USDA estimates Afghanistan’s 2015 (USDA market year MY2015/2016) wheat crop at 5.0 million metric tons. Production is down 25,000 tons, or 0.5 percent, from last year. The 5-year average is 4.26 million tons. Harvested area is estimated at 2.55 million hectares which is 10,000 hectares below last year. Yield is estimated at 1.96 tons per hectare which is the same as last year and above the 5-year average of 1.75 tons per hectare.

A large part of the Afghan wheat crop is grown in the Northern provinces with the majority of the crop being dependent on seasonal precipitation (Fig. 1). Winter snow levels in the Hindu Kush higher elevations was normal and provided good snow melt for irrigation (Fig. 2). Overall precipitation for the season was normal and generally above the levels of last year (Fig. 3b).

As a result of the favorable precipitation, the vegetation anomaly (normalized difference vegetation index or NDVI) for all of the wheat growing areas was above average based on data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer satellite (MODIS) (Fig. 3c). The same above average trend was also noted in the evapotranspiration anomaly (ETa) map (Fig. 3d). Precipitation in the northern wheat growing region was normal and on track with levels from the last 2 years (Fig. 4a). MODIS NDVI curves for the northern region indicated an above average crop at or just above a production level observed last year (Fig. 5). In northwest Afghanistan, the rain-dependent wheat areas received beneficial rains as dormancy was broken in late February. Beneficial rains then continued on throughout the flowering and maturation period which exceeded the cumulative precipitation for the last 2 years (Fig. 4b). These rains helped to boost the MODIS NDVI for the northwestern crop slightly above that observed in 2012/13 and well above last year’s level which was a drier year (Fig. 6). In southern Afghanistan, MODIS NDVI curves for the irrigated Helmand and Kandahar provinces were found to be just below that of the curves for the last 2 years (Fig. 7). Precipitation was generally favorable and the 2015 wheat crop was just below the record production level observed last year.

This report has been published by the Office of Global Analysis (OGA), International Production Assessment Division (IPAD). Current USDA area and production estimates for grains and other agricultural commodities are available at the PSD Online.

For more information contact William Baker | William.baker@fas.usda.gov | (202) 260-8109 USDA-FAS, Office of Global Analysis

KABUL, 19 July 2015 – The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) welcomes the establishment by the National Unity Government of the Electoral System Reform Commission, under the chairmanship of Mr. Sultan Shah Akefi.

“This is an important step,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. “We look forward to a credible, inclusive and transparent electoral reform process. UNAMA encourages the Afghan authorities to make the necessary decisions on the electoral calendar for the next parliamentary and other polls.”

UNAMA also acknowledges the nomination of Mr. Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, to the Commission. The United Nations will not be a voting-member of the Commission. Its role will be to provide advice and technical expertise based on international best practices, while respecting the sovereign right of Afghanistan to make the final decisions on electoral reforms.

Mr. Yamamoto is the United Nations’ focal point for electoral support to Afghanistan and will coordinate international assistance to the Electoral System Reform Commission.

“Electoral reforms are essential to restoring the faith of the Afghan people in the democratic process and will lead to greater political stability,” said Mr. Yamamoto.

Scope of the Problem: The table below shows the remaining challenge of minefield1 and battlefield contamination in Afghanistan

At the beginning of this quarter, there were 4,270 hazardous areas with a total area of 535.6 sq km recorded in the national mine action database. During this quarter, 79 hazards making 6.5 sq km were released and returned back to communities. However this quarter, the nationwide MEIFCS survey resulted in the addition of 130 previously unrecorded hazards with an area of 29.8 sq km, bringing the remaining contamination to 4,321 hazards and 558.9 sq km of contaminated area by the quarter end.

ISAF/NATO Firing Ranges: In addition to the above, survey and clearance are required on 71 firing ranges belonging to ISAF/NATO troop contributing nations and covering an area of 1010.4 sq km. From December 2012 to June 2015, 26 such hazards covering an area of 89.2 sq km were successfully released.

Civilian Casualties: In the first quarter of 1394, according to the MAPA records 38 civilians were killed or injured by mines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), representing a significant decrease from a quarterly average of 507 mine/ERW casualties recorded in 1380 (2001).

Despite the drop off in mine/ERW casualties, the human cost of pressure‐plate IEDs turns into a significant concern with an average of 65 casualties per month recorded by UNAMA in 2014. According to the current UNAMA report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 775 civilian casualties (417 killed and 358 injured) from pressure‐plate IEDs were recorded in 2014, showing a 39 percent increase from 2013. This year the average mine/ERW casualties are recorded 38 per month, while the average PPIED casualties is 65 per month, that sums up to 103 civilian casualties per month; which is devastating and unfortunate.

By Caritas Internationalis

By Irma Sofia Espinosa Peraldi, Caritas Athens

The situation in Greece is getting worse by the day. New migrants know about the economic crisis here, but still they decide to come to Greece as it is their entry point to Europe. The arrival of migrants in the Greek islands is 500 percent more than last year.

Since the Greek state is bankrupt there are no state funds to help migrants when they arrive and both the police and the coastguard don’t have a migration policy. On top of that, the migrants arriving to the islands have very little help, since Greece is not able to provide accommodation, food, medical and legal help.

Until now, the migrants face a short detention at the reception services on the islands including Lesvos, Kos, Chios, Samos and Rhodes. As Greece has limited personnel working in the asylum services asylum seekers are sent as soon as possible to downtown Athens so the local authorities can go through documentation procedures. On 14th of June alone the authorities transported 1800 refugees, from the island of Mitilini to Omonia Square in the capital. Thus, downtown Athens has become a stop for all migrants that arrive to the Greek borders, either by land or by sea.

