European Asylum Support Office

EASO Country of
Origin Information
ReportAfghanistan
Security Situation

November 2016SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION

European Asylum Support Office

EASO

EASO Country of
Origin Information
ReportAfghanistan
Security Situation

November 2016SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION

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doi:10.2847/96753

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EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 3

Acknowledgments
EASO would like to acknowledge the following national asylum and migration departments as the authors of thisreport:Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, Country of Origin Information Department
Belgium, Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, Cedoca (Center forDocumentation and Research)
France, French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless persons (OFPRA), Information, Documentation
and Research Division
Hungary, Office of Immigration and Nationality, Documentation Centre
Poland, Office for Foreigners, COI Unit
The following national departments contributed by doing supportive research:
Greece, Greek Asylum Service, COI Unit
Slovakia, Migration Office, Department of Documentation and Foreign Cooperation
Furthermore, the following cooperated for reviewing and commenting on the report:
Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, Country of Origin Information Department (Generaldescription of the security situation in Afghanistan)
Canada, Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board
EASO, Information and Analysis Unit, COI Sector
Finnish Immigration Service, Country Information Service
Ireland, Legal Aid Board Library, Research & Information Unit, Refugee Documentation Centre
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), RSD SectionEASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 5

Contents
Acknowledgments����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3
Disclaimer������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 7
Glossary and Abbreviations��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9
Introduction������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 14
Map of Afghanistan������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16
1.

General description of the security situation in Afghanistan����������������������������������������������������������������������17
1.1. Overview of recent conflicts in Afghanistan���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17
1.2. Actors in the conflict����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������19
1.2.1. Pro-Government Forces (PGF) ()������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������19
1.2.2. Anti-Government Elements (AGEs)�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������21
1.3. Recent security trends and armed confrontations�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������26
1.3.1. Armed clashes and assaults������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26
1.3.2. Improvised Explosive Devices���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
1.3.3. High-profile attacks�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
1.3.4. Targeted killings and conflict-related abduction�����������������������������������������������������������������������������27
1.3.5. Aerial attacks and bombings������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������28
1.4. State ability to secure law and order���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������28
1.4.1. Security Forces���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������28
1.4.2. Justice�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������29
1.4.3. Detention�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������29
1.5. Impact of the violence on the civilian population�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������30
1.5.1. Socio-economic life��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������30
1.5.2. Refugees, IDPs and returnees���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31
1.5.3. Children�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 33
1.5.4. Health facilities���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������34
1.6. Geographical overview of the security situation���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������34
1.6.1. Urban/rural divide����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������34
1.6.2. Regional differences�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������35

2.

Regional description of the security situation in Afghanistan�������������������������������������������������������������������� 39
2.1. Centre��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 39
2.1.1. Kabul City������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 39
2.1.2. Kabul Province����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������43
2.1.3. Kapisa����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 47
2.1.4. Panjshir��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51
2.1.5. Parwan���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 53
2.1.6. Wardak��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 57
2.1.7. Logar�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 61
2.2. Central Highlands���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������66
2.2.1. Bamyan���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������66
2.2.2. Daikundi (Dai Kundi)�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������69

6 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.3. South���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 72
2.3.1. Kandahar������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������72
2.3.2. Helmand������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 76
2.3.3. Nimroz����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������83
2.3.4. Uruzgan��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������86
2.3.5. Zabul�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������90
2.4. South-East�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 93
2.4.1. Ghazni����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 93
2.4.2. Paktya�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������98
2.4.3. Khost����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 101
2.4.4. Paktika��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������105
2.5. East�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������109
2.5.1. Laghman�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������109
2.5.2. Nangarhar���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������112
2.5.3. Kunar���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 116
2.5.4. Nuristan������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������118
2.6. North-East������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������120
2.6.1. Baghlan�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������120
2.6.2. Kunduz�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 124
2.6.3. Takhar���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������129
2.6.4. Badakhshan������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������132
2.7. North��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������136
2.7.1. Faryab���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������136
2.7.2. Jawzjan�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 143
2.7.3. Balkh����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 149
2.7.4. Samangan���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������153
2.7.5. Sar-e Pul������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������156
2.8. West����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������160
2.8.1. Herat�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������160
2.8.2. Badghis�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������164
2.8.3. Farah����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 167
2.8.4. Ghor������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 171
Annex 1: Bibliography���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������175
Anonymous sources������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 175
Public sources���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 175
Annex 2: Terms of Reference��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 237

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 7

Disclaimer
This report was written according to the EASO COI Report Methodology (2012) (1). The report is based on carefully
selected sources of information. All sources used are referenced. As much as possible, and unless otherwise stated,
all information presented, except for undisputed or obvious facts, has been cross-checked.
The information contained in this report has been researched, evaluated and analysed with utmost care. However,this document does not claim to be exhaustive. If a particular event, person or organisation is not mentioned in
the report, this does not mean that the event has not taken place or that the person or organisation does not exist.
Furthermore, this report is not conclusive as to the determination or merit of any particular claim to refugee status
or asylum. Terminology used should not be regarded as indicative of a particular legal position. Refugee, risk andsimilar terminology are used as generic terminology and not as legally defined in the EU asylum acquis and the
Geneva Convention.
Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use that may be made of theinformation contained in this report.
Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged.
The target users are asylum caseworkers, COI researchers, policymakers, and decisionmaking authorities.
The drafting of this report was finalised in August 2016. Any event taking place after this date is not included in thisreport. More information on the reference period for this report can be found in the methodology section of theintroduction.

(1)

The EASO methodology is largely based on the Common EU Guidelines for processing Country of Origin Information (COI), 2008, and can be downloaded
from the EASO website: http://www.easo.eu.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 9

Glossary and Abbreviations
AAN

Afghanistan Analysts Network

ACSO

Afghanistan Central Statistics Office

AFP

Agence France-Presse

AGCHO

Afghan Geodesy and Cartography Head Office

AGEs	Anti-Government Elements are armed opposition fighters, or insurgents, who are fighting
against the Afghan government and its international allies. Examples of such groups offighters are the Taliban, the Haqqani network and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (2).
AIHRC

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission

AIMS

Afghanistan Information Management System

Amir-ul-Momineen	Leader of the Faithfull, the highest Islamic ruler who canclaim legitimacy from thecommunity of Muslims (3)ANAP

Afghan National Auxiliary Police

ANSF (4)	Afghan National Security Forces: The Afghan government’s official armed forces,
composed of:ANA (Afghan National Army): The internationally trained Afghan army (2002);
AAF (Afghan Airforce)	ANP (Afghan National Police): Afghanistan’s police force, with the following subdivisions:	
AACP (Afghan Anti-Crime Police) and ALP (Afghan Local Police) are security initiatives
under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior, funded by the US (5).
ANBP (Afghan National Border Police)
ANCOP (Afghan National Civil Order Police)
AUP (Afghan Uniformed Police)
CNPA (Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan)	NDS (National Directorate of Security): The intelligence service of the Afghan government.
APPF

Afghanistan Public Protection Force

APPRO

Afghanistan Public Policy Research Organisation

Arbaki	A centuries-old tribal security system. Contrary to militias, members of the Arbaki aretribesman hailing from well identified villages and specific tribes. (6)(2)

UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 75.

(3)Dawn, Analysis: Battle for ‘Ameer-ul-Momineen’, updated on: 6 December 2014.

(4)

UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 75.

(5)UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 46.

(6)

Seraj, A., The Arbaki can secure Afghanistan better than the US, 5 November 2014.

10 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

AXO	Abandoned explosive ordnance is an explosive ordnance that has not beenused during an armed conflict, that has been left behind or dumped bya party to an armed conflict, and which is no longer under the latter’s control.
Abandoned explosive ordnance may or may not have been primed, fused,
armed or otherwise prepared for use (Convention on Certain Conventional
Weapons Protocol V) (7).
Azm

Taliban spring offensive

Bacha Baazi	Dancing boys: Young boys who dance and are often sexually abused. This
practice is often associated with powerful men.
Buzkashi	is an ancient game that is still played in Afghanistan.
Horsemen play a sort of polo with a goat’s carcass:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UB3eA8B4qI).
CAO

Central Asia Online

CDF

Community Defence Forces

CMFC

Civil-Military Fusion Centre

CIP

Critical Infrastructure Program: predecessor of the Afghan Local Police (ALP)

Civilian	UNAMA refers to international law for a definition of ‘civilians’: persons who
are not combatants or otherwise taking part in the conflict (not members ofmilitary/ paramilitary forces or fighters of organised armed groups of a party
to a conflict or those who are not part of a mass uprising) (8).
COMISAFThe Commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

Complex attack	A deliberate and coordinated attack that includes a suicide device (i.e. BBIED,VBIED), more than one attacker and more than one type of device (i.e. BBIED+ mortars). All three elements must be used for an attack to be considered
complex (9).
CPAU

Cooperation for Peace and Unity

ERW	Explosive Remnants of War: These are unexploded ordnances (UXOs) andabandoned explosive ordnances (AXOs) (10).
Escalation of Force	refers to incidents, or “force protection” incidents, involving the use of
lethal or non-lethal force by military personnel when civilians ignore, do notunderstand, or do not see warnings from military personnel in approaching or
overtaking military convoys, or in circumstances where civilians do not follow
instructions at military checkpoints (11).
Ground engagements	include kinetic ground operations, stand-off attacks, crossfire and armed
clashes between parties to the conflict. Ground engagements include attacks
or operations in which small arms, heavy weapons and/or area weaponssystems, i.e. mortars and rockets are fired (12).
Haqqani network	An armed insurgent movement under the leadership of Jalaluddin Haqqani
and his son Sirajuddin. The headquarters and base are in North Waziristan(Pakistan) and South-East Afghanistan, in areas of the Pashtun tribe of theZadran.
(7)

UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 76.

(8)

UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, pp. 74 and 76.

(9)UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 19.

(10) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 66.
(11) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 45.
(12) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 77.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 11

HIA (Hezb-e Islami Afghanistan)	An armed insurgent movement under the leadership of Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar, with strongholds in the East, North-East, South-East and Centre of
Afghanistan.
HRW		Human Rights Watch
IDP		Internally Displaced Person
IEC		Independent Election Commission
IED	Improvised Explosive Device: usually a self-made bomb. It is used inasymmetric warfare. Variants are (13):	BBIED (Body Borne Improvised Explosive Device), or suicide bomb, is usuallya self-made explosive device worn on the body of the attacker. It is commonly
held in a vest, but also, for example, concealed in a turban.
	MIED (Magnetic Improvised Explosive Device) is an IED with a magnet,
allowing it to be attached quickly and easily to objects such as a vehicle.
	PPIED (Pressure-Plate IED) is an IED that is detonated when the victim steps
on a pressure-plate.
	RCIED (Radio or Remote-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device) is an IED thatcan be detonated by remote control. Users can aim at a specific target passing
the location of the IED and detonate from a distance.
	VBIED (Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device), or car bomb, is usuallya self-made explosive device placed in a car that is driven towards a target or
parked at the target location.
	VOIED (Victim-operated IED) detonates when a person or vehicle triggers theinitiator or switch, such as a pressure plate or pressure-release mechanism, trip
wire or another device, resulting in an explosion.
IMF

International military forces

IMU	Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan: An armed insurgent movement operatingin Afghanistan and other countries with many fighters who fled government
repression in Uzbekistan.
Indirect fire	Indirect fire weapons, such as mortars, rockets and grenades are highly explosive
weapons systems which fire projectiles to a location without a direct line ofvisibility to the target. Mortars cannot be guided to hit a specific target and havea wide area of impact; when used in civilian-populated areas the risk of civilian
casualties is very high (UNAMA definition).
IS, ISK	Islamic State, also called ISIS, ISIL or Daesh. Islamic State in Afghanistan is also
called ISK (Islamic State Khorasan Province), or Islamic State Levant-Khorasan
Province (ISL-KP)
ISAF	International Security Assistance Force: An international military coalition basedon the NATO alliance. Until 31 December 2014, it supported the governmentof the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in its efforts to secure and stabilise thecountry (http://www.isaf.nato.int/). It was replaced by Resolute Support.
ISW

Institute for the Study of War

IWPR

Institute for War & Peace Reporting(13) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 77.

12 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Jihad	This is a term derived from an Arabic root meaning “to struggle” or “to strive”. It has different meanings
but in this report refers to “armed struggle of Islamic insurgents against the Afghan government andtheir (inter-)national allies”.
Jihadi	The insurgency against the communist regime and Soviet occupation was called a jihad and fightersor commanders from the period (1979-1989) are still today often referred to as jihadi (commanders).
KIA

Kabul International Airport

LDI

Local Defense Initiative

LeI	Lashkar-e Islami: A militant sectarian group formed in 2004 under Mufti Shakir in Khyber Agency
in Pakistan (14). On March 12, 2015, Lashkar-e-Islam announced that it was joining Tehrik-e Taliban
Pakistan (15).
LeJ	Lashkar-e Jhangvi: A violent, anti-Shiite – itself being Sunnite – militant group in Pakistan, formed in
1995. It has carried out a number of attacks on minority groups in Pakistan with the aim of establishing
Pakistan as an orthodox Deobandi state (16).
LeT	Lashkar-e Taiba: A Sunni militant group, which follows the Ahl-e-Hadith interpretation of Islam (whichmeans it regards Quran, Sunnah and Hadith as the sole source of religious authority and rejects
the different schools of thought within Islamic jurisprudence, as well as Taqlid and Ijtihad). LeT wasformed in 1990 and initially trained in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan. It is now based near Lahore
in Pakistan. LeT’s declared goals include conducting jihad in the way of Allah, preaching the true
religion and educating a new generation along true Islamic lines. It aligns its ideological goals with
the interests of the Pakistani state by fighting for unification of the Kashmir region and its integration
into Pakistani territory using violence. It aims to change the regional and geopolitical dynamic of
Afghanistan, Pakistan and India by attacking civilian targets (17).
Mawlawiis an honorific title given to a scholar who completed Islamic studies in a madrassa.

MoD

Ministry of Defence

MoHE

Ministry of Higher Education

MoI

Ministry of the Interior

MRRD

Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development

Mujahideen	Islamic holy warriors. The term dates back to the 1980s, when Islamic fighting groups opposed thecommunist regime and the military forces of the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
NGO

Non-Governmental Organisation

NUG	National Unity Government, installed following the 2014 presidential elections. The NUG is led byPresident Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.
OSI

Open Society InstitutePC

Provincial Council

PGM

Pro-Government Militia

PPS

Presidential Protection Service

PRT

Provincial Reconstruction Teams

PSD

Protection Status Determination(14) Stanford University, ‘Lashkar-e-Islam’, Mapping Militant Organizations, updated on: 28 August 2012.
(15) Reuters, Pakistani splinter group rejoins Taliban amid fears of isolation, 12 March 2015; Roggio, B., Pakistani jihadist groups, Lashkar-i-Islam merge into the
Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, 12 March 2015.
(16) Stanford University, ‘Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’, updated on: 3 August 2012.
(17) Stanford University, ‘Lashkar-e-Taiba’, updated on: 3 August 2012.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 13

Resolute Support	As of 1 January 2015, this new non-combat mission with a focus on training,
advising and assisting ANSF, is the successor of ISAF.
RFE/RL

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

RPG

Rocket Propelled Grenade

RRERS

Regional Rural Economic Regeneration Strategies

SAF

Small Arms Fire

Shura

Community council

Taliban	An armed Islamic insurgent movement in Afghanistan under the leadership ofHaibatullah Akhunzada (following Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, leader of
the Taliban from July 2015 to May 2016, who had succeeded Mullah Mohammed
Omar, long-time leader of the Taliban, deceased in April 2013, but whose death
was only officially announced two years later in 2015) and the Leadership Shurain the Pakistani city of Quetta. The movement originated in the Mujahideen era(1980s and 90s), took control of Kabul in 1996 and, by 2001, controlled most of
the country.
Tora Bora Military Front	was formed in 2007 by the son of the legendary mujahideen commander Younus
Khalis. The group conducted attacks against Afghan and foreign forces in Nangarhar
and has its stronghold in the district of Khogyani, and in the areas of Pachir Agamand Shinwar (18).
TTP (Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan)	This is the largest militant group in Pakistan. The organisation was founded on
13 December 2007 in a meeting of tribal elders and 40 senior militants throughout
Pakistan. Baitullah Mehsud was appointed the commander of TTP. TTP had pledged
allegiance to Mullah Omar, at that time the leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The main goal behind TTP’s establishment was to unite the various factions of the
Pakistan Taliban in order to organise synchronised attacks on NATO/ISAF forces in
Afghanistan. The group also carries out “defensive jihad” against Pakistani militaryforces conducting operations in FATA (19).
UAV

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (drone)

UNAMA

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

UNDP

United Nations Development Programme

UNGASC

United Nations General Assembly Security Council

UNHCR

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNOCHA

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

USACAC

United States Army Combined Arms Center

Ushr	is an Islamic tax (normally 10%) on certain products, for example agricultural
products.
USIP

United States Institute of Peace

WFP		 World Food Programme
Zakat	is the religious duty in Islam comparable to almsgiving. As its rules are clearly laid
down it is as well comparable to a tax on assets and liquidity (2.5%). The practiceof almsgiving or Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam.

(18) EASO, Country of Origin Information Report, Afghanistan, Taliban Strategies – Recruitment, July 2012, p. 24.
(19) Stanford University, ‘Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’, updated on: 7 August 2012.

14 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Introduction
This report was drafted by Country of Origin Information (COI) specialists from the COI units and asylum offices listed
as authors under the Acknowledgements section.
The report aims to provide information on the security situation in Afghanistan, which is relevant for international
protection status determination (PSD; refugee status and subsidiary protection). The terms of reference can befound in Annex 2.
Methodology
This report is an update of the EASO COI report “Afghanistan Security Situation” first published in January 2015,
and updated in January 2016 (20).
• Defining the terms of reference (21)
In 2014, through its work with Member States (MS), EASO identified the need among MS for detailed security
updates supporting decision- and policy-makers in the assessment of the need for refugee protection and subsidiary
protection, especially taking into account article 15(c) of the Qualification Directive (QD). This, together with article
2(f) QD, defines a number of key elements such as: a “real risk of serious harm”; an “internal or international armed
conflict”; “indiscriminate violence”; the term “civilian”; and a “serious and individual threat to life or person”.
Based on various sources consulted by EASO (22), these key elements can be broken down into topics and/or indicators.
Examples include: parties to the conflict; intensity level of the violence; nature of the violence; regional spreading of
the violence; targets of the violence; risk of collateral damage; use of arms and tactics; possibility to reach areas –security of transport (roads and airports); and indirect effects of the violence/conflict.
Based upon a study of all the mentioned sources, a list of elements and indicators was drafted, which served as a basis
for the terms of reference (see Annex 2). In order to make a well-informed assessment of the fear of persecution orrisk of serious harm, information is needed on these security-related elements and indicators on a regional, provincial
or even district level in the country of origin.
Members of the EASO COI Specialist Network on Afghanistan and UNHCR gave input on the terms of reference
that were finalised by the co-authors in September 2014 taking all the inputs into account. In March 2015, EASO
held a practical cooperation meeting on Afghanistan in Brussels, in which the participating EU+ countries (23) gave
feedback on the first version of this report.
• Collecting information
This report presents information until 31 August 2016. A limited number of specialised paper-based and electronicsources were consulted.
A number of contact persons were interviewed. For security reasons, not all contacts were named; the choice had
to be made between not interviewing them at all and referring to them as “anonymous sources”. Considering thevalue of the information provided, the latter approach was preferred.
In particular, one source was used as a standard for quantitative data on security incidents. A Western security
official (24), who cannot be named, provided data on security incidents on a level of detail, per district, not available
via any public source. EASO produced tables based on these data, which can be found in the provincial parts of this(20) EASO COI reports are available via EASO’s website: (http://easo.europa.eu/asylum-documentation/easo-publication-and-documentation/).
(21) See annex 2.
(22) The elements, topics and indicators were identified by various sources that have a different position in the legal hierarchy and provide different levels of detail: The
Qualification Directive (Recitals and articles); Case law from the Court of Justice of the EU in Luxembourg; National State Practice (National legislation; Nationalcase law; National policy and first instance decision practice); Case law from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg; Opinions of experts, academics
and specialised organisations; See the following EASO publications: EASO, Article 15(c) Qualification Directive (2011/95/EU) A judicial analysis, December 2014(https://easo.europa.eu/wp-content/uploads/Article-15c-Qualification-Directive-201195EU-A-judicial-analysis.pdf); The Implementation of Article 15(c) QD
in EU Member States, July 2015 (https://easo.europa.eu/wp-content/uploads/EASO_The-Implementation-of-Art-15c-QD-in-EU-Member-States.pdf).
(23) EU+ countries are the EU Member States plus the associated countries Norway and Switzerland.
(24) Throughout the report referred to as :Western security official, anonymous source specialised in security in Afghanistan, emails and briefing, July 2015 – July 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 15

report. The source has been assessed as highly reliable and as using a detailed and appropriate methodology for thecollection of data on security incidents in conflict zones. The number and type of security incidents is an important
indicator in the terms of reference of this report (see Annex 2) and is potentially very useful for the assessment of
the situation in the different provinces and districts of Afghanistan. The information provided by the source is inline with trends or information provided by other (public) sources. For these reasons, the choice was made to use
this anonymous source. However, the statistics provided by the source should not be used as conclusive for theassessment of the protection needs, but can be taken as indicative of security trends when read together with otherindicators and information in this report.
The data are presented in tables in every provincial subchapter. The categories of violent incidents include several
types of incidents, for example:— Violent incidents targeting individuals: kidnapping, targeted killing, intimidation, harassment…
— Explosions: IED detonations, suicide bombings…
— Non-conflict related violent incidents: criminal activities, drug trade…
— Security enforcement: arrests, weapons caches…
Where deemed relevant, information has been sourced from the Taliban’s English websites (25). While Taliban reports
on casualties inflicted on the enemy or military equipment seized are probably exaggerated, they have proven to
be fairly accurate concerning territorial gains (26) and provide valuable information concerning their own command
structure. It should be noted that Western or Afghan media reports on casualties inflicted on AGEs and regained
control over district centres are often not accurate or exaggerated (27).
• Quality control
In order to ensure that the authors respected the EASO COI Report Methodology, a review was carried out by COI
specialists from the countries and organisations listed as reviewers in the Acknowledgements section. All comments
made by the reviewers were taken into consideration and most of them were implemented in the final draft of thisreport.
Structure and use of this report
This report provides information on elements and indicators that may help in assessing the need for protection.
It is not meant to be read as a whole. In the first part a general description is given on the security situation in
Afghanistan and regional differences are highlighted. These are then explained in greater detail in the second part,holding a regional description of geographic subdivisions (Kabul City and 34 provinces).
The provincial parts have a different structure than in the previous reports. A general description of the province
contains information on the geography and population, on the background of the conflict, including the actors activein the province. A second part describes recent trends in the security situation, including the nature of the violence,
frequency, targets, locations, and victims within a timeframe from 1 September 2015 until 31 August 2016. Finally,
a separate part is dedicated to displacements.
Both parts, the general and regional description, provide information from various sources on the relevant elements
and indicators. Information on an indicator as such should never be taken as conclusive but as indicative for protection
assessment and is to be read together with all other indicators and information on the region (or province, district).

