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As a result of discussions between the Afghan and Pakistani presidents, the Pakistani government agreed to allow several hundred

containers laden with perishable items to continue on to Afghanistan, according to Pajhwok . Approximately 700 containers had been

held up by Pakistani authorities, who were reportedly concerned that they might be carrying materials to foreign troops in Afghani-

stan. The containers were released as a result of discussions between the Afghan and Pakistani presidents during a trilateral summit

involving Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.

In agriculture news, the  Army Times says a 58-person Agribusiness Development Team (ADT) is being dispatched to Afghanistan by

the Wisconsin National Guard. While the group will focus on issues such as crop management, veterinary science, hydrology, for-

estry, pest control, food processing and marketing, only a quarter of the ADT’s members have experience with agriculture. Few of the

ADT members are full-time farmers, though all members did receive a 40-hour “crash course” on agriculture. According to Karen

Nielsen, director of an agricultural research centre at the University of Wisconsin, “[t]hey are not going to be experts by any means, but at least they won’t be clueless.” In future years, the ADTs from the US state of Wisconsin may receive training from Amis h farm

ers, who are believed to be more familiar with the low-tech approaches to agriculture common in Afghanistan. Most farmers in Wis-

consin are accustomed to modern approaches to agricultural production and processing not necessarily applicable to Afghanistan.

Lastly, the price of most food items remained constant in Kabul over the course of the past week, though the cost of sugar declined by

10%, says Pajhwok . A litre of diesel sold for AFN 64 (USD 1.30) while petrol cost AFN 62 (USD 1.26) per litre, the same as the week

before. The price for one kg of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) also remained stable at AFN 60 (USD 1.22).

Governance & Rule of Law Stefanie Nijssen ► stefanie.nijssen@cimicweb.org

fghan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Pakistan on 16 February for  a two-day

trilateral summit hosted by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, The Washington Post reported. The Gulf News reported thathe agenda for the summit included issues such as border management, counter-terrorism efforts and regional cooperation to

stem transnational organised crime networks. According to PakistanLink , a  joint statement  signed by the three presidents included

 pledges “to develop a framework of comprehensive cooperation and to take pragmatic steps for realizing mutually beneficial coopera-

tion to promote stability‚ peace and shared prosperity.” They also resolved to “ensure respect for sovereignty‚ independence‚ unityand territorial integrity‚ as enshrined in the UN Charter.” The New York Times stated that some international and Afghan officials sug

gested that Pakistan was using the trilateral meetings as a way to demonstrate its commitment to stability in Afghanistan.

Political analyst Ahmad Wahid Muzhda told Pajhwok Afghan News that

bilateral talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan at the above-mentioned

summit did not proceed smoothly. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani re-

portedly halted the talks after Afghan officials asked Pakistan to hand Tali-

ban leader Mullah Omar over to the Afghan government. Pakistani Foreign

Minister Hina Rabbani Khar confirmed that the talks were difficult, calling

the Afghan demand to produce Mullah Omar “unrealistic and ridiculous”. 

While in Pakistan, President Karzai also met with Maulana Samiul Haq,

leader of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam political party and asked him for

his help in starting peace talks with the Taliban, according to Tolo News.

Haq runs a large religious school that allegedly supplies recruits to the Af-

ghan Taliban. According to The Express Tribune, President Karzai also

stressed, during the meeting with Haq, the need to set up an  independent

Pak-Afghan  Jirga  as a grand platform to resolve outstanding issues be-

tween the two countries.

In related news, President Karzai told The Wall Street Journal that the US

and Afghan governments have begun secret three-way talks with the Tali-

ban in Qatar. He reportedly stated the following: “There have been contacts

between the US government and the Taliban, there have been contacts be-tween the Afghan government and the Taliban, and there have been some

contacts that we have made, all of us together”. President Karzai told

 Reuters that his government  talks to the Taliban every day  through inter-

mediaries. The Los Angeles Times had earlier reported, however, that the

Taliban denied any such talks  had taken place with the Afghan govern-

ment.

