U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
AFGHANISTAN - Complex Emergency
Situation Report #3, Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 - September 27, 2001


Note: the last report, titled Afghanistan - Complex Emergency Situation
Report #2, was dated September 20, 2001.

BACKGROUND

Two decades of war in Afghanistan, including a decade-long Soviet
occupation and ensuing civil strife, have left Afghanistan impoverished
and mired in an extended humanitarian crisis.  Government infrastructure,
including the ability to deliver the most basic health, education, and
other social services, has collapsed.  Significant resources are directed
to the war effort.  Severe restrictions by the Taliban, including a
restriction on women working outside the home, have added to the impact of
poverty, particularly on the many households lacking able-bodied adult
men.  The Taliban now controls about 90 percent of Afghanistan's
territory.

Humanitarian prospects worsened sharply in Afghanistan in September 2001
due to developments both inside and outside the country.  Osama bin Laden,
who currently resides in Afghanistan under Taliban protection, is the
leading suspect in the September 11 terrorist attack against the United
States.  Fears of a possible U.S. reprisal have triggered a population
exodus from major Afghan cities, both towards other points in Afghanistan
and towards the country's borders.  International staff of most relief
agencies have also withdrawn, leaving the status of relief programs in
question at a critical moment.  In addition, even prior to the September
11 there were signs that relations between the international community and
the Taliban were worsening significantly.  These new developments have
added to an existing crisis of extensive displacement stemming from civil
conflict and a debilitating three-year drought.


NUMBERS AFFECTED

Since September 11, large-scale population movements inside Afghanistan
have been reported, particularly from the cities of Kabul, Kandahar, and
Jalalabad.  The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported
15,000 new arrivals in Pakistan since September 11, and up to 20,000
Afghans waiting on the Afghan side of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Since September 2000, civil strife and drought have driven an estimated
180,000 new refugees into Pakistan.  The United Nations estimates that
drought and conflict-affected internally displaced persons (IDPs) in
Afghanistan number at least 900,000.  Longer-term conflict-displaced
estimates are as high as one million countrywide.  Drought has affected at
least 12 million Afghans.  An estimated 2.6 million old caseload refugees
from the Soviet occupation era remain outside Afghanistan's borders in
Iran and Pakistan, according to UNHCR.  Afghanistan's total population is
estimated at nearly 26 million.


Total FY 2001 U.S. Government (USG) Assistance to Afghanistan
$183,648,477



CURRENT SITUATION

National Overview.  During the week of September 20 - 26, populations
continued to leave the major Afghan cities of Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, and
Kandahar in fear of a possible U.S. attack.  Taliban recruitment efforts
in Kabul and Herat were reportedly an additional factor in displacement.
Despite the continuing exodus, there were reports that some Afghan heads
of household were returning to these cities as fear of an imminent attack
subsided, and in an effort to prevent looting.

In a funding appeal presented to donors September 26, UNHCR said it was
preparing for an influx of up to 1 million refugees into Pakistan; 400,000
into Iran;  50,000 into Tajikistan; and 50,000 into Turkmenistan. It said
it was also making additional contingency plans to supply aid to 500,000
people inside Afghanistan, if the necessity arises.

A new edict issued by the Taliban banned almost all communications with
entities outside Afghanistan, particularly via satellite phones.  The
edict threatened to severely impact international humanitarian programs
following the exodus of nearly all international relief workers.  Most
international relief programs in Taliban-controlled areas have been run by
international agencies outside Afghanistan via telecommunications with
local staffs; the communications ban, enforced by the threat of hanging,
made it impossible to manage programs and ensure the safety of staff.
The exception to the near- total communication ban was Herat, where the
U.N.  was permitted use of one radio set under Taliban supervision.  The
U.N. has formally sought permission to operate at least one high frequency
radio in each field office in each location, but to date there has been no
conclusive response.

Political Developments.  The isolation of the Taliban deepened during the
preceding week as first the United Arab Emirates and then Saudi Arabia
withdrew diplomatic relations.  These moves left Pakistan as the only
country still maintaining diplomatic relations with the Taliban.

Pakistan, a key base of operations for many humanitarian agencies working
in Afghanistan, experienced a nationwide strike and anti-American
demonstrations on Friday, September 21.  Some violence was reported,
notably in Karachi, where two people were killed.  However, violence was
less than feared.  The international staff of some relief agencies in
Pakistan had left the country fearing violence as the result of ongoing
developments in Afghanistan;  however, such departures appear to have
stopped.

