C I V I L - M I L I T A R Y

F U S I O N

C E N T R E

Afghanistan
Week 07 14 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 07 February 13 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

DISCLAIMER
The Civil-Military Fusion Centre (CFC) is an information and knowledge management organisation focused on improving civilmilitary interaction, facilitating information sharing and enhancing situational awareness through the CimicWeb portal and our weekly and monthly publications. CFC products are based upon and link to open-source information from a wide variety of organisations, research centres and media outlets. However, the CFC does not endorse and cannot necessarily guarantee the accuracy or objectivity of these sources.

fghan money changers, government officials and international community representatives are concerned about the exodus of hard currency from Afghanistan in the coming years, says Reuters. Wealthy Afghans are reportedly moving their assets out of Afghanistan and into locations such as the United Arab Emirates out of fear that their home country will not remain stable as foreign forces continue to withdraw. The head of the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) described the outflow of hard currency (e.g., US dollars and euros) as a calamity and suggested that investment into Afghanistan was drying up as a result of uncertainty over the countrys future. Ripple effects could be felt across the Afghan economy, as capital flight may contribute to depreciation of the afghani and, thus, rising costs in Afghanistans import-dominated marketplace. Reuters indicates that the value of the afghani relative to the US dollar has also ready begun to drop. Following upon last weeks Tolo News article concerning Afghanistans carpet sector, Reuters reports that carpet exports from Afghanistan have declined by approximately 70% in the past two years. In 2011, Afghanistan exported only 388,000 square metres (m2) of carpet and rugs, down from 1,370,000 m2 in 2010. The exports for 2012 are expected to be even lower, at around 300,000 m2. The article indicates that this decline is hurting Afghans, nearly 20% of whom are directly or indirectly involved in the carpet trade. Many Afghan carpet weavers are reportedly leaving the business in search of more profitable livelihoods. Alhaj Samiullah of the Afghanistan Carpet Exporters Guild (ACEG) says that [t]he biggest challenge we face is that we dont have direct export access from Afghanistan. Carpet weavers and sellers also indicate that a lack of government support and competition from machine-woven carpet producers is also partly to blame for the industrys decline. Fox News reports that civil affairs personnel from the US Army and US Marine Corps are participating in the Agricultural Development for the Afghanistan Pre-deployment Training (ADAPT) programme. This course helps prepare soldiers to engage with and support Afghanistans agriculture sector, which the article says is vital for both the countrys economy and for preventing hunger and malnutrition. The US soldiers are also being trained to use a system called e-Afghan Ag which employs smartphones and tablet computers to help Afghan farmers gain advice from specialists based in the United States. One participant in the ADAPT course said the following regarding the e-Afghan Ag application: I can take a picture of [a] chicken, and send it back to these guys at the USDA[...]In 12 to 24 hours, they get me an exact answer as to whats wrong with this chicken, and what I can do to help. In other agricultural news, food aid was provided to 5,000 Afghan farmers in Balkh province in order to overcome food insecurity which has affected the areas, says Pajhwok Afghan News. While expressing gratitude for the food provided by the provincial agriculture department, the farmers also requested seeds to enable them to sow their land and avoid food insecurity in the future. An American non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mercy Corps, is implementing a project in Helmand province known as Invest in Helmand, according to the US Public Broadcasting

CFC publications are independently produced by Knowledge Managers and do not reflect NATO or ISAF policies or positions of any other organisation.
The CFC is part of NATO Allied Command Operations.