The crisis in Greece affects everybody, but refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants are among the groups of people that are most vulnerable, therefore they are in need of urgent help.

More migrants are coming to the Caritas Refugee Centre in Athens. Primarily, the nationalities that come to us are from Syria, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Congo. In the past one and a half years, the number of Syrians have increased.

Migrants with legal status (refugees and legal migrants) as well as new arrivals that seek asylum are facing greater difficulties. For the migrants with legal status, the crisis affects their employment prospects. Given the high percent of unemployment for Greeks themselves, the migrant’s chances to get a job are reduced, forcing them to accept work on the black market. This situation means their status becomes illegal and they lose any chance of renewing their documents.

Refugees seeking asylum fear that if the government is not able to pay its civil servants any more then the difficulties at the asylum services will increase and their asylum application will be kept on hold for an uncertain time. The lines in front of the asylum services in Athens are so long that people decide to camp and sleep even for two nights in order to get service.

Our case workers say 80 percent of migrants want to leave Greece in order to move to Scandinavian countries and Germany.

Caritas Athens started a programme in January 2015 thanks to funding from Caritas Italiana to help Syrian refugees that live in Athens, providing them basic needs relief, including food and clothes, and advice. We hope to extend this programme to the islands and we are planning to do this with Catholic Relief Services (CRS – a US member of the Caritas confederation).

Not only migrants but more and more vulnerable Greek citizens are coming to us for help, especially to eat at our soup kitchen and to talk to our social workers. Previously the TIMA foundation, and now the Latsis foundations supported our soup kitchen expenses. From the private sector, Western Union has donated an important amount to provide supermarket coupons for vulnerable families. Greek NGOs, like Mazi gia to Paidi and Desmos, support us with donations in kind for children so we are able to provide clothes and shoes. The private sector as well, such as supermarkets and food industry, provide according to their possibilities donation in kind for the soup kitchen.

The lives of the Greek people as well as of the migrants and our work in general, are all made more complicated by the crisis. Apart from the lack of employment and social protection, banks are closed and this affects money flows. Even if migrants do find work, they can’t send money back to their families. Transportation of aid is affected by the high costs. Also Church help (Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic) is decreasing because of lack of funds and donations.

The Greek people cannot help anymore. They are desperate too and have very little to give. Caritas Athens tries to raise awareness among citizens by organising distribution of food in public places, like Victoria Square, where the local people help distribute the items. But, despite the difficulties that the Greeks themselves are living, the attitude of people in the islands has been of great solidarity. Many citizens have given their time and resources to provide food and clothes to the refugees.

In Lesvos for example, one restaurant owner put up a tent were she serves sandwiches every day, but she wonders for how long she can help since her resources are also getting scarce. The catering services that were employed by the Greek government to support the refugees in some of the islands had to stop because they have not been paid for the last 4 months. In the island of Kos, an old hotel called Captain Ilias, a half destroyed building, is being used as refugee camp. There, the NGOs and citizens are providing the necessary help.

Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan | Wednesday 7/22/2015 - 08:43 GMT

At least 15 people were killed Wednesday when a suicide attacker blew himself up in a busy market in northern Afghanistan, officials said, warning that the death toll could rise.

Women and children were among those killed in the attack in Almar district of Faryab province.

"This morning a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vest in a market in Almar," Faryab governor Abdul Sattar Barez told AFP.

"Our information shows at least 15 people were killed in the attack, including women and children and at least one Afghan army soldier," he said, adding that around 38 others were wounded.

The attack comes as Taliban insurgents step up attacks on government and foreign targets during their summer offensive despite official efforts to jumpstart peace talks.

Almar district chief Saleh Mohammad Saleh confirmed the death toll.

US-led NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan in December, leaving local forces to battle the Taliban alone, but a 13,000-strong residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.

Afghan officials sat down with Taliban cadres this month in Murree, a tourist town in the hills north of Islamabad, Pakistan, for their first face-to-face talks aimed at ending the bloody insurgency.

They agreed to meet again in the coming weeks, drawing praise from Islamabad, Beijing, Washington and the United Nations.

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© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan | Wednesday 7/22/2015 - 13:34 GMT

A suicide bomber killed 19 people including women and children Wednesday when he blew himself up in a northern Afghan market, as militants intensify their annual summer offensive despite nascent peace talks.

The attack in Almar district of Faryab province, bordering Turkmenistan, highlights the heavy toll of such attacks on civilians after 13 years of war.

No group claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, which comes just before another round of peace negotiations between the government and Taliban militants are due to start.

The suicide attacker detonated his explosives-laden vest in the main market of the volatile district of Almar, killing at least 19 people, according to Faryab police chief Subhan Quli Ebrahimi and the United Nations.

"Women, children and at least one Afghan army soldier were among those killed," Faryab governor Abdul Sattar Barez told AFP, adding that around three dozen others were wounded.

Almar district chief Saleh Mohammad Saleh said that some of the wounded were in a critical condition and had been taken to the provincial capital Maimanah.

"We had received intelligence reports that a suicide attacker has entered the market in Almar, so we set up a police check point to search for him," local police commander Saif, who goes by one name, told AFP.

"We were looking for him when he blew himself up near an armoured military vehicle," Saif said, adding that the attacker was aged between 20 and 25.

