U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
CENTRAL ASIA TASK FORCE
CENTRAL ASIA REGION - Complex Emergency
Situation Report #7 (FY02)  November 15, 2001


Note: this Situation Report updates previous Central Asia Task Force
Situation Reports and Fact Sheets.  New information is italicized.

BACKGROUND

Prior to September 2001, two decades of war in Afghanistan, including a
decade-long Soviet occupation and ensuing civil strife, 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, collapsed.  Significant local and
national resources were directed to the war effort.  Severe restrictions
by the Taliban, which controlled as much as 90% of the country, including
a restriction on women working outside the home, added to the impact of
poverty, particularly on the many households lacking able-bodied adult
men.

Humanitarian prospects worsened sharply in Afghanistan in September 2001
due to developments both inside and outside the country.  Fears of a U.S.
reprisal to the attacks of September 11 triggered a population exodus from
major Afghan cities, both towards other points in Afghanistan and towards
the country's borders.  The beginning of U.S. air strikes on October 7
caused additional movement.  International staff of all relief agencies
withdrew after September 11, complicating the delivery of humanitarian
assistance.  Even prior to September 11, there were signs that relations
between the international community and the Taliban were worsening
significantly.  These new developments added to an existing crisis of
extensive displacement stemming from civil conflict and a debilitating
three-year drought.

Afghanistan:  Numbers Affected

Total population (CIA Factbook)   26,813,057

Refugees Since September 11, 2001 (UNHCR)
   Pakistan   135,000
   Iran       Unknown

Refugees Since September 2000 (UNHCR)
   Pakistan   152,000

Old Caseload Refugees (UNHCR)
   Iran       1,500,000
   Pakistan   2,000,000

Internally Displaced (U.N.)
   Since September 11, 2001        180,000
   Since 2000                    1,100,000
   Old caseload                  1,000,000


Total FY 2001/2002 U.S. Government (USG) Assistance to Afghanistan
$415,986,768

Total FY 2001/2002 USG Assistance to Tajikistan $68,208,180


CURRENT SITUATION

Overview.  The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan experienced a
dramatic turn of events during the week of November 12.  Northern Alliance
forces and other anti-Taliban groups advanced on much of the Northern,
Central, and Eastern Regions of Afghanistan.  The precarious security
situation continues to inhibit humanitarian assistance, but several U.N.
organizations have begun to reestablish their operations in Afghanistan. 
Food transport from Pakistan was disrupted, while barge shipments from
Uzbekistan opened a new corridor.  Relief agencies are not reporting major
population movements in Afghanistan at this time.  USAID Administrator,
Andrew Natsios, visited the region to assess humanitarian operations.

Political/Military.  During the week of November 12, Northern Alliance and
other anti-Taliban forces advanced on much of the Northern, Central, and
Eastern Regions of Afghanistan, including the former Taliban strongholds
of Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, and Jalalabad.  News sources report that
anti-Taliban forces have engaged in fighting with the Taliban in its
southern stronghold of Kandahar, but it is unclear at this time if the
Taliban still controls the city and surrounding areas.  In Kabul, as well
as other major cities taken by the anti-Taliban forces, the security
situation remains tense as fighting among factions continues.

Eight relief workers were released in Ghazni and evacuated by U.S. Forces
to Pakistan.  These relief workers, working for the NGO Shelter Now
International, were taken hostage by the Taliban in August 2001.

Food Aid.  Food aid deliveries to Afghanistan during the week of November
9 to November 15 were disrupted by the recent events.  The U.N. World Food
Program (WFP) reported that no food was dispatched from Peshawar or Quetta
to Afghanistan from November 13 to 15, as truck drivers expressed
concerned over the security situation. WFP said the main fear expressed by
the Peshawar drivers is that the road to Kabul is also an exit road for
the Taliban.   WFP is uncertain as to when shipments from Pakistan will
resume.  In the meantime, WFP plans to bolster food stocks in Quetta so
there will be enough food in place to continue the operations when
distribution does resume.  WFP expects that 6,000 MT will be transferred
from Peshawar to Quetta for prepositioning by November 16.  Although the
events of the week of November 12 have hindered food aid deliveries, WFP
has dispatched a total of 52,075 MT of food to Afghanistan between October
14 and November 14.