Refugees - Pakistan.  As of September 25, UNHCR continued to report that
up to 15,000 Afghans had arrived in Pakistan.  Of these, 10,000 have found
shelter in host families in and around Quetta, and another 5,000 are
encamped near the Chaman border crossing.  An additional group of Afghans
numbering up to 20,000 was waiting on the Afghan side of the border at
Chaman.  The Government of Pakistan (GOP) has kept the borders closed to
refugees, but has stated that it would assist those who arrive despite the
closure.  According to UNHCR, Pakistani officials are also considering
allowing women, children and elderly persons to cross at Chaman.

UNHCR reported September 24 that it would move the 5,000 Afghans encamped
in Pakistan near Chaman to a point further from the border for screening.
UNHCR will then transport them to a former refugee settlement, currently
empty, at Dara.  UNHCR believes this site could accommodate up to 20,000
people.  In the North West Frontier Province, joint UNHCR/GOP teams began
inspecting possible reception sites on September 26.  Officials there have
already designated 100 sites for Afghan refugees that could accommodate up
to one million people, according to UNHCR.  UNHCR plans to preposition
blankets and other relief items once the site survey is complete.  It is
expected that camps could be operational within seven to ten days.

Refugees - Iran.  According to UNHCR, there have been no new reports of
refugees arriving in Iran.  A total of 500 new refugees have arrived since
the events of September 11, while 1,000 Afghans were reported to be
gathering along the Afghan side of the border at Zaranj, west of Kandahar.
Iran's border remains officially closed to refugees.

As of September 25, UNHCR and the Government of Iran had identified 12
sites in Khorassan and Sistan- Baluchistan provinces to house a potential
refugee influx.  Iran has also set up eight camps inside Afghanistan to
accommodate Afghans moving towards the border, according to IRNA, the
official Iranian news agency.

Refugees - Tajikistan.  Some 10,000 IDPs who have resided on islands in
the Pyandj River along the Afghan-Tajik border after a successful Taliban
offensive in Takhar Province in September 2000 remain in place, according
to UNHCR.  Tajikistan's border has remained closed to this population, as
well as to any other refugees, and Tajikistan's government has re-
asserted that Tajikistan is unable to accept new arrivals due to
conditions there.  Tajikistan is currently experiencing a severe drought
that has affected up to one million people.

Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations warned that up to 300,000
Afghans may flee to the former Soviet Central Asian republics, including
Tajikistan, according to an Agence France-Presse report.  Russian
officials planned to hold discussions with Tajik officials about the
situation, according to the report.

Central, Southern, and Eastern Regions.  According to the U.N. Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), up to 50 percent of
Kabul's population may have left the city towards rural areas.  However,
as of September 25 there were also reports of people returning, apparently
due to diminishing fears of an imminent attack coupled with concern
regarding possible looters.

In Kandahar, Taliban officials entered U.N. and relief agency offices,
asked staff to leave, and seized equipment.  Two mine action agencies were
affected.  Demining activities in Afghanistan have ceased.

An estimated 100,000 people, or roughly half of Kandahar's population,
have left for rural areas and towards the Pakistan border since September
11, according to UNOCHA.  According to UNOCHA, there were an estimated
200,000 IDPs in Kandahar prior to September 11.

UNOCHA reported September 19 that up to 65 percent of Jalalabad's
population may have left, mostly to remote villages in the region or to
border areas in the hopes of crossing into Pakistan.  Jalalabad's
population is estimated at roughly 250,000 in a 1999 World Food Program
(WFP) Vulnerability Assessment Mapping (VAM) report.  Since then, UNOCHA
has reported that people have continued to leave, but exact numbers are
not known.

Northern Region. Action Against Hunger (AAH)  reported on September 23
that there are now 30 spontaneous camps in and around the northern city of
Mazar-e-Sharif, hosting approximately 100,000 IDPs.  Most IDPs in the
region are displaced due to drought or conflict, rather than developments
related to the events of September 11.

According to UNOCHA, relief activities on a limited basis have continued
in the Northern Region.  Assistance includes tents distributed to 7,000
IDPs by local staff of NGOs outside Mazar-e-Sharif.  In the Sakhi IDP
camp, a two-month dry food ration was distributed to IDPs on September 23,
according to UNOCHA.  UNOCHA reported that local NGO staff also plan to
distribute food to 5,000 vulnerable families in the Alburz Mountain region
of Balkh Province, as well as 10,000 IDP families around Mazar-e-Sharif.
The condition of these IDPs remains a serious concern, according to
UNOCHA, due to the fact that they arrived at their current locations with
no possessions and very limited ability to cope.  According to UNOCHA,
WFP- supported bakeries in Mazar-e-Sharif are still operational.

