CIVIL - MILITARY FUSION CEN TRE

Afghanistan Review Week 17 28 April 2011 Comprehensive Information on Complex Crises

INSIDE THIS ISSUE This document provides a weekly overview of developments in from 20 April—27 April 2011, with hyper-links to source material highlighted in blue and underlined in the text. For more information Economic Development on the topics below or other issues pertaining to events in Afghanistan, feel free to contact the members of Governance & Participation the Afghanistan Team, or visit our website at www.cimicweb.org. Humanitarian Affairs Infrastructure Rule of Law Economic Development Steven A. Zyck ► [email protected] Security Socio-Cultural Development his week, an Afghan firm based in Du- Board of Revenue (FBR) is exploring ways to bai, known as the Alokozay Group of tax Afghan traders operating in the western Companies (AGC), announced a series Pakistani city of Peshawar. Around 12,000 ABOUT THE CFC T of major investments in Afghanistan. Tolo Afghan businesspeople are based in Peshawar

The Civil-Military Fusion Centre News reported that AGC intends to invest but currently pay no tax given the Pakistani (CFC) is an Information and USD 60 million in a project to produce Pep- government's lack of policy on the taxation of siCo products in Afghanistan. The production foreigners. The area's business association, the Knowledge Management facility is expected to begin operations in Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry organisation focused on March 2012 and will create up to 800 jobs. (known as KPCCI), has strongly advocated for improving civil-military interaction, The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Afghan traders to be taxed. FBR officials sug- facilitating information sharing and Industries (ACCI) indicated that the factory gested that they had received pressure from enhancing situational awareness will not only produce beverages for the Af- the Pakistani business community to tax Af- through the CimicWeb portal. ghan market but also for export to other coun- ghan traders and prevent them from gaining an tries within the region. Meanwhile, an AGC unfair commercial advantage. CFC products are developed with representative told Gulf News that the com- open-source information from a pany is planning a range of additional invest- In a related story, the ACCI told Tolo News wide variety of organisations and ments in Afghanistan totalling approximately that Pakistani officials had declined to discuss media sources. USD 300 million. These investments include trade-related problems between Afghanistan purchasing a bank and establishing facilities to and . Earlier this year the Pakistani The CFC is represented in by produce pharmaceuticals and tissue paper. government pledged to release all Afghanistan a Forward Military Liaison Officer, -bound shipping containers held in Karachi, Maj. Gary Evans, who is embedded The Afghan government will be handing over but the ACCI contends that many containers USD 570 million in fraudulent loans made by still remain stranded in Pakistan. The continu- within ISAF. the crisis-stricken Kabul Bank to the Financial ing trade tensions between Afghanistan and By design, CFC products or links to Disputes Resolution Commission (FDRC), Pakistan have, according to The News, led which will then attempt to collect as much of Pakistani merchants to bypass Afghanistan independently produced articles do that amount as possible, reports Bloomberg. and export their goods via a longer land route not necessarily represent the The remainder of Kabul Bank's assets will be through Iran. A decline in transit trade through opinions, views or official position privatised in the next three months and sold to Afghanistan could pose a major challenge for of any other organisation. private international and/or Afghan inves- the Afghan government, which relies on cus- tors. However, despite progress in determining toms and transit trade fees for much of its do- . CONTACT THE CFC the future of Kabul Bank, efforts to prevent mestic revenue (i.e., that not provided by for- further banking scandals in Afghanistan are eign donors). For further information, contact: facing major obstacles. Legislation which Afghanistan Team Manager would have disallowed shareholders from Greater progress was made in resolving cross- Erin Foster managing banks or influencing decisions re- border trade issues with Tajikistan, notes the Asia Plus news agency. Tajik Railways, the [email protected] garding lending – two practices which crip- pled Kabul Bank – has been rejected by the state-owned company that manages rail lines Afghanistan Editor Afghan cabinet. The legislation was reportedly in Tajikistan, has expressed a willingness to Amber Ramsey opposed by powerful Afghan business owners. negotiate the recently-increased fees charged [email protected] on goods imported into Afghanistan via Taji- Trade-related tensions between Afghanistan kistan. Tajik Railways has suggested that it The Afghanistan Team and its neighbours continued to receive media might lower the rates if it was guaranteed a [email protected] attention this week. According to a Pakistani particular level – in tonnes per kilometre – of newspaper, The News, Pakistan's Federal rail shipments per year to Afghanistan. Governance & Participation Anne-Catherine Claude ► [email protected]