Almar has been tense for weeks after the Taliban launched a major offensive and took control of several villages.

Government forces launched a counter offensive earlier this week but have struggled to regain territory, with skirmishes frequently reported between both sides.

• 'Horrific attack' -

Taliban insurgents, who launched their annual summer offensive in late April, have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets despite official efforts to jumpstart peace talks.

Civilians often fall victim to such attacks, with almost 1,000 Afghan civilians killed during the first four months of the year, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

"(Wednesday's) horrific attack against civilians in a market demonstrates an appalling disregard for human life," UNAMA chief Nicholas Haysom said in a statement.

"UNAMA has repeatedly called for an immediate ban on weapons which kill indiscriminately and that are used in civilian-populated areas."

President Ashraf Ghani's government has drawn criticism for failing to end the spike in violence, which critics partly blame on the protracted delay in the appointment of a defence minister.

The crucial post has not been filled since Ghani came to power last September.

US-led NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan in December, leaving local forces to battle the Taliban alone, but a 13,000-strong residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.

Afghan officials sat down with Taliban cadres this month in Murree, a tourist town in the hills north of Islamabad, Pakistan, for their first face-to-face talks aimed at ending the bloody insurgency.

They agreed to meet again in the coming weeks, drawing praise from Islamabad, Beijing, Washington and the United Nations.

Afghan officials have not said when and where the next round of negotiations will take place, but they are widely expected to be conducted in the coming days.

Earlier this month 33 people were killed in a suicide attack at a military base in the eastern province of Khost and a few days later 25 civilians were wounded in a bombing inside a mosque in northern Baghlan province.

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© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

KABUL, 22 July 2015 – The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemns the killing today of at least 19 civilians and the injuring of at least 28 at a bombing in the Almar district of Faryab province.

“This horrific attack against civilians in a market demonstrates an appalling disregard for human life,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. “UNAMA has repeatedly called for an immediate ban on weapons which kill indiscriminately and that are used in civilian-populated areas.”

UNAMA extends its condolences to the families of all of those killed in the explosion and wishes a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

KABUL, 21 July 2015 – The importance of enhancing women’s political role in Afghanistan, particularly in peace talks, was highlighted in a new UN radio programme broadcast today.

In the latest segment of UNAMA’s “Afghanistan Emrooz,” broadcast in Dari on 93.5 Ariana FM, civil society activists and rights advocates discussed a range of issues related to women and politics in Afghanistan, including the contributions and achievements they have made through advocacy and other efforts.

“Women not only have an important role in the peace process, but they also have made significant achievements,” said Abdul Hakeem Mojahid, a member of the High Peace Council. Mr. Mohajid noted that women occupy key positions in the framework of the High Peace Council and have participated in all the main peace conferences.

UNAMA Human Rights Officer Huma Khan said that while women are playing a key role in Afghan politics, their numbers are disproportionately small. “It is important to have a peace process that is transparent and includes everyone, including women,” said Ms. Khan.

In the radio show, civil society activists and rights advocates discussed these and other topics related to women in Afghanistan.

The Pashto version of the half-hour programme is scheduled to be broadcast Thursday on the same station. In addition to being broadcast on Ariana, UNAMA’s programming is picked up by stations across the country, reaching an audience estimated in the millions.

In addition to being broadcast on the radio, episodes of Afghanistan Emrooz are available as downloadable podcasts.

SALEEM SHAHID

QUETTA: Abdul Waheed’s father was unable to breathe and urgently needed oxygen to stay alive. Waheed broke into tears, realising how serious his father’s condition was. The doctor, too, knew the patient was in a critical condition. However, the man survived — thanks to an efficient and centralised oxygen system recently installed at the Fatima Jinnah Chest and General Hospital in Quetta.

The project to install the first centralised oxygen system in a government-run hospital in Balochistan was funded by the UN refugee agency through the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) programme, which equally benefits Afghan refugees and their host communities. It was implemented by the Society of Collective Interests Orientation (SOCIO), a partner agency of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The project involved installation of a centralised oxygen system and provision of arterial blood gas (ABG) analyser machines, cardiac monitors, a bio-safety cabinet, Bi-PAP machines, incubators, a blood cell counter and stabilisers.

Under the project, different wards and units of the hospital were also constructed and renovated to provide a clean and hygienic environment to patients.

It is estimated that about 235,000 patients will benefit from the improved facilities every year.

Amanullah Kakar, the chief executive officer of the SOCIO, said the hospital carried out patient oxygenation on an individual basis before the installation of the centralised system. “We provided 20 points for 20 beds connected to the centralised system, which led to an expansion in patients’ admission to the hospital,” he said.

Dr Shireen Khan, the head of the hospital’s tuberculosis department, said he wished that the system was installed in other government hospitals in the province as well.

With the introduction of the system, the hospital had the potential to supply oxygen 24 hours a day, he said. “But because of power outages for a couple of hours on a daily basis, we need a big generator to ensure uninterrupted supply.”

The head of the UNHCR’s sub-office in Quetta, Dinesh Shrestha, said the RAHA initiative was aimed at supporting communities hosting Afghan refugees and providing them quality services in the sectors of health, education, water and sanitation and livelihood.

Balochistan hosts around 327,000 registered Afghan refugees, a majority of them living in cities. The RAHA initiative seeks to ensure that the refugees and their host communities benefit through the improvement of key facilities.

Under the initiative, the UNHCR and the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugee have implemented 224 projects in nine districts of the province at a cost of $20.3 million.