WFP reports that 15,000 MT wheat purchased in Kazakstan with USAID/OFDA
funds has begun moving on the railway.  The first shipment is due to
arrive in Turkmenabad later in November.  Thereafter, rail shipments
should arrive in Turkmenabad on a daily basis, at the rate of 1,000-1,500
MT per day.


Current WFP Food Aid Stocks

Location        Quantity (MT)   Beneficiaries
Afghanistan        15,511          1,861,282
Regional           61,697          7,403,667
Pak EMOP            4,418            530,126
Total              81,626

(From WFP's Afghanistan Regional Emergency Daily Situation Report 11/14)


Afghanistan.  The humanitarian and security situations in Afghanistan are
very fluid at this time. Continued fighting between Taliban and
anti-Taliban forces, along with general lawlessness in the major cities,
has severely inhibited humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan during the
week of November 12.  While relief agencies report no major population
movements at this time, the relief community is preparing for the worst by
prepositioning stocks and readying IDP and refugee camps.  Several U.N.
Agencies are reporting that they have partially reestablished operations
in Afghanistan.  The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced
that they have opened their Kabul office, as well as a sub-office in
Herat.  WFP anticipates moving some staff back into Afghanistan, including
Kabul, during the next week.

During the chaotic events of the week, several U.N. Organizations had
their offices and warehouses in Mazar-e-Sharif looted or destroyed during
the Northern Alliance takeover.  The U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF)
reported that Northern Alliance forces seized a 10-truck convoy carrying
200 MT of supplies.  This was the first convoy of relief supplies to
arrive in Mazar-e-Sharif since the Northern Alliance gained control of the
city.  UNICEF also reported that their office was looted and their
vehicles were stolen by Taliban forces. WFP and the U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) also reported that their warehouses in
Mazar-e-Sharif have been looted.  WFP reported that 89 MT of oil, sugar,
and high-energy biscuits were stolen, and FAO had office equipment, seeds,
and fertilizer taken.

Pakistan.  As more Afghans arrive at the Killi Faizo transit camp near the
Chaman border crossing, UNHCR continues the relocation of the refugees to
the Roghani camp, further inland. UNHCR officials said that the population
of the Killi Faizo camp officially stood at some 3,800 as of November 14. 
UNHCR plans to relocate all the refugees in the exposed Killi Faizo camp
to Roghani.  More than 1,100 people have been relocated as of November 14.
UNHCR anticipates the Roghani camp could eventually shelter up to 40,000
people.   UNHCR also reported that Afghans continue to enter Pakistan,
arriving mainly from Kandahar, Boldag, Khakaiz and Herat. They indicated
that they were bound for Chaman, Quetta and Pishin.

During the week of November 6, WFP began the airlift of more than 2,000 MT
of food from Quetta, Pakistan to Turkmenabad, Turkmenistan.  To date,
approximately 540 MT have been airlifted from Quetta to Turkmenistan. 
From Turkmenabad, the food will be transported via truck to remote areas
of northern Afghanistan.  USAID/Food for Peace (FFP) funding is supporting
this operation.


UNHCR Contingency Sites in Pakistan

Location                      Capacity        Population
Roghani/Tor Tangi (Baluch.)     40,000          1,100
Killi Faizo (Baluch.)            1,600          3,800
Mohmand/Khyber (NWFP)           22,000


Iran.  Relief agencies report that the Northern Alliance took control of
the Makaki Camp, near the Iran border, on November 13.  Camp officials
reportedly asked relief agencies to suspend activities in the camp until
November 15 out of concern for the security situation. Relief agencies
estimate that there are 6,000 people in the camp and another 3,000 around
the periphery.  UNHCR reported on November 14, that Iranian authorities
sent three trucks to the camp to begin the transfer of some of the
displaced to the Mile 46 camp, 50 km to the south.  According to UNHCR,
more than 1,300 Afghans returned home through Dogharoun, Iran's main
border crossing with Afghanistan, on November 15.  This was the largest
single-day return since August 2000.

Iran / IRCS IDP Sites in Afghanistan
Location           Capacity       Population
Makaki (Nimroz)      6,000          9,000
Mile 46                700
Total                9,700


Uzbekistan.  The first of several barges containing humanitarian relief
commodities arrived in Hairatan, Afghanistan from the Uzbekistan port city
of Termez on November 14. The initial shipment contained 50 MT of wheat
flour as well as nonfood relief commodities such as jerry cans, blankets,
and winter clothing. A second shipment of commodities, including 200 MT of
wheat flour, departed for Hairatan on November 15.  The commodities will
be warehoused in Hairation until the security situation in Mazar-e-Sharif
improves enough to allow the transport of the commodities to U.N. offices
there.


USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

Background

On October 4, President George W. Bush announced a $320 million assistance
program for Afghanistan.  Funding will support assistance to Afghans both
inside and outside Afghanistan's borders, with support for food and a wide
variety of other relief needs.

On October 4, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs
Christina B. Rocca redeclared a complex humanitarian disaster in
Afghanistan for FY 2002.  To date, FY 2001 and FY 2002 USG humanitarian
assistance for Afghans is provided by USAID/OFDA, USAID/FFP,
USAID/Democracy & Governance (DG), USDA, the Department of State's Bureau
of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM), the Department of
State's Department of Defense Demining Program, the Department of State's
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (State/INL),
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The assistance
includes both assistance inside Afghanistan and assistance to Afghan
refugees in neighboring countries.

In Tajikistan, on October 10, 2001, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires James A.
Boughner declared a disaster due to drought, and requested funds for a
seed and fertilizer distribution program.  USAID/OFDA responded by
providing $998,180 through the U.S. Embassy to CARE for the purchase and
distribution of winter wheat seeds and fertilizer.


USAID/OFDA Assistance

Personnel

USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios visited several countries in Central
Asia the week of November 12 to review the U.S. humanitarian operation to
assist the Afghan people.  He also reviewed opportunities for small-scale
reconstruction in northern Afghanistan for roads, wells, irrigation
systems, schools, and housing.  During the week, Natsios met with
government officials and U.N. and NGO leaders in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan,
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Dushanbe, Tajikistan.  On November 15, Natsios
visited internally displaced Afghans in Khwaja Bahawudin, Afghanistan.

USAID/OFDA currently has two Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART)
deployed to Pakistan and Uzbekistan to assess humanitarian activities and
logistical capacity in the area. 

Airlifts and Commodities - FY 2002

Turkmenistan

Airlift to Turkmenistan  - During the week of November 5, the U.S.
Department of Defense (DOD) airlifted the following USAID/OFDA commodities
from Pisa, Italy to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan aboard C-17 aircraft:  20,000
wool blankets, 100 rolls of plastic sheeting, 200 MT of BP-5 High Energy
Biscuits, and 1 MT of sugar.  All commodities are consigned to the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) for distribution in
Afghanistan.

Value including transport       $751,102

Airlift to Turkmenistan - two chartered planes carrying 1,000 rolls of
plastic sheeting for emergency shelter arrived in Ashgabat October 18 and
were consigned to UNICEF.  Value including transport.  $403,200


Pakistan

Airlift to Islamabad - On October 23, Bear McConnell, Director of the
USAID Central Asia Task Force, arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan aboard a
U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane carrying 20,400 blankets from USAID/OFDA
stockpiles. An additional 15,000 blankets arrived via commercial transport
October 25. The blankets will be provided to UNHCR as a contingency for a
possible refugee influx.

Value including transport       $312,350


Health Kits to Pakistan - USAID/OFDA has provided five health kits to
UNICEF in Islamabad as an in-kind contribution.  The health kits can
support a population of 10,000 for up to three months.
$29,415



New Grants - FY 2002 (Afghanistan)

International Rescue Committee - emergency food assistance, potable water,
and well drilling for IDP camps in Northern Afghanistan
$3,650,000

Grants - FY 2002 (Afghanistan)

Catholic Relief Services - distribution of new blankets to 200,000
people, primarily female-headed households, widows, the disabled, and
IDPs, in the Central Highlands $988,000

International Resources Group - coordination of Afghanistan Food
Augmentation Team
for USAID
$360,112

Concern Worldwide - shelter program in northeast Afghanistan to encourage
up to 5,000 displaced families to return to their homes by repairing
looted and destroyed homes
$1,203,343

U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - seed multiplication,
procurement, and distribution to drought-affected farmers throughout
Afghanistan.
$1,095,000

Mercy Corps - distribution of WFP food to 10,000 families, potable water
for 3,000 families, and distribution of non-food items to 10,000 families
in southern and central Afghanistan
$2,000,000

