USAID's Emergency Report on Afghanistan, Sept. 27

U.S. Humanitarian Aid Rises to Almost $184 Million

Twenty years of war and civil strife and three years of drought have created a mounting
humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, with refugees and displaced persons numbering in the
millions, according to a September 27 fact sheet from the U.S. Agency for International
Development.

U.S. assistance to the various UN agencies and non-government organizations providing aid in
the region rose to almost $183.7 million in recent days. International staffs of most relief
agencies have withdrawn from Afghanistan because of high risks, while the Taliban has
prohibited virtually all communications outside Afghanistan. The Taliban move has "made it
impossible to manage programs and ensure the safety of staff," according to the USAID fact
sheet.

On September 25, according to the fact sheet, the UN World Food Program announced that it
was resuming food shipments into northern and western Afghanistan via Tajikistan and
Turkmenistan.

The following terms are used in the fact sheet:

DART: Disaster Assistance Response Team

ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross

INL: Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. State Department

PRM: Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, U.S. State Department

Following is the text of the USAID fact sheet:

The United States Agency for International Development

Afghanistan -- Complex Emergency Situation Report #3
(FY 2001) September 27, 2001

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) BUREAU FOR
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR) OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE
(OFDA)

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 at a Glance

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 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 10 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

USAID/OFDA fact sheets can be obtained from the USAID web site at
http://www.usaid.gov/hum_response/ofda/situation.html