uring an operational update at the International Secu- rity Assistance Force (ISAF) Headquarters in Af- Following the recent suicide attack on a Ministry of Defense ghanistan, ISAF‟s spokesperson Brigadier-General (MoD) compound (see 20 April CFC Weekly Afghanistan D Review, Security section), Noor TV reports that Members of Josef Blotz warned that district-level Afghan government offi- cials have become the main target for in- Parliament (MPs) have summoned the surgents. According to the press release, Defense Minister, Interior Minister and Blotz emphasised that due to the counter- “The Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Chairman of the National Security Direc- insurgency strategy, the insurgents are torate to brief them on the attack as well as low on recruits, weapons and supplies. He Parliament) once again rejected the the overall security situation in Afghani- stan. According to the article, Minister of also added that “the insurgents are no budget for the new financial year”. longer prepared, able or willing to ac- Defense General Abdul Rahim Wardak tively confront ISAF and Afghan Security admitted shortcomings but declared that Forces”, which has led them to instead the attacker was not an official of the target district officials. The press release MoD. Tolo News adds that following the notes that over the past couple of weeks, a series of attacks meeting Afghan senators urged the Defense Minister to resign, took place against government officials, civil servants and arguing that “we should convince him that he is the one who tribal elders. In the latest wave of attacks, Tolo News reports should be blamed and that he is no longer of use. He should that Haji Zahir Arian, the former district chief of Marjah and honourably quit his post”. MPs have also called for the prose- the deputy of the provincial peace council in Helmand prov- cution of Kandahar security officials following the prison ince, was killed by gunmen on 25 April. The attack occurred in break in (see Security section), says the provincial capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah. Tolo Pajhwok. The article states that some members of the Mesh- News adds that Lashkar Gah is also one of the seven locations rano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament) believe that prison expected to have security responsibility handed over to the guards and security officials were involved in the prison break and as such should be brought to trial. Afghan forces in July 2011. Afghan President denounced the killing of the High Peace Council member, and During its 24 April session, the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of according to a statement released by the Office of the Presi- Parliament) once again rejected the budget for the new finan- dent, he declared that this incident has once again unmasked cial year, which began on 21 March. The MPs decided to vote "the ugly face of Afghanistan's enemies, who are used by out- against the budget because “many of the plans were different siders to destroy the country and kill its brave people". He also from the Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS)”, urged the perpetrators to be brought to justice, says Pajhwok says Shukriya Barakzai, an MP from Kabul. Meanwhile, the Afghan News. Another Pajhwok article reports that the gover- Speaker of the House, Abdur Rauf Ibrahimi, declared that the nor of Paktiya province, Juma Kahn Hamdard, survived a proposed budget has flaws that should be considered and ad- bomb attack on 26 April. dressed before the Wolesi Jirga can approve it.