(25) http://shahamat-english.com/; http://alemarah-english.com/.
(26) See also: Roggio, B., Taliban claims it seized 3 districts in Takhar province, 29 September 2015; Bernatis, V., ‘The Taliban and Twitter: Tactical Reporting andStrategic Messaging’, 2014.
(27) Ruttig, T., The Second Fall of Musa Qala: How the Taleban are expanding territorial control, 3 September 2015.

16 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Map of Afghanistan

Map 1: Afghanistan - administrative divisions, source: UN OCHAEASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 17

1.	 General description of the security
situation in Afghanistan
The security situation will be described in this report using the following administrative divisions:• Centre:
Kabul; Kapisa; Panjshir; Parwan; Wardak; Logar;• Central Highlands: Bamyan; Daykundi;• South:Nimroz; Helmand; Kandahar; Uruzgan; Zabul;• South-East:
Ghazni; Paktika; Paktya; Khost;• East:Nangarhar; Laghman; Kunar; Nuristan;• North-East:
Baghlan; Kunduz; Takhar; Badakhshan;• North:Faryab; Jawzjan; Sar-e Pul; Balkh; Samangan;• West:Herat; Badghis; Ghor; Farah.
The general security situation in Afghanistan is mainly determined by the following four factors: The main factor
is the conflict between the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), supported by the International Military Forces(IMF), and Anti-Government Elements (AGEs), or insurgents. This conflict is often described as an “insurgency”.
The other factors are: criminality, warlordism and tribal tensions. These factors are often inter-linked and hard to
distinguish (28). Several sources consider the situation in Afghanistan to be a non-international armed conflict (29).
The UN stated in June 2016 that (30):‘The security situation was characterized by continued and intense armed clashes, which were at their highest
number recorded since 2001 and had a corresponding negative impact on civilians, with rising casualties anddisplacement rates.’

1.1.	Overview of recent conflicts in Afghanistan
The so-called Saur Revolution on 27 April 1978 brought the Afghan communists to power (31). In 1979, the governmentof the former Soviet Union (SU) invaded Afghanistan to support the communist Afghan government headed by Babrak
Karmal. The invasion was followed by a decade of armed conflict between the Afghan government, supported by
Soviet troops, and armed opposition groups, often referred to as the “mujahideen”. These groups were divided into
several different factions, but they all participated in a nation-wide armed uprising that lasted until the government
finally collapsed in 1992, following the Soviet troops’ withdrawal in 1989 (32).
After this collapse, a period generally referred to as “the Civil War” saw different mujahideen groups who had formed
new alliances and fronts fight for control of Afghanistan. War between the competing mujahideen factions andmilitias was characterised by severe human rights breaches (33). This led to the emergence in 1994 of a group called
the Taliban, who brought stability in areas under their control, which won them support from the population (34).
They gradually gained more control and conquered Kabul in 1996. By 2001, the Taliban controlled most of the Afghan(28) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 7 March 2014, p. 13; Ruttig, T., Warlords, Religious
Leaders, Insurgents: Three external publications, 7 October 2014; Dorronsoro, G., ‘Afghanistan: The impossible transition’, June 2011, pp. 10, 12 and 15;
Giustozzi, A., Koran, Kalashnikov and laptop. The Neo – Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, 2007, pp. 55-62.
(29) Gross, R., ‘Chief Legal Advisor for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and legal advisor for US forces in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010’,
15 November 2013, p. 85; Geiß, R. and Siegrist, M., ‘Has the armed conflict in Afghanistan affected the rules on the conduct of hostilities?’, March 2011, pp.
13-16; UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 94; UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing theInternational Protection Needs of Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016,p. 10.
(30) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2016, p. 1.
(31) Barfield, T., A Cultural and Political History, 2010, pp. 195-225.
(32) Barfield, T., A Cultural and Political History, 2010, pp. 227-233, 238-239; BBC, Afghanistan profile – Timeline, updated on: 27 October 2015; Ipsos/ICRC, Ourworld. Views from the field. Summary report: Afghanistan, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia and the Philippines.
Opinion Survey, June 2009, p. 10; Oxfam International, The Cost of War, Afghan Experiences of Conflict, 1978-2009, November 2009, pp. 7-9.
(33) Barfield, T., A Cultural and Political History, 2010, p. 253.
(34) Zaeef, A. S., My Life with the Taliban, 2010, p. 10; ICG, The Insurgency in Afghanistan’ Heartland, 17 June 2011, pp. 3-4; Giustozzi, A. and Ibrahimi, N., ThirtyYears of Conflict: Drivers of anti-Government Mobilisation in Afghanistan, 1978-2011, January 2012, p. 22.

18 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

territory. But by the end of the year, as a consequence of the 11 September attacks in the US, they were ousted
by a US-led military operation. The US gave its support to the mujahideen front opposing the Taliban, at that time
known as Northern Alliance or Northern coalition (35).
On 22 December 2001, based on the so-called Bonn Agreement, an Afghan interim government was formed, led
by Hamid Karzai, a Pashtun, who also won the first presidential elections in October 2004 (36). By then, the Taliban
had reorganised and engaged in an insurgency against the Karzai government. The latter was supported by aninternational coalition of armed forces. The AGEs initially infiltrated pockets in South and East Afghanistan. They
extended their reach gradually to more areas and started to control territory (37). Other AGE groups operated with,or alongside, the Taliban, including: Hezb-e Islami Afghanistan (HIA) led by Hekmatyar, the Haqqani network, and theIslamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) (38). This insurgency was characterised by mainly asymmetric warfare: AGEs
used roadside and suicide bombs and complex(39) attacks, intimidation of civilians and targeted killings to destabilise
the country. This was countered by searches, clearance operations and bombings by the ANSF and the IMF (40). The
security situation rapidly deteriorated from 2006, leading to more direct and open armed confrontations (41).
Between 2001 and 2010, AGEs gradually infiltrated and gained ground in the different provinces of Afghanistan (42).
From 2010 onwards, the Taliban-led insurgency spread into all regions of Afghanistan. By the end of 2014, a transitionof security responsibility from international troops to the ANSF was realised. Most foreign troops withdrew (43). At
the end of 2015, sources estimated the Taliban controlled or contested between 25 % and 30 % of all districts in
Afghanistan (44).
The disputed 2014 presidential election resulted in a political compromise which led to the establishment of the
National Unity Government (NUG), under the Presidency of Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.
The NUG is deeply divided and often unable to make strategic decisions. Its popularity is further undermined byincreasing security problems, although opposition is also highly fragmented (45). Parliamentary and provincial elections
scheduled for 2015 were postponed due to contested electoral reforms. A Special Electoral Reform Commission
was established in July 2015 and Parliamentary and District Council elections are scheduled for 15 October 2016 (46).
The NUG continued to initiate security and reconciliation dialogues but with limited success. In January 2015,
the Taliban stated that its preconditions for entering peace-talks were: the end of foreign military presence, theestablishment of an Islamic government and the implementation of the Sharia (47).
The US decided to slow down its troop withdrawal and, in July 2016, President Obama promised to keep 8,400 US
troops in order to be able to continue to train the ANSF (48).

(35) Barfield, T., A Cultural and Political History, 2010, pp. 248-254 and 258-262; BBC, Afghanistan profile – Timeline, updated on: 27 October 2015; Ipsos/ICRC,
Our world. Views from the field. Summary report: Afghanistan, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia and the Philippines.
Opinion Survey, June 2009, p. 10; Oxfam International, The Cost of War, Afghan Experiences of Conflict, 1978-2009, November 2009, pp. 9-12.
(36) Oxfam International, The Cost of War, Afghan Experiences of Conflict, 1978-2009, November 2009, p. 13.
(37) CS Monitor, Taliban appears to be regrouped and well-funded, 8 May 2003; Giustozzi, A. and Ibrahimi, N., Thirty Years of Conflict: Drivers of anti-Government
Mobilisation in Afghanistan, 1978-2011, January 2012, p. 44; Roggio, B., Taliban contest or control large areas of Afghanistan, 2 December 2009; International
NY Times, Taliban Making Military Gains in Afghanistan, 26 July 2014.
(38) ICG, The Insurgency in Afghanistan’ Heartland, 17 June 2011, pp. 14-15; UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international
peace and security, 18 June 2014, p. 6.
(39) See glossary.
(40) Giustozzi, A. and Ibrahimi, N., Thirty Years of Conflict: Drivers of anti-Government Mobilisation in Afghanistan, 1978-2011, January 2012; UNAMA, Afghanistan,
Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014.
(41) Ipsos/ICRC, Our world. Views from the field. Summary report: Afghanistan, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia andthe Philippines. Opinion Survey, June 2009, p. 10; EASO, Country of Origin Information Report, Afghanistan, Taliban Strategies – Recruitment, July 2012,
pp. 16-17, 24; Geiß, R. and Siegrist, M., ‘Has the armed conflict in Afghanistan affected the rules on the conduct of hostilities?’, March 2011, pp. 17-21; UN
Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 7 March 2014; UN Security Council, The situation in
Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 18 June 2014.
(42) Giustozzi, A. and Ibrahimi, N., Thirty Years of Conflict: Drivers of anti-Government Mobilisation in Afghanistan, 1978-2011, January 2012, p. 44.
(43) NATO, Inteqal: Transition to Afghan lead, updated on: 13 October 2014; NATO, Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, updated on: 27 February 2015; UN
Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan, 15 May 2015, p. 2; see part on IMF.
(44) SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 January 2016, p. 4; UNHCR, UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs ofAsylum-Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016, p. 10.
(45) Asia Foundation, A Survey of Afghan People Afghanistan in 2015, 17 November 2015, p. 95, UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International
Protection Needs of Asylum-Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016, p. 12; UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security, 10 June 2016, p. 3.
(46) HRW, World Report 2016 - Afghanistan, 27 January 2016; AAN, The IEC Announces 2016 Electon Date, 18 January 2016.
(47) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 27 February 2015, pp. 1-3; USIP, Urgent Imperative:
Get Afghanistan’s Government Working, 10 December 2015; SCR, June 2015 Monthly Forecast, Afghanistan, 1 March 2016, pp. 1-2.
(48) BBC, Ashraf Ghani visit: US to slow Afghan troops withdrawal, 24 March 2015; Al Jazeera, Obama to slow pace of Afghanistan troop withdrawal, 7 July 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 19

1.2.	Actors in the conflict
1.2.1. Pro-Government Forces (PGF) (49)
The Pro-Government Forces (PGF) consist of: the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF); Pro-Government Militias(PGM); and the International Military Forces (IMF).
Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF)
The ANSF consist of: the Afghan National Army (ANA); the Afghan National Police (ANP); and the National Directorateof Security (NDS) (50). The ANSF was set up with an anticipated recruitment of 352,000 (soldiers and police) but
never reached that goal (51). In 2015, ANSF had growing problems with recruitment. Its actual numbers are difficult
to estimate taking into account the high rate of ANSF casualties, high rate of desertion and existence of “ghost”
soldiers – those enlisted who do not actively take part. The problem is particularly acute in more volatile areas ofAfghanistan. Reasons for desertion mentioned by the sources include: high casualty rates, rising number of violent
clashes, poor leadership, lack of payment and leave, etc (52).
Despite these weaknesses and the lack of foreign support, the ANSF continued to fight against AGEs in 2015 without
foreign support. The troops were particularly active in the provinces of Kunduz, Badakhshan, Zabul, Ghazni, andHelmand (53). SIGAR assessed that ‘ANSF continued to improve integration of indirect-fire and close-air attack
capabilities but its performance has been uneven with serious capability gaps in aviation, intelligence, logistics,
maintenance, operational planning, coordination and leadership’ (54).
In 2015, ANSF casualties reached 16,000 (55). In the first half of 2016, Tolo News reported 1,700 new casualties
suffered by the ANSF (56).
Afghan National Army (ANA)The ANA reports to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) and is part of the armed forces of Afghanistan (57). The ANA isseen as one of the strongest institutions in Afghanistan, although there are many challenges, including reinforcing or
resupplying units in remote areas (58). As of April 2016, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction(SIGAR) reported a total of 171,428 ANA staff (59). AREU reported in March 2016 on the problems of the ANA, including
a rising number of casualties, a leadership crisis and lack of equipment (60).
Afghan National Police (ANP)The ANP is the police force under the Ministry of Interior (MoI). As of April 2016, SIGAR reported it had 148,167
staff, including 2,879 women (61). It has several specialised divisions: the Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP – more than
110,000 personnel), the Afghan National Border Police (ANBP), the Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP) andthe Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) (62).

(49) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2015, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, August 2015, p. 91.
(50) UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan, 15 May 2015, p. 3.
(51) SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 April 2016, p. 8.
(52) SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 April 2016, p. 8; Reuters, Desertions deplete Afghan forces, adding to security worries, 18 January 2016;
AREU, The Afghan National Army After ISAF, March 2016, pp. 1, 14; Daily Outlook Afghanistan, The Capabilities and Weaknesses of ANSF, 12 January 2016.
(53) USDOS, Country Reports on Terrorism 2015 - Afghanistan, 2 June 2016.
(54) SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 April 2016, p. 14.
(55) Kabul Tribune, ANSF capable to respond security challenges, 1 August 2016.
(56) Tolo News, Terror Attacks Down, Casualties Up in First Six Months of 2016: Report, updated on: 18 July 2016.
(57) USDOS, 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Afghanistan, 13 April 2016.
(58) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 1 September 2015, p. 5.
(59) SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 July 2016, p. 93.
(60) AREU, The Afghan National Army After ISAF, March 2016, p. 1.
(61) SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 July 2016, pp. 93, 112.
(62) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 9 September 2014, p. 7; UN Security Council,
The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 9 September 2014; ISAF, Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF),
26 October 2010; SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 October 2014, pp. 99-100; 106.

20 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Afghan Local Police (ALP)In August 2010, the Afghan Local Police (ALP) was created as a security initiative led by the Ministry of Interior andfunded by the US government. Officially, the ALP reports to the MOI at national level but, in practice, since June 2015,it has been subordinated to the Afghan Uniformed Police. SIGAR states that the ALP members are selected by villageelders or local power brokers to protect their communities against Taliban attack, to guard facilities and to conductlocal counterinsurgency missions (63). According to SIGAR, ALP district leaders and checkpoint leaders coordinate
the ALP’s daily activities. The guardians, the lowest rank, make up the overwhelming majority of ALP personnel (64).
As of May 2016, the ALP had almost 30,000 personnel in 179 districts of 30 provinces (not present in Panjsher,
Bamyan, Khost and Nimroz), of whom 25,000 were fully trained (65).
Several difficulties concerning the ALP were reported, including problems with supplying ressources, police
commanders using staff as personal bodyguards and allegations of serious misconduct and human-rights violations by
ALP forces. However, over the years its efficiency has improved and there are less complaints about misconduct (66).
Nevertheless, in 2016, UNAMA still reports on serious abuses by ALP. The MOI declared that ALP has been largely
cleared of influence from local warlords and some 240 ALP members were prosecuted because of human-rights
violations (67).
Pro-Government Militias (PGM)
A specific local security structure has existed in Afghan society for hundreds of years: the arbaki, community or
tribal armies (68). From the beginning of the insurgency, different paramilitary initiatives have been developed andformalised to support the Afghan government and assist the formal armed forces of Afghanistan. The government
IMF have also relied on militias that are not part of any formal government entity, for conducting searches, nightraids or executions. This happened for instance during the Andar uprising against the Taliban in 2013. The formalised
paramilitary initiatives have all ceased except for the ALP (see section on ALP), now operating within the official
security structures (69).
In 2015, the government developed a “National Uprising Support Strategy” to cover areas in Afghanistan where it
had little military presence. By the end of 2015, UNAMA reported the formation of armed groups within this context
in 10 provinces. The NDS reportedly approached village or tribal elders to support uprisings against the AGEs, byurging group members to form armed groups varying from 22 to 500 fighters, commanded by NDS or ANP. The
government promised to formalise this temporary initiative in the structures of the ALP within three months (70).
UNAMA expressed its concerns about the increased use of armed militias by the government in 2015. In the past
such groups were accused of some serious human-rights abuses, i.e. misuse of weapons, political connections
with powerful individuals, lack of knowledge on humanitarian law and also impunity. Cases of extrajudicial killings,
kidnappings, threats, intimidation and harassment, theft and assaults were documented, especially in the North
and North-East of Afghanistan (71).