Afghan presidential advisor Assadullah Wafa told  Reuters that he is concerned that Afghans are losing hope in the Afghan peace

process, which he characterised as secretive. President Karzai established a 70-member High Peace Council (HPC) two years ago to

try to negotiate an end to the war. Wafa, a member of the HPC, however, questioned its effectiveness, stating that its wide ethnic

A

According to Agence France-Presse ( AFP), Iran

has increasingly clamped down  on Afghan refu-

gees since the 1990s, tightening rules that formerly

allowed Afghans to pursue education and work. AFP indicates that, in 2007, Iran launched a depor-

tation programme that sent up to half a million

Afghans back home. On several occasions, the

Iranian government has threatened to expel all Af-

ghans living in Iran. One million Afghan refugees

now officially live in Iran, with estimates of up to

another one million living there illegally. Accord-

ing to the UN’s High Commission for Refugees

(UNHCR), a total of 18,152 Afghan refugees re-

turned from Iran in 2011 — well over double the

number in 2010. In western Afghanistan, tales of 

mistreatment of Afghan refugees by Iranian au-thorities are common, reports  AFP. There have

also been reports that Afghan detainees are ex-

pected to pay bribes to Iranian officials in order to

be released from brutal detention facilities.

Humanitarian Update 

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22 February 2012 Page 3

makeup actually makes it difficult for the government to reach out to militant groups. Wafa, an experienced bureaucrat, said a re-

organisation of the HPC could help kick-start talks in Qatar.

The water supply department director of western  Herat province, Habibullah Zawran, has been appointed as inspection and corrup-

tion-control officer at the Supreme Court, says Pajhwok . His appointment comes six months after he was fired on charges of corrup-

tion and embezzlement. A Supreme Court official dismissed the allegations, saying Zarwan’s case was in the Herat appellate court and

that evidence had not been presented against him.

Various ministers were recently summoned by the Afghan lower house, the Wolesi Jirga , to account for underutilization of ministeria

development budgets. Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal and Interior Minister Bismillah Mohammadi  were able to satisfy question

posed by the members of parliament, according to Outlook Afghanistan. However, the Wolesi Jirga rejected answers from four other

ministers, Pajhwok  reported. Justice Minister Habibullah Ghalib, Refugee Affairs Minister Jamahir Anwari, acting Transport and

Civil Aviation Minister Ali Najafi and Hajj Minister Yousaf Niazi insisted they had used more than 40% of their ministries’ develop

ment funds. A recent budgetary report indicates otherwise.

Using girls as payment or compensation for mis-deeds still continues to be common,  The New York Times reports. This practice

known as baad , involves giving away a young woman, often a child, into slavery and forced marriage. It is largely hidden because the

girls are given to compensate for “shameful” actions such as adultery, murder or  elopement, say women’s rights advocates. Despite

being denounced by the United Nations as a “harmful traditional practice,” baad is pervasive in rural southern and eastern Afghani-

stan. Experts say the continuing use of baad is a sign of Afghans’ lack of faith in the government’s justice system, which they say is

corrupt, and their extreme sense of insecurity. In Uruzgan, however, baad has decreased over the last two years due to a strong public

relations campaign, said Marjana Kochai, the only woman on Uruzgan’s provincial council.

According to The Press Association, more than 2,000 Afghans have gathered outside a US airbase on 21 February to  protest agains

the inadvertent burning of Qurans and other Islamic religious materials. The items are thought to have been burned as part of routine

disposal of rubbish at the base. General John Allen, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, apologised and ordered an investigation into the incident.