The RAHA programme is a major component of the regional Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) endorsed by Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and the UNHCR in May 2012.

Since its launch in 2009, some 3,500 RAHA projects have been implemented in Pakistan in the sectors of health, education, infrastructure, livelihood, water and sanitation. To date, about 10.6 million people have benefited from the projects, 11 per cent of them Afghan refugees and 89 per cent Pakistanis in refugee-hosting areas.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2015

Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | Friday 7/24/2015 - 10:16 GMT

by Mushtaq MOJADDIDI

Afghan officials said Friday they will meet Taliban insurgents next week for a second round of talks aimed at ending 13 years of war, pledging to press for a ceasefire in negotiations likely to be held in China.

The Afghan government conducted its first face-to-face talks with Taliban cadres on July 7 in Murree, a Pakistani hill station north of Islamabad, which were supervised by American and Chinese representatives.

They agreed to meet again in the coming weeks but the venue remains unconfirmed and it was unclear whether the nascent dialogue was widely endorsed within the ranks of the Taliban, riven by internal divisions.

"The second round of talks... is set for July 30 or 31," said Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar, a member of the Afghan High Peace Council (HPC), the government's top peace negotiating body.

"This meeting will most probably be held in China... and will be supervised by the US and China. We will insist and put pressure in the meeting for a temporary ceasefire."

But another HPC official said discussions over a possible venue were still ongoing.

"The talks... are set for July 30 but discussions and consultation are ongoing between Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China on where to host the meeting," said HPC deputy chairman Abdul Hakim Mujahid.

China, which shares only a 76 kilometre (47 mile) border with Afghanistan, has reaffirmed its commitment to help end the Taliban insurgency as it frets about the Islamist militant threat in its own restive western Xinjiang region.

The Taliban so far have not officially commented on Friday's announcement but cracks within insurgent ranks over the fragile negotiations are visible.

"This time, if the talks are held and representatives from our political office of Qatar do not attend, these negotiations will be unacceptable to us," said a source from the Quetta Shura, the Taliban's governing council.

"This time our delegation from Qatar political office should be part of negotiations," he told AFP, highlighting a growing split within insurgent representatives in Quetta and Qatar, where the Taliban set up a political office in 2013.

• Militant attacks continue -

Earlier this month the Taliban's reclusive leader Mullah Omar hailed as "legitimate" peace talks aimed at ending the war, in his first comments on the nascent dialogue, easing concerns that it lacked the leadership's backing.

But divisions have apparently grown within the fractured group after the first round of talks, with some commanders openly questioning the legitimacy of the Taliban negotiators in Murree.

The split within the Taliban between those for and against talks has been made worse by the emergence of a local branch of the Islamic State group, the Middle Eastern jihadist outfit that last year declared a "caliphate" across large areas of Iraq and Syria that it controls.

The Taliban warned IS recently against expanding in the region, but this has not stopped some fighters, inspired by the group's success, defecting to swear allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi instead of the invisible Mullah Omar.

The agreement between the Taliban and Afghan government to meet again in the weeks following the first talks drew praise from Islamabad, Beijing, Washington and the United Nations.

But despite the willingness to engage in peace talks there has been no let-up in militant attacks on foreign and government targets, leaving Afghan forces stretched on multiple fronts and inflicting a heavy blow on civilians.

A suicide bomber on Wednesday killed 19 people including women and children in a crowded market in the northern province of Faryab, as insurgents intensify their annual summer offensive launched in late April.

And earlier this month 33 people were killed in a suicide attack at a military base in the eastern province of Khost, while a few days later 25 civilians were wounded in a bombing inside a mosque in northern Baghlan province.

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© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

AUTHOR

Narges Ghafary Communication Officer World Vision Afghanistan

The sound of children can be heard repeating the alphabet “Alef, B, T, Se, Jim, H, Kh, Dal, Zal....”

A room full of colourful and well-designed educational materials provides children many opportunities to challenge themselves through seeing, touching, feeling and moving. This room enables a group of children to enjoy their childhood together.

At the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) spaces in Afghanistan, children between the ages of 5 and 6 years come together to participate in preschool learning opportunities that give them a chance to socialise and learn the basics they need to succeed when they enter formal education.

At each ECCD space, 30 children attend classes six days a week and are involved in age-appropriate educational and play activities, based on a specific learning curriculum.

Nazifa, 8, is one of the girls who was able to participate in ECCD classes two years ago. Today, she is one of the best students in her second grade class at the local public school.

ECCD CLASSES HELP MOTHERS LEARN TOO

Mothers in Afghanistan are busy. Women are responsible for washing, cooking and taking care of small babies in an area where the lack of electricity means almost everything has to be done manually. Although they may want to, mothers don’t have time to play with their children who are often sent outside to play with other children.

“I had noticed that Nazifa was a little bit rude and used impolite words while arguing with her sisters and brother,” adds Najiba. “Sometime she didn’t listen to my advice [and I would react angrily],” she recalled.

“In the ECCD sessions, I learned that [to discipline Nazifa] I should first calm myself if I was angry, and then think of an alternative punishment, like 'you can't watch TV tonight.’ I've noticed a big improvement in Nazifa’s behaviour,” she says.

In addition to preparing children for school, the ECCD spaces also aim to improve health and child care knowledge and skills among caregivers. Thirty mothers attend the health education sessions on a weekly basis. The sessions, which focus on topics like cooking nutritious food, vaccinations, early initiation of breast-feeding and proper hygiene among other topics are designed to help women better care for their children. During the ECCD sessions, women also receive training on First Aid, women's and child rights, and health and hygiene. Women who attend the ECCD sessions then share their knowledge with their neighbours and relatives.