Northeast.  There have been no reports of population movements in the
relatively small Northern Alliance- controlled Northeastern Region to
date.  IDPs in the Northeastern Region number an estimated 84,000,
according to UNOCHA; the leading cause of displacement has been conflict.

Western Region.  UNOCHA reported September 25 that Taliban recruitment
efforts in Herat are generating increasing concern among the civilian
population of Herat and surrounding provinces.  Population movements out
of Herat have been reported, but exact figures are not available.  The IDP
influx to Herat, which during the summer months sometimes reached 300
persons per day, has virtually stopped.  Reportedly, IDPs are beginning to
leave Herat's camps for home areas.  Relief activities in Herat continue,
including ongoing shelter activities through USAID/OFDA- supported Shelter
Now International/US and IOM.

Food Security. On September 25, WFP announced that it was resuming food
shipments into Afghanistan.  WFP had stopped shipments following the
events of September 11, citing to the closure of the Pakistan- Afghanistan
border, fuel shortages, and a lack of commercial trucks.  WFP food aid
will be delivered to Afghanistan's northern and western provinces via
Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.  WFP is also exploring the possibility of
food aid deliveries to Afghanistan's western provinces through Iran.

USG food aid for the region is continuing in transit to the region to
assist vulnerable Afghans in accessible areas of Afghanistan, as well as
for Afghan refugees in neighboring countries.  USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
On September 22, 2000, Former Assistant Secretary Karl F. Inderfurth
re-declared a complex humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan for FY 2001.
In addition, U.S.  Ambassador to Pakistan William B. Milam issued a
disaster declaration for Afghan refugees in Pakistan on February 2, 2001.
To date, FY 2001 USG humanitarian assistance provided by USAID/OFDA,
USAID/FFP, USDA, the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees,
and Migration (State/PRM), the joint Department of State/Department of
Defense Demining Program, the Department of State's Bureau International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (State/INL) and the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC)  totals $183,648,477, including both assistance
inside Afghanistan and assistance to Afghan refugees in neighboring
countries.

Despite the pullout of international humanitarian personnel from
Afghanistan, the USG remains committed to assisting vulnerable Afghans.



USAID/OFDA Assistance

At this time, all expatriate staff of USAID/OFDA grantees have left
Afghanistan.  Some grantees are attempting to continue programs with local
staff.  USAID/OFDA is working with its grantees to determine the status of
programs.  Operational difficulties are currently preventing the provision
of assistance to Afghanistan.


Personnel

To respond to the Afghanistan crisis, USAID/OFDA deployed DART to Pakistan
on June 17.  The DART continues to operate in Islamabad.  The DART is
coordinating with the Pakistan-based Afghanistan relief community,
including USG partners.

In April 2001, USAID/OFDA and State/PRM deployed an assessment team to
western and northern Afghanistan including Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif to
assess drought and nutrition conditions in affected areas.


Airlifts

First Airlift to Herat - 30,000 blankets from USAID/OFDA's stockpile to
ICRC for drought-affected families in Ghor (including transport)
$250,841

Second and third airlifts to Herat – 610 tents, 17,500 blankets, 4,800
five-gallon water jugs, four metric tons of high-protein biscuits, and
three modified World Health Organization kits, each with sufficient
supplies to treat 1,000 people for one month, via two USAID/OFDA-chartered
planes on February 9 and 16 (including transport)
$650,850

Airlift to Peshawar - 500 tents, 5,000 blankets and 100 rolls of plastic
sheeting from USAID/OFDA's stockpile for consignment to IRC for use in the
Jalozai and Shamshatoo Afghan refugee camps, plus two health kits
(including transport)
$239,000



Grants

Action Contre la Faim (ACF) - health, nutrition, and health education for
530,000 beneficiaries in Kabul and surrounding areas
$1,483,000

ACTED - IDP camp management and support in Baghlan
$200,000

ACTED - support via USAID/Almaty for shelter and nonfood assistance to
Afghan IDPs.
$50,000

CARE/US - food assistance for drought-affected populations in central,
western, and southern Afghanistan.
$1,235,000

CARE/US - livelihoods support for drought-affected populations in Wardak
and Ghazni.
$1,384,618

CARE/US - water supply and health education in Kabul
$423,901

FAO - seed multiplication
$250,000

GOAL - shelter, infrastructure, and agriculture displacement-prevention
activities in Samangan
$400,000