Security & Force Protection Mark Checchia ► mark.checchia@cimicweb.org

statement from the US Department of Defense (DoD) on 15 February, which was cited by Tolo News, offers more details

concerning the shift in the American government’s mission in Afghanistan. Five US-based brigades and a US Army re-serve component will be specially configured to fill a “train-and-advise” role and will deploy to Afghanistan between

April and August 2012. Each brigade will deploy fewer than half of its personnel and, when in theatre, will operate in 18-person

teams to “generate, employ and sustain” Afghan forces. Admiral William McRaven, commander of   US Special OperationsCommand  told the   Associated Press (AP) that his forces are also preparing for an expanded role in Afghanistan, combining

training of Afghan forces and security operations.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) expressed “deep regret” to the families of several Afghan youths who died

during an airstrike in Kapisa province on 08 February. The ISAF press statement says the following: “While the exact circum

stances of this tragic incident remain to be determined, ISAF is taking appropriate action to ascertain the facts, and prevent similar occurrences in the future.” 

Afghan soldiers who have relatives living in Pakistan have been told to move them to Afghanistan, cut relations with them orleave the Afghan National Army (ANA), reports The Washington Post . ANA members with ties to Pakistan have reportedly

been most likely to carry out attacks against international and Afghan forces, according to an internal Afghan investigation.“When they’re in Pakistan, they can be influenced and intim idated by the enemy,” said General Sher Mohammad Karimi, theANA chief of staff. “It’s a big concern, and it’s something we’re trying to change.” In an effort to eliminate such attacks, many

ANA officers are implementing this policy at the local level. Afghan defence officials are still considering a nationwide imple

mentation of a ban. The Washington Post article asserts this policy would disproportionately affect ethnic Pashtuns, who are the

most likely to have close family ties in Pakistan. However, many Pashtuns were recruited specifically to try to balance the ethnic composition of the ANA, which this policy could disrupt. Karimi, the ANA chief of staff, said it would be illegal for Afghan forces to cross the border with Pakistan while chasing insur

gents, reports Outlook Afghanistan. “Even ISAF can’t do that,” said Karimi, “We would rather ask our Pakistani brothers to do

that in their own territory”. He also urged Pakistan to take steps to eliminate Taliban sanctuaries on Pakistani soil. Karimi made

the statement while accepting the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies a

the National Defense University in Washington, DC on 10 February.

Dutch F-16s stationed near Mazar-e Sharif in Balkh province have returned more than two million images from reconnaissance

missions flown over Afghanistan since 2009, reports The Information Daily. The Dutch aircraft, the only ones equipped with

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the RecceLite  photo reconnaissance technology in country, perform regular route reconnaissance to enhance the security of

ISAF military personnel and others who are involved in training the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Images are sen

in the air to a ground exploitation centre station, where they are forwarded to ISAF partners to enable them to identify risks to

their personnel (e.g., improvised explosive devices).

Two boys with suicide vests were arrested in Kandahar, according to the New York Times. A spokesman for Afghanistan Na

tional Directorate of Security (NDS) said the boys, both 12 years old, had been trained in Pakistani madrasas. One boy, Azizul

lah, said the madrasa teachers had told him the following: “You won’t be hurt; just go and carry out a suicide attack.” The othe

boy, Nasibullah, had been pardoned by President Hamid Karzai during Ramadan last year for a similar offence. However, he

reportedly returned to the madrasa and was again convinced to carry out a suicide bombing. A number of children, many edu-

cated in Pakistani religious schools, have been caught in the last two years attempting to carry out suicide attacks against ISAFand the ANSF.