“My mother didn’t tell me to wash my hands before the eating and after using toilet,” explains Nazifa. “In the kindergarten, I learned that we should wash our hands otherwise we will get sick.”

“One day Nazifa asked me to buy her toothpaste and toothbrush,” remembers Najiba. “I was surprised and asked her who told her to use a toothbrush. I even tried to convince her that it wasn’t good for children to use toothbrushes,” she recalls. “The next day, I went to the kindergarten and I found out about the importance of brushing children’s teeth.”

CHILDREN ARE READY FOR SUCCESS IN SCHOOL

According to a recent evaluation conducted by World Vision Afghanistan, children who have attended ECCD sessions were more ready and better equipped to start the learning process in formal education. The data indicates that the ECCD project has significantly contributed to improving the development of preschool age children in targeted areas. Children who participate in these programmes have improved school results, increased physical co-ordination and are able to read and write. They also appear to be more self-confidant and demonstrate better social behaviours compared to children who did not attend ECCD centres.

"I am very proud to be a parent of a child that attended and completed the ECCD programme,” says Najiba. “The programme prepared my daughter for school with indispensable educational knowledge. It also taught her everyday skills essential to surviving in today’s society such as manners, the importance of good hygiene, health, feelings and compassion.”

Source: Reuters - Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:27 GMT
By Angelica Ramos

ATHENS, July 25 (Reuters) - Aid workers called for emergency accommodation for hundreds of migrants who are camped out in the streets of the Greek capital as it struggles back from the brink of financial collapse.

Read the full article

Kunduz, Afghanistan | AFP | Monday 7/27/2015 - 15:12 GMT

by Gul Rahim

At least 22 people were killed when a gunfight broke out at a wedding party in northern Afghanistan, officials said Monday, highlighting the fragile security situation in the war-torn country.

The clash, allegedly triggered by quarrels between guests over a young "dancing boy", erupted late Sunday in Deh Salah district in the once-tranquil province of Baghlan.

The province has recently been plagued by growing insecurity as the Taliban insurgency rapidly spreads north from its southern and eastern strongholds.

"As a result of the clashes, 22 people were killed and 10 others were wounded," provincial police spokesman Jawed Basharat told AFP, adding that the incident appeared to be the result of a local feud.

Armed men traded verbal barbs before the gunfight broke out and the victims were all male guests at the wedding aged between 14 and 60, said provincial police officials who gave a higher death toll of 23.

"A local security official fired in the air after the verbal exchange heated up... and then both sides started trading fire," district police chief Gulistan Qusani told AFP.

Baghlan governor Sultan Mohammad Ebadi said officials were looking into allegations that the feud was over a "dancing boy" who had been brought to the wedding party for "entertainment" -- and was eventually killed in the firefight.

The ancient -- and outlawed -- cultural practice of "bacha bazi", a Dari slang for "boy play", is prevalent across rural Afghanistan in which prepubescent boys are sold as entertainers at weddings or for sexual slavery.

Qusani said an official delegation had been sent to the site -- a Tajik-dominated area that is largely unaffected by the Taliban insurgency -- to investigate and prevent any backlash from the relatives of the victims.

Expensive and lavish weddings have become common since the Taliban were toppled in 2001, in contrast to their time in power when musical revelry and dancing were banned.

But fatal gunfights and celebratory gunfire are woefully common at the ceremonies in a country battered by nearly 40 years of war.

The killings also highlight the lure of the gun culture in Afghanistan, especially across the insecurity-plagued countryside where owning firearms for personal safety is common among Afghan households.

• Growing insecurity -

Afghan soldiers mistakenly fired mortars at a wedding party in late December in the southern province of Helmand, killing 17 women and children.

Some witnesses said the army attack was triggered when wedding guests fired celebratory gunshots into the air as the bride was brought to the groom's house.

In July 2012 a suicide bomber killed a prominent Afghan lawmaker and 16 other people at his daughter's wedding party in the north of the country.

And in June 2011 gunmen stormed a wedding party in eastern Afghanistan, killing the groom and eight other people in an attack blamed on Taliban-linked insurgents.

The Afghan government conducted its first face-to-face talks with Taliban cadres on July 7 in a Pakistani hill station, aimed at ending the 14-year insurgency.

Afghan officials said Friday they would meet insurgents this week for a second round of talks, pledging to press for a ceasefire in negotiations likely to be held in China.

But despite the willingness to engage in talks there has been no let-up in militant attacks, which are taking a heavy toll on civilians.

A suicide bomber on Wednesday killed 19 people including women and children in a crowded market in the northern province of Faryab, as insurgents intensify their annual summer offensive launched in late April.

Almost 1,000 civilians were killed in the conflict during the first four months of this year, a sharp jump from the same period last year, according to the United Nations.

President Ashraf Ghani's government has drawn criticism for failing to end growing insurgent attacks, which critics partly blame on political infighting and a protracted delay in appointing a candidate for the crucial post of defence minister.

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© 1994-2015 Agence France-Press

Contracts for Health (PCH)

The US Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan (SIGAR) has recently questioned the existence of some MoPH health facilities. The facilities were funded until 30th June 2015, through the USAID Partnerships Contracts for Health (PCH) deliver basic, essential health services.