WFP - purchase, transport, and bagging of 15,000 MT of wheat
$6,000,000

WFP - purchase of trucks to support the delivery of food aid
$5,000,000

ACTED - pre-positioning of food and non-food emergency relief items in
northeastern Afghanistan.
$5,500,000

ACTED - IDP camp management and support in Baghlan
$630,000

FAO - seed multiplication
$300,000

GOAL - food, shelter, water/sanitation, and winterization in Samangan and
Jozjan Provinces.
$5,500,000

IOM - support for distribution of food and non-food relief commodities in
Badghis, Faryab, and Balkh provinces.
$562,313

International Medical Corps (IMC) - health assistance for IDPs and local
residents in Herat.
$735,000

U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) - nutrition surveillance, health, and
water/sanitation activities country-wide
$1,650,000

Save the Children (SC)/US - nutrition surveillance in northern
Afghanistan
$206,488

SC/US - food programs in Faryab and Sar-e-Pul, and emergency heating for
hospitals in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif.
$2,000,000

UNOCHA - humanitarian coordination
$2,500,000

UNICEF - Water and Environmental Sanitation activities
$2,500,000

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)  - support for
pre-positioning and mobilization of food and non-food stocks for use
within Afghanistan in addressing the needs of 540,000 drought and
war-displaced people, as well as support for airlifts
$2,500,000

WFP - support for a Joint Logistics Center and humanitarian air
operations
$2,500,000

Total USAID/OFDA FY 2002        $48,876,323

Grants - FY 2002 (Tajikistan)
CARE - purchase and distribution of winter wheat seeds and fertilizer,
benefiting an estimated 4,500 drought-affected families

Total USAID/OFDA Tajikistan FY 2002     $998,180


USAID/FFP
WFP - 72,700 MT of P.L. 480 Title II wheat and complementary commodities.

Total USAID/FFP FY 2002 $38,555,000

USAID/OTI

USAID Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) has provided $1.6 million in
support of programs to disseminate humanitarian information via radio
messages to Afghans in local languages.  USAID/OTI has partnered with
Voice of America, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and
local NGOs.

Total USAID/OTI FY 2002 $1,687,820

State/PRM
Note:  State/PRM funds listed reflect actual contributions to the listed
agencies.  Plans for funding are not included until funds have been
obligated.

State/PRM Grants - FY 2002
ICRC - Contribution to ICRC's Revised Emergency Afghan Conflict Appeal.
$6,500,000

International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent (IFRC) -
Contribution to IFRC's Revised Appeal
$3,000,000

IOM - Support for IOM's Appeal for Emergency Response to the Crisis in
Afghanistan
$2,000,000

United Nations Development Program (UNDP) - Contribution to the Project
Management Information System in Afghanistan (ProMIS)
$160,000

UNOCHA - Support for UNOCHA's Donor Alert for Afghans in Afghanistan and
in Neighboring Countries
$2,000,000

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - Support for UNFPA's Special
Program for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries  $600,000

WFP - Contribution to WFP's Special Operation/Logistics Support to
Interagency Relief Efforts and Humanitarian Assistance for the Afghan
people
$4,000,000

UNHCR - Funding for UNHCR's Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Plan for
Afghans.
$10,000,000

Total State/PRM FY 2002 $28,260,000


Department of Defense (DOD)
To date, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has airdropped 1,530,480
Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDRs), valued at $6,581,064 into Afghanistan.

According to recent data from DOD, the cost of the airdrop operations,
including the rations, transport, and fuel expenses, totals approximately
$120 million.


Total DOD FY 2002       $120,000,000



USG ASSISTANCE - AFGHANISTAN
FY 2001
Note: detailed breakdowns of FY 2001 assistance are available in previous
Central Asia Region Situation Reports.
TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance FY 2001       $178,607,625

FY 2002
TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan FY 2002
$237,379,143

FY 2001/2002
TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan FY 2001/2002
$415,986,768


USG ASSISTANCE - TAJIKISTAN

Total USG Assistance to Tajikistan FY 2001      $67,210,000
Note:  FY 2001 USG assistance to Tajikistan included assistance through
USAID/OFDA, USAID/FFP, USDA, the Department of State, and Freedom Support
Act funds administered through a variety of agencies.

Total USAID/OFDA Assistance to Tajikistan FY 2002       $998,180

Total USG Assistance to Tajikistan FY 2001/2002  $68,208,180


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