Humanitarian Affairs Erin Foster ► [email protected]

early 100 asylum seekers and detainees in Australia explained to ABC News that the involuntary return of Afghans initiated a riot last week at the Villawood Detention “would violate the agreement because there is not enough se- Centre in Sydney, as reported by the Associated curity and development in Afghanistan”. N Press. The Centre houses more than 400 asylum seekers and those who have overstayed their visas, with the majority origi- Afghan government authorities and UNHCR continue to assist nating from Afghanistan, Iraq and Sri Lanka. The recent vio- Afghan refugees to return to their homes. According to the lence resulted in the destruction of nine buildings in the com- United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), pound, with police questioning those involved and others still nearly 5,500 Afghans have returned home in the past two remaining on the rooftops of the centre. The protests came just months alone. Since 2002, more than 3.6 million Afghans in days after senior Afghan Parliamentarian, Alhaj Mohammed Pakistan and a million in Iran have returned home, with an Mohaqiq, visited with Australian Immigration Minister, Chris estimated 3 million Afghans still residing outside of the coun- Brown and Australian Parliamentary Secretary, Kate Lundy, try. The process for refugees returning to Afghanistan occurs reports ABC News. Mohaqiq is opposed to the involuntary in five separate steps. Upon arrival to the country, Afghan return of failed Afghan asylum seekers that was agreed to as families must present their travel documents which include part of the tri-partite agreement signed in January by Afghani- UNHCR forms and Afghan Proof of Registration cards. The stan, Australia and the United Nations High Commissioner for family then receives information about landmines and explo- Refugees (UNHCR) (see 20 January CFC Weekly Afghanistan sive remnants of war (ERW) from the Organisation for Mine Review, Humanitarian Assistance section). Former Afghan Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR) and the UN Deputy Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Abdul Rahim, Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan (MACCA). After this, the family is taken to a vaccination centre run by the Page 2 28 April 2011 Afghan Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and United Nations refugee families to the camp. However, insurgent leader Gul- Children‟s Fund (UNICEF), with vaccines provided by the buddin Hekmatyar is said to control the area and enforce strict World Health Organization (WHO). All children under the age policies while employing persuasive recruiters. of five are inoculated against polio, while children under the age of twelve receive the measles vaccine. All returnees re- The Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) reports ceive USD 150 as part of a repatriation grant that includes that nearly 400 Afghans were displaced daily within the coun- travel money to Kabul. Finally, returnees are able to register try from 2006 until 2010 as a result of the ongoing conflict. In for government land in the central provinces. However, due to total, more than 730,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) the waiting list to receive such land, many families return to were forced to leave their homes due to military operations, their former villages and face a variety of obstacles including indicates the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center lack of shelter and land rights disputes. (IDMC). In addition to violence, land seizures by local militias have also resulted in forced displacement of communities. High schools in Shamshatoo refugee camp in Pakistan are be- IDMC country analyst, Jacob Rothing, explained that “the US ing called „jihadi recruitment centres‟ as profiled in a recent and International Security Assistance Force currently lack an Newsweek article. Nearly 80 Afghan refugee camps exist on understanding of internal displacement in the context of their the western Pakistani border, but Shamshatoo is uniquely ad- operations”. An increase in internal displacement is foreseen in ministered by the refugees themselves. The low cost of 2011, with the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office (ANSO) fore- schools, medical care and low crime rates attract many Afghan casting 2011 to be the most violent year of conflict on record.

Infrastructure Rainer Gonzalez ► [email protected]