CONTACT THE CFC

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

Service (PBS). The initiative is training 8,400 Afghans, including 700 women, in skills such as mobile phone, computer and engine repair, carpentry, metal working, embroidery and tailoring. Participants in the training courses are selected by their local community shuras (councils). Mercy Corps staff members involved in the programme told PBS that 65% of training course graduates are gaining jobs or are successfully starting businesses. In regional trade news, Pakistan has formally classified Afghanistan as a least developed country within the terms of the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) Agreement, according to the Daily Times. As such, Afghanistan will continue to pay limited tariffs on items imported from Pakistan. In addition, Afghanistan will now be able to export items specifically noted in SAFTA documents with a reduced customs rate, not to exceed 5%. In addition, Pakistan began allowing Afghanistan-bound containers to cross into Afghanistan after having been held up for several weeks, reports Pajhwok Afghan News. More than 700 containers bound for Afghanistan had been held up by Pakistani authorities over concerns that their contents may aid NATO forces in Afghanistan. Approximately 20 containers out of the 700 are being allowed to leave Pakistan each day. In mid-January, the Pakistani government had pledged to resume normal commercial trade from Afghanistan to Pakistan within seven to 10 days. Pakistan Today indicates that Afghans will have less difficulty importing goods via Pakistan in the coming weeks, once the final elements of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) are finalised. These elements include the installation of a biometric identification system and tracking devices on containers. The tracking devices, in particular, will help Pakistan to monitor imported containers and ensure that they reach their final destination. Lastly, Afghan Minister of Finance Omar Zakhilwal told the countrys legislature that Afghanistan will face major financial and budgetary challenges in the coming years, particularly after 2014, according to Khaama Press. He noted that foreign donors currently provide a significant portion of Afghanistans development budget and that, despite increasing domestically-mobilised revenues (e.g., from taxes, customs, fees, etc.), the country would face a shortfall of AFN 12.5 (USD 254 million) billion in its development budget next year.

Governance & Rule of Law

Stefanie Nijssen stefanie.nijssen@cimicweb.org

S Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman held talks with Taliban representatives late last month in Qatar, according to The Telegraph. Grossman also reportedly briefed Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Rome about his meetings with the Taliban. According to Reuters, the United States is seeking to accelerate fragile talks with the Taliban so it can announce serious peace negotiations at a NATO summit in May. The Telegraph states that the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Programme (APRP) has attracted only 19 militants in Helmand province over the past18 months. A recently-leaked NATO report said that fighters in Helmand remain too afraid of fellow insurgents to publicly lay down their arms. Officials also explained to the The Telegraph that 200 insurgents in Sar-e Pul province were recently removed from the programme because checks suggested they were not genuine fighters. Sar-e Puls governor, Syed Anwar Ahmadti, said more than 600 purported insurgents had joined the government in his province in the past year and confirmed that 200 had subsequently been judged fraudulent. A woman was elected as chairperson of the Nimroz provincial council, officials told Pajhwok Afghan News. Shakila Hakimi, 28, graduated from a teacher training college in Nimroz and had served as a teacher in a girls high school before her election as a member of the provincial council. A female teacher in Zaranj, the provincial capital, said the following about the election: I am happy that a woman will lead and represent the province. In other provinces, such as Uruzgan and Kunar, provincial council elections were recently held amidst allegations of government interference and voting fraud, a separate Pajhwok article details. In related news, a new decree has led officials in the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) to order female news anchors to respect the Islamic rules of dress and abstain from wearing thick makeup, reports Khaama Press. Though most anchors wear a headscarf, a small number of female anchors have attracted the ire of clerics by not wearing a scarf. The Minister of Information and Culture, Syed Makhdoom Raheen, had previously warned private television stations that they would be shut down if they broadcast un-Islamic content. The Afghan Ministry of Justice (MoJ) created a committee to draft a comprehensive law protecting the rights of children, says Pajhwok. The committee includes representatives from several ministries, the Attorney Generals Office, the Supreme Court, the National Directorate of Security, the national assembly, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, civil society, UN agencies and human rights bodies. The committee will work to enforce a proposed law on child rights, which is currently being prepared by the Afghan government in light of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