SIGAR has based its questioning on GPS location data on the health facilities information that was originally provided by the MoPH. The Ministry is the first to admit that its GPS location data is not always accurate as the use of such technology is relatively new for the Ministry. The data has therefore never been used by the MoPH to validate the existence of a health facility. The MoPH relies on on-the ground visits to verify that a health facility exists and to monitor the delivery of health services.

The MoPH believes that all the health facilities built under the PCH project exist. Furthermore, that the facilities are functioning in their role of delivering basic health services to hundreds of thousands of women, men and children.

The MoPH would like to take this opportunity to thank USAID for its’ much valued support without its’ past, current and planned support mortality and morbidity rates especially among women and children would be much higher.

The European Union (EU) is facing unprecedented numbers of refugees and migrants arriving by boat.

In 2014, 220,000 people arrived, almost double the combined total of 121,000 from 2011 through 2013. During just the first six months of 2015, 137,000 arrived, compared with 75,000 during the first six months of 2014. As seas are calmer during the summer months, many more are expected before the end of 2015.

The reaction in many EU countries has not been welcoming. In June, Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom said, “The vast majority of people setting off into the Mediterranean are not asylum seekers, but seeking a better life.” Cameron claims these are primarily economic migrants rather than people seeking refuge from war or persecution, though he has provided no evidence to support this claim.

So what does the available evidence say about why people risk their lives to reach the EU by boat?

Where do the majority of people arriving in the EU by boat come from originally?

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 66 percent of the 137,000 people who arrived in the EU between January 1 and June 29 were from five countries: Syria (34 percent), Afghanistan (12 percent), Eritrea (12 percent), Somalia (5 percent), and Iraq (3 percent). Almost all of them either set sail from North Africa and arrived in Italy, or left from Turkey and arrived in Greece.

Of those who arrived in Greece, 84 percent were from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, while just under half of those arriving in Italy were from Eritrea, Somalia and Syria. Significant other numbers of people arriving in Italy were from West African countries such Gambia and Nigeria, which generally produce more economic migrants than refugees.

Are the people from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Iraq economic migrants?

People are entitled to protection under international law if they fear a real risk of persecution or other serious harm in their home country.

Human Rights Watch, among other organizations, has long documented serious human rights abuses in these five countries, as well as generalized violence due to armed conflict in all but Eritrea. At the last count, these abuses had driven almost 25 million people from their homes, including almost 12 million Syrians, 4.2 million Iraqis, 3.6 million Afghans, 2.2 million Somalis, and almost half a million Eritreans. There is no doubt that the reasons these people leave their country and come to the EU are mixed, but there is also no doubt that their countries are embroiled in conflicts and widespread human rights abuses.

During the first half of this year, the 28 EU Member States recognized the overwhelming majority of nationals of these five countries who applied for asylum as refugees, or gave them some other protected status. The numbers are 95 percent of Syrians, 92 percent of Eritreans, 90 percent of Iraqis, 67 percent of Afghans, and 59 percent of Somalis.

There are no EU statistics that show how many of the people arriving by boat apply for asylum.

Since the people who finally were recognized as refugees in 2015 probably came to the EU in 2014 or before then, how do you know that those seeking asylum this year have the same protection needs?

Although it’s also impossible to know exactly how the trends will continue, there is no indication that the human rights situation has recently improved in any of those five countries, based on research by Human Rights Watch and other organizations. There is also every indication that the refugee flows from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Somalia will continue unabated in 2015.

But isn’t it possible that many of the people who need protection are also looking for jobs?

People fleeing persecution or other harm may have other reasons for leaving, including economic ones. But such reasons do not disqualify a person from being recognized as a refugee or given other types of protection. Refugee law only requires the person to show they fear a real risk of being harmed based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion if they are forced to return to their country. International human rights law also prevents countries from returning people to a place where they face a real risk of torture or other prohibited ill-treatment, regardless of what other motivations they might have had for leaving.

What if people come to the EU after spending time in other countries where they were not persecuted or where they should have asked for protection? Doesn’t the fact that they move on show they are coming to the EU for economic reasons or work?

Afghan, Eritrean, Iraqi, Somali and Syrian nationals arriving in the EU by boat all have to pass through at least one other country where they had access to some level of help before reaching the EU. For example, some Eritreans pass through refugee camps in Ethiopia, and many Syrians lived for a while in refugee camps or urban centers in Turkey before heading to the EU.

It’s impossible to know all the factors, including personal and economic ones, that motivate each asylum seeker to move from his or her country of first asylum and through transit countries to reach the EU. The government of a receiving country can return an asylum seeker to a country of first asylum or transit if he or she has, or could have, enjoyed “effective protection” there.

Generally that means the county must be genuinely safe. More specifically it means the country must respect the principle of nonrefoulement, the prohibition on returning a person to a place where they risk persecution or other serious harm. The country must also have fair and efficient asylum procedures, and, for those found to need protection, show respect for their rights by providing residency documents, freedom of movement, and the right to work. The EU also needs to have a return agreement with the country concerned that it will meet those requirements before it can return anyone there.

Some of the countries where asylum seekers lived in or passed through before coming to the EU, including Lebanon, Jordan, and Libya, have not acceded to the 1951 Refugee Convention and have no refugee law which would require respect for these standards. Libya has a poor security situation with serious fighting between two rival governments and a track record of abuse of migrants and asylum seekers. Turkey has attached a limitation to its accession to the Refugee Convention that effectively excludes members of all of these five nationalities from recognition—and full legal protection—as refugees. Other key countries of first asylum and transit, such as Iran, Sudan, and Egypt, have not consistently demonstrated their ability or willingness to provide effective protection to all refugees even though they are parties to the Refugee Convention.