he United States (US) government is facilitating talks sabotage, reports Daily Outlook Afghanistan. The Salma Dam, between Afghanistan and Pakistan on water resource located 180 km east of Herat City, was initially built in 1976. T management, reports Dawn News. US-led organisa- Because of the damage suffered during the civil war and the tions are working in Kabul under the „Afghan Rebuild Pro- need to increase its capacity, the Government of India commit- gramme‟ to assess the current situation, develop a strategy and ted to reconstruct the highly strategic infrastructure at the 2004 define short and long-term interventions within the water sec- Berlin Conference. Notwithstanding, the Indian flagship pro- tor. Alongside these international organisations, the United ject has suffered several setbacks such as delays, floods and States Government is engaging multilateral donors to define a security problems. With regard to the security situation, Af- similar strategy for Pakistan, which would prioritise the crea- ghan officials in Herat accused Iran of halting the construction tion of water regulatory bodies. As was highlighted in the 13 of the dam by financing the armed opposition. Iran perceives April CFC Weekly Afghanistan Review, disputes over water the Salma Dam as a threat to their sustainable water access as scarcity in Central Asia can easily jeopardize the already weak the infrastructure might significantly reduce the flow from the regional stability. A recent report presented to the US Senate Hari Rud River. Currently, construction by the Indian state-run Foreign Relations Committee entitled „Avoiding Water Wars: company WAPCOS Ltd. has been suspended. Nevertheless the Water Scarcity and Central Asia‟s Growing Importance for Indian Consul in Afghanistan, Tara Chand, asserted the com- Stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan‟, identified four major mitment of the Indian government to resume construction as concerns that must be overcome: i) lack of credible and com- soon as security conditions improve. parable data on water availability, supply and usage; ii) lack of appropriate water resource management to make the most of In other news, on Tuesday, 19 April, the Chairman of the Or- the available resources; iii) lack of regional water management ganisation for Railway Cooperation (OSJD), Tadeush Shozda, strategies; and iv) lack of bilateral water agreements. During showed interest in developing a new railway connecting the past week, efforts to prepare and set an agenda for the Europe and Afghanistan through the Middle East, reported forthcoming Pakistan-Afghanistan-US trilateral and water Tolo News. According to Shozda, European countries are fac- working group meetings were underway. The meetings aim to ing problems shipping goods through Uzbekistan. Overall, consolidate synergies between Afghanistan and Pakistan by 160,000 tonnes transit Uzbekistan to Afghanistan on an annual setting a joint system which benefits the two neighbouring basis. As a result of the transit setbacks, OSJD is in the process countries. of studying alternative routes through Turkmenistan. An initia- tive to link Europe and Afghanistan through Iran and Turk- In line with the aforementioned water regional issues, Afghan menistan and onwards to Tajikistan and China has been esti- officials have accused India of backing out on the reconstruc- mated at USD 3 billion. tion of Salma Dam in Herat province due to constant Iranian

Rule of Law Anne-Catherine Claude ► [email protected]

recent audit on the Afghan National Police (ANP) lack of a centralised payroll system is seriously undermining performed by the US Special Inspector General for the ANP. According to the report, due to the vague accounting A Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that the system and multiple databases, the Afghan government is un- Page 3 28 April 2011 able to determine the actual strength of the ANP or assess to take place in the north and north-eastern parts of Afghani- “where the money is actually going", says Herbert Richardson, stan, as insurgents have stepped up efforts in these regions, the acting Special Inspector General. An increase in the num- says the Canadian Press. According to Agence France-Presse, ber of police officers is a benchmark in light of the transition despite ongoing efforts to eradicate poppy cultivation, opium to the Afghan National Security Forces by 2014, and the inter- poppies are still the major crop for many Afghan farmers and a national coalition has often acknowledged being on track to- big source of income for the . One farmer in Kandahar wards reaching this goal. However, the recent audit has found province declared that "opium requires less work, less water that the current strength of the force is unclear with estimates and makes more money", adding that the harvest is sold even close to 112,000, or as high as 125,000, based on the ministry's before it is harvested. The article further states that, according personnel records being "incomplete, unverified and unrecon- to Jean-Luc Lemahieu, the head of UNODC in Afghanistan, it ciled". The US and other international donors have given could take at least another decade to see a significant decrease around USD 1.5 billion to a Law and Order Trust Fund in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. (LOTFA) administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for police salaries, however, the acting An article by Foreign Policy magazine illustrates the difficulty Special Inspector General also found irregularities with UN of Afghanistan‟s formal justice system and the lack of confi- oversight as UNDP was found to lack a verified payroll sys- dence in it by the Afghan population. Focusing on the case tem. Additionally, according to the SIGAR audit in September surrounding Maamour Jilani‟s death, the article claims that the 2010, 21% of ANP employees were allegedly still being paid families of the victim and the suspect agreed to settle the mat- in cash. This method of payment, the audit revealed, "is sub- ter through the informal justice system. “We don‟t have any ject to the greatest risk of abuse, including skimming of sala- faith in the legal system”, stated Rabani Gul, Jilani‟s son; “its ries and payments to ghost employees". Consequently, the decisions are not impartial. There will be no justice”. This case Wall Street Journal notes that the findings of the audit high- characterizes the struggle that the formal justice system faces light the Afghan public perception of the police force as being in Afghanistan as it is believed to be ill-equipped and corrupt. riddled with corruption and incompetence. In response, the Until recently, the international community focused solely on acting SIGAR has called for renewed efforts by the US State the formal justice system in Afghanistan, but has begun to pay and Defense Departments to begin tracking police payroll greater attention to ways it can support the informal system costs and work force numbers. because it is likely to be the only viable dispute resolution mechanism available to most Afghans for several more years. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has The Afghan Ministry of Justice is drafting a policy to link both published its Winter Rapid Assessment Survey (ORAS), which the formal and informal justice systems in Afghanistan (see predicted an overall decrease in Afghan poppy cultivation in November 2010 CFC Report, The Informal Justice System in 2011, according to a UNODC press release. The report further Afghanistan). underlines that a strong increase in poppy cultivation is likely