14 February 2012

Page 2

The Afghan government has decided to postpone the transfer of Bagram prison to Afghan control, Khaama Press reports. Bagram prison was due to be handed over to Afghan security forces within one month of an ultimatum issued by President Karzai. However, during a session with Afghan judicial officials, President Karzai decided to extend his deadline by another month. A shortage of blank passports in Afghanistan has led to a flourishing black market for illegal documents, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). With no domestic identification system in place, passports are in effect the countrys only official form of identification. Afghan citizens are accusing officials of taking advantage of the shortage by selling the muchdesired documents to the highest bidder through black market middlemen. The passport agency allegedly ran out of blank passports last year when it was inundated with applications from Afghans seeking to participate in the Hajj. Azizullah Lodin, the head of Afghanistans High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (HOOAC), confirmed that some passport officials are issuing passports in return for large bribes. According to Outlook Afghanistan, some USD 70.8 million in revenues that were collected at Hairatan a major border crossing between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan are unaccounted for. Lodin, the HOOAC director, confirmed that the funds are missing. The Afghan official in charge of the border crossing dismissed the allegation as baseless and said that all income was well documented. Lodin said the HOOAC was also investigating reports of corruption at other major border crossings in Faryab, Kandahar and Herat provinces. Furthermore, the HOOAC has said that it will investigate the suspected embezzlement of USD 42 million at Sardar Mohammad Dawood Khan Hospital in Kabul, Tolo News reports. A delegation has been assigned to investigate the alleged embezzlement at the military-run hospital. A number of members from the Meshrano Jirga, or upper house of the Afghan parliament, say that some provinces had been neglected during the preparation of the annual budget for next financial year, Pajhwok reports. Hafiz Abdul Qayyum, a senator from Nuristan province, said provinces which needed development schemes had been marginalised in the proposed budget. There is no member in the Cabinet from Nuristan, therefore no schemes are allotted to that province, he said. A senator from Logar province also believed various provinces had been treated unequally in the drafting of the budget and complained that the poorest provinces had no representation within the Cabinet. According to The Los Angeles Times, Afghan officials have reported the assassination of a provincial judge from Kunar province. Mohammad Nasir led the appeals court in Kunar, which lies near Pakistans tribal areas and has been the scene of heavy fighting over the last year. The killing occurred as the judge was visiting family in neighbouring Nangarhar province. This is the latest in a string of assassinations of influential, pro-government figures in the area. The Netherlands has given USD 2.5 million to the Afghanistan High Peace Council (HPC) for strengthening peace and stability in the country, Pajhwok reports.

Security & Force Protection

Mark Checchia mark.checchia@cimicweb.org

More US-employed contractors than US soldiers were killed in Afghanistan in 2011, according to The New York Times. This trend comes after many jobs traditionally filled by military personnel have been shifted to contract workers; this includes a wide range of positions, from mess hall workers to bodyguards for diplomats. This shift has reportedly occurred given that American soldiers are required to help train Afghan security forces and combat insurgents. At least 430 US-hired contractors were reportedly killed in Afghanistan in 2011, as opposed to 418 US service members, The New York Times reports. According to US Department of Defense statistics, there were 113,491 defence contractors employed in Afghanistan as of January 2012, more than the approximately 90,000 US troops deployed there. The Afghan soldier who killed four French troopers on 20 January forged his identity papers twice to enable him to join the Afghan National Army (ANA), according to McClatchy Newspapers. The Afghan soldier said he told an ANA recruiter in April 2011 that he wanted to join the army but that he had no national identity papers. The recruiter reportedly told him where to get the illicit papers in exchange for a bribe. After joining the ANA with the forged papers, the soldier deserted to Pakistan before re-joining the ANA again, by paying a bribe in December 2011. A month later, he shot and killed four French soldiers. Admiral William McRaven, commander of the US Special Operations Command, is preparing for an increased role in Afghanistan as the presence of conventional forces declines over the next few years, according to the Associated Press (AP). McRaven, who commanded the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, says his forces would be the last to leave Afghanistan under the current withdrawal plan. The Washington Post is reporting there will be a new special operations unit in Afghanistan under the command of a US two-star general. This unit will reportedly be involved in training Afghan forces and in conducting operations against high-value targets. A council of insurgent leaders in Pakistan has distributed a pamphlet ordering fighters not to stage rocket or bomb attacks against the Pakistani government in North Waziristan, according to the Daily Times. In North Waziristan, we are all in agreement with the Pakistani government, so we are all bound to honour this agreement and nobody is allowed to violate it, the pamphlet said. North Waziri14 February 2012 Page 3