International Medical Aid (IMA) - health in Bamiyan and Samangan.
$299,870

International Medical Corps (IMC) - health assistance for IDPs and local
residents in Herat.
$1,135,000

IRC - IDP assistance in partnership with local NGOs, including management
and support for Sakhi camp for 5,000 families in Mazar-e-Sharif
$1,000,000

IRC - support for distribution of USAID/OFDA airlifted relief commodities
for Pakistan's Jalozai and Shamshatoo camps
$50,000

Mercy Corps International (MCI) - emergency water relief and agricultural
livelihoods support aimed at preventing displacement in Helmand.
$428,666

MCI - assistance to 3,000 war-affected IDPs with nonfood relief
commodities to meet basic heating, lighting, and cooking needs in Takhar
and Badakshan.
$1,494,000

MCI - support to vulnerable populations affected by the Taliban poppy ban
in the Helmand Valley
$250,000

Save the Children/US (SC/US) - drought-related relief activities in a
range of sectors, including health with a focus on maternal and child
care; winterization for IDPs; and cash-for-work drought activities
including well and kareze repair and digging; and wheat seed distribution.
Benefits populations in Andkhoi, Faryab;  Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh; and Kabul
$1,500,000

SC/US - nutrition surveillance in northern Afghanistan
$306,488

Shelter Now International (SNI/US) - food and nonfood assistance to
support host families sheltering 5,650 war-affected IDPs in the Rostaq
area of Takhar
$320,400

SNI/US - food-for-work construction of 4200 shelters plus water/sanitation
support in Herat's Maslakh IDP camp
$1,500,000

Shuhada - health worker training in the Hazarajat region
$70,000

UNCHS/Habitat - shelter for 12,500 IDP families in Herat.
$1,000,000

UNCHS/Habitat - urban community-based drought and displacement response
countrywide
$500,000

UNCHS/Habitat - emergency solid waste collection in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif,
Kandahar, Herat, and Farah
$362,727

UNICEF - nutrition surveillance, health, and water/sanitation activities
country-wide
$1,000,000

UNOCHA - support for the purchase of nonfood relief commodities for IDPs
($200,000); support for WFP- managed food programs and implementing
partners ($300,000); and support for continued air transport services for
humanitarian goods and cargo ($100,000).
$600,000

UNOCHA - support for humanitarian coordination.
$600,000

Total USAID/OFDA FY 2001 	$18,934,362



USAID/FFP

WFP - 63,810 MT of P.L. 480 Title II wheat and complementary commodities,
including a contribution for Afghan refugees in Pakistan of 4,000 MT
valued at $1.9 million

Total USAID/FFP FY 2001	$31,200,000


USAID/Democracy & Governance

UNCHS/Habitat - assistance for rebuilding communities for Afghan refugees
and refugees in Pakistan and Afghanistan
$200,000

International Human Rights Law Group - support for Afghan refugee women in
Pakistan
$250,000

Total USAID/DG	$450,000



USDA

WFP - 240,200 MT of 416(b) wheat

Total USDA FY 2001.	$99,800,000



State/PRM

(Note: State/PRM contributions to ICRC and UNHCR are for regional
programs.  Figures for Afghanistan- specific activities are estimates
based on a percentage of the regional total.)

ICRC - State/PRM provides $9.8 million support for South Asia activities,
a portion of which supports victims of conflict in Afghanistan
$6,900,000

UNHCR - State/PRM provides $17.5 million in support of UNHCR's South Asia
programs, a portion of which goes to programs benefiting Afghan refugees
in Pakistan and Iran, as well as returnees in Afghanistan.
$15,135,000

UNOCHA - State/PRM contribution for field coordination efforts in
Afghanistan
$1,000,000

Support to NGO programs benefiting Afghans.
$5,309,590

Total State/PRM FY 2001	$28,344,590


State/Humanitarian Demining (HDP)

The U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program provides $1.1 million in support of
HALO Trust, a British demining organization, and $1.7 million in financial
and in-kind contributions to the Mine Action Program for Afghanistan.

Total State/HDP FY 2001	$2,800,000



State/INL

U.N. Drug Control Program (UNDCP) - assistance with crop substitution for
former poppy farmers affected by the Taliban poppy ban in Nangarhar.

Total State/INL FY 2001	$1,500,000



Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

UNICEF - support for polio eradication in Afghanistan.

Total CDC FY 2001	$569,525


TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance FY 2001	$183,648,477



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