The Afghanistan NGO Safety Office Issue: 56 16-31 August 2010 ANSO and our donors accept no liability for the results of any activity conducted or omitted on the basis of this report. THE ANSO REPORT -Not for copy or sale- Inside this Issue COUNTRY SUMMARY Central Region 2-5 In the CENTRAL region on the Khanadab road Musa Qala a joint IMF/ long running Hazara/Kuchi while AOG checkposts in ANSF raid uncovers an Northern Region 6-11 disputes quieted in KABUL BAGHLAN continue to AOG detention facility Eastern Region 12-14 while unknown assailant tar- actively search for NGO housing up to 30 prisoners. geted officials from the Su- staff. In GHAZNI AOG launch Southern Region 15-19 preme Court. Opposing Par- In the EAST region AOG assaults on multiple Dis- 19-21 Western Region liamentary Candidates launched an assault against trict Administration Cen- clashed with small arms fire tres while fighting in Andar ANSO Info Page 22 two US Military bases in in Charikar and Kohi Safid in KHOST with up to 30 continues to cause internal PARWAN while in WAR- displacement. In KANDA- YOU NEED TO KNOW fighters, many wearing US DAK AOG’s threatened lo- military uniforms, engaging HAR the Daman Chief of cals against voting in Nirkh Police is killed in a • Parliamentary elections re- in a five hour battle. Mag- lated violence countrywide and Saydabad and challenged netic IEDs continue to SVBIED while unknown an NGO community devel- plague road travel in Jala- assailants fire RPG rounds • Multiple NGO abductions in opment project in Jaghatu. in to the compound of Ah- Faryab labad, NANGAHAR, with In the NORTHERN re- one device targeting the med Wali Karzi. In ZA- • AOG complex attack against gions multiple NGO staff District Governor of Lal BUL use of rockets esca- IMF bases Khost were abducted by AOG Pur. Unknown assailants lates while the Director of across FARYAB, an election attacked a local parliamen- Tribal Affairs is killed in • Major AOG activity across ZABUL. Helmand and Kandahar worker is abducted (Shirin tary candidate in Aligar, Tagab) and an IO vehicle is LAGHMAN, killing his In the WEST supporters • Elections related intimida- caught in the cross fire of an body guard, while AOG of opposing parliamentary tion in the West AOG ambush (Dawlatabad). warned locals in Gardez, candidates clashed in Jan- In TAKHAR the ANBP are PAKTYA, to avoid voting dak, GHOR, while an routed by AOG attack in the or risk having their fingers NGO vehicle was stopped ANSO is supported by border area of Yangi Qala cut off. In KUNAR AOG by supporters in Murghab. while in JAWZJAN abducted the District Gov- In HERAT city NGO of- (Shibirgan) two persons car- ernor of Chawkay. fices received threatening rying suicide vests are ar- In the SOUTH major emails while in Karuk an rested on a public bus. In AOG activity continues NGO vehicle was stopped Shahri Buzorg area of across HELMAND prov- and questioned by un- BADAKSHAN two NGO ince despite US presence. known men. In Injil an staff are killed in an IED In Haiberabad area upwards NGO office was asked to strike in what looks like a of 200 AOG stage a 12 post anti-election poster on case of mistaken identity, a hour assault against a PSC the walls. In BADGHIS an parliamentary candidate is compound leaving up to ANP officer shot and killed attacked while AOG warn 130 dead from both sides. two IMF in a dispute while locals in Kisham against par- In Lashkar Gah NDS de- in FARAH multiple ticipation in elections a warn- tained eight persons for BBIED’s targeted the com- ing repeated in Marmul dis- planning attacks on election pound of the Provincial trict, BALKH. In KUNDUZ officials while IMF seize Governor an NGO vehicle convoy was more than 40 IEDs and in robbed by armed criminals THE ANSO REPORT Page 2 NGO Incidents KABUL KABUL Year to Date 7 50 This Report Period 0 The overall threat picture pertain- 40 ing to NGO operations in Kabul the interests and agendas of local 30 Province has not changed signifi- election stakeholders inside the 20 cantly. AOG intent and capacity communities. The recurring con- 10 to stage high-profile, media- frontation between the Kuchi and 0 grabbing attacks in the capital re- the Hazara communities in Kabul, main of concern, particularly in which was the origin of the vio- light of the upcoming Parliamen- lent demonstrations in the past KABUL AOG KABUL ACG tary elections. period, seems to have been tem- porarily resolved through negotia- students and teachers of Tuteya Girls’ School Despite the assumption that some tions between the leaders of both in Karte Naw, PD 8 on 25 August and on 31 of the election-related incidents, communities, assisted by GOA August, a private vehicle used by the Supreme particularly intimidation cases, and UN. The current resolution Court for daily transport of its employees be- remain unreported, the province accepted by both parties specifies tween Musayi and Kabul City was accosted by has not seen significant election- that the core matter of the con- two unknown attackers riding a motorbike. 