stan has often been the staging point for insurgent attacks into Afghanistan; many of these attacks are undertaken by the Haqqani Network. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the operational chief of the Haqqani Network, is on the five-member insurgent council which authorised the pamphlet. The Christian Science Monitor reports that Afghans are expressing mixed feelings about the scheduled withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. Many are reportedly concerned that aid will be withdrawn along with the troops and that this will have an adverse effect on issues such as womens rights and the economy. Many jobs in Afghanistan are dependent on foreign presence and money. The United States will begin sending military advisory teams to Afghanistan this year to help the transition from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to Afghan security institutions, reports the AP. Lieutenant General Curtis Scaparotti, deputy commander of US forces in Afghanistan, said the plan calls for US and other international forces to turn over responsibility for security nation-wide to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. The US military advisory teams will help Afghan forces prepare for this handover. As many as 10 militants were killed as the result of a US drone strike in North Waziristan, a haven in Pakistan for Afghan insurgents, Pajhwok reports. Local authorities say that 10 were killed in the operation on 07 February. Sources say the dead included Afghan militants and that the compound belonged to the Haqqani Network. An American drone-fired missile killed the top al Qaeda leader in Pakistan, according to Tolo News. Badr Mansur, who was reportedly sending fighters into Afghanistan and was running an insurgent training camp in Pakistan, was killed early on 09 February in a drone strike in North Waziristan. Khaama Press reports a Pakistani Taliban commander has confirmed Mansurs death, which a senior Pakistani official described as a major blow to al Qaeda in Pakistan.

Social & Strategic Infrastructure

Rainer Gonzalez rainer.gonzalez@cimicweb.org

ozens of Afghan and international archaeologists are racing against time to save the ruins of Mes Aynak, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The ruins are located at the foot of a hilltop and include the remains of a sprawling Buddhist monastery which contains several statues and well-preserved tombs. Mes Aynak is threatened by the excavation work necessary to exploit the nearby massive copper ore deposit. The Metallurgical Group Corporation of China (MCC) purchased the lease to the deposit, which lies under the historical site. While some argue that the economic benefits of the mine will be vital for the future development of Afghanistan, others claim that the Afghan government is sacrificing the countrys cultural heritage in favour of economic development. ArchaeolHumanitarian Update ogists are working to excavate the site and transport the findings to Kabuls National Museum before mining proceeds at Mes Aynak. Members of the international community have begun to distribute humanitarian emergency aid to vulneraTraders from Balkh province claim that the Hairatan to Mazar-e Sharif ble migrant populations located across Kabul provrailway is not benefiting local entrepreneurs, reports Pajhwok Afghan ince, states a USAID press release. The aid, distribuNews. The railway project, inaugurated on 03 February 2012, cost USD tion of which is led by the United Nations Office for 129 million and was mainly funded by the Asian Development Bank the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UN(ADB). The traders, represented by the Afghan Chamber of Commerce OCHA), consists of blankets, tarpaulins, clothing, and Industries (ACCI), claim that the railway is exclusively used to stoves and fuel. Furthermore, USAID is providing transport International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)s supplies. assistance through its implementing partners Save Officials from Afghanistans Ministry of Education (MoE) said that all the Children and the International Organization for private schools across the country will be audited during the next academMigration (IOM). More assistance is being provided ic year, according to Pajhwok. More than 200,000 students are reportedly by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Develenrolled in Afghanistans 500 private schools. The MoE wants to ensure opment (MRRD), which is delivering winter assisthat private schools fulfil government standards for the educational envitance to 1,040 households in Nangarhar province, ronment, schools buildings, teacher professionalism and playgrounds. The reports Pajhwok. In addition, Pajhwok states the deputy education minister, Mohammad Siddique Patman, told Pajhwok United Nations High Commission for Refugees that the quality of 99% of private schools is poor compared to the approx(UNCHR) is distributing aid amongst the farmers imately 14,000 state-run schools. Patman explained that the MoE was not affected by the drought in 2011 in Balkh and other able to regulate the high fees reportedly charged by some private schools. eastern provinces. The aid packages, which will reach more than 6,500 households, consist in 200 kg In addition, a number of individual social and infrastructure developments of wheat and 25 kg of rice, as well as blankets, were reported by the media during the course of the past week (see the clothes, water cans and liquefied gas cylinders. map, next page):