(63) SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 April 2016, p. 107.
(64) SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 April 2016, p. 107, SIGAR, A Critical Rural Security Initiative Lacks Adequate Logistics Support, Oversight, andDirection, October 2015, pp. 1,2, 9.
(65) SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 July 2016, p. 100; Outlook Afghanistan, Outlook Afghanistan, ALP Forces Keep Security in 40pc of Afghanistan:
Official, 11 July 2016.
(66) SIGAR, A Critical Rural Security Initiative Lacks Adequate Logistics Support, Oversight, and Direction, October 2015, pp. 1, 2, 9; HRW, Just Don’t Call It a Militia,
September 2011, pp. 58-75; IWPR, Afghans Want More Funding for Local Police, But More Scrutiny Too, 3 September 2015; UN Security Council, The situationin Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 9 September 2014, p. 8; ICG, The Future of the Afghan Local Police, 4 June 2015, page
I; NY Times, Afghan Plan to Expand Militia Raises Abuse Concerns, 16 October 2015; UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2015, Protection of civilians inarmed conflict, August 2015, pp. 69-72.
(67) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016; Outlook Afghanistan, Outlook Afghanistan, ALP Forces
Keep Security in 40pc of Afghanistan: Official, 11 July 2016.
(68) Seraj, A., Opinion: The Arbaki can secure Afghanistan better than the US, updated on: 5 November 2014; HRW, Just Don’t Call It a Militia, September 2011,
pp. 13-14.
(69) HRW, Just Don’t Call It a Militia, September 2011; Habib, E., The Morphing of the Andar Uprising: transition to Afghan Local Police, 2 April 2013.
(70) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, pp. 65-66.
(71) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, pp. 65-66; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016,
Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, pp. 84-88; HRW, Afghanistan: Forces Linked to Vice President Terrorize Villagers, 31 July 2016; UNAMA,
Afghanistan Midyear Report 2015, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, August 2015, p. 73; HRW, Today we shall all die, 3 March 2015; Irinnews, Abuses
rise along with pro-Afghan government militias, 7 September 2015; Al Jazeera America, Exclusive: A US-backed militia runs amok in Afghanistan, 23 July 2014;
VOA, In Afghan North, US-Backed Militias Spur Local Backlash, 23 November 2011; Hewad, G., Legal, illegal: Militia recruitment and (failed) disarmament in
Kunduz, 10 November 2012; Bleuer, C. and Ali, O., Security in Kunduz Worsening Further: The case of Khanabad, 28 October 2014; Irinnews, AFGHANISTAN:
Fears over child recruitment, abuse by pro-government militias, 20 January 2011.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 21

International Military Forces (IMF)
UNAMA explains the scope of the term “International Military Forces” as follows (72):‘International Military Forces’ include all foreign troops forming part of NATO-led Operation Resolute Support(formerly International Security Assistance Force, ISAF) and other US Forces Afghanistan (including Operation
Freedom’s Sentinel, which replaced Operation Enduring Freedom on 1 January 2015) who are under theCommander of Resolute Support (COM-RS), who is also Commander of the US Forces in Afghanistan. The term
also encompasses Special Operations Forces and other foreign intelligence and security forces.
Until 31 December 2014, IMF operated under two military missions: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and theInternational Security Assistance Force (ISAF) (73).
Operation Enduring Freedom began on 7 October 2001, with air strikes on Taliban and al Qaeda targets, executed by
the US and its allies (74). The ISAF was deployed under a peace enforcement mandate pursuant to Chapter VII of the UN
Charter and the authority of the UN Security Council. It operated between August 2003 and 31 December 2014 underNATO command (75). Its mission was to support the Afghan government, reduce the capability and break the spirit of
the insurgency (76). As of 6 October 2014, ISAF’s total strength was 34,512 troops, from 48 contributing nations (77).
Transition and Operation Resolute Support
From 2010, the process of gradual transition of security responsibilities from IMF to ANSF was implemented, tobe completed by the end of 2014 (78). From 2012, countries started withdrawing troops from combat missions in
Afghanistan and ending military operations in Afghanistan (79). On 31 December 2014, the ISAF’s mandate expired
and, on 1 January 2015, this led to the transition from NATO’s ISAF combat mission to a new non-combat mission(Resolute Support) with a focus on training, advising and assisting ANSF (80).
At the end of 2015 there was a 13,000-strong residual force used for training and counter-terrorism operations,
including 9,800 US troops (down from a peak of about 100,000) (81). Countries with troops still in Afghanistan include
Georgia, Germany, Turkey, Romania, Italy, the UK and Australia. Due to a growing Taliban threat, in July 2016 US
President Barack Obama announced that he would maintain 8,400 troops for further training of Afghan Security
Forces and to support them in the fight against remaining al Qaeda terrorists (82).

1.2.2. Anti-Government Elements (AGEs)
UNAMA defines “Anti-Government Elements” (also referred to as insurgents) as (83):‘all individuals and armed groups involved in armed conflict with or armed opposition against the Government of
Afghanistan and/or international military forces. They include those who identify as ‘Taliban’ as well as individuals
and non-State organised armed groups taking a direct part in hostilities and assuming a variety of labels including
the Haqqani Network, Hezb-e-Islami, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Islamic Jihad Union, Lashkari Tayyiba, Jaysh
Muhammed, groups identifying themselves as ‘Daesh’ and other militia and armed groups pursuing political,
ideological or economic objectives including armed criminal groups directly engaged in hostile acts on behalfof a party to the conflict.’(72) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 103.
(73) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 78; CNN, Operation Enduring Freedom Fast Facts, updated
on: 27 October 2014.
(74) CNN, Operation Enduring Freedom Fast Facts, updated on: 27 October 2014.
(75) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2014, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2014, p. 78.
(76) ISAF, About ISAF – Mission, n.d.
(77) ISAF, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF): Key Facts and Figures, 6 October 2014.
(78) NATO, Inteqal: Transition to Afghan lead, updated on: 13 October 2014.
(79) CNN, France pulls last troops from combat roles in Afghanistan, 20 December 2012; Government of Canada, Canadian Armed Forces completes military
mission in Afghanistan, 12 March 2014; CNN, UK formally ends combat mission in Afghanistan, 26 October 2014.
(80) NATO, Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, updated on: 27 February 2015; UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed
conflict in Afghanistan, 15 May 2015, p. 2.
(81) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 18 June 2014; UN Security Council, The situationin Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 9 September 2014; RFE/RL, Explainer: Key Points In U.S.-Afghan Bilateral Security
Agreement, 30 September 2014.
(82) Wall Street Journal, Obama: Troops to Remain in Afghanistan Past 2016 [video], 15 October 2015; BBC; How many foreign troops are in Afghanistan,
15 October 2015; Al Jazeera, Obama to slow pace of Afghanistan troop withdrawal, 7 July 2016;(83) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 99.

22 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

In recent years, the range of AGE groups and splinter groups has widened. Besides the main AGE forces (Taliban,
Haqqani network, HIA, IMU), several smaller groups have reappeared that are often even more radical than the
Taliban. Examples of such splinter groups are: Feday-e Mahaz (suicide brigade); Mullah Dadullah Front; Jihadi Shuraof Mujahidin for Unity and Understanding (84); Tora Bora Front; Jamat Sunat al-Dawa Salafia and the Latif Mansur
Network (85).
In map 2, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports on Taliban and Islamic State influence and control zones(June 2016) (86).

Map 2: Partial Threat Assessment (30 June 2016); source: Institute for the Study of War
In June 2015, the UN reported that the majority of an estimated 7,180 foreign fighters across the country wereassociated with Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the IMU (87).
According to Tolo News, AGE groups suffered 7,000 casualties in the conflict during the first half of 2016 (88).
Most of the groups mentioned in this chapter were set up in prior phases of Afghanistan’s recent conflict history, evendating back to the first mujahideen period in the 1970s. However, more details about their respective backgrounds
do not fall within the scope of this report.

(84) RFE/RL, Taliban Splinter Groups Add To Election Fears In Afghanistan, 13 March 2014.
(85) UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan, 15 May 2015, pp. 3, 6.
(86) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(87) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2015, p. 5.
(88) Tolo News, Terror Attacks Down, Casualties Up in First Six Months of 2016: Report, updated on: 18 July 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 23

Taliban
The Taliban consists of AGE groups that acknowledged the leadership (Amir-ul-Momineen) of Mullah Mohammad
Omar and the Taliban Leadership Council in Quetta, Pakistan. The Taliban leadership ruled Afghanistan between
1996 and 2001 and regrouped after it was ousted from power. The different groups have varying operational
autonomy but there is a governing system under the Leadership Council with several regional and local layers. They
have a military council and a command structure with, at the lowest level, front commanders overseeing a groupof fighters. The governing structure and military command is defined in the Taliban’s Lahya or Code of Conduct (89).
Mullah Mohammad Omar reportedly died on 23 April 2013 but his death was only officially announced in 2015. Omar’s
deputy, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour was appointed as the new leader in July 2015 (90). Rifts emerged within
the Taliban leadership about this succession but Mansour got the support of a significant part of the leadership (91). He
was killed in a US drone strike on 21 May 2016, which was confirmed by the Taliban within a few days. It announced
the election of the new leader, Haibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban’s former chief justice. He is believed to be about
60 years of age and a member of the Noorzai tribe from Kandahar. Serajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Mohammad
Yaqoob, son of Mullah Omar, were announced as deputies (92). In August 2016, it was reported by some media thata Taliban breakaway faction in Zabul known as Mahaaz-e-Dadullah appointed Mullah Emdadullah Mansour as its
leader, but this was denied by members of the group who declared support to Haibatullah (93).
In 2015, under Mansour’s command, the Taliban conducted an offensive which started off with almost simultaneous
attacks in 22 provinces in Afghanistan (94). Heavy fighting has continued for months across Afghanistan, from Kunduz,
the northern city that fell briefly to the AGEs, to Helmand Province bordering Pakistan in the south. In Helmand,
government forces have retreated from many areas and are struggling to hold centres close to the provincial capital,
Lashkar Gah (95).
In April 2016, after a winter break, the Taliban started a new spring offensive called “Operation Omari” (96).
The operation started with a high-profile attack in Kabul and continued with increasing numbers of attacks on
administrative centres in Kunduz, Helmand, Uruzgan and Baghlan provinces. This led to heavy clashes but the ANSF
managed to repel these attacks (97).
Haqqani network
The Haqqani network is an insurgent network in the south-east of Afghanistan, with its origins in the 1970s mujahideen
groups. Its leader, Jalaluddin Haqqani, has attacked Afghan government officials since 1971. It is believed he fled
to Pakistan in late 2001. The network has its most important base in North Waziristan. Due to his age, he handed
over the de facto leadership of the group to his son, Serajuddin Haqqani. Although the network has maintained anautonomous position, structure and its own modus operandi, it is considered part of the Taliban. Serajuddin Haqqani
was appointed as a deputy leader of the Taliban in May 2016. The Haqqani network is known for various high-profile
attacks on targets in Kabul City (98).
Hezb-e Islami AfghanistanHezb-e Islami Afghanistan (HIA) is an insurgent group led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The group demands the withdrawalof foreign troops and has conducted high-profile attacks in the capital but has been more open to negotiation with(89) EASO, Country of Origin Information Report, Afghanistan, Taliban Strategies – Recruitment, July 2012, pp. 18-20.
(90) Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, A detailed interview of Zabihullah Mujahid with the Daily Asharq Al-Awsat about the recent developments, September 2015;
RFE/RL, Afghan Government Says Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Dead, updated on: 29 July 2015.
(91) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 1 September 2015, p. 2; RFE/RL, Top Taliban Official
Quits Amid Succession Questions, 4 August 2014.
(92) Reuters, Afghan Taliban appoint new leader after Mansour’s death, 25 May 2016; NPR, Taliban Name New Leader, Confirm Death Of Mullah Mansour,
25 May 2016; Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Statement by the Leadership Council of Islamic Emirate regarding the martyrdom of Amir ul Mumineen Mullah
Akhtar Muhammad Mansour and the election of the new leader, 25 May 2016(93) 1 TV News, Taliban breakaway faction appoints new leader in Afghanistan, 16 August 2016; Express Tribune (The), Breakaway Taliban faction mired in
uncertainty, 26 August 2016.
(94) UN Security Council, Letter dated 18 August 2015 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) addressedto the President of the Security Council, 26 August 2015, p. 5.
(95) Reuters, Taliban announce start of spring offensive in Afghanistan, 12 April 2016; See provincial chapter on Helmand.
(96) Reuters, Taliban announce start of spring offensive in Afghanistan, 12 April 2016; Foschini, F., Under the Mountain: A pre-emptive Taleban spring offensive
in Shindand, 20 April 2016(97) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2016 p. 5(98) Jamestown Foundation, ‘The Haqqani Network and Cross-Border Terrorism in Afghanistan’, 24 March 2008; Ruttig, T., Talking Haqqani, 1 July 2010; Washington Times,
Haqqani Network, Pakistan terror group, grows into worst enemy for U.S., 5 June 2014; Reuters, Afghan Taliban appoint new leader after Mansour’s death, 25 May 2016

24 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

the Afghan government than the Taliban. The latter criticizes HIA for this and on occasions there has been fighting
between both insurgent groups in different areas (99). AAN reports: ‘HIA controls fighters in many provinces acrossthe country, with strongholds in Wardak, Baghlan, Kapisa, Farah and Kunar, but it has not consolidated any significant
territorial control or parallel administration structures, like the Taleban. Its military impact is also significantly
smaller’ (100). The group came close to signing a peace deal with the Afghan Government but finally Hekmatyar
withdrew from it. In August 2016 it was reported that negotiations had been reopened (101).
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) is an insurgent network consisting of many fighters who fled government
suppression in Uzbekistan. It has links with the Taliban and with insurgent groups in Pakistan. It is active in partsof Faryab, Takhar, Balkh and Kunduz and also operates in East Afghanistan where it is affiliated with al Qaeda. It
conducts attacks on ANSF (102).
On 31 March 2015, the IMU reportedly pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) (103). IMU’s fighters are also called“Jundullah” and they reportedly operated in larger groups fighting in Afghanistan’s northern provinces in recent years.
Their ranks consist of Uzbeks, other ex-Soviet Muslim nationalities, Uyghurs and Arabs. RFE/RL reported fracturesin the ranks of IMU. Alliances and motives of different dispersed IMU groups became hard to assess and some of its
fighters are even active in Syria and Iraq. The fate of IMU’s leader, Usman Ghazi, is unknown. According to RFE/RL,
there are reports that he was executed and other sources report he fled and is hiding (104).
Al Qaeda and affiliated groups
Al Qaeda is present in the east of Afghanistan and its affiliated groups carry out attacks on ANSF. TTP, Lashkar-e Taiba(LeT), and Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ) are affiliated groups(105) mainly operating from Pakistan (106). Al Qaeda-relatedgroups were reportedly not organised under a coordinated leadership but they contribute to security problems inborder regions with Pakistan (107).
Al Qaeda was reported to have training camps in several locations in the south and the east of Afghanistan (108). Acting
Defense Minister Masoom Stanikzai stated that al Qaeda was keeping a low profile but expanding. It is working inthe shadow, supporting other terrorist networks. US officials said the number of al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan
could be as high as 300, including other facilitators and sympathisers in its network (109).
Islamic State (IS)The first reports about IS (also called ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) appearing in Afghanistan date back to the summer of2014 (110). IS envisages global expansion of the caliphate and designates the region of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran andcentral-Asian republics, wolayat Khurasan (ISK – Islamic State in Khurasan) (111). The recruited groups or fighters often
include discontented Taliban or other AGEs and IS recruits mainly ideologically motivated individuals (112). Militantgroups such as Tehrik-e-Khilafat Pakistan, the Shahidullah Shahid Group of TTP and Jundullah/IMU pledged allegiance(99) EASO, Country of Origin Information Report, Afghanistan, Taliban Strategies – Recruitment, July 2012, p. 24; Münch, P. and Ruttig, T., ‘Between Negotiations
and Ongoing Resistance. The Situation of the Afghan Insurgency’, 2014.
(100) AAN, Almost Signed? The peace agreement with Hezb-e Islami, 21 may 2016.
(101) Roggio, B., Hekmatyar withdraws from peace talks with Afghan government, 28 June 2016; Pashtun Times (The), The Gulbadin Hekmatyar-led Hezb-i-Islami
optimistic about concluding peace deal with Kabul, 8 August 2016; Afghanistan Times, Government to reach a peace agreement with HIA, 8 August 2016.
(102) EASO, Country of Origin Information Report, Afghanistan, Taliban Strategies – Recruitment, July 2012, p. 24; UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan
and its implications for international peace and security, 18 June 2014.
(103) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2015, p. 5.
(104) RFE/RL, The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Comes Unraveled, 25 May 2016.
(105) See Glossary.
(106) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 18 June 2014; EASO, Country of Origin Information
Report, Afghanistan, Taliban Strategies – Recruitment, July 2012, p. 24.
(107) UN Security Council, Letter dated 18 August 2015 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) addressedto the President of the Security Council, 26 August 2015, pp. 10-11.
(108) LWJ, US military strikes large al Qaeda training camps in southern Afghanistan, 13 October 2015.
(109) CNN, Al Qaeda ‘very active’ in Afghanistan: U.S Commander, 13 April 2016.
(110) LWJ, Mapping the emergence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, 5 March 2015.
(111) Jamestown Foundation (The), ‘Islamic State in Afghanistan Ready to Capitalize on Mullah Omar’s Death’, 3 September 2015.
(112) Jamestown Foundation (The), ‘Islamic State in Afghanistan Ready to Capitalize on Mullah Omar’s Death’, 3 September 2015; Western security official,
anonymous source specialised in security in Afghanistan, emails and briefing, July 2015 – July 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 25

to the leader of IS, al-Baghdadi (113). Some of them have links with IS in Syria and Iraq but reportedly some Afghangroups have started using the name of IS without having a connection with the organisation (114). The leader of ISK,
Hafiz Saeed Khan, was killed on 26 July 2016 by a US drone in Nangarghar Province (115).
Depending on the source, in early 2016 ISIS had an estimated 1,000 to 8,500 fighters in Afghanistan. The centre of
their activities is in Nangarhar, especially the districts of Achin, Nazyan and Beh Bala. They are engaged in battles
with both the Taliban and government forces (116).
ISK-affiliated fighters closed schools, stopped polio vaccinations, abducted and forced widows and young girls tomarry their fighters, burned homes of Taliban supporters, executed elders and Taliban leaders. They strongly oppose
the presence of foreigners and their operations create inaccessibility of areas, mainly in several districts in Nangarhar.
They loot, burn or take over houses which forces people to flee (117).
The Middle East Institute reports that the ISK group lacked local roots from the beginning of its appearance inAfghanistan. Its brutality and extreme ideology alienated the local population. Consistent losses on the battlefieldalso contributed to a significant weakening of IS in Afghanistan (118).

Map 3: Islamic State Activity: 2014-2016; source: Middle East Institute(113) Jamestown Foundation (The), ‘Islamic State in Afghanistan Ready to Capitalize on Mullah Omar’s Death’, 3 September 2015; UN Security Council, The situationin Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2015, p. 5.
(114) Latifi, Ali M., Skype interview, 7 September 2015; Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, A detailed interview of Zabihullah Mujahid with the Daily Asharq Al-Awsat
about the recent developments, September 2015; UN Security Council, Letter dated 18 August 2015 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee
established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) addressed to the President of the Security Council, 26 August 2015, pp. 9-10; Western security official,
anonymous source specialised in security in Afghanistan, emails and briefing, July 2015 – July 2016; Clark, K. and Osman, B., First wave of IS attacks? Claimand denial over the Jalalabad bombs, 22 April 2015; Osman, B., The Shadows of ‘Islamic State’ in Afghanistan: What threat does it hold?, 12 February 2015;
UN Security Council, Letter dated 18 August 2015 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) addressedto the President of the Security Council, 26 August 2015, pp. 9-10.
(115) Al Jazeera, Afghan-Pakistan ISIL’s Hafiz Saeed Khan killed, 13 July 2016.
(116) USIP, The Islamic State in Afghanistan assessing the Threat, April 2016; Eurasia Review; Rising Influence Of Islamic State In Afghanistan: Dangerous Phenomena
For Region And World – Analysis, 8 April 2016; Jamestown Foundation (The), ‘Islamic State in Afghanistan Ready to Capitalize on Mullah Omar’s Death’,
3 September 2015; Western security official, anonymous source specialised in security in Afghanistan, emails and briefing, July 2015 – July 2016.
(117) NY Times, Afghan ISIS Branch Makes Inroads in Battle Against Taliban, 13 October 2015; Washington Post (The), The Islamic State is making these Afghans
long for the Taliban, 13 October 2015; Western security official, anonymous source specialised in security in Afghanistan, emails and briefing, July 2015 – July
2016.
(118) Middle East Institute, Examining the Islamic State’s Threat to Afghanistan, 25 May 2016.

26 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

1.3.	Recent security trends and armed confrontations
The overall security situation deteriorated during 2015 since ANSF had to act independently without international
support (119). The Taliban continued to conduct high-profile attacks in Kabul. Direct armed clashes and attacks
intensified in the provinces of Baghlan, Faryab, Helmand, Kunar, Kunduz, Nangahar and Uruzgan. The Taliban
also sometimes successfully captured urban areas (120). Some sources reported that the conflict was witnessing
a fragmentation into more different militant groups, which had a negative impact on civilians, causing more crime
growth and less controlled violence (121).
In 2016, the security situation remained volatile. In June 2016, the UN reported a slight decrease in the overall
number of security incidents compared to 2015 but the number of armed clashes, civilian victims and high-profile
attacks in Kabul increased (122). Tolo News reported a 12 % decrease in security incidents and terror attacks during
the first half of 2016 (123).