So what about economic migrants on the boats? What should happen to them?

EU governments have the right to return anyone arriving in the EU who does not claim asylum or whose protection claim is rejected under procedures respecting EU law to their country of origin. However, this must be done in a humane and rights-respecting manner that takes into account any family ties or humanitarian grounds that might argue against removal.

Lille, France | AFP | Tuesday 7/28/2015 - 18:06 GMT

About 2,000 migrants tried to enter the Eurotunnel terminal in the French port town of Calais overnight in a desperate bid to reach England through the Channel tunnel, a spokesman said Tuesday.

"It was the biggest incursion effort in the past month and a half," said the spokesman for Eurotunnel, which is battling often deadly efforts by migrants to smuggle into Britain.

Security at the Calais port was stepped up in mid-June, driving migrants who previously tried to stow away on trucks that take ferries across the Channel to try their luck getting through the tunnel.

The migrants were trying to enter the site "between midnight and 6:00 am," the Eurotunnel spokesman said.

"All our security personnel, that is nearly 200 people, as well as police were called in," he added.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, on a trip to London to discuss the migration issue, confirmed the figures, telling AFP: "There were some arrests and it all passed off without a fuss."

The incident caused serious delays to the Eurotunnel service for much of Tuesday, with passengers held up for around an hour on the British side and 30 minutes on the French side.

A French police source said: "There are regular incursion attempts by small groups that are pushed back but it is not correct to say that there were 2,000 migrants at the same time."

Local authorities were unable to say whether any of the migrants were hurt in the attempt.

Since the beginning of June, eight migrants have died trying to enter the tunnel.

According to the last official count -- at the beginning of July -- around 3,000 migrants, mainly from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan, were camped out in Calais trying to get across the Channel.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was in London on Tuesday to hold talks with his counterpart Theresa May on how to tackle the migrant issue, which has been a thorn in the side of Franco-British relations for years.

May said her government would put up an additional seven million pounds (9.8 million euro) to help France secure the Eurotunnel site on its side of the Channel.

"We're dealing with terrible criminal gangs," she said.

"We agreed that we will work together to return migrants, particularly to West Africa, to ensure that people see that making this journey does not mean that they are being able to settle in Europe."

The Eurotunnel company itself is seeking 9.7 million euros ($10.67 million) from the British and French governments in compensation for disruption caused by illegal migrants.

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© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

By Andreea Anca, IFRC

The Red Cross Society of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia requested financial support from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) earlier this year, to improve its support for vulnerable migrants moving through the country. The FYRM is part of the ‘Western Balkan route’ followed by migrants coming to Macedonia via Greece, from countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. They flee conflict and poverty at home and aim to reach member states in the European Union, seeking a better life for themselves and their families.

The procession of people arriving in the FYRM starts at the southern border with Greece, along the Gevgelija Veles railway line, and the M5 highway that links the southern region to the capital Skopije in the north, in the direction of Kumanovo towards the Serbian border.

In their journey, many migrants cover long distances on foot for many days living in open-air, exposed to natural elements and prone to accidents, abuse and threats from smugglers and criminal networks. Among them, women and children are a common sight.

On 22 June the IFRC released 200,098 Swiss Francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the National Society’s response for those in transit or transferred to the Gazi Baba reception centre in Skopje.

Medical assistance and en-route information

The Red Cross has established four mobile teams of drivers, medics and paramedics who provide first aid to hundreds of people seeking shelter in the train stations of Gevgelija, Kumanovo -Tabanovcs, Demir Kapija, Negotino, Veles on daily basis. Here many people can spend an entire day waiting for a train that would take them closer to the Serbian border.

At the Gazi Baba centre the society has set up a unit to provide primary health care support, distribute medicines and refer serious cases to other medical institutions, providing the means of transportation to the hospital in Gevgelija. Other Red Cross activities at the centre include the distribution of food, clothes, and non-food items including hygiene parcels for babies, women and men.

In cooperation with ICRC and UNHCR, the Red Cross in FYRM published approximately 4,000 information brochures in English, Arabic and French language. Around 100 posters in different languages are displayed at railway and bus stations as well as in other places on the migratory route, informing people about potential dangers that could be encountered on the road.

So far, 115 volunteers from six Red Cross branches have been involved in activities related to the operation.

Official statistics reveal that the number of migrants on this route has sharply increased, with an estimated 10,000 people entering the country in June this year.

The IFRC is deeply concerned about the wellbeing of migrants who lack access to basic health, social and legal services; it has called for a humanitarian approach to tackling the vulnerabilities of migrants with the intention of preventing and alleviating human suffering.

AQRABAT, Afghanistan, July 28, (UNHCR) – Bathed by constant winds from the majestic Hindukush mountains, the remote village of Aqrabat in Bamyan district, central Afghanistan, was for many years known as "Ergha-baad" (gentle wind) by locals.

Now as a result of modern technology, the town is capitalising on its ancient name.

After anti-government elements attacked and razed Aqrabat to the ground in 1999, it was abandoned. Lying empty, it was hard to imagine the village could ever again return to its former self. However, more than a decade later -- thanks to UNHCR's voluntary repatriation programme -- 359 families now call it home.