Security Kathleen Hughes ► [email protected]

ecurity headlines this week focused on the Sarpoza incompetence and complacency”. As stated by a local Kanda- prison break in Kandahar province. Eighteen insurgents, hari shopkeeper, “this escape will affect the civilians ... I S outside of the prison, reportedly spent roughly five blame these security forces for not taking action. This is not months digging a tunnel into the prison to allow for the escape the first time”. On the heels of recent attacks in the province, of at least 480 Taliban prisoners, according to the Guardian. this successful escape underscores the weakness of local gov- The construction compound across the street from the prison ernance despite troop surges in the area. provided shelter for the escaped prisoners where they were greeted by Taliban commanders and taken by car into hiding. In other news, Afghan officials are reviewing recruitment pro- The planned escape took place in the early morning hours of cedures in light of recent high-profile attacks during which Monday, 26 April, and prison management was allegedly un- assailants were wearing Afghan National Security Force aware of the escape of the prisoners for several hours. The (ANSF) uniforms. The most recent attack on the Defence Min- successful prison break has raised some concern over the pos- istry (see 21 April CFC Weekly Afghanistan Review, Security sibility of government involvement. Government officials im- section) has forced officials to implement a “new scrutiny into mediately began working to limit the negative impact of the the mechanism of enrolment in the Afghan army”, says De- disastrous escape, to no avail, according to The New York fence Ministry spokesman Zaher Azimy. Additionally, western Times. On Tuesday, Tooryalai Wesa, the governor of Kanda- forces have begun to train counter-intelligence agents to help har province, announced security forces had detained 71 es- root out Taliban infiltrators in the Afghan army and police, capees but as the day came to a close, only 41 of those de- according to General William Caldwell, the head of the US tained matched the description of the missing prisoners. Ef- and NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. Not only are forts to reassure locals that the government was working to officials reviewing recruitment practices, but also, stopping the quickly remedy the problem and still maintained control in the illicit trade in security force uniforms at local markets, accord- province were met with limited acceptance. The event has ing to The New York Times. For example, in downtown Kabul spurred an overwhelming sense of “government corruption, at the Kohan Froshi market, teams of police officers made Page 4 28 April 2011 morning raids through the stalls confiscating hundreds of uni- trade in military clothing and supplies, especially since service forms, boots, badges, insignia and other military and police members often sell their uniforms and supplies to supplement items. The police have also issued warnings to shop owners their low income. Authorities have previously conducted raids that if they are caught again they will face arrest. Similar on shopkeepers, but in most instances, the shopkeepers await crackdowns are reportedly underway in Kandahar and Hel- the crackdown and then return to selling military and police mand provinces as well. Historically, there has been a thriving items for profit.