14 February 2012

Page 4

a.

b.

c.

d. e. f. g. h.

i.

j.

The Japanese government pledged USD 8 million for several projects in Nangarhar province, reports Outlook Afghanistan. The projects, which will be implemented through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), included roads, schools, health clinics as well as irrigation infrastructure. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has re-built the Regak Bridge in Uruzgan province, USAID notes in a press release. The reconstruction of the bridge, undertaken through the Afghanistan Infrastructure and Rehabilitation Program (AIRP), has provided links between 70,000 villagers and the rest of the province. Kabuls Ghazi Stadium has reopened, thus bringing new opportunities to Afghan athletes, reports Tolo News. Currently, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is assessing the stadium in order to evaluate its suitability for official international matches. Students from 40 Kabul high schools will take a university entrance test on 20 February, says Pajhwok. The Minister of Higher Education estimates that only 34,000 of the 150,000 students who take the test will enrol in higher education institutions. According to Bakhtar News Agency, Shaheed Ahmad Wali Karzai College has been inaugurated in Kandahar. The college has cost USD 1 million and will provide room for 670 students, including women. The Chinese government has provided equipment worth USD 1.2 million to the University of Kabul (KU), reports Pajhwok. The majority of the money will purchase equipment such as laptops, desktops computers, printers, scanners and projectors. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has publicly asked religious scholars, imams and tribal elders for their help in implementing antipolio vaccinations campaigns, according to Pajhwok. During 2011, 25 polio cases were reported in Afghanistan. Three children in Parwan province have died of measles, and 150 are infected, says Pajhwok. The children that died from the infection could not be treated at the district capital because the road from their village was blocked due to heavy snowfall. The first domestic medicine manufacturing facility started production in Herat province, notes Pajhwok. The factory was developed with support from India and Iran and currently is producing 2,000 bottles of antiseptic and antacid syrup per hour. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will provide the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) with USD 6.1 million to improve reproductive health services in Afghanistan, according to a press release from the MoPH. The majority of the spending will support capacity-building and training for midwives and nurses as well as family planning programmes.
Source: Modified from Perry-Castaneda Library Map

14 February 2012

Page 5

Recent Readings & Resources

Understanding War in Afghanistan, NDU Press, June 2011, by Joseph J. Collins Fragile States Resource Center [website], by Seth Kaplan. Police Perception Survey 2011: The Afghan Perspective, United Nations Development Programme, December 2011. Afghanistan Index: Tracking Variables of Reconstruction & Security in Post-9/11 Afghanistan, Brookings Institution: 30 January 2012, by Ian S. Livingston and Michael OHanlon.

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 MAR, 02-07 APR and 18-23 JUN. 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.

ENGAGE WITH US

Civil-Military Fusion Centre (CFC)

afghanistan@cimicweb.org

www.cimicweb.org

14 February 2012

Page 6