What many of them most needed upon their return was power to rebuild their lives and convince others to join them. An early solar project was not maintained. As more returnees arrived, they had to fall back on traditional methods, like lanterns and fires.

After assessments conducted by UNHCR and the local Directorate of Refugees and Repatriation, the wind from the Baba mountains, part of the Hindu Kush range, was seen as the perfect solution.

Aqrabat village, located 25 km northwest of Bamyan town, enjoys on average winds of between 7-15 km/h most of the day. With support from the Government of South Korea, UNHCR was able to support construction of a wind power plant and improve villagers' access to clean and sustainable energy.

Construction of wind-powered turbine facilities began in 2014, under a partnership agreement established between the Central Afghanistan Welfare Committee (CAWC) and a UNHCR Field Unit.

In January 2015, the plant was successfully completed, and officially handed over to the village Community Development Committee and local government authorities. It is the first of its kind in the entire Bamyan province, with a generation capacity of between 15-25 kB.

Rahima, a local woman, told UNHCR: "Everything depends on the wind and in the absence of wind, villagers will still have three days of reserve electricity. But that is almost impossible that there will be no wind within three days, because this is Aqrabat."

Newly empowered, with access to clean, reliable and sustainable energy, the future for Aqrabat returnees looks bright – able, at last, to restart their lives and live them to the full.

"This wind energy project is more than just a reliable source of power," said Maya Ameratunga, UNHCR Representative Afghanistan, "it is key to reintegration. As a community-driven project it has empowered returnees in making decisions about their future while allowing returnees to invest in their local economy, rebuild their community and plan for the future."

"Development solutions are needed for protracted humanitarian problems such as the Afghan refugee situation, which is the world's largest repatriation operation" stated Ms. Ameratunga, "Interventions like these help create the incentive for return of second and third generation refugees born in exile and help communities rebuild."

In the same village, UNHCR is also providing shelter, while the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has supported the construction of a pipe network for drinking water. Additionally, a local NGO, Shuhada Organisation, has built a basic health centre and secondary school.

By Ahmad Jawad Wafa, Afghanistan

A new investigation by the BBC has revealed that young Afghan asylum seekers who arrived in Britain as unaccompanied children are being returned to Afghanistan despite growing fears for their safety.

The BBC’s film Deported to Afghanistan, highlights that young people who are returned to Afghanistan fear for their lives amid a deteriorating security situation.

The investigation comes in the wake of a pending court judgment on whether or not it is safe to remove people to Afghanistan. The court case follows a deterioration in the security situation in the country, and a grim warning to European countries by the Afghan minister for refugees and repatriation that 80% of the country was not safe to send people back to.

Many unaccompanied children are refused asylum, but are granted permission to stay until they are seventeen and a half. Unless the child has successfully appealed this decision or has been granted more leave to remain, they will be expected to return home when they turn 18. For young people in this situation, turning 18 is a terrifying prospect.

Having received the care and support that they need to help them recover from their ordeal and start to rebuild their fractured childhood in Britain, upon turning 18 many of the children we work with are then asked to return to countries they have not seen since childhood.

Many do not know if their families at home are alive or dead. The thought of being sent back to a country where they don’t know anyone and don’t feel safe causes children extreme anxiety and fear.

We know that too many children people who end up facing removal have been let down by the asylum process and have a well-founded fear of returning to their country.

Unaccompanied children can face many barriers to accessing protection in Britain, including difficulties in getting adequate legal advice and representation at all stages of the asylum process.

To stop wrongfully removing people, we believe the Government must invest in ensuring the right decisions are made about each individual case, by providing adequate opportunities for people who have sought asylum to explain why they need protection here.

The Government must also avoid removing people to dangerous countries where people are at risk of being killed or suffering serious human rights’ violations, or where there is a breakdown of the rule of law.

In cases where people don’t meet the strict criteria in order to be granted refugee status, the British Government should provide temporary protection to nationals of countries where returns cannot be safe, sustainable and carried out under dignified conditions.

The Refugee Council has long been concerned about the lack of independent and government monitoring of the returns process: the British Government appears not to know nor care what happens to people once they are removed from the country.

Refugee Council Chief Executive Maurice Wren said: "Every year, children arrive in Britain completely alone, often having survived highly dangerous clandestine journeys in a desperate quest for peace and safety. These children grow up here; often achieve well in school and then find themselves confused, frightened and abandoned by the country they thought would protect them when they turn 18.

"The Government knows all too well that the asylum system is letting young people down and needs urgent reform to make sure that everyone gets a fair hearing. It also knows it has a legal duty to ensure that people are never returned to countries where their lives will be in danger.

"The Government’s callous determination to force the return of young people to Afghanistan, in flagrant disregard of the advice of experts and of Afghanistan’s own Government Ministers who say the country is unsafe and incapable of protecting those sent back there, is a shameful stain on our humanitarian record."

Find out more about our work with unaccompanied children.

• Mullah Omar not seen in public since 2001

• His demise has long been rumoured in militant circles

• Afghan statement casts doubt over tentative peace talks

• Omar's death would deepen divisions within Taliban (Releads with confirmation)

By Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati

KABUL, July 29 (Reuters) - Afghanistan said on Wednesday that Mullah Omar, elusive leader of the Taliban movement behind an escalating insurgency against the government in Kabul, died more than two years ago.

The announcement came a day or so before a second round of peace talks had been tentatively scheduled, and news of the fate of the one-eyed Omar could deepen Taliban divisions over whether to pursue negotiations and who should replace him.

Read the full article on AlertNet