1.3.1. Armed clashes and assaults
Since the start of the withdrawal of foreign troops (2012), closure of IMF bases and transition of security responsibilities
into the hands of the ANSF (2013), the dynamics in the conflict have changed. AGEs have increasingly attacked andchallenged ANSF, operating in larger units (up to several hundreds of fighters, using small arms fire, rockets, mortars
and grenades). They increasingly took control over larger territories outside the urban centres and became more
successful in capturing district administrative centres. Mostly the ANSF has been able to regain control quickly but
certain district centres fell under the sustained control of Taliban forces (124).
These developments triggered a number of ANSF counter-offensives and clearance operations in several provinces (125).
Tolo News reported 2,275 military operations during the first six months of 2016 (126).
In 2015 and 2016, fighting intensified. Direct armed clashes were the main cause of civilian deaths in this period (127).
According to the UN Secretary General, more than half of the recorded security incidents in 2015 and 2016 werearmed clashes (128).
Apart from Taliban-ANSF clashes, several other insurgent groups fought against ANSF or each other during
2015 and 2016. There were reports of clashes between different Taliban factions, between different pro-government
militia and between Jamiat-i-Islami and Junbish Party militiamen. IS groups have attacked governmental positions
in Nangharhar but also clashed with Taliban groups (129).
(119) USDOS, Country Reports on Terrorism 2015 - Afghanistan, 2 June 2016; UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict,February 2016, p. 1; UN Security Council, The situation in Afganistan and its implication for international peace and security, 7 March 2016, p. 4.
(120) USDOS, Country Reports on Terrorism 2015 - Afghanistan, 2 June 2016; UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015 Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict,February 2016, p. 6.
(121) International NGO Safety Organization, Afghanistan – Context analysis; NY Times, Violence Flares in Afghanistan Among Various Groups, 21 May 2016; UN
Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2016 p. 4; Institute for the Study of War,Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment: April 12, 2016(122) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2016 pp. 4, 7.
(123) Tolo News, Terror Attacks Down, Casualties Up in First Six Months of 2016: Report, updated on: 18 July 2016.
(124) Münch, P. and Ruttig, T., ‘Between Negotiations and Ongoing Resistance. The Situation of the Afghan Insurgency’, 2014, p. 28; LWJ, Taliban controls orcontests scores of districts in Afghanistan, 5 October 2015; RFE/RL, Taliban Captures District Center In Afghan Opium Heartland, 26 August 2015; Ruttig, T.,
The Second Fall of Musa Qala: How the Taleban are expanding territorial control, 3 September 2015; ISW, Militant Attack and Support Zones in Afghanistan:
April - September 2015, 18 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, MPs fear Kunduz-style attacks in other provinces, 5 October 2015; ICG, Afghanistan’s
Insurgency after the Transition, 12 May 2014, pp. I, 11-13, 19-21, 27-28, 36-37; UN Security Council, The situation in Afganistan and its implication forinternational peace and security, 7 March 2016, pp. 4-5; UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016,p. 7.
(125) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 1 September 2015, p. 5; RFE/RL, Kabul Says 88
Militants Killed Across Afghanistan, 9 October 2015; UN Security Council, Letter dated 18 August 2015 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee
established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) addressed to the President of the Security Council, 26 August 2015, p. 5; Ruttig, T., The Second Fall of Musa
Qala: How the Taleban are expanding territorial control, 3 September 2015; Guardian (The), Afghanistan’s warlord vice-president spoiling for a fight with the
Taliban, 4 August 2015; Tolo News, 57 Taliban insurgents killed in nationwide ANSF operations, 2 May 2015; Tolo News, 34 Taliban insurgents killed in ANSF
operations, 11 May 2015; Tolo News, 19 insurgents killed in afghan forces operations, 3 February 2015.
(126) Tolo News, Terror Attacks Down, Casualties Up in First Six Months of 2016: Report, updated on: 18 July 2016.
(127) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 29; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016,
Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict,July 2016, pp. 34-36.
(128) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 1 September 2015, p. 5; UN Security Council, The
situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2016, p. 4.
(129) Western security official, anonymous source specialised in security in Afghanistan, emails and briefing, July 2015 – July 2016; Jamestown Foundation (The),‘Islamic State in Afghanistan Ready to Capitalize on Mullah Omar’s Death’, 3 September 2015; UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its
implications for international peace and security, 1 September 2015, pp. 1, 5-6; NY Times, Violence Flares in Afghanistan Among Various Groups, 21 May 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 27

1.3.2. Improvised Explosive Devices
An IED can be initiated by the victim or by the attacker. Victim-initiated IEDs are very often pressure plate IEDs (PPIED) which are prohibited in Afghanistan, being party to the Ottawa Convention or the so-called Mine-Ban Treaty.
The use of this weapon is most often a violation of international humanitarian law, as it cannot make a distinction
between civilian and military targets. Attacker-initiated IEDs can either be with a timer or remote-controlled (mobile
phone, radio, wire). One specific kind of IED is the magnetic IED, which is placed against vehicles (130). Suicide IEDs are
not time- or distance-controlled and can be body-borne or vehicle-borne (BBIED or SVBIED) (131). IEDs and landmines
are a danger on roads and adjacent lands throughout Afghanistan (132).
The number of civilian casualties caused by IEDs decreased in 2015 and 2016. This tactic caused 17 % of all civilian
casualties this year (from January to June 2016, 284 persons were killed by IED and 698 were injured). IEDs areused only by AGEs. In 2015 and 2016, the provinces where the most people were affected by IEDS were: Kandahar,Helmand, Nangarhar, Ghazni, Badakhshan and Faryab (133).

1.3.3. High-profile attacks
High-profile attacks, including suicide bombings, complex(134) and IED attacks, take place regularly in Afghanistan,particularly in Kabul, and the southern and eastern provinces, but AGEs were also able to conduct attacks in cities
generally considered relatively safe, such as Mazar-e Sharif (135).
AGEs continued to conduct high-profile attacks in the urban centres in order to get media attention, to intimidate
and create fear. Such attacks are mainly aimed at government or international forces but the highest numbers ofcasualties inflicted concern civilians (136). Complex and suicide attacks continued to affect civilians in 2015, causing
1,840 civilian casualties (308 deaths and 1,532 injured) and 999 civilian casualties in the first half of 2016 (225 deathand 774 injured). The Taliban claimed responsibility for 41 of the 74 documented complex and suicide attacks in
2015, and for 14 of the 26 attacks in 2016 (137).

1.3.4. Targeted killings and conflict-related abduction
Targeted killings and abductions are also a serious threat (138). According to the UN, the number of targeted killings
decreased in the beginning of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015 and the Taliban reportedly focused moreon killing military commanders (139). In line with this, during the first six months of 2016, UNAMA noticed a significant
drop in civilian victims of targeted killings (279 killed and 304 injured), compared to the same period in 2015. Mostof the killings were reportedly carried out by AGEs. The Taliban did not claim responsibility for most of them (140).
UNAMA documented 410 conflict-related abductions in 2015 (145 persons were killed and 27 injured) and 195 such
incidents during the first six months of 2016 (concerning 1,141 persons of whom 46 were killed and 39 injured),almost all carried out by AGEs. Of particular concern were two incidents of mass abduction of vehicle passengers on
highways. UNAMA reported that civilians were often abducted by AGEs on suspicion of connections to or collaboration(130) UNAMA,Afghanistan Midyear Report 2015, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, August 2015, pp. 45-49, 89.
(131) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2015, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, August 2015, p. 89.
(132) Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Smartraveller – Afghanistan, 23 May 2016.
(133) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, pp. 34-36; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016,
Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, pp. 46-48.
(134) UNAMA definition: A deliberate and coordinated attack that includes a suicide device (i.e. BBIED, VBIED), more than one attacker and more than one typeof device (i.e. BBIED + mortars). All three elements must be used for an attack to be considered complex. See glossary.
(135) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict,July 2016, p. 53-56; Australian Government, Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, Smartraveller – Afghanistan, 23 May 2015; UK Foreign Commonwealth Office, Foreign Travel Advice-Afghanistan, 29 April 2016.
(136) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2016 p. 4; RFE/RL, Taliban Claims
Responsibility For Kabul Bombing, 10 August 2015; UNAMA, PRESS STATEMENT: UNAMA calls on Anti-Government Elements to cease attacks in civilian
areas, 8 August 2015; Clark K., The triple attack in Kabul: A message? If so, to whom?, 10 August 2015; Reuters, Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul
attack, 80 dead, 24 July 2016; CBSNews, Taliban attack Kabul guesthouse for foreigners, 31 July 2016; US Department of Defense, Enhancing Security andStability in Afganistan, December 2015.
(137) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 41; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016,
Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict,July 2016, p. 53.
(138) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict,July 2016, p. 48; Global Post, Afghanistan’s model city is also its
kidnapping capital, 27 July 2015.
(139) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2016, pp. 4-5.
(140) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, pp. 57-58.

28 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

with the government, in addition to targeted abduction of government (security) staff. Other reasons for abduction
include: financial gain, by way of demanding ransom in exchange for release; pressure on the government to release
captured Taliban fighters (141).

1.3.5. Aerial attacks and bombings
In previous years, the number of civilian victims of aerial attacks steadily declined. In 2015, the trend changed andthe number of civilian casualties caused by airstrikes rose again. In 2015, there were 296 civilian casualties of aerial
attacks (149 deaths and 147 injured) and, in the first half of 2016, 161 casualties (57 killed and 104 injured). According
to UNAMA, the growing activity of Afghan Air Force has contributed to this new trend. One of the bloodiest eventswas the US aerial attack on the Médecins Sans Frontières Hospital in Kunduz, on 3 October 2015, in which civilians
and doctors were killed (142).
Tolo News reported in total 187 airstrikes against AGEs during the first six months of 2016 (143).

1.4.	State ability to secure law and order
UNHCR stated in its eligibility guidelines (April 2016) the following on the Afghan state’s ability to protect civilians (144):‘Even where the legal framework provides for the protection of human rights, the implementation of Afghanistan’scommitments under national and international law to promote and protect these rights in practice frequently
remains a challenge. Afghan governance and the adherence to the rule of law are perceived as particularly
weak, while public satisfaction with government performance and confidence in public institutions reportedly
decreased sharply in 2015.
The capability of the Government to protect human rights is undermined in many districts by insecurity and thehigh number of attacks by AGEs. Rural and unstable areas reportedly suffer from a generally weak formal justicesystem that is unable to effectively and reliably adjudicate civil and criminal disputes. Government-appointed
judges and prosecutors are reportedly frequently unable to remain in such communities, due to insecurity. Highlevels of corruption, challenges to effective governance and a climate of impunity are all reported by observers
as factors that weaken the rule of law and undermine the ability of the State to provide protection from humanrights violations’
According to the World Justice Project’s 2015 Rule of Law Index, Afghanistan ranked 101 on a list of 102 countries in
the world on overall rule-of-law scores. This index was composed based on a set of questionnaires sent to experts(on average more than 300 per country) and to the general public (145).

1.4.1. Security Forces
USDOS reported for 2015 that: ‘civilian authorities generally maintained control over the security forces, although
there were instances in which security forces acted independently (146).’ The police force is mainly occupied with thedefence of urban and administrative centres against AGEs’ activities. Several problems with the security forces havebeen reported, including: corruption, extra-judicial killings, use of violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, tortureand abuse of detainees. These human-rights violations are often combined with impunity for the security forces,
which severely hampers the state’s ability to maintain law and order. Some efforts have been made to train security
forces, but ANSF personnel still appeared to be largely unaware of their responsibilities and defendants’ rights (147).

(141) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 41; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016,
Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, pp. 64-66.
(142) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, pp. 41, 59; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016,
Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, pp. 75-76; UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peaceand security, 10 June 2016, p. 5.
(143) Tolo News, Terror Attacks Down, Casualties Up in First Six Months of 2016: Report, updated on: 18 July 2016.
(144) UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016, pp. 24-25.
(145) World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index 2015, p. 6.
(146) USDOS, 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Afghanistan, 13 April 2016.
(147) USDOS, 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Afghanistan, 13 April 2016; UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2015, Protection of civilians inarmed conflict, August 2015, pp. 69-72; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - Afghanistan, 7 June 2016; UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing
the International Protection Needs of Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016, p. 25; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - Afghanistan,
7 June 2016;

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 29

According to various surveys, most Afghans believe the state’s security forces (ANA, ALP or ANP) are providing
security in their local area. Most Afghans say that the police usually act according to the law although about halfof them still doubt their honesty and accountability. ANA is perceived a little bit better than ANP. 42 % of Afghans
surveyed had paid a bribe to a police officer. Only in Zabul Province did the majority of the residents believe that
AGEs were the main security provider (148).

1.4.2. Justice
Seven authorities are involved in the criminal justice sector: the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney General’s Office,the Supreme Court, the MoI, the NDS, the MoD and the High Office of Oversight (149).
The formal court system, as established in the Constitution, consists of a Supreme Court, High Court of Appeal,
Provincial Courts, lower Primary Courts and some specialised courts such as the Juvenile and Family Courts andCounter-Narcotics Courts (150). Courts use a mixture of law systems (codified; sharia; local custom) without uniformity
and even in Supreme Court judges appeared to have limited knowledge of civilian jurisprudence (151).
USDOS reported for 2015 that ‘the judiciary continued to be underfunded, understaffed, inadequately trained,
ineffective, and subject to threats, bias, political influence, and pervasive corruption.’ Impartiality of the judiciaryis undermined by bribery and pressure from different parties (152). Citizens rated the judiciary as the most corrupt
institution in the country. Apart from corruption, a lack of independency is another main constraint in the functioningof civil and criminal courts (153).
The judiciary is relatively strong in the larger urban centres, where the government is in control but very weak or
non-existent in rural areas, where local elders and shuras (154) settle both criminal and civil cases. In some areas the
Taliban has enforced a parallel judicial system based on strict interpretation of sharia and on that basis conducts
summary executions, lashings and amputations which are criminal acts under Afghan Law. Women in particularsuffer from harsh rulings and punishments in honour-related cases. Both official and unofficial systems provide no
guarantees for Rule of Law and basic rights of defence (155).
The Taliban targets official courts and threatens or kills judges, court officials and prosecutors. In the first half of2016, UNAMA documented 23 such incidents, resulting in 104 civilian casualties (36 deaths and 68 injured) (156).

1.4.3. Detention
The US Department of State reported ‘harsh and sometimes life-threatening conditions and abuse in official detention
centers’ and private prisons run by ANSF members used for torture of arrestees. Inadequate food and water, andpoor sanitation facilities were common. A lack of facilities leading to overcrowding was a serious problem. However,according to USDOS: ‘inmate deaths were infrequent and largely due to natural causes’ (157).
Arbitrary arrest and detention were a widespread problem. Prosecutors and police reportedly ‘detained individuals
without charge for actions that were not crimes under the law’ (moral crimes, breach of contract, family disputes) (158).

(148) Asia Foundation, A Survey of Afghan People Afghanistan in 2015, November 2015, p. 40-46; SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the US Congress, 30 April 2016; World
Justice Procect, Rule of Law Index 2015, p. 49.
(149) USDS, 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Afghanistan, 13 April 2016; Nederland, Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, Algemeen Ambtsbericht
Afghanistan, September 2014, p. 49-52.
(150) Tahmindjis, P., The Rule of Law, Democracy and the Legal Profession in the Afghan Context: Challenges and Opportunities, January 2014.
(151) USDOS, 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Afghanistan, 13 April 2016.
(152) USDOS, 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Afghanistan, 13 April 2016.
(153) Transparency Int., Corruption in Afghanistan: What needs to change, 16 February 2016; World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index 2015, pp. 46-47.
(154) A shura is a community council.
(155) Tahmindjis, P., The Rule of Law, Democracy and the Legal Profession in the Afghan Context: Challenges and Opportunities, January 2014; UNAMA, Afghanistan
Midyear Report 2015, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, August 2015, pp. 54-55, 58-59, 73, 82-83, 94; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 Afghanistan, 7 June 2016; Asia Foundation, A Survey of Afghan People Afghanistan in 2015, November 2015, p. 39.
(156) UN News Service, Afghanistan: UN condemns attack targeting Logar judicial officials, 5 June 2016; The Hindu, 5 killed in afghan Taliban attack on judicial staff,
5 June 2016; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict,July 2016, pp. 60-62.
(157) USDOS, 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Afghanistan, 13 April 2016.
(158) USDOS, 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Afghanistan, 13 April 2016.

30 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Human Rights Watch reported on torture in Afghan detention centres and raised concerns about indefinite detention
and detention without trial because of national security reasons. Furthermore, children are being detained andtortured on the allegation of being Taliban fighters (159).

1.5. Impact of the violence on the civilian population
As UNAMA underlines in its report (160):‘The current, grinding conflict tragically continued to kill and maim thousands of civilians, destroy livelihoods andproperty, displace tens of thousands, and restrict freedom of movement of civilians and access to education,
health and other services’
In 2015, UNAMA documented the highest number of total civilian casualties since it started recording in 2009:
11,002. This was a 4 % increase compared to 2014. 3,545 of those were civilian deaths, a 4 % decrease compared to2014 and 7,457 were injured, a 9 % increase (161).
From January to June 2016, UNAMA recorded 5,166 civilian casualties, which was again an overall increase of 4 %compared to the same period in 2015. 1,601 of those were civilians killed (a 1 % decrease) and 3,565 injured (6 %increase). Ground engagements continued to the main cause of civilian victims, followed by suicide, complex and
IED attacks. Most civilian casualties were attributed by UNAMA to AGEs (60 %). From January 2009 to June 2016,
UNAMA documented 63,934 civilian casualties (22,941 deaths and 40,993 injured) in the Afghan conflict (162).
Landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) continued to pose a threat for civilians. Most victims arechildren and goat herders. It is estimated that up to one million people may be disabled and 50,000 to 100,000 are
limb amputees. Several de-mining organisations are trying to demine some parts of the country Afghanistan but ittakes a lot of time (163). UNAMA estimated that, from January to June 2016, 95 were killed and 217 injured becauseof ERW (164).

1.5.1. Socio-economic life
After decades of conflicts, Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries of the world. Most of the population sufferfrom shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. After a period of steady increase ofinvestment and economic opportunities due to the international presence, in 2014, the withdrawal of foreign troops
caused the economy to collapse and capital to flee the country, while the lack of security, corruption and high rateof criminality were impediments to new investments (165).
In the beginning of 2016, a lack of security in the country contributed to a drop in foreign investment. Foreign aid also
decreased, poverty continued to increase and the educated young generation started migrating abroad (166). Thesedevelopments led to a continuing dire economic situation, significant decrease in jobs and increase in unemployment.
In addition, increasing drought, land erosion, bad management, food insecurity, and chronic energy problems makedaily life more difficult for Afghans (167).