Socio-Cultural Development Erin Foster ► [email protected]

fghan women who fail so-called „virginity tests‟ face exercises. At the same time, the Wall Street Journal reports any number of punishments including death, accord- that soldiers suffering from concussions – one of the most A ing to the Integrated Regional Information Network common war injuries – are receiving acupuncture treatment at (IRIN). Medical workers are often called upon to perform Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan. Acupuncture along with „virginity tests‟, or to see if the hymen is atmospherics such as music and light are still intact before a girl is married. Al- seeing positive results according to doctors. though the hymen can be broken by other New guidelines issued by the US Depart- means than sexual intercourse, if a girl fails “The law does not clearly distin- ment of Defense and Department of Veter- the examination they are considered ans Affairs, recommend acupuncture for shamed and may face an „honour killing‟. guish [between] rape and consen- treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder The killing of women who are thought to (PTSD). have committed adultery or have pre- sual sexual intercourse and treats Medical services are now reaching families marital sex is an often unreported crime rape victims as criminals and and according to the United Nations Assis- living in the land allocation site of Dashte Shor, near Mazar-e Sharif in Balkh prov- tance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), adulterers ”. “honour killings recognize a man‟s right to ince. The Non-Governmental Organisation kill a woman with impunity because of the Suraya Subhran, (NGO) ACTED was alerted about the out- break of the skin disease leishmaniasis in damage her immoral actions have caused to Women’s Rights Commissioner family honour”. The Afghanistan Inde- the community last December 2010. pendent Human Rights Commission ACTED, in partnership with Afghan gov- (AIHRC) explains that virginity is not ernment officials, now sends a mobile found in the penal code but other laws are applied to charge clinic to the area twice per month and has women with a crime. Furthermore, such laws are often applied treated more than 400 patients as of March 2011. Nationwide unevenly towards women, while men are left unprosecuted. vaccination efforts are again underway in Afghanistan with the Women‟s Rights Commissioner, Suraya Subhrang, further Afghan Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) partnering with the notes that “the law does not clearly distinguish [between] rape United Nations Children‟s Fund (UNICEF) and the World and consensual sexual intercourse and treats rape victims as Health Organization (WHO) and local community health vol- criminals and adulterers”. In related news, the Kunduz Depart- unteers to reach more than 118,000 children in 50 districts of ment of Women‟s Affairs has begun installing signs in Kunduz the country considered difficult to reach and noted for their City to raise awareness about the law on the Elimination of low inoculation rates. The immunization campaign, part of Violence Against Women (EVAW), reports UNAMA. The „Child Health Weeks‟, will include preventative health care, as signs are part of a public information campaign in support of well as immunization against measles, tuberculosis, diphtheria, women‟s rights. Finally, the Telegraph ran an article about pertusis (whooping cough), tetanus, hepatitis B, haemophilus women in Afghanistan, featuring the „Afghan Women‟s Hour‟, influenza-B and polio. An estimated 1,685 vaccination teams a radio show that ran from 2005 until 2010. The article profiles and 5,055 health officials will participate in the health week scheduled to begin on 20 May. the story of three women and their lives in Afghanistan from their experiences of forced marriage, the stigma of disability The first private institute of higher education has opened in and the life of a widow. Khost City, reports Pajhwok Afghan News. Pamir Higher Edu-

In health news, a new medical facility has been established at cation Institute offers courses in economics, computer science the Helmand Afghan National Army (ANA) regional training and English literature. Khost Governor Abdul Jabbar Naeemi centre, reports the International Security Assistance Force spoke at the opening ceremony of the institute saying that (ISAF). One Afghan doctor and up to seven medics now rotate peace in Afghanistan would only come through the education to provide medical treatment to soldiers during basic training of its youth.

ENGAGE WITH US Civil.Military.Fusion.Centre [email protected] www.cimicweb.org