Social & Strategic Infrastructure Rainer Gonzalez ► rainer.gonzalez@cimicweb.org

aoud Ali Najafi, the Afghan Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, told Tolo News that the government will takeover the management of Afghanistan’s airspace  from 2014 onward. Currently, air control responsibilities are shared

between Afghan authorities and international military forces from, primarily, Germany, Turkey and the United States

The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) indicates that air control responsibilities will increasingly be taken overby graduates from the Afghan Civil Aviation Training Centre.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has assisted in the mapping of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, says a USAID press release. Twenty-one participants, including engineers, government officials and represen

tatives of the international community, gathered to share information and create the map. This is a key first step in developing a

new Master Plan for the city, which currently relies on a 50-year-old plan.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations will provide technical support to rebuild Afghanistan’s

traditional irrigation system, which was damaged by conflict and migration from villages, reports OneWorld South Asia. The

main goals of the FAO project are to increase crop production and to enhance farmers’ ability to run and maintain their own

irrigation systems. An agreement for USD 27 million was signed between the FAO and the Ministry of Energy and Water

(MEW). It is expected that these this contribution will lead to 15% more land being irrigated in target areas and will improvecrop yields by around 20%, benefiting 230,000 households.

According to Pajhwok Afghan News, the road connecting Ghazni with the Kabul-Kandahar highway, inaugurated just one

month ago, is already damaged. Syed Abdul Baseer Noori, the mayor of Ghazni city, told Pajhowk that damage occurred be

cause low-quality materials were used in the construction. The road, which was guaranteed by the contractor for 10 years, costUSD 5 million and was funded by an American Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). The issue has been brought to the atten

tion of the provincial governor, who stated that the construction company will be asked to rehabilitate the road. A provincialcouncil member from Ghazni told Pajhwok that many construction contracts are signed based on nepotism rather than ability.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) published maps (see next page) showing the

population serviced by medical doctors and health workers. The maps are detailed at the district level. According to OCHA

there are 1,513 doctors, 413 of whom are female. Likewise, there are 3,724 health workers, 523 of whom are female. The in-

formation provided by OCHA shows that there are several districts which lack doctors and health workers.

Afghan Minister of Information and Culture Sayed Makhdoom Raheen sent a letter to state and private media requesting that

female presenters respect Islamic norms by wearing headscarves and avoiding heavy makeup, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio

 Liberty. The move by Raheen was criticised by many journalists, according to  RFE/RL. One female newscaster at Kabul’s

Ariana Television Network, who recognised that female presenters already face a lot of family and societal pressure, told

 RFE/RL that these new restrictions “add to their feeling of being caged”. 

Afghanistan’s harshest winter in fifteen years has left at least 40 children dead, reports The Telegraph. The deaths have oc

curred in refugee camps on the outskirts of Kabul as well as in Balkh, Dai Kundi, Ghazni and Sar-e Pul provinces. The Tele

graph reports that Save the Children is warning that weather conditions may worsen further and that there continues to be a lackof appropriate shelter, blankets, warm clothes, fuel and food for affected populations. In this regard, OCHA has published a

“Winterization Response Plan” which involves the distribution of health, pneumonia and trauma kits.

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In addition, a number of individual developments were reported by the media during the course of the past week:

a.  Approximately 60% of Jalalabad residents in Nangarhar province have been cut off from power, reports Pajhwok. Accord

ing to the provincial director of energy and water, Nangarhar’s governor is holding meetings with the PRT and USAID of

ficials to overcome the situation.

b.  Residents of 70 villages in Badakhshan province have participated in the asphalting of a five-km road, says Pajhwok . The

Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) promised to repair the remaining 17 km of the road, which fre

quently is blocked by heavy snowfall during the winter.

c.  Three construction projects has been launched in Jowzjan province, reports Pajhwok . The projects, which will be imple-

mented by the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW), include the construction of several kilometres of road and 120 km of

railway.

d.  The new terminal at the Herat International Airport has been inaugurated, describes Pajhwok . The terminal was constructed

as part of a joint venture involving the Italian PRT and the United States at a cost of USD 2 million.

e.  More than 370 ex-insurgent fighters have been taught vocational skills  in Badghis  province, reports Pajhwok . The ex

fighters were trained for six months in carpentry, tailoring, masonry and beekeeping. However, many of them, who remain

unemployed, complained that the training programmes were not implemented as initially promised and threatened to re-jointhe insurgency if their job prospects did not improve.