(159) HRW, Detention of Children as National Security Threats [interactive map], 28 July 2016; HRW, Afghanistan: Reject Indefinite Detention Without Trial,
15 November 2015.
(160) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 2.
(161) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 1.
(162) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, pp. 1-2.
(163) Daily Mail, The harrowing plight of children maimed in Afghanistan by the thousands of mines, 21 August 2015; Tolo News, Landmines, Explosives Cover
500 000 sq kms in Afghanistan: UN, 7 February 2016; The Diplomat, Digging for Mines in Afghanistan, 22 March 2016; UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, pp. 21-22.
(164) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict,July 2016, p. 26.
(165) CIA, Factbook, Afghanistan, Economy, n.d.; Majidi, N., ‘Helping Them Help Themselves Transitioning out of displacement in Afghanistan, from networks
to development aid’, Autumn 2015; The Road Ahead: From an “End Date” to an “End State”, 16 March 2016; Asia Foundation (The), A Survey of the Afghan
People Afghanistan in 2015, November 2015, p. 55; Tolo News, Afghan Economy Trembles Amid Foreign Investment Decline: ACCI, 12 February 2016; Rahimi
F.A.F., ‘The impact of international forces withdrawal on investment in Herat, Afghanistan’, 2016, pp. 44-55.
(166) Tolo News, Afghan Economy Trembles Amid Foreign Investment Decline: ACCI, 12 February 2016; USIP, What Can be done to Revive Afghanistan’s Economy?,February 2016; IRIN, Afghanistan’s surprisingly predictable economic crash, 14 March 2016; Washington Post (The), As the U.S. pulls back, more Afghans
descend into joblessness, 17 August 2015.
(167) Washington Post (The), As the U.S. pulls back, more Afghans descend into joblessness, 17 August 2015; Brookings, Afghanistan in 2016: Still vital interests,
still reasons for hope, 8 January 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 31

1.5.2. Refugees, IDPs and returnees
As a consequence of demographic pressure (population growth is one of the biggest in the world with 5.4 children
per woman) (168) and long-lasting war and insecurity, Afghans became one of the most mobile nations of the world. In
a protracted refugee crisis caused by more than 35 years of conflict, at least 10 million Afghans fled the country (169).
75 % of the population live in the countryside(170) which is marred by armed conflicts, land disputes and natural
disasters. The direct consequences are declining living conditions, impoverishment and food insecurity in rural
areas as well as growing militancy and banditry (see Rural/urban division). This situation caused many people being
displaced by the conflict and ending up in urban settlements (171). From an estimated 500,000 inhabitants in early 2001
Kabul’s population has grown to nearly 5 million in 2016. Service delivery has not kept pace with rapid urbanisationand this also causes problems on the labour and housing markets. It also led to rising crime. All of these factors
contributed to pushing people into emigration (172).
Therefore, the net emigration rate is high (1.5 migrant per 1,000 population). Still many people look for asylum inneighbouring countries. Pakistan and Iran continue to host the vast majority of the Afghan refugee population,
totalling an estimated 2.5 million people. Among all those who applied for asylum in 44 countries in Europe, North
America, Oceania and Asia in 2014, asylum seekers from Afghanistan were the third-largest group with an estimated59,500 claims (173). In 2015, more than 190,000 Afghans applied for asylum in EU+ states, nearly five times as manyas 2014 (174).
However, many Afghans decided to return to Afghanistan after 2001 or were deported. From March 2002 to June
2016 UNHCR reported nearly 6 million people returning home of which 4.8 million were assisted by UNHCR and theMinistry of Refugees and Repatriation. UNHCR estimated that returnees constitute about 20 % of the population (175).
Internal displacements
Internal displacements affect all areas of the country, although not to the same extent. More than one million people
have left their homes due to the conflict in the country since 2002. The number is growing fast. In 2015 UNHCR,
reported some 384,000 newly displaced people compared to about 192,000 persons in 2014. The displacement
trends in the first months of 2016 were similar: according to UN estimates about 1,000 Afghans flee their homes
every day and about 180 000 left their homes during the first seven months of 2016. Some IDPs are not registeredif they settle in urban areas and some of them also can get stuck in areas inaccessible to humanitarian aid (176).

(168) CIA, Factbook, Afghanistan, People and Society.
(169) Irinnews, In-depth: From pillar to post - the plight of Afghans abroad, 27 February 2012.
(170) CIA, Factbook, Afghanistan, People and Society.
(171) UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016, pp. 28-29.
(172) CIA, Factbook, Afghanistan, People and Society; IRIN, Kabul facing “unregulated” urbanization, 26 November 2007; CIA Factbook; UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines
for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016.
(173) UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016.
(174) EASO, Annual report on the situation of asylum in the EU 2015, n.d., p. 10; EASO, Annual report on the situation of asylum in the EU 2014, n.d., p. 15.
(175) UNHCR, Afghanistan voluntary repatriation and border monitoring monthly update, 1 January-30 June 2016.
(176) UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016, pp. 28-30; IDMC Afghanistan,
IDP Figures Analysis; IDMC Afghanistan: New and long-term IDPs risk becoming neglected as conflict intensifies, 16 July 2015; UN News Service, Nearly 1,000
Afghans fleeing their homes daily, warns UN relief wing, 17 May 2016; UNOCHA, Humanitarian Bulletin Afghanistan, April 2016; AI, “My Children Will Die This
Winter” - Afghanistan’s Broken Promise To The Displaced, 31 May 2016; AI, The Millions Left Behind in Afghanistan, 1 June 2016; UNOCHA, Conflict Induced
Displacements, 31 July 2016.

Decemb

NovembOctob

32 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Reg
621

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ssibleeas
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Number of IDPs by province
733,890

Summary of response (Individuals receiving assistance)

Map 4: Number of IDPs by province of origin, source: UNOCHA (as of 31 July 2016) (177)

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by ANSF but also becauseof fighting
between the Taliban and IS (178).
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182
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HygienekitsProtection Needs of Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016,
MT).
( ) Amnesty International, “My Children Will Die This Winter” - Afghanistan’s Broken Promise To The Displaced, 31 May 2016; Amnesty International, The Millions
WASH: Water provision (bottled or trucking)Left Behind in Afghanistan, 1 June 2016

nfo

Deportations

177
178

179

180
181

(182) UNOCHA, The 2015 Afghanistan Refugee and Returnee Overview, n.d., p. 55.

The chart above shows displaced individuals assisted between 1 January 2016 and 31 Ju
those displaced before the specified time period.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 33

a 20 % decrease compared to the same period in 2015. The number of deportees from Pakistan is not as high but
steadily growing: in 2014, 9,122 Afghans were deported from this country; in 2015 this reached 19,330 and in thefirst part of the 2016 the figure was 14,786 (183).
There is no systematic research on the situation of rejected and deported asylum seekers from Western countries.
However, certain sources indicate that most of them plan another trip abroad (184). In February 2016, Afghan Ministerof Refugees and Repatriations Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi stated that Afghanistan would only take back thosemigrants who were willing to return to their home country voluntarily (185).
Voluntary return
UNHCR reported that in the first six months of 2016, 7,804 Afghans returned from Iran and Pakistan. This is the lowest
figure since the start of UNHCR’s voluntary repatriation programme in 2002. UNHCR identified a combination of thefollowing factors for the dip in the returns: high levels of unemployment; lack of livelihood opportunities; limitedaccess to land, shelter and basic services; and continuous security issues. UNHCR believes the number of returns willfurther decline. In addition, second and third generations of refugees in Pakistan and Iran may not be interested inreturning to a country that they virtually do not know. Afghans usually decide to return to Nanghahar, Kabul, Herat,
Kunduz and Jawzjan provinces and most people chose to move to provincial capitals (186). Many of the returnees
are reported by UNHCR to: ‘have been unable to reintegrate into their home communities, resulting in significant
secondary displacement, mostly to urban areas (187).’
Some Afghans decided to voluntarily return from Europe. Where in 2015, about 1,400 Afghans returned home in
the framework of IOM programmes, the same number was already reached during the first three months of 2016,
mainly from Germany, Austria and Sweden. In these first three months of 2016, the preferred destination of returnwas Herat (35%), Kabul (19%) and Balkh (12%). In 2015, Kabul was the most popular, followed by Ghazni and Balkh (188).

1.5.3. Children
More than half of the Afghan society are children below 18 (189). They belong to the most vulnerable groups ofsociety suffering from the prolonged conflict. The number of child casualties has been steadily growing since 2009.
In 2015, UNAMA reported 2,829 child casualties (733 killed and 2,096 injured) and during the first six months of 2016
there were 1,509 child casualties (388 killed and 1,121 injured). The main reasons of child casualties were: groundengagements (more than 50 %), landmine explosions (18 %), IED attacks (14 %), and aerial operations. Children werealso victims of sexual violence committed by military men, including ALP, as part of a traditional, harmful practicecalled bacha baazi (190).
The recruitment of children by insurgent groups is a growing problem. Both Taliban and IS but also ALP and PGM use
children as soldiers (191). The Taliban claims it does not deploy ‘boys with no beards’. However, there were reportsof training and deploying children for various military actions including the production and planting IEDs. Somechildren recruited from madrasas in Kunduz, Takhar, and Badakhshan provinces were 13 or younger (192). UNAMA
documented 48 boys recruited to ALP in 2015, and 4 till July 2016 but the organisation estimates that there areunreported cases (193).

(183) UNHCR, Afghanistan voluntary repatriation and border monitoring monthly update, 1 January-31 March 2016, 31 March 2016, pp. 5-6; UNHCR, Afghanistan
voluntary repatriation and border monitoring monthly update, 1 January-30 June 2016.
(184) UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016.
(185) Deutsche Welle, Afghanistan’s Minister of Refugees: ‘No agreement on taking back deportees from Germany’, 2 February 2016.
(186) UNHCR, Afghanistan voluntary repatriation and border monitoring monthly update, 1 January-30 June 2016.
(187) UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016, pp. 31-32.
(188) IOM, Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Quarterly Statistical Report, 1 January to 31 March 2016.
(189) CIA, Factbook, Afghanistan, People and Society,(190) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, pp.16-17; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016,
Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, pp. 17-18, 19; Bacha Baazi are dancing boys: Young boys who dance and are often sexually abused. This
practice is often associated with powerful men.
(191) HRW, Afghanistan: Taliban Child Soldier Recruitment Surges, 17 February 2016; Frontline, Why Afghanistan’s Children Are Used as Spies and Suicide Bombers,
17 November 2015; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 119.
(192) HRW, Afghanistan: Taliban Child Soldier Recruitment Surges, 17 February 2016.
(193) Guardian (The), My grandsons’ fight to avenge their father: child soldiers in Afghanistan, 25 May 2016; Guardian (The), US military attacked for complicity
in Afghan child soldiers after boy’s murder, 4 February 2016.

34 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Only 50 % of eligible children are enrolled in schools. The status of girls in education is considerably lower than boys
with more cases of threats and intimidation for girls. Difficulties accessing school, especially lack of schools andteachers, resulting in long walking distances and general security fears, are reasons for the low enrolment levels (194).
In 2015, 369 schools were closed because of security reasons which affected more than 139,000 students and 600
teachers (195). During the first half of 2016, UNAMA reported 46 conflict-related incidents targeting education andits personnel, a 35 % decrease compared to the same period in 2015, causing 15 civilian casualties (five deaths and
10 injured). Sometimes AGEs also try to influence the schools’ curriculum and school buildings were also used formilitary purposes, both by ANSF and AGEs (196).
Landmines and IEDs are particularly threatening for children and are the second highest cause of death and injury.
Some of the mines are constructed in such a way that children think they may be toys (197).

1.5.4. Health facilities
In 2015 and at the beginning of 2016 the number of attacks on health service facilities and its personnel increased.
Hospitals and clinics were searched by ANSF and personnel intimidated and threatened, sometimes even abducted
and killed. Security forces blocked the medical supplies for Taliban-controlled areas. Threats caused the closure ofhealth facilities and some women doctors had to resign from work. During a US airstrike in Kunduz, the Médecins
Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital was targeted. 42 people were killed and 43 injured, including 49 medical personnel.
Some other attacks on health facilities took place resulting in deaths and injuries (198).
AGEs reportedly attacked polio workers to prevent polio vaccination campaigns in different regions of Afghanistan.
Abductions and harassment of medical staff were frequently reported (199).

1.6.	Geographical overview of the security situation
1.6.1. Urban/rural divide
Afghanistan’s history is characterised by a structural urban-rural divide. Urban centres have been hubs foradministration, market-driven methods of production, taxation, education, judiciary and reforms. This helped tocreate resentment among the rural population, which did not benefit from these developments (200).
In general, Afghan urban centres are seen as more secure than rural areas and the majority of them have been
controlled by the government, protecting them against insurgent attacks. That is why they attract a large proportionof the IDPs who usually live there in informal or unplanned settlements (201). However, in 2015, the Taliban increasingly
targeted district and provincial capitals. It managed to seize some of them and control them for longer periods. In
October 2015, it captured the administrative centre of Kunduz – the first provincial capital seized by the Taliban
since 2001(202). The capital of Helmand, Lashkargah, has also come under serious pressure and was completely
surrounded by Taliban fighters closing in on the centre in August 2016, which led to a new deployment of US troops
in the town (203).

(194) UNICEF Afghanistan, Gender education and gender equality.
(195) UNICEF, Children in Afghanistan struggle to access education and healthcare, 18 April 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Thousands of students out of school due
to fighting, 31 August 2015; Tolo News, Daesh Closes Schools in Nangarhar’s Achin District, 28 August 2015.
(196) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 21.
(197) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict,July 2016, p. 21; Rasad News Agency, Landmine Explosion Kill 4 Children
in Kandahar Province, 9 August 2016; Daily Mail, The harrowing plight of children maimed in Afghanistan by the thousands of mines, 21 August 2015.
(198) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 65; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016,
Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 22.
(199) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2015, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, August 2015, pp. 22-23.
(200) Giustozzi, A. and Ibrahimi, N., Thirty Years of Conflict: Drivers of anti-Government Mobilisation in Afghanistan, 1978-2011, January 2012, pp. 7-8.
(201) Asia Foundation, A Survey of Afghan People Afghanistan in 2015, November 2015, p. 38; IDMC, Afghanistan: New and long term IDPs risk becoming neglected
as conflict intensifies, 16 July 2015; Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, State of Afghan cities, volume one, 2015, pp. 22-23; Latifi, Ali M.,
Skype interview, 7 September 2015; UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 6.
(202) US Department of Defense, Enhancing Security and Stability in Afganistan, December 2015, p. 17; UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of
Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 6; Frontier Post (The), MoD rejects fears of Lashkargah collapse, 30 May 2016; AL Jazeera, Afghanistan: Morethan 50 police killed in Helmand, 30 May 2016.
(203) Al Jazeera, Thousands flee fierce fighting in Afghanistan’s Helmand, 9 August 2016; Khaama Press, 100 American soldiers deployed to Helmand amid surge
in violence, 23 August 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 35

The main security problems in big cities are high-profile attacks, target killings and kidnappings. In spite of the visible
military presence in Kabul and other big cities, government, police and army are not able to prevent insurgent
infiltration. Kabul, which experiences high-profile attacks on a regular basis, is now divided by security walls androad barriers but still AGEs can move through the city (204).
Some urban centres suffer more security problems than others, including administrative centres in Kunduz, Helmand
but also in Ghazni, Uruzgan and Baghlan Province. Others including Mazar-e Sharif (Balkh Province) and Herat counted
the lowest numbers of civilian victims in their city centres. However, in 2015 and 2016 some high-profile attacks
were conducted in Mazar-e Sharif too (205).
The security situation in rural areas, where the vast majority of people live, is even more complicated. The Taliban, as
well as other AGE groups, maintain their power bases in rural areas where government power is more decentralisedthan major cities. In rural areas, civilians may be victims caught in a cross-fire, aerial operations and land-mines or
IED explosions. They may suffer also attacks from ALP and PGM (206). Afghans living in rural areas were significantly
more likely (30.4 %) to express support for AGEs compared to residents of urban areas (18.6 %) (207).

1.6.2. Regional differences
There are differences in the security situation in various regions of Afghanistan. At least 29 of 34 Afghan provinces
are affected by the conflict(208) and, according to Tolo News, this was especially the case for Nangarhar, Kunduz,
Kandahar, Helmand and Baghlan in the first half of 2016 (209).
According to a 2015 survey by the Asia Foundation, more than two-thirds of Afghans (67.4 %) report that they ‘always,
often, or sometimes fear for their personal safety’. The percentage of Afghans who fear for their personal safety
has risen significantly since 2006. The provinces in which the population most often reports some level of fear for
personal safety are: Wardak (96.2 %), Logar (90.6 %), and Uruzgan (90.4 %). For several years, these provinces have
faced significantly higher levels of violence and armed insurgency than other areas. Provinces in which the people
were least likely to report some level of fear are: Panjshir (7.2 %), Bamyan (18.4 %), and Badakhshan (21.7 %) (210).
From 2009 until 2014, UNAMA reported a steady increase in numbers of civilian victims in the central, eastern,south-eastern, northern, north-eastern and western regions. The South was already very violent from 2009-2010
and, in 2015, the increase in civilian casualties was most significant in the regions North-East and Centre (211).
In Figure 3, an overview of the security incidents from September 2015 to May 2016 per province is shown on
a map (212).

(204) US Department of Defense, Enhancing Security and Stability in Afganistan, December 2015, pp. 17-21; Tolo News, Increasing Security Walls Irks Kabul Residents,
26 March 2016; Wytrykowska M., Afganistan sytuacja ludności cywilnej na terenach kontrolowanych przez Talibów, May 2013; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear
Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, pp. 6.
(205) Khaama Press, Attack on Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif was planned abroad, 7 January 2016; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of
Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 6; Frontier Post (The), MoD rejects fears of Lashkargah collapse, 30 May 2016; AL Jazeera, Afghanistan: More than
50 police killed in Helmand, 30 May 2016; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 6; Diplomat(The), The Battle for Helmand: Afghanistan’s Largest Province May Fall Entirely to the Taliban, 11 August 2016.
(206) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 37, 40, 41, 77, 85, 87.
(207) Asia Foundation, A Survey of the Afghan People Afghanistan in 2015, November 2015; US Department of Defense, Enhancing Security and Stability in
Afganistan, December 2015, p. 17; USIP, Addressing Land Conflict in Afghanistan, 27 May 2015; US Department of Defense, Enhancing Security and Stability
in Afganistan, June 2016, p. 25.
(208) Afghan o line Press, Nearly 150,000 Afghans displaced in first six months of 2016: UN, 16 July 2016.
(209) Tolo News, Terror Attacks Down, Casualties Up in First Six Months of 2016: Report, 17 July 2016.
(210) Asia Foundation, A Survey of Afghan People Afghanistan in 2015, 17 November 2015, pp. 23-24, 34-40.
(211) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016 pp. 8-9(212) Map created by EASO: data on incidents provided by Western security official (see introduction).

36 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Map 5: Afghanistan: Security incidents per province (Sep 2015 – May 2016)
In figure 4, an overview is given per province of how the number of violent incidents relates to the number of
inhabitants, which can be used as one indicator in the assessment of the “real risk” of civilians suffering harm due
to violent incidents. The reference period for security incidents is also 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016. However,this is only one possible indicator among others. The risk for an individual in a province is very complex to estimate
and depends on a combination of elements, such as detailed information on the nature and target of the violent
incidents, the locations where they take place, the extent of civilian casualties, etc. Further information on the violent
incidents taken into account in this quantitative calculation and more information on relevant indicators can be foundin each provincial part of this report under Regional description of the security situation (213).

(213) Map created by EASO, sources: UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015; data on incidents provided by Western security
official (see introduction).

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 37

Map 6: Afghanistan: Number of security incidents compared to population (1 Sep 2015 - 31 May 2016)

1.6.3. Road security
Since 2013, AGEs became more successful in cutting off major roads (214). It was reported that, since early 2014, AGEs
increasingly controlled main transport and access routes. In October 2015, the Taliban blocked the major highway
from Kabul to Kandahar. The road has a history of security problems and fighting, but at that time the entire roadwas blocked causing all traffic to be stopped (215). In May 2016, the Taliban blocked the road from Kabul to Mazar-e
Sharif and kept it under control, systematically searching for government officials or sympathisers (216). Residents of
Jawzjan Province have also expressed concerns over growing security threats on Shiberghan-Sar-e Pul highway (217).
Only the short stretch between Kabul and Wardak Province is passable regularly (218). In August 2016, the Taliban
had been blocking the Helmand-Kandahar highway for several weeks (219).
Due to the increased Taliban control over rural areas (see section on armed clashes and assaults under recent
security trends) also smaller roads are less safe and people from some districts are cut off from the cities. Sometimes
the Taliban closes roads as a military strategy because it knows that this will quickly end a siege leaving the local
population with no alternative. The AGEs have closed roads in four districts of Uruzgan for this reason (220).
Kidnappings, hostage-taking and summary executions of civilians on roads are a serious and growing threat. For
example, nearly 200 men, women and children were forcibly removed from three civilian buses on 30 May 2016 in(214) Münch, P. and Ruttig, T., ‘Between Negotiations and Ongoing Resistance. The Situation of the Afghan Insurgency’, 2014; New York Times, Taliban Cut Off
Afghan Highway Linking Kabul to Northern Gateways, 14 May 2016.
(215) Osman, B., The Road to Ghazni: Bombs, battles and blockades, 13 July 2013; Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Kabul Kandahar highway remains closed off,
12 October 2015; Al Jazeera, Afghan travellers stranded after Taliban blocks highway, 14 October 2015.
(216) New York Times, Taliban Cut Off Afghan Highway Linking Kabul to Northern Gateways, 14 May 2016.
(217) Afghanistan Times, Reopening roads, 12 May 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Khas Uruzgan road reopens after 3 months, 9 July 2015; Van Bijlert, M., Trouble
in Khas Uruzgan: Insults, assaults, a siege and an airlift, 2 September 2015.
(218) NY Times, Taliban Cut Off Afghan Highway Linking Kabul to Northern Gateways, 14 May 2016.
(219) New Afghan Press, Helmand-Kandahar Highway Still Remained Blocked, 21 August 2016.
(220) Afghanistan Times, Reopening roads, 12 May 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Khas Uruzgan road reopens after 3 months, 9 July 2015; Van Bijlert, M., Trouble
in Khas Uruzgan: Insults, assaults, a siege and an airlift, 2 September 2015.

