with only 39% believing that last year‟s elections were conducted fairly. Ac- According to a poll commissioned by the BBC, ABC cording to the opinion poll, 69% of Afghans qualified News and the German broadcaster ARD, Afghans the Taliban as the greatest danger to the country‟s are gradually becoming more optimistic about the future. state of their country. Of the 1,500 Afghans sur- veyed, 70% said they believed Afghanistan was Last year, according to a report by the Afghan Rights heading in the right direction, compared to just Monitor (ARM), an Afghan human rights watchdog 40% a year ago. Afghans also appear to be more group, 1,050 Afghans under the age of 18 were positive about their general living conditions and killed as a result of conflict. The majority of deaths the availability of electricity, medical care and jobs (64%) were the result of Taliban attacks and/or col- compared to a year ago. The survey, conducted in lateral damage. According to ARM, the Taliban have December 2009 by the Afghan Centre for Socio- “reportedly caused more harm and intentionally Economic and Opinion Research based in Kabul, abused more children for illegal purposes than pro- questioned residents in all of the country's 34 prov- government Afghan and international forces.” Con- inces. The results show that 90% of those ques- versely, ARM claimed that the Afghan government tioned prefer their country being run under the cur- has failed to introduce or implement laws meant to rent government, compared with 6% who favour a protect Afghan children against the abuses of war. Taliban administration. Furthermore, most Afghans (Comments? Click here) appeared positive about the presence of NATO

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