f.  Pneumonia has left 10 children dead in Raghistan district in Badakhshan province, reports Pajhwok. A health team fromCare of Afghan Families (CAF), an Afghan non-governmental organisation (NGO), has been sent to Badakhshan to trea

infected children.

g.  Fifty-five children have returned to Afghanistan after undergoing medical treatment in Germany, primarily for burn injuries

and bone diseases, reports Pajhwok. In addition, the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) will fly 63 Afghan children to

Germany to receive similar treatments.

h.  Approximately 12,500 students, 42% of whom were female, attended the first phase of the university entrance test in Kabulsays Pajhwok . The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) estimates that around 150,000 students across the country wil

take the exam this year.

i.  Around 2,000 graduate students from vocational courses in Lashkar Gah in Helmand province complained they have noreceived the materials to carry out their training as initially promised, reports Pajhwok .

 j.  Sadaf Rahimi, an Afghan teenager, will participate in the boxing competition at the London Olympic Games, highlights

Pajhwok . Rahimi has been invited by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and will soon fly to London to receive spe

cialised training from professional coaches.

Source: UN-OCHA, 2012 

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  “Afghanistan’s Conflict Minerals: The Crime-State-Insurgent Nexus”, CTC Sentinel, Combatting Terrorism Center, United

States Military Academy, 15 February 2012, by Matthew DuPee.

  “Maximizing Chances for Success in Afghanistan and Pakistan”, Brookings Institution, 15 February 2012, by Michael E.

O’Hanlon and Bruce Riedel. 

  “Afghanistan Annual Report 2011: Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict”, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghani-

stan (UNAMA) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), February 2012.

  “Strategic Support to Security Sector Reform in Afghanistan, 2001  –2010”, Centre for International Governance Innovation,

January 2012, by Christian Dennys and Tom Hamilton-Baillie.

The readings and resources above were brought to the attention of the CFC’s Afghanistan Team during the course of the past  several weeks. The CFC does not

endorse any of these documents or their content. If you would like to recommend a report or website for this section of the “Afghanistan Review”, please send the file or reference to  Afghanistan@cimicweb.org. The CFC welcomes all recommendations but is not obliged to print them. 

  Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan. The fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Af-

ghanistan (RECCA) will be held in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, on 26-27 March 2012. The  conference will focus on

strategies for enhancing commercial cooperation within Central and South Asia and beyond. President Hamid Karzai will re-

 portedly be leading Afghanistan’s delegation at the RECCA conference. 

  Agricultural Development for Afghanistan Pre-Deployment Training. The United States Department of Agriculture

(www.usda.gov) and a consortium of American universities deliver this training. The curriculum will meet the needs of all de-

ploying United States Government personnel in support of the USG Agriculture Strategy in Afghanistan. The training is for

United States Government personnel and will take place in Fresno, California on the following dates: 26-31 March, 02-07 April

and 18-23 June. Participants will be enrolled on a first come first serve basis. Contact Ryan Brewster, US Department of Agri-

culture, at ryan.brewster@fas.usda.gov for further information. 

  Field Security Management Course. The Centre for Safety and Development (CSD) will be holding its “Field Security Man-

agement” course in Afghanistan from 13-15 May 2012. The course reportedly addresses topics such as the following: security

management, context analysis, risk assessment, security strategies and procedures, contingency planning, incident reporting and

the development of action plans. Further information is available here. 

 If you are a CFC account-holder and would like your notice to appear here, please send all relevant details to  Afghanistan@cimicweb.org . The CFC is not obliged 

to print any notice that it receives, and the CFC retains the right to revise notices for clarity and appropriateness. Any no tices submitted for publication in the “A f-

 ghanistan Review” newsletter should be relevant to Afghanistan and to the CFC’ s mission as a knowledge management and information sharing institution. 

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