38 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Kunduz Province, and some of them were executed. In a separate incident on 1 June 2016, armed attackers abducted
25 civilian men and women who were travelling in two buses in Sar-i Pul Province. A large part of abductions
concerned Hazara people (221).
IEDs and landmines explosions are also a serious problems on Afghan roads (222).

(221) UN News Service, Afghanistan: UN mission concerned by civilian abductions and hostage-taking, 2 June 2016; UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016,
Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict, July 2016, pp. 64-66.
(222) UNAMA, Afghanistan - Midyear Report 2016, Protection Of Civilians In Armed Conflict,July 2016, pp. 48-50; Australian Government, Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, Smartraveller – Afghanistan, 23 May 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 39

2.	 Regional description of the security
situation in Afghanistan
In the following sections, security trends are explained in greater detail, per geographic subdivision (Kabul City and
34 provinces). In each provincial section a general description of the province contains information on the geography
and population, on the background of the conflict, including the actors in the conflict in the province. A second partdescribes recent trends in the security situation, including the nature of the violence, frequency, targets, locations,and victims within a timeframe from 1 September 2015 until 31 August 2016. Finally, a separate part is dedicatedto displacements.
Under the sub-sections several incidents are described. These should be read as illustrations of trends in the security
situation and not as an exhaustive list of incidents.

2.1.	Centre
2.1.1. Kabul City
General description of the city
The city of Kabul is a separate district in the province of Kabul, alongside 14 other districts. In this report, Kabul
City is highlighted because of its prominent position as Afghanistan’s capital. Because of its high concentration of
government buildings, international organisations, diplomatic compounds and international and national security
forces, the city has a different security outlook than most of Afghanistan’s other districts and provinces (223).
Kabul is by far the biggest city in Afghanistan and certainly the fastest growing. Massive returnee populations, IDPs
and economic migrants have spurred rapid growth in Kabul (224). In 2015, UN OCHA estimated the population of
Kabul to be 3,678,034 inhabitants (225). Other estimates run as high as 7 million (226). More than three-quarters of
Kabul Province’s population lives in the city of Kabul (227).
The city of Kabul is subdivided into 17 districts, often referred to as districts 1 to 17 (228). A map of UN OCHA dated
4 January 2016, shows 22 police districts (229). In early 2016, the city was without mayor due to a lack of agreement
between President Ghani and CEO Abdullah on the appointment (230).
Kabul is an ethnically diverse city with communities of almost all ethnicities. Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks,
Turkmen, Baluchs, Sikhs and Hindus all reside there (231) with no group clearly dominating. As people tend to moveto areas where they already have family or into particular districts as part of a larger group with the same ethnicity,
different neighbourhoods have become associated with different ethnic groups (232).

(223) Giustozzi, A., Afghanistan: Human Rights and Security situation, 9 September 2011; Foschini, F., Striking at Kabul, in 2013: the attack on the traffic police HQ,
21 January 2013; Lifos, Rapport från utredningsresa till Afghanistan den 5 – 8 oktober 2013, 28 November 2013; Ruttig, T., Some things got better – howmuch got good? A review of 12 years of international intervention in Afghanistan, 30 December 2013; Clark K., The triple attack in Kabul: A message? If so,to whom?, 10 August 2015.
(224) Metcalfe, V., Haysom, S. and Martin, E., Sanctuary in the city? Urban displacement and vulnerability in Kabul, June 2012 pp. 6-8; APPRO, Migration and Urban
Development in Kabul: Classification or Accomodation?, October 2012, pp. 6-8.
(225) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(226) Metcalfe, V., Haysom, S. and Martin, E., Sanctuary in the city? Urban displacement and vulnerability in Kabul, June 2012, p. 5; APPRO, Migration and Urban
Development in Kabul: Classification or Accommodation?, October 2012, pp. 6-8.
(227) ACSO, Kabul Province Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey Highlights, 13 January 2015, p. 5.
(228) ACSO, Population of Kabul city by district and sex 2012- 2013., n.d.
(229) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Kabul Informal Settlements, 4 January 2016.
(230) Washington Post, Why disaffected young Afghans are warming to a Taliban comeback, 1 March 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 150 posts lying vacant in Kabul
municipality, 11 February 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Kabulis lash out at municipality over clogged roads, 17 March 2016.
(231) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kabul Province Background Profile, n.d.
(232) APPRO, Migration and Urban Development in Kabul: Classification or Accommodation?, October 2012, p. 8.

40 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Background on the conflict and actors in Kabul CityIn April 2016, UNHCR stated in its Eligibility Guidelines that ‘the ANSF have proved generally adept in defending
provincial capitals and major urban centres, with the chief exception of the brief capture by the Taliban of Kunduz in
September 2015’ (233). This obviously includes Kabul (234). Nevertheless Kabul regularly witnesses violence. The main
tactics in Kabul are either ’high-profile attacks’ (235), ’complex attacks’ (236) or ’suicide attacks’ (237). UNAMA defines
a complex attack as ‘a deliberate and coordinated attack which includes a suicide device, more than one attacker
and more than one type of device’ (238). The pattern of a complex attack is almost always the same: an explosion,often a bomb, placed in a vehicle, which creates an entrance. Then insurgent combatants rush in and provoke anoften hour-long firefight with the ANSF (239).
The targets of these attacks have been high-profile international institutions, both military and civil – including
diplomatic personnel and western NGOs, in addition to Afghan authorities and security forces (240). The objectivesof such high-profile attacks include, apart from striking the opponent, grabbing the international media headlines
in a show of strength and sending a message to the population telling them that the Afghan government cannot
protect them (241). The weaponry used by AGEs in these attacks are generally not very sophisticated, such as assault
rifles, grenades and pistols (242). Highprofile locations are targeted with suicide bombs and IEDs (243). Also, the AGEs
occasionally target the city with rockets or grenades (244).
In Kabul, certain analysts refer to a Kabul Attack Network involved in many of the highprofile attacks. This is a networkof combatants from the Haqqani Network, Hezb-e Islami, Taliban, Al Qaeda and LeT (245).
According to the ISW in March 2015 (246):‘[t]he Haqqani Network’s ratlines to Kabul lead from its sanctuaries in Pakistan’s tribal areas, where the seniorleadership plays an important role in selecting targets and creating an overall strategy for spectacular attacks
in Kabul. Interviews with captured insurgents in Kabul in early 2015 indicate that many of them have beenradicalized and trained in the tribal areas, allegedly by Haqqani operatives. Haqqani commanders serve as the
key figures in the “network of networks” that the Kabul Attack Network uses to move suicide attackers, weapons,
and bombmaking materials into the capital from the surrounding provinces’
Another source refers to the ‘martyrdom battalion’, a sort of special forces unit, carefully screened for physicalability and religious devotion. On many occasions in Kabul these attacks are traced back to the Haqqani network (247).
According to the ISW in March 2015 (248):‘[t]he escalation of violence in Kabul is likely linked to the increase of Taliban activity in the periphery. As ISAF
troops closed their forward operating bases and pulled back to provincial capitals in the transition to Resolute
Support, the insurgency was able to operate with greater freedom of movement and consolidate pre-existingstrongholds in areas around Kabul. The insurgency maintains safe-havens in areas abutting three major highways
leading into Kabul. The Taliban can funnel weapons, funds, and fighters from these areas and along the highways(233) UNHCR, UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum-Seekers from Afghanistan, 19 April 2016, p. 11.
(234) Landinfo, Temanotat Afghanistan: Taliban – organisasjon, kommunikasjon og sanksjoner (del I), 13 May 2016, p. 25; US Department of Defense, Enhancing
Security and Stability in Afghanistan, December 2015, p. 17.
(235) US Department of Defense, Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan, December 2015; Osman, Borhan, The Fall of Kunduz: What does it tell us about
the strength of the post-Omar Taleban?, 30 September 2015.
(236) NY Times (the), Taliban Step Up Urban Assaults, Testing the Mettle of Afghan Forces, 9 January 2016.
(237) UNAMA, Afghanistan Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2015, February 2016, p. 6.
(238) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2016, July 2016, p. 4.
(239) NY Times (the), Taliban Step Up Urban Assaults, Testing the Mettle of Afghan Forces, 9 January 2016.
(240) Landinfo, Temanotat Afghanistan: Generell sikkerhet og veisikkerhet, 20 November 2015, p. 14; ISW, The Taliban Resurgent: Threats to Afghanistan’s Security,
March 2015, pp. 17-18.
(241) NY Times (the), Taliban Step Up Urban Assaults, Testing the Mettle of Afghan Forces, 9 January 2016; New Yorker (the), Not Even Kabul is Safe from the Taliban,
19 April 2016; Van Bijlert, M., A Shaken City: On the Taleban’s truck-bomb attack in Kabul, 21 April 2016.
(242) NY Times (the), Taliban Step Up Urban Assaults, Testing the Mettle of Afghan Forces, 9 January 2016.
(243) UNGASC, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security; Report of the Secretary-General, 10 June 2015, p. 4.
(244) Landinfo, Temanotat Afghanistan: Generell sikkerhet og veisikkerhet, 20 November 2015, p. 14.
(245) Roggio, B., Taliban continue to launch suicide assaults in Kabul, 29 March 2014; ISW, The Taliban Resurgent: Threats to Afghanistan’s Security, March 2015,
p. 18; Roggio, B., US military searches for Kabul Attack Network members, 27 April 2016.
(246) ISW, The Taliban Resurgent: Threats to Afghanistan’s Security, March 2015, p. 18.
(247) NY Times (the), Taliban Step Up Urban Assaults, Testing the Mettle of Afghan Forces, 9 January 2016.
(248) ISW, The Taliban Resurgent: Threats to Afghanistan’s Security, March 2015, p. 18.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 41

in order to support operations in Kabul. The Taliban’s ability to reinforce the Kabul Attack Network is made easierby an ineffective ANSF presence around the capital. With their limited capabilities, Afghan forces are reportedly
struggling to maintain an adequate level of security on the roadways leading into Kabul’
One attack on a Shi’ite religious congregation in October 2015 was claimed by the Islamic State (249).
Apart from conflict-related violence, Kabul City sees a high and rising crime rate. Regularly, the Afghan police parade
hundreds of criminals in one month in Kabul, involved in, for example, murder, armed robbery and car jackings (250).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Kabul City counted 151 security incidents. The following table provides an
overview of the nature of the security incidents (251):
Violence targeting individuals

21

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

18

Explosions

50

Security enforcement31

Non-conflict related incidents

28

Other incidents

3

Total security incidents

151

The Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD) compiled all major
incidents that happened in Kabul for the last few years (252). Here follows a non-exhaustive listing of incidents forthe reporting period September 2015 to August 2016 according to this ACCORD-compilation and, where referenceddifferently, completed with other sources. In September 2015, a police officer was killed by a MIED attached to hiscar. The same month, the head of the ALP in Logar was shot. In October 2015, at least seven policemen were injured
in an attack on the adjacent houses of a tribal elder and the former governor of Helmand (253). One civilian was killed
and three wounded in an attack on a religious congregation site in the Chendawol area. In the same month, an attack
on a restaurant was thwarted by the security forces killing two suicide bombers. A convoy of UK military vehicles
was targeted with an IED causing seven victims but not hitting the intended target. In November 2015, a former
diplomat and political analyst was shot. In the same month, an election commission official was targeted by a suicide
attack which killed a security guard and injured his driver. In December 2015, a complex attack on an international
guesthouse near the Spanish embassy killed four Afghan policemen and two Spanish guards and injured sevenothers. A suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of IMF near the airport but instead killed at least one civilian. At
the start of 2016, a suicide bomber targeted the French restaurant, Le Jardin, killing two Afghan civilians, including
a child, and injuring 18 more (254). The next day a compound for foreign contractors near the airport was targetedwith a truck bomb, killing one civilian and wounding 22. A magnetic bomb was attached to a car in Wazir Abkar Khan,and a driver exploded his suicide vest when stopped at a checkpoint near the airport but failed to detonate his carbomb (255). In January 2016, a minibus carrying personnel of Tolo News TV station was targeted by a suicide bomber
after the Taliban declared Tolo News a military target for reporting the events in Kunduz in September 2015. In thisincident at least seven people wer killed and 25 injured. In February 2016, the headquarters of the ANCOP weretargeted by a suicide bomber, killing 20 police officers and injuring 29. The same month, another suicide bomber
targeted the ministry of Defense, killing 12 people and wounding eight others including many civilians. In March
2016, a bomb targeted a former senator in the Panjshir Watt area, but instead killed a man, woman and two children,
all pedestrians, and wounded 15 (256). Security forces thwarted an attack on the house of the head of the NDS and(249) Khaama Press, ISIS claims responsibility for the attack on a religious hall in Kabul, 10 October 2015.
(250) Pajhwok Afghan News, 569 criminals detained in one month in Kabul, 12 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Kabul police parade 400 crime suspects,
weapons, 10 January 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 277 detained in Kabul over various crime, 11 May 2016.
(251) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(252) ACCORD, ecoi.net featured topic on Afghanistan: General Security Situation in Afghanistan and Events in Kabul, last update 11 May 2016; ACCORD, ecoi.net
featured topic on Afghanistan: General Security Situation in Afghanistan and Events in Kabul, last update 5 July 2016.
(253) Khaama Press, Suicide attack rocks capital Kabul, 5 October 2015.
(254) UNAMA, UNAMA condemns Taliban attacks in Kabul city that kill five and injure 56, 6 January 2016.
(255) Tolo News, 1 killed, 30 wounded in Kabul car bomb, 4 January 2016; NY Times (The), Bombings near Kabul Airport add to String of Attacks around Afghan
Capital, 4 January 2016; UNAMA, UNAMA condemns Taliban attacks in Kabul city that kill five and injure 56, 6 January 2016.
(256) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 killed, 15 wounded in bomb attack on ex-senator, 29 March 2016.

42 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

against the Ministry of Interior in May 2016 (257). In April 2016, a magnetic bomb was attached to a bus carrying
Ministry of Education personnel, killing one person and wounding five (258). On 19 April 2016, a truck bomb exploded
and targeted a former NDS building housing a unit tasked with the close protection of senior government officials
and VIPs. The attack resulted in at least 68 dead and 347 wounded. As the explosion took place in a civilian area,
next to a bus stop, the vast majority of the dead and wounded were civilians. This attack recalls in magnitude andmethod the attack in the Shah Shahid neighborhood in August 2015 (259). In May 2016, NDS shot a suicide bomber
before he could reach his target (260). A retired judge was gunned down in Kart-e Naw (261). In June 2016, an Afghan
MP was killed in an explosion near his house (262). In June 2016, 14 Nepali security guards were killed after a suicide
bomber hit a minibus in Kabul (263). In August 2016, AGEs conducted a complex attack against the American universityof Kabul, killing 13 people, including students and a professor, and injuring dozens of others (264).
The most deadly attack happened on 23 July 2016, when two explosions targeted a demonstration by membersof the mainly Shi’ite Hazara minority in Kabul. This attack resulted in at least 80 dead and 230 wounded. IslamicState claimed responsibility for the attack. This was one of the worst attacks in many years in terms of casualties in
Kabul (265).
In January 2016, the Italian embassy was targeted by a rocket and in March 2016 three rockets were fired at theParliament building, both incidents without casualties (266). During a visit of US Secretary of State in April, several
rockets exploded outside the Presidential Palace and outside the US Embassy. This attack led to no casualties, but
a girls’ school was hit (267). Another girls’ school was torched after the guard was killed in Kabul. This is reportedly
the first such incident in Kabul (268).
Displacement
Kabul City continues to attract significant numbers of displaced persons, with at least 3,000 families requiring
assistance in the first quarter of 2016 (269). In the first three months of 2016, 2,800 IDPs were registered in Kabul (270).
In the UNHCR Monthly Updates on Conflict Induced Displacement from September 2015 to November 2015, Kabul is
not mentioned as a province of origin for conflict induced IDPs, only as province of arrival of certain IDP movementsfrom other provinces. IDPs choose Kabul largely due to the perception of a better security situation and the hope
to find better coping mechanisms (271).
IDPs in Kabul City originate from neighbouring districts and other provinces from the central region such as Kapisa,
Wardak and Logar, but also from Kunduz and Nangarhar. During the crisis in Kunduz, Kabul saw a major influx of IDPs
from that province. Most found refuge with family or friends, but many did not and were scattered around the city.
Most of the IDPs from Kunduz returned quickly after the city was retaken by government forces (272).
The total number of IDPs in Kabul is unknown. There are different categories of IDPs: those fleeing armed conflictand security problems, returnees who could not return to their place of origin and live in secondary displacement,
people fleeing natural disaster and nomads such as Kuchi and Jogi. 40 % of returnees do not or cannot return to their(257) Pajhwok Afghan News, Explosives laden car seized near Interior ministry in Kabul, 17 May 2016.
(258) ACCORD, ecoi.net featured topic on Afghanistan: General Security Situation in Afghanistan and Events in Kabul, last update 11 May 2016.
(259) Van Bijlert, M., A Shaken City: On the Taleban’s truck-bomb attack in Kabul, 21 April 2016; Graham-Harrison, E., Kabul car bomb reminds us this bloody conflictis no nearer an ending, 19 April 2016.
(260) Pajhwok Afghan News, Suicide bomber shot dead in Kabul, NDS, 28 May 2016.
(261) Pajhwok Afghan News, Judge gunned down by unidentified assailants in Kabul, 20 May 2016.
(262) ACCORD, ecoi.net featured topic on Afghanistan: General Security Situation in Afghanistan and Events in Kabul, last update 7 July 2016.
(263) ACCORD, ecoi.net featured topic on Afghanistan: General Security Situation in Afghanistan and Events in Kabul, last update 7 July 2016.
(264) CNN, Kabul university attack: 13 killed as gunmen open fire on campus, 25 August 2016; Fox News, At least 13 killed, 36 wounded in attack on American
University in Afghanistan, 25 August 2016.
(265) Reuters, Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul attack, 80 dead, 24 July 2016.
(266) ACCORD, ecoi.net featured topic on Afghanistan: General Security Situation in Afghanistan and Events in Kabul, last update 11 May 2016.
(267) Al Jazeera, Rockets hit Afghan capital after Kerry visit, 9 April 2016; Tolo News, Rocket attack targets girls school in Kabul, 10 April 2016.
(268) Tolo News, Gunmen kill security guard, torch girls school in Kabul, 18 January 2016.
(269) UNGASC, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security; Report of the Secretary-General, 10 December 2015, p. 13.
(270) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced Displacements - Snapshot (1 January - 31 March 2016), 16 May 2016; UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced
Displacements - Snapshot (1 January – 30 April 2016), 16 May 2016.
(271) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement in 2015: the Year in Review, 28 April 2016, p. 9.
(272) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015; UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement
Monthly Update, October 2015; UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015; UNHCR, Conflict-induced
Internal Displacement in 2015: the Year in Review [map], 28 April 2016, p. 9.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 43

place of origin. IDPs in Kabul do not necessarily live separated from the other urban dwellers and often mingle withother vulnerable groups such as the urban poor, returnees and economic migrants. Most IDPs settle in informal andillegal settlements around the city. Informal settlements are not in accordance with the Kabul City Master Plan, but
based on agreements between the owner and the residents. It is estimated that 70 % to 80 % of Kabul is ‘informal’.
As these families pay taxes, they have better access to services. Illegal settlements have sprung up in places where
there has not been an agreement with the land owner, often the Afghan state. They are often referred to ‘Kabul
Informal Settlements’ or KIS, which include some of the poorest and most vulnerable households in the city (273). As
of January 2016, UNOCHA counted 48 such settlements with almost 55,000 inhabitants (274).
Apart from internal displacement due to the conflict in Afghanistan, Kabul City saw large flows of Afghan refugees
returning from neighbouring countries, putting further strain on the city’s services. At the same time, humanitarian
aid over recent ears decreased resulting in less support and services, traditionally provided for by NGOs (275).