2 related incidents during this pe- frontation, i.e. particular land occupants were killed and another 5 were riod. So far, recent developments rights issues, will be reopened wounded by weapons fire. This incident seem to indicate that the dynamics after the Parliamentary elections. marked the first lethal attack against civilian related to the election campaign GOA employees in the district and occurred and ensuing risks to NGOs re- Despite the overall low rate of one day after the District Governor publically main localized in nature, reflecting incidents in Kabul province, two attacks were intensively covered in voiced his concerns about the security situa- the media, while for both of them, tion in Musayi. As well, increased AOG activ- KEY THREATS & CONCERNS the identity of perpetrators and ity targeting IMF convoys was reported from Spectacular attacks the underlying motives have not the previously calm northern district of Qara- Elections related incidents been determined. The first was bagh, including a SAF attack on 20 August, Criminality the case of a poison attack against followed by an IED attack on 28 August. NGO Incidents KAPISA KAPISA Year to Date 1 50 This Report Period 0 40 Similar to the patterns registered 30 in the first half of August, Kapisa Incident levels recorded in August 20 witnessed 5 AOG initiated attacks 2010 roughly correspond to the during this period, although the July 2010 rates, while they mark a 10 district-wide distribution changed decline in intensity as compared 0 with 3 AOG attacks reported to the usual monthly incident from Tagab, and one respectively rates of the first six months of from Nijrab and Mahmudi Raqi. this year. Despite the fact that KAPISA AOG KAPISA ACG The tactics used by AOG during hard security incidents concen- tant to a limited imprint by ANSF and IMF. this period pertained mainly to trate mainly in the eastern districts Besides AOG, political rivalries in the western SAF attacks, while no IED place- of Tagab, Alasay and Nijrab districts are dominated by the standoff be- ments were reported. However, a where NGO operations remain tween Hezb-e- Islami and Jamiat; while AOG weapon cache including an un- very limited, NGOs should note of both HIG and pro-Taliban (IEA) affiliation specified amount of IEDs was the overall increase in combined appear to disapprove of the election and its discovered on 21 August in Qala- AOG and ACG initiated incidents integrity. Factional clashes among the support- cha, Mahmudi Raqi district. in Kapisa. They have almost dou- bled in absolute numbers with 93 ers of Jamiat, Hezb-e-Islami and other Pashtun incidents reported for the first parties may eventually affect Kohistan 1&2 KEY THREATS & CONCERNS eight months of 2010 in compari- and Mahmud Raqi during the upcoming elec- AOG in Alasay, Nijrab, &Tagab son to 58 incidents recorded in tion period; however, previous reporting has Factional disputes in Kohistan I the same period in 2009. not revealed any significant incidents related to & II AOG freedom of movement in factional disputes. the eastern districts is concomi- THE ANSO REPORT Page 3 NGO Incidents PARWAN Year to Date 3 PA RW A N 50 This Report Period 0 40 NGOs operating in Parwan should monitor the developments the past week, ANSF continue 30 in the western districts located exercising only a limited footprint 20 along the Ghorband Valley (which in the area, while being outnum- 10 are dominated by AOG activity) bered by AOG and ACG net- 0 due to the potential for spill-over works. into adjacent districts. Other areas Sporadic stand-off attacks, more PARWAN AOG PARWAN ACG of concern are Kohi Safid district, effective in demonstrating AOG which neighbours the restive Ta- presence rather than actually dis- strations are staged in Bagram district. gab district of Kapisa. rupting the IMF base in Bagram, The on-going parliamentary campaign brought Six combined AOG and ACG continued with 2 IDF incidents additional elements of violence, as demon- incidents were reported from Par- reported on 17 and 22 August strated by two specific clashes among local wan in the past two weeks, half of respectively. On 23 August, Ba- campaigners in Chaharikar and Kohi Safid. On them occurring in Shinwari. On gram district was the site another 28 August, local residents with suspected ties 17 August, AOG staged a com- demonstration, and due to an un- to HIG burned the house used as the cam- bined IDF and SAF assault on prepared ANP, resulted in a vio- paign headquarters by a new political figure.