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Afghanistan
Week 08 22 February 2012

Review

Comprehensive Information on Complex Crises

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Economic Development Governance & Rule of Law Security & Force Protection Social & Strategic Infrastructure

This document provides a weekly overview of developments in Afghanistan from 14 21 February 2012, with hyper-links to source material highlighted in blue and underlined in the text. For more information on the topics below or other issues pertaining to events in Afghanistan, contact the members of the Afghanistan Team, or visit our website at www.cimicweb.org.

Economic Development

Steven A. Zyck steve.zyck@cimicweb.org

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fghanistans Ministry of Mines (MoM) indicated that it would be launching the bidding process for the 31,000-square-kilometre Afghan-Tajik basin on 07 March, according to Pajhwok Afghan News. This basin and the neighbouring Amu Darya River basin are believed to contain 444 billion cubic metres of liquefied gas, 219 million tonnes of crude oil and 70 million tonnes of condensate oil. The China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) won the rights to the Amu River basin in December 2011. However, the Afghan-Tajik basin is significantly larger than the 87-million-barrel oil deposits which was recently awarded to CNPC. While the bidding process is opening next month, bids will not actually be submitted until the summer of 2013, according to the MoM. In related news, McClatchy reports fresh concerns that previous natural resource tenders in Afghanistan have failed to meet international standards. An AfghanAmerican firm, Acatco, tells McClatchy that the tender process for the rights to Afghanistans Hajigak iron ore The Afghan-Tajik Oil and Gas Basin Source: IHS, 2007 deposit was flawed. The tender process resulted in Hajigak, referred to as the jewel of Afghanistans mining sectors, being awarded to one Canadian firm and a consortium of Indian firms. However, Acatco is concerned that the Afghan MoM allowed firms to bid without confirming whether they had financing in place. Acatco reportedly had USD 1.2 billion in place to start mining at Hajigak, while the Canadian and Indian firms which won the rights will reportedly need years in order to identify sufficient financing. Acatco also says it offered a higher royalty to the Afghan government than the winning bidders, and the company is pushing for a clear explanation for why it was not successful. The MoM told McClatchy that the selection process conformed to international standards and that Acatco executives had inappropriately attempted to interfere with the Hajigak tender. Regional trade issues also appeared in media reports this past week. On 14 February, US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez told Pajhwok that Afghan traders had informed him of numerous challenges that they face in attempting to import and export goods via Pakistan. Sanchez reportedly expressed hope that the trade obstacles could be overcome with the full implementation of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA). He also suggested that Afghanistans private sector seek to side-step Pakistan by instead importing and exporting goods via Central Asia and the Iranian port at Chabahar. This same issue was also being addressed by the Afghan and Pakistani presidents during a trilateral summit between Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan. The Afghan and Pakistani leaders re-affirmed the importance of the APTTA and agreed to collaborate to ensure that it was fully implemented. Pakistani officials also reportedly suggested that the APTTA be expanded to include the Central Asian republics as well in order to enable Pakistani firms to export goods even further abroad via land routes.

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For further information, contact: Afghanistan Team Leader steve.zyck@cimicweb.org The Afghanistan Team afghanistan@cimicweb.org

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 Afghanistan. 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, forestry, pest control, food processing and marketing, only a quarter of the ADTs 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 wont be clueless. In future years, the ADTs from the US state of Wisconsin may receive training from Amish farmers, who are believed to be more familiar with the low-tech approaches to agriculture common in Afghanistan. Most farmers in Wisconsin 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 that the 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 cooperation to promote stability peace and shared prosperity. They also resolved to ensure respect for sovereignty independence unity and territorial integrity as enshrined in the UN Charter. The New York Times stated that some international and Afghan officials suggested 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 reportedly halted the talks after Afghan officials asked Pakistan to hand Taliban 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 Pakistans 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 Afghan 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 between 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 Taliban in Qatar. He reportedly stated the following: There have been contacts between the US government and the Taliban, there have been contacts between 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 intermediaries. The Los Angeles Times had earlier reported, however, that the Taliban denied any such talks had taken place with the Afghan government. Humanitarian Update

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Iran has increasingly clamped down on Afghan refugees since the 1990s, tightening rules that formerly allowed Afghans to pursue education and work. AFP indicates that, in 2007, Iran launched a deportation programme that sent up to half a million Afghans back home. On several occasions, the Iranian government has threatened to expel all Afghans living in Iran. One million Afghan refugees now officially live in Iran, with estimates of up to another one million living there illegally. According to the UNs High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), a total of 18,152 Afghan refugees returned from Iran in 2011well over double the number in 2010. In western Afghanistan, tales of mistreatment of Afghan refugees by Iranian authorities are common, reports AFP. There have also been reports that Afghan detainees are expected to pay bribes to Iranian officials in order to be released from brutal detention facilities.