2.1.2. Kabul Province
General description of the province

Kabul Province is made up of 15 districts with the district of Kabul City at the centre: Bagrami, Chaharasyab, Deh
Sabz, Istalif, Farza, Guldara, Kabul, Kalakan, Khake Jabbar, Mir Bacha Kot, Musayi, Paghman, Qarabagh, Shakardara,
Surobi (276). The province is estimated to have 4,372,977 inhabitants, of which 3,678,034 live in Kabul City (277).
Kabul Province is located in the Central Region and is bordered by the provinces of Parwan to the northwest, Kapisa
to the northeast, Laghman in the east, Nangarhar in the southeast, Logar in the south, and Wardak in the southwest.
More than half of the province is mountainous or semimountainous terrain while more than one third of the area(273) Metcalfe, V., Haysom, S. and Martin, E., Sanctuary in the city? Urban displacement and vulnerability in Kabul, June 2012, p. 6; AAN, Afghanistan’s Returning
Refugees: Why Are So Many Still landless?, 29 March 2016.
(274) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Kabul Informal Settlements, 4 January 2016.
(275) USIP, The Forces return of Afghan Refugees and Implications for Stability, January 2016; AAN, Afghanistan’s Returning Refugees: Why Are So Many Still
landless?, 29 March 2016.
(276) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(277) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.

44 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

is made up of flat land (278). Major roads depart from Kabul City north toward Kunduz and Mazar-e Sharif throughthe districts of Shakardara, Mir Bacha Kot, Kalakan and Qarabagh in the Shomali plain, east to Jalalabad throughthe districts of Bagrami, Khak-e Jabbar and Surobi and south to Kandahar through Paghman and to Pul-i Alam and
Gardez through Bagrami and Chahar Asayab (279).
Major ethnic groups in Kabul Province are Tajik, Pashtun and Hazara. According to UNHCR district profiles dating from2002, Pashtuns dominate the southern and eastern districts of Surobi, Paghman, Chaharasyab, Bagrami, Deh Sabz,
Khake Jabbar and Musayi, and Tajik dominate the northern districts of Istalif, Kalakan, Mir Bacha Kot, Shakardara and
Qarabagh. In other districts, no ethnic group is clearly dominant (280). North of Kabul City lies the Shomali plain which
stretches for 70 kilometres from the outskirts of the city to the Salang pass. The inhabitants of the Shomali plain are
mainly Tajik and, to a lesser extent, Uzbek, Hazara and Pashtun (281). It is a fertile and comparatively rich area and,because of its developed agriculture, considered the orchard of Kabul. The area has been a central part in Afghan
economy and politics for a long time (282). The security situation in Kabul City is outlined in the previous chapter.
Background on the conflict and actors in Kabul Province
Surobi or Sarobi district is particularly affected by Taliban infiltration (283). In Surobi, most of the heavy fighting
between AGEs and French military forces happened in the Uzbin valley. Uzbin is a side valley in Surobi on the way
to Jalalabad. The valley extends for some 30 kilometres north of the district centre and the highway that crosses it.
Security incidents on the stretch of the highway passing by the mouth of the valley were frequent. Uzbin is nestledamong other insecure districts, such as Tagab of Kapisa Province, Qarghayi and Badpakh of Laghman and Hesarak in
Nangarhar, to which it connects through relatively easily traversable passes. The broader area is reported as being
increasingly controlled by the armed opposition and became an important crossing point and sanctuary for AGEs (284).
Residents of the upper Uzbin valley complained in September 2015 about poor economic circumstances, violenceagainst women and the lack of professional teachers because of the presence of AGEs (285).
Analyst Foschini stated in July 2015 ‘[r]ecently, security on the [Kabul-Jalalabad] highway has deteriorated again, withrecurrent attacks against ANSF posts and vehicles even in broad daylight. Most [incidents] happened where the roadabuts the mouth of the Uzbin valley’ (286). The rising security risks on that road led to a major offensive by ANSF in
September 2015 (287). The operation lasted for several weeks and went all the way up in the Uzbin valley (288). However,according to Foschini, [p]revious military operations to improve security mostly aimed at dislodging insurgent groups
from the Tor Ghar massif to the south of the highway (right on the border between Laghman and Nangrahar), andwere temporarily effective at reducing attacks on the road. The threat coming from Uzbin, however, in light of thestrong position held by AGEs there, will be much more difficult to address (289).
According to Foschini, in July 2015 ‘security observers report declining numbers of ANSF troops and decreased
effectiveness of the ANSF operations in Sarobi, due to a lack of resources and poor coordination. […] The government’s
sway over the whole of Sarobi had grown weaker in recent years. Not only is all of upper Uzbin completely beyond
the control of the ANSF; other areas in the districts do not fare much better’ (290).
Other districts were also infiltrated by AGEs, and to a lesser extent so were Musayi, Chahar Asyab, Khak-e Jabbar
and Bagrami (291). Musayi and parts of Deh Sabz are described by ISW as ‘high confidence Taliban support zones’,
while Paghman and parts of Khak-e Jabbar, Bagrami and Chahar Asayab are described as ‘low confidence Taliban(278) WFP, Provincial Profile. Kabul, n.d.
(279) UNOCHA, Afghanistan. Kabul Province District Atlas, April 2014.
(280) UNHCR, Kabul District Profiles, 2002.
(281) OSI, Casting Shadows: War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity: 1978-2001, 2005, p. 127.
(282) Foschini, F., Elections 2014 (6): Two types of security in Shomali, 7 April 2014.
(283) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(284) Foschini F., Classics of Conflict (2): Reviewing some of Afghanistan’s most notorious hotspots, 9 July 2015; APPRO, Afghanistan: Monitoring Women’s Securityin Transition, June 2013, p. 20; Pajhwok Afghan News, Hesarak on the verge of falling to rebels, 12 July 2014.
(285) Tolo News, Security officials take steps to rid Surobi of Taliban, 30 September 2015.
(286) Foschini F., Classics of Conflict (2): Reviewing some of Afghanistan’s most notorious hotspots, 9 July 2015.
(287) Pajhwok Afghan News, Operation begins secure Kabul-Jalalabad highway, 15 September 2015.
(288) Tolo News, Security officials take steps to rid Surobi of Taliban, 30 September 2015.
(289) Foschini F., Classics of Conflict (2): Reviewing some of Afghanistan’s most notorious hotspots, 9 July 2015.
(290) Foschini F., Classics of Conflict (2): Reviewing some of Afghanistan’s most notorious hotspots, 9 July 2015.
(291) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 45

support zones’(292). Paghman, bordering Wardak, is described as a safe shelter for illegal armed groups and AGEs (293).
Paghman is, nevertheless, an attractive spot for picnics and weekends out for many Kabulis (294). Taliban presencein Musayi and Guldara go underreported, according to analyst Thomas Ruttig (295).
AGEs active in the province include the Taliban, Haqqani Network and Hezb-e Islam (296). According to analyst Foschini,fighters from Hezb-e Islami (Hekmatyar) and the Taliban were consistently present in Surobi, although Hezb-e Islami
were traditionally stronger in Surobi (297). According to a source in Kabul, it is tensions between Jamiaat and Hezb-eIslami that facilitate insurgent infiltration in Surobi (298). In November 2015, NDS claimed to have arrested four
members of the Islamic State, sent to Paghman from Achin, Nangarhar (299).
According to a source in Kabul, 350 ALP are deployed in three districts – Surobi (150 men), Musayi and Paghman(100 men each) (300). In Surobi, according to Foschini, ‘ALP units man a handful of posts besides the district centre
bazaar, but are too small (four to five, at most ten, local policemen) to withstand attacks by the insurgents’ (301).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Kabul Province, including the city, counted 312 security incidents. The
following table provides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (302):
Including
Kabul City

Excluding
Kabul City

Violence targeting individuals

26

5

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

107

89

Explosions

80

30

Security enforcement

67

36

Non-conflict related incidents

29

1

Other incidents

30

Total security incidents

312

161

From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Kabul Province experienced 312 security incidents. These include 151
in Kabul City alone. Excluding the figures for Kabul City, as discussed in the previous chapter, Kabul Province only
accounts for 161 incidents. While suicide attacks and IED explosions are much less common in the province than in
the city, the majority of armed clashes and stand-off attacks occurred in the province. Another remarkable differenceis that almost all of the non-conflict related incidents, mainly crime-related incidents, occurred in the city.

(292) ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of April 12, 2016, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of February 23, 2016,23 February 2016.
(293) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(294) Tolo News, Visitors continue to flock to Paghman, despite deadly attack, 18 September 2015.
(295) Ruttig T., the second Fall of Musa Qala: How the Taleban are expending territorial control, 3 September 2015.
(296) Münch, P. and Ruttig, T., ‘Between Negotiations and Ongoing Resistance. The Situation of the Afghan Insurgency’, 2014, pp. 25-41.
(297) Foschini F., Classics of Conflict (2): Reviewing some of Afghanistan’s most notorious hotspots, 9 July 2015.
(298) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(299) Pajhwok Afghan News, NDS arrests 4 Daesh affiliates in Paghman, 26 November 2016.
(300) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(301) Foschini F., Classics of Conflict (2): Reviewing some of Afghanistan’s most notorious hotspots, 9 July 2015.
(302) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

46 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Kabul Province (303):
Surobi86

Chaharasyab

3

Paghman

21

Shakardara

3

Qarabagh14

Kalakan2Bagrami

11

Farza

0

Deh Sabz

8

Istalif0

Khak-e Jabbar

7

Mir Bacha Kot

0

Musayi6

Guldara0

Examples of violent incidents reported in the media point to a similar pattern as in Kabul City: roadside or suicidebombs with high-profile targets. North of Kabul, two soldiers died when their truck hit a landmine in Kalakan district in
September 2015 (304). A few days later, a car bomb targeted the car of the son of a member of parliament in Qarabagh
district, injuring one bodyguard (305). In Paghman, AGEs also occasionally targeted high profiles. In September 2015,
a suicide bomber targeted the police headquarters killing four people, including the head of Criminal Investigation
Department, and injuring 41, mostly civilians (306). In November 2015, Khaama Press reported that the Taliban was
mobilising in Deh Sabz district while NDS stated the Deh Sabz shadow district governor was killed in fighting in Behsud,
Nangarhar (307). In May 2016, a suicide bomber targeted a minibus carrying Wardak court personnel in Paghman,
killing 11 people and injuring 10. According to UNAMA, six victims where children (308). In June 2016, a prosecutor
was abducted and killed in Qarabagh district (309).
In Khak-e Jabar, a roadside bomb went off in September without an apparent target, killing four civilians and wounding
seven; all victims were travelling from Logar to Kabul (310).
As of June 2016, the ISW considered a pocket south of the Kabul-Jalalabad highway as under control of the Taliban,
and the surrounding areas, including the area through which the highway passes, are considered ‘high confidence
Taliban support zones’ (311).
Displacement
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, reported throughout 2015 ‘a continuous influx’ offamilies fleeing the intensification of the conflict between the Taliban and Islamic State-affiliated groups in Nangarhar,
particularly in Surobi, and a ‘steady pace’ of conflict-induced displacement from neighbouring provinces Kapisa,
Wardak and Parwan (312).UNHCR also reported an unknown number of IDPs from unnamed districts in Kabul towards
Kabul City (313).

(303) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(304) Khaama Press, Two soldiers martyred in landmine explosion in Kalakan district of Kabul, 9 September 2015.
(305) Khaama Press, Car bomb goes off in Kabul’s Qarabagh district, 12 September 2015.
(306) Khaama Press, Four killed and 41 wounded in Kabul suicide attack, 16 September 2015.
(307) Khaama Press, Taliban shadow governor for Kabul’s Deh Sabz district among five killed, 22 November 2015.
(308) UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), UNAMA condemns attack targeting judicial authorities, 25 May 2016.
(309) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2016, July 2016, p. 61.
(310) Khaama Press, Four civilians killed, seven wounded in landmine explosion in Kabul’s Khak-e-Jabar, 19 September 2015.
(311) ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of April 12, 2016, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of February 23, 2016,23 February 2016; ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of June 30, 2016, 14 July 2016.
(312) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement in 2015: the Year in Review, 28 April 2016, p. 9.
(313) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 47

2.1.3. Kapisa
General description of the province

Kapisa is a province in central Afghanistan. According to OCHA, the population is 441,010 (314). Kapisa is bordered by
Panjshir, Laghman, Kabul and Parwan provinces and is divided into seven districts: Tagab, Nejrab, Alasay, Mahmud-eRaqi, Hisa-e Awal-e Kohestan, Hisa-e Duwum-e Kohestan, and Koh Band (315). The capital is Mahmud-e Raqi. The
province comprises diverse ethnic groups, mainly Tajik, also Pashtun, Pashai, Hazara, Nuristani and Kuchi (316). Tajik
live predominantly in the northern districts of Mahmud-e Raqi, Hisa-e Awal-e Kohestan, Hisa-e Duwum-e Kohestanand Nejrab, while Pashtun predominantly live in Tagab and also Nejrab. Pashai live predominantly in Alasay and
Kohband (317). Agriculture is the main source of income (318).
Background on the conflict and actors in Kapisa
According to Fabrizio Foschini, Kapisa is sociologically divided between a southern part where the population
sympathises with the AGEs and a northern part, loyal to Jamiat-e Islami making community support for the Taliban
less likely (319).
According to Obaid Ali in April 2015, the three worst districts, security-wise, were Alasai, Tagab and Nejrab (320).
In 2015, these southern districts accounted for most of the incidents causing civilian casualties in Kapisa (321). The
southern district Tagab is connected to the districts of Surobi in Kabul and Badpakh in Laghman through relatively
easily traversable passes. Therefore the broader area became an important crossing point and sanctuary for AGEs
(314) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015, 26 August 2015.
(315) MRRD, Kapisa Provincial Profile, March 2014.
(316) Tolo News, Provincial Profile: Kapisa, n.d.
(317) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(318) ISW, Regional Command East, n.d.
(319) Foschini, F., In Kabul’s Shadow: the attacks in the provinces on 15-16 April, 24 April 2012.
(320) Ali, O., Fire in Pashai Hills: a two-district case study from Kapisa, 6 April 2015.
(321) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.

48 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

moving deeper into Afghanistan from the border area (322). Infiltration through this ‘Tagab-Surobi corridor’, but also
resentment at the dominance in provincial politics and security organs of northern Tajiks, fuelled the insurgency in
Kapisa (323). The Taliban was said to control a crucial stretch of a highway leading into Kabul (324).
In recent years the Taliban was said to be a disciplined force that has been able to operate freely and with an exacting
ability to issue and execute orders in southern Kapisa (325). In 2014 and early 2015, it was reported that in Tagab andAlasay, the Taliban control was such that ANSF were allowed by the Taliban to go out of their bases only one hour a day
to go to the bazaar, unarmed (326). In April 2015, Obaid Ali stated that the Taliban had established an administrative
system governing Alasay district, including a military council, a finance department and even a detention centre (327).
In Tagab, Alasay and Nejrab, the government was said to ‘operate in the shadows’ (328). Tagab and Alasay judiciary
moved to the provincial capital because of security risks (329). Instead, the Taliban was running courts in mosques or
private houses (330). Insurgent presence and security problems in Tagab, Alasay and parts of Nejrab also prevented
humanitarian access to the population (331). Residents of Tagab and Alasay complained about the lack of medical
facilities, posing serious problems, especially for pregnant women (332). In 2015, the 201st ANA army corps was also
active in Tagab, according to Pajhwok Afghan News (333).
In Alasay, powerbrokers linked to the Jamiat-e Islami staged an uprising against the Taliban in July 2014 but without
support from the government or the ANSF, this uprising failed. The Taliban took control over the villages where theuprising started and burnt the houses of the families of the commanders (334). A tashkeel of 700 ALP was allocated to
Kapisa, 300 to Tagab and Alasay each and 100 to Nejrab. There were concerns about accountability and the captureof the ALP programme by particular strongmen and political factions. In Alasay, the ALP remains cantoned in the
ANA base in the district centre because of security fears (335).
After Islamic State fighters came under increasing pressure in Nangarhar, rumours spread about an IS presence in
Tagab in of December 2015. Government sources said IS was distributing night letters and an IED carrying the flagof IS was defused in the bazaar (336).
Violence in the northern districts is more linked to political tensions between Hezb-e Islami and Jamiaat-e Islami (337).
Kohband, despite not hosting many supporters of the Taliban, is also said to host a variety of illegal armed groups
that carry out assassinations and targeted killing on a daily basis, according to Obaid Ali. Commanders affiliated toHezb-e Islami and Jamiaat-e Islami continuously fight each other. In the Durnama valley of the district, a lasting feud
between competing commanders has disrupted people’s lives. Girls are said to be kept at home from school because
parents fear they might be get caught in fire fights and schools often close altogether (338).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Kapisa Province counted 126 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (339):(322) Foschini, F., Classics of Conflict (2): Reviewing some of Afghanistan’s most notorious hotspots, 9 July 2015.
(323) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(324) NY Times (The), Hour’s Drive Outside Kabul, Taliban Reign, 22 November 2014.
(325) NY Times (The), Hour’s Drive Outside Kabul, Taliban Reign, 22 November 2014.
(326) Ali, O., Fire in Pashai Hills: a two-district case study from Kapisa, 6 April 2015; NY Times (The), Hour’s Drive Outside Kabul, Taliban Reign, 22 November 2014.
(327) Ali, O., Fire in Pashai Hills: a two-district case study from Kapisa, 6 April 2015.
(328) NY Times (The), Hour’s Drive Outside Kabul, Taliban Reign, 22 November 2014; Ruttig, T., The Second Fall of Musa Qala: How the Taleban are expanding
territorial control, 3 September 2015.
(329) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(330) Ali, O., Fire in Pashai Hills: a two-district case study from Kapisa, 6 April 2015; NY Times (The), Hour’s Drive Outside Kabul, Taliban Reign, 22 November 2014.
(331) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Kapisa Province Humanitarian Profile, June 2015.
(332) Pajhwok Afghan News, Alasai, Tagab residents desperate for health facilities, 17 December 2015.
(333) Pajhwok Afghan News, 13 Taliban, 2 ANA troops killed in Tagab offensive, 3 October 2015.
(334) Ali, O., Fire in Pashai Hills: a two-district case study from Kapisa, 6 April 2015.
(335) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(336) Pajhwok Afghan News, 10 Daesh fighters dead in airstrike, clash with Taliban, 28 December 2015.
(337) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(338) Ali, O., Fire in Pashai Hills: a two-district case study from Kapisa, 6 April 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Civilians suffer from fight between illegal armed groups,
24 April 2015.
(339) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 49

Violence targeting individuals

6

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

96

Explosions

16

Security enforcement8

Non-conflict related incidents

0

Other incidents

0

Total security incidents

126

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Kapisa Province (340):
Tagab

57

Hisa-I Duwum-e Kohestan

4

Nejrab38

Koh Band

1

Mahmud-e Ragi

16

Hisa-i Awal-e Kohestan0

Alasay10

In the provincial capital, ANSF defused a car bomb in January 2016 (341) and a bomb exploded in May 2016 in frontof a teachers’ training centre, wounding 6 civilians (342).
In the rest of the province in September 2015, two Taliban commanders from Tagab who had travelled to Nangarhar
to fight the Islamic State were killed. The ALP commander for the district stated that the security had improved
since (343). Nevertheless, in October 2015 the situation in both Tagab and Alasay became very unstable. At the startof the month, the 201st ANA army corps conducted a large-scale operation in Tagab district, called ‘Khanjar 13’.
Several AGEs and two or three ANA soldiers were killed in the fighting that lasted for at least four days. A provincial
council member quoted by Pajhwok stated local residents suffered material loss (344). A few days later, AGEs stageda large-scale attack on the Alasay district centre. The attack was repulsed by ANSF and AGEs suffered heavy losses.
According to local residents quoted by Pajhwok, about 12 civilians also suffered casualties. In an incident where
rockets hit a residential house, two family members were killed and three, including a woman, were wounded (345).
A few days later fighting erupted again in Tagab, when AGEs captured and torched several checkpoints. About 130
local families fled the conflict to Kabul (346). In the subsequent operation to retake their positions, ANSF killed several
AGEs (347). In the fighting that followed for days, a rocket hit a mosque during Friday prayers and several civilians
were injured by shrapnel (348). In the following days AGEs staged another attack on the Alasay district centre butwere repelled again. Local officials claimed the attack was staged by 2,000 Taliban and that they killed at least 30 ofthem (349). After weeks of fighting, the government claimed to have killed 60 AGEs and wounded 120 more. Hundredsof families were displaced by the violence (350).
In December 2015, the violence spread to Nejrab, where ANSF and ALP staged several clearing operations against
the AGEs. In return, AGEs burned the houses of certain ALP members, causing many of them to flee the district (351).
In January 2016, the fighting resumed in Tagab when dozens of AGEs stormed several police posts but were repulsedby the army. Both sides suffered casualties (352). In February 2016, Afghan Special Forces, backed by air support of
the Afghan Air Force, held a clearing operation in Tagab. According to residents, some houses were damaged (353).

(340) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(341) Khaama Press, Police prevent terrorist attack in Kapisa, 13 January 2016.
(342) Pajhwok Afghan News, Blast hits Kapisa teachers training centre, 6 injured, 25 May 2016.
(343) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 notorious Taliban commanders eliminated, 14 September 2015.
(344) Pajhwok Afghan News, 13 Taliban, 2 ANA troops killed in Tagab offensive, 3 October 2015.
(345) Pajhwok Afghan News, 14 rebels dead, attack on Alasai district repulsed, 9 October 2015.
(346) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban torch 3 checkpoints in Kapisa’s Tagab, 14 October 2015.
(347) Pajhwok Afghan News, Security forces retake some areas in Tagab, kill 9 rebels, 15 October 2015.
(348) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 worshippers wounded when rocket hits Tagab mosque, 17 October 2015.
(349) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban suffer losses, attack on Ala Sai beaten back, 19 October 2015.
(350) Pajhwok Afghan News, 60 militants killed, 120 injured in Kapisa clashes, 23 October 2015.
(351) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban torch houses of ALP members in Kapisa, 16 December 2015.
(352) Pajhwok Afghan News, Casualties as forces and rebels clash in Kapisa, 25 January 2016.
(353) Pajhwok Afghan News, Commander among 4 insurgents killed in Kapisa operation, 15 February 2016.

50 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

In March 2016, security forces held a large clearing operation in Nejrab, called ‘Khanjar 21’. Government sources
claimed to have killed between 23 and 30 AGEs and injured 27 more during the 18-day operation. Local sources
quoted by Pajhwok claimed the violence killed four civilians while 14 were injured. According to these sources, theviolence displaced 1,500 families (354). Simultaneously, the Taliban launched an attack on several ALP positions in
Tagab (355).
In April 2016, there were heavy clashes in Alasay (356) and Tagab, where AGEs again stormed an ANA security post (357).
In these contested districts, AGEs also regularly targeted government officials or civilians over allegations of spying
for the government. These include an attack on a former advisor to president Karzai, targeted with explosions in
Tagab district in September 2015. His son and brother were wounded in the attack (358). A doctor was killed bygunmen in Tagab in February 2016 (359). In February 2016, a MIED attached to a Ministry of Justice vehicle exploded
and injured one boy and four men (360). In April 2016, local residents of the Nejrab district claimed that the Taliban
had executed 25 civilians in the past five years over charges of spying for the government. Apparently, they mainly
target village elders for supporting the government (361). Also in April 2016, a Taliban member accused of spying
for the government was executed in Tagab district (362). In August 2016, Pajhwok reported the targeted killing ofa religious leader in Hisa-e-Awal-e-Kohestan (363).
As of June 2016, according to the Institute for Study of War, much of Tagab is under Taliban control, while big partsof Alasay and Nejrab are ‘high confidence Taliban support zones’. ‘Low confidence support zones’ connect theseareas with Parwan and Baghlan (364).
In a clash between two villages over a long-running feud, one person died and four others were wounded in Hisa-e
Duwum-e Kohestan district in April 2016 (365). The clash continued in May 2016, when a six-year-old girl was killed
and six others, including a women, were wounded (366).
Displacement
The violent clashes, which lasted for weeks in Tagab and Alasay districts in October 2015 led to hundreds of families
being displaced from their homes. The crossfire of ground engagements of both sides, and Taliban warnings to the
population ahead of their offensives, led many in these districts to flee to Kabul, Jalalabad and other districts in
Kapisa (367). In September and November 2015, UNHCR mentioned displacement from Kapisa to Kabul (368).
From January to April 2016, UNHCR profiled 5,100 IDPs from Kapisa, mainly from Tagab and Alasay. Parts of thispopulation movement went to Kabul (369).

(354) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kapisa offensive leaves 3 dead, 7 wounded, 10 March 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Militant commander, woman dead in Kapisa
operation, 12 March 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 24 Taliban militants killed in Kapisa & Ghazni clashes, 23 March 2016; Tolo News, 23 insurgents killed in
Kapisa operation, 29 March 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 23 militants killed, 27 injured in Kapisa offensive, 30 March 2016; Khaama Press, Taliban suffer
heavy casualties in Kapisa military operation, 31 March 2016.
(355) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban commander eliminated in Kapisa, 11 March 2016.
(356) Tolo News, Heavy fighting underway in over 10 provinces, 16 April 2016.
(357) Pajhwok Afghan News, 17 insurgents eliminated in Kapisa & Logar provinces, 28 April 2016.
(358) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kapisa blast injures family members ex-advisor, 23 September 2015.
(359) Tolo News, Unknown gunmen kill Kapisa doctor, 15 February 2016.
(360) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2016, July 2016, p. 46.
(361) Pajhwok Afghan News, Insurgents execute 25 on spying charges in Kapisa, 6 April 2016.
(362) Pajhwok Afghan News, Militants execute man on spy charge in Tagab, 22 April 2016.
(363) Pajhwok Afghan News, Prayer leader gunned down, worshipper injured in Kapisa, 8 August 2016.
(364) ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of April 12, 2016, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of June 30, 2016, 14 July 2016.
(365) Pajhwok Afghan News, 1 dead, 4 wounded as Kapisa villagers clash, 30 April 2016.
(366) Pajhwok Afghan News, Civilians among 6 dead, 13 wounded in Kandahar & Kapisa, 10 May 2016.
(367) Pajhwok Afghan News, Recent clashes displace hundreds of families in Kapisa, 21 October 2015; UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement in 2015:
the Year in Review, 28 April 2016, p. 9.
(368) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015; UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly
Update, November 2015.
(369) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced Displacements - Snapshot (1 January - 31 April 2016) [map], 16 May 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 51

2.1.4. Panjshir
General description of the province

Panjshir Province is located in the central zone of Afghanistan and surrounded by Nuristan in the east, Kapisa in thesouth, Parwan in the west, Baghlan in the northwest, Takhar to the north and Badakhshan in the northeast. Nearly
the entire province is mountainous or semimountainous terrain while only about 4.4 % of the area is made up of flat
land (370). Panjshir was part of Parwan prior to 2004 (371). The province has an estimated 153,487 inhabitants (372).
Panjshir Province consists of the following districts: Bazarak, Dara/ Ab Shar, Khenj (HeseAwal), Onaba (Anawa),
Paryan, Rukha, Shutul (373). The capital is Bazarak. 98 % of its inhabitants are believed to be Tajiks while some Sunni
Hazaras live in Dara and Paryan districts. A very small population of Kuchi is also reported (374).
In February 2015, avalanches killed at least 186 people in Panjshir Province (375).
Background on the conflict and actors in Panjshir
Panjshir is a largely ethnically homogenous province, and its terrain and historical role against the Taliban has
rendered insurgent infiltration difficult (376). Because of their central role in the events after September 11th, 2001,
Panjshiris, as the ethnic Tajiks of the valley are known, went on to dominate the initial post-Taliban order in both
politics and security forces (377).

(370) MRRD, Panjshir Provincial Profile, n.d.
(371) ISW, Panjshir Province. Regional Command East, n.d.
(372) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(373) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(374) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons; MRRD, Panjshir Provincial Profile, n.d.
(375) AP, Afghan Avalanche Death Toll rises amid Rescue Efforts, 28 February 2015.
(376) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(377) NY Times (The), Recalling Past Threats, Afghans in Tranquil Valley Work to Keep It That Way, 13 January 2014.

52 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Panjshir is historically linked to the Jamiat-e Islami and its armed wing Shurae Nazar. These links date back to both
the Jihad during Soviet presence and the Taliban in 1996-2001. The political space in Panjshir is therefore dominatedby the Jamiate Islami party and former Shurae Nazar networks. Shurae Nazar was founded by the late Ahmad Shah
Massoud. According to a source in Kabul, Hezb-e Islami previously had followers in the valley but under Massoud’s
leadership Hezb-e Islami followers were persecuted, leaving Jamiat uncontested dominance in the province eversince (378). Massoud is buried in the province and his shrine regularly attracts high-placed people from Kabul (379).
A deep and narrow gorge at the valley’s mouth keeps the province very isolated and makes it very difficult toaccess (380). Because of its geographical isolation and ethnic homogeneity, AGEs have not maintained a hold in thisprovince. Nevertheless, authorities are concerned about insurgent intrusion through IDP movements, mainly comingfrom Nuristan (381).
The latest major security incidents in the province were attacks against the provincial governor’s office in May 2013
and against the district administrative centre of Dara and the wellguarded gate to the province in May 2014 (382).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Panjshir Province counted only 1 security incident (383): In April 2016, an
IED exploded at night outside the compound of a senior government official in the capital Bazarak. There were nocasualties reported (384).
Displacement
No displacement has been registered from Panjshir in the period September 2015 to April 2016 (385). In October 2015,
80 families who fled violence in the north of the country were said to live in dire conditions in the province (386).

(378) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(379) Pajhwok Afghan News, President and CEO arrive in Panjshir province, 1 January 2016.
(380) NY Times (The), Recalling Past Threats, Afghans in Tranquil Valley Work to Keep It That Way, 13 January 2014.
(381) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(382) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(383) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(384) Western security official, anonymous source specialised in security in Afghanistan, email, 20 June 2016.
(385) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement in 2015: the Year in Review, 28 April 2016; UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced Displacements - Snapshot(1 January - 31 April 2016), 16 May 2016.
(386) Pajhwok Afghan News, 80 families displaced to Panjshir live in dire conditions, 4 October 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 53

2.1.5. Parwan
General description of the province

Parwan Province is located north of Kabul and surrounded by Bamyan, Baghlan, Kapisa, Kabul and Wardak provinces.
More than twothirds of the province is mountainous or semimountainous terrain while about one quarter of thearea is flat land (387). Parwan Province is made up of the following districts: Bagram, Charikar, Ghorband (or Siagherd),
Jabalussaraj, Kohe Safi, Salang, Sheikhali, Shinwari, Surkhe Parsa and Saydkhel (388). Parwan is estimated to have664,502 inhabitants; its capital Charikar houses an estimated 57,746 (389).
Dari and Pashtu are the main languages spoken in the province; however Dari speakers outnumber Pashtu speakers
by a ratio of 5 to 2 (390). According to an anonymous source in Kabul, 70 % of Parwan’s inhabitants are Tadjik, 18 %Pashtun, 11 % Hazara and 1 % Turkmen (391).
Ethnic Tajiks have a presence in every district in Parwan and are the majority in Salang. Shinwari has a Pashtun
majority and Ghorband a significant Pashtun population (392). Parwan Province also has a population of Kuchis or
nomads whose numbers vary in different seasons (393). According to a source in Kabul, Tajiks live predominantly in
Charikar, Salang, Jabalussaraj, Saydkhel, Bagram, Surkh-e Parsa and some parts of Sheikhali districts while Pashtuns
predominantly live in the more restive districts of Shinwari, Koh-e Safi and parts of Ghorband. Hazaras and the small
Turk minority reside in Shekhali and Surkh-e Parsa districts (394).

(387) MRRD, Parwan Provincial Profile, n.d.
(388) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(389) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(390) MRRD, Parwan Provincial Profile, n.d.
(391) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(392) Ruttig, T., Ghorband – A valley once friendly, 19 July 2011.
(393) MRRD, Parwan Provincial Profile, n.d.
(394) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.

54 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Background on the conflict and actors in Parwan
Surkh-e Parsa is also inhabited by Sunni Hazara, who are, according to analyst Thomas Ruttig, traditionally at odds
with the Shia Hazara in Bamyan and therefore supportive of Hezb-e Islami (395).
Through the province runs Highway 1 connecting Kabul with Pule Khumri and other northern provincial capitals.
From the Charikar, the principal access road to Bamyan, the Ghandak Highway runs over the Shibar pass and throughthe Ghorband valley (396). In Bagram lies an important military airfield which once was the largest American militarybase in the country where at its peak 40,000 military personnel and civilian contractors lived. The base also houses
an infamous detention centre, previously run by the US but handed over to the Afghan government by the end of2014 (397). The base still houses the bulk of the remaining 9,800 US troops in Afghanistan (398).
In recent years, the security situation in Parwan deteriorated steadily due to insurgent activity and clashes between
AGEs and ANSF, but equally through the presence of illegal armed groups, often thought to be linked with local
powerbrokers, and criminality. Widespread firearms possession, poverty and unemployment contribute to thesedevelopments (399). In the large Ghorband valley, which stretches over the districts Shinwar, Ghorband and Shekhali,security has deteriorated since 2009. The ANSF responded with various clearing operations in restive areas (400).
Reportedly, in 2015 there were 150 ALP in Ghorband (Siagherd), 116 with 50 ‘volunteers’ in Shinwari and 134 in Koh-e
Safi districts, although it was difficult to determine the exact presence on the ground as ALP are regularly targetedby AGEs (401). According to a local official, quoted by Pajhwok, in July 2015 the province had about 1,000 policemen.
He said the province needed 3,000 more to maintain law and order (402). Besides ANSF, IMF remained active in theprovince in and around the military airbase in Bagram and in the Ghorband valley mainly through airpower and theuse of UAVs or drones. The raid on a local powerbroker’s compound in Charikar in June 2015, with international
ground troops and air support, was an anomaly in this respect (403).
In 2014, Landinfo noted that the insurgent groups active in the province included the Taliban, Hezb-e Islami, IMU
and Al Qaeda (404). Thomas Ruttig reported in 2011 that Pashtuns in Ghorband have traditionally been pro-Hezb-eIslami but the Taliban has been able to absorb some of its structures during their regime. Local Taliban networks
have been reactivated and a provincial shadow administration has been set up (405).
A source in Kabul stated (406):‘The Taliban in the province are constituted primarily by locals. In the mountainous Ghorband valley, Shinwari isa predominantly Pashtun district while Sia Gird [Ghorband] is a mixture of Pashtun and Tajiks. Koh-e-Safi district
is located on the eastern part of the province with a Pashtun population (Safi). The presence of insurgents can be
attributed to numerous factors: one is the perception of marginalisation by the communities from the provincial
government dominated by Jamiat-affiliated Tajiks which has contributed to the alliance of former HIG [Hezb-eIslami/Gulbuddin] commanders with Taliban; another is unresolved grievances and political divisions of past
decades nurtured by key powerbrokers to further their political goals. An additional element, is the rural povertyof mountain valleys with deeply traditional and isolated communities sympathetic to religious fundamentalism,
among other reasons’(395) Ruttig, T., Ghorband – A valley once friendly, 19 July 2011.
(396) Landinfo, Temanotat Afghanistan Sikkerhetsoppdatering, 9 January 2014, p. 19.
(397) Time, Inside Afghanistan’s Bagram Airfield, 27 February 2015.
(398) Daily Beast (The), Worst attack in 18 months shocks U.S. military, 21 December 2015.
(399) EASO, Country of Origin Information Report. Afghanistan. Security Situation, January 2016, pp. 49-50.
(400) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(401) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(402) Pajhwok Afghan News, Insecurity growing in Parwan say dwellers, 20 July 2015.
(403) Tolo News, Attack on former jihadi leaders house sparks protest in Parwan, 29 June 2015.
(404) Landinfo, Temanotat Afghanistan Sikkerhetsoppdatering, 9 January 2014, p. 20.
(405) Ruttig, T., Ghorband – A valley once friendly, 19 July 2011.
(406) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 55

In September 2015, an international organisation active in the province reported on IS infiltration and a few activities
in parts of Parwan such as Shinwari, Ghorband and Koh-e Safi districts coming from the neighbouring Baghlan
Province to Ghorband and Shinwari districts. But they reportedly have met resistance from some local AGEs (407). It
is estimated that some 300 AGEs are active in the Ghorband valley (408).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Parwan Province counted 140 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (409):
Violence targeting individuals

10

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

72

Explosions

25

Security enforcement25

Non-conflict related incidents

5

Other incidents

3

Total security incidents

140

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Parwan Province (410):
Ghorband (Siagherd)

43

Saydkhel

4

Bagram38

Salang4

Shinwari

20

Surkh-e Parsa

3

Charikar

16

Shekhali

2Koh-e Safi

8

Jabalussaraj

2

In September 2015, unknown gunmen attacked a wedding party, killing two people and injuring five. It was suggested
that the perpetrators were an illegal armed group (411). A group of illegal armed men together with local residents
blocked the highway to Bamyan in Ghorband district in November 2015 in protest of the assignment of a new district
police chief (412).
In December 2015, the director of the Women’s Affairs Department in Parwan declared a sharp increase in violenceagainst women in the province (413).
In Shinwari district in January 2016, in the Ghorband valley, the Taliban seized seven men from their cars while
they were travelling to a wedding party and shot them in the hands or legs. According to the district governor, theincident took place in a remote area under Taliban control. Supposedly, the Taliban had targeted them because
they refused to take up arms against the government (414). In February 2016, in Ghorband district, a suicide attacker
targeting Afghan security forces detonated an improvised explosive device near the entrance of the district healthclinic, according to UNAMA, killing seven civilians and injuring seven others, including three boys (415). According to
the district police chief, who was quoted by Pajhwok Afghan News, nine civilians and four Afghan Local Police (ALP)
personnel were killed in this blast and the injured included 17 civilians and one ALP personnel (416). In another deadly
suicide attack in April 2016, eight civilians were killed and more than 30 others wounded by an insurgent riding an(407) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(408) Tolo News, Suicide bomber kills 8 and wounds 34 in Parwan, 5 April 2016.
(409) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(410) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(411) Pajhwok Afghan News, Attack on Parwan wedding party claims 2 lives, 16 September 2015.
(412) Khaama Press, Illegal armed men block Kabul-Bamyan highway in Parwan, 2 November 2015.
(413) Pajhwok Afghan News, Sharp rise in violence against women in Parwan, 2 December 2015.
(414) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban shoot and injured 7 civilians in Parwan, 26 January 2016.
(415) UNAMA, UN calls on all parties to respect health facilities, 23 February 2016.
(416) Pajhwok Afghan News, 13 killed, 18 injured in Parwan suicide blast, 22 February 2016.

56 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

explosives-laden motorcycle. Intending to target the district governor’s building, he detonated his explosives before
reaching the target in the bazaar in front of a school. Among the victims were several children and women (417). Laterin April, the Taliban district shadow governor in Ghorband was killed in an ANSF operation (418).
In Bagram, the main target remains the big international military basis and its personnel. In December 2015, a suicide
bomber targeted a joint patrol of IMF and ANSF, killing six US soldiers and injuring three Afghan policemen or one
Afghan policeman and two U.S. soldiers, depending on the source (419). In May 2016, US patrols came under attack
twice (420) and the base was targeted with rockets causing the injury of two civilians at the base (421). In August 2016,
an SVBIED targeted a NATO convoy in Bagram injuring at least three ANP escorting the convoy. The Taliban claimed
12 American soldiers and five ANP were killed (422).
In January 2016, in two separate incidents, rockets were fired at a bank in Charikar. While the buildings sufferedmaterial damage, no casualties were reported in both incidents (423).
The stretch of the road running through Ghorband is declared a ‘Taliban control zone’ and a ‘low confidence ISIS
support zone’ connects this area with Baghlan and Kapisa, according to ISW as of June 2016 (424). ‘Taliban control- andsupport-zones’ from neighbouring Tagab in Kapisa are also stretching out into Koh-e Safi district (425).
Displacement
UNHCR stated