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

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makeup actually makes it difficult for the government to reach out to militant groups. Wafa, an experienced bureaucrat, said a reorganisation 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 corruption-control officer at the Supreme Court, says Pajhwok. His appointment comes six months after he was fired on charges of corruption and embezzlement. A Supreme Court official dismissed the allegations, saying Zarwans 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 ministerial development budgets. Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal and Interior Minister Bismillah Mohammadi were able to satisfy questions 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 development 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 womens rights advocates. Despite being denounced by the United Nations as a harmful traditional practice, baad is pervasive in rural southern and eastern Afghanistan. Experts say the continuing use of baad is a sign of Afghans lack of faith in the governments 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 Uruzgans provincial council. According to The Press Association, more than 2,000 Afghans have gathered outside a US airbase on 21 February to protest against 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 governments mission in Afghanistan. Five US-based brigades and a US Army reserve 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 Operations Command 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 circumstances 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 or leave 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 theyre in Pakistan, they can be influenced and intimidated by the enemy, said General Sher Mohammad Karimi, the ANA chief of staff. Its a big concern, and its something were 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 implementation 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 insurgents, reports Outlook Afghanistan. Even ISAF cant 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 at 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 sent 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 National Directorate of Security (NDS) said the boys, both 12 years old, had been trained in Pakistani madrasas. One boy, Azizullah, said the madrasa teachers had told him the following: You wont be hurt; just go and carry out a suicide attack. The other 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 educated in Pakistani religious schools, have been caught in the last two years attempting to carry out suicide attacks against ISAF and 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 take over the management of Afghanistans 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 over by 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 representatives 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 Afghanistans 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 improve crop 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 because low-quality materials were used in the construction. The road, which was guaranteed by the contractor for 10 years, cost USD 5 million and was funded by an American Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). The issue has been brought to the attention of the provincial governor, who stated that the construction company will be asked to rehabilitate the road. A provincial council 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 information 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 Kabuls 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. Afghanistans harshest winter in fifteen years has left at least 40 children dead, reports The Telegraph. The deaths have occurred in refugee camps on the outskirts of Kabul as well as in Balkh, Dai Kundi, Ghazni and Sar-e Pul provinces. The Telegraph reports that Save the Children is warning that weather conditions may worsen further and that there continues to be a lack of 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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Source: UN-OCHA, 2012

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. According to the provincial director of energy and water, Nangarhars governor is holding meetings with the PRT and USAID officials 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 frequently 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 implemented 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 exfighters 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-join the insurgency if their job prospects did not improve. Pneumonia has left 10 children dead in Raghistan district in Badakhshan province, reports Pajhwok. A health team from Care of Afghan Families (CAF), an Afghan non-governmental organisation (NGO), has been sent to Badakhshan to treat infected children.

f.

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 Kabul, says Pajhwok. The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) estimates that around 150,000 students across the country will take the exam this year. i. j. Around 2,000 graduate students from vocational courses in Lashkar Gah in Helmand province complained they have not received the materials to carry out their training as initially promised, reports Pajhwok. 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 specialised training from professional coaches.

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Recent Readings & Resources

Afghanistans 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. OHanlon and Bruce Riedel. Afghanistan Annual Report 2011: Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), February 2012. Strategic Support to Security Sector Reform in Afghanistan, 20012010, 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 CFCs 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.

Afghanistan Events Calendar Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan. The fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (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 reportedly be leading Afghanistans 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 deploying 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 Agriculture, 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 Management 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 notices submitted for publication in the Afghanistan Review newsletter should be relevant to Afghanistan and to the CFCs mission as a knowledge management and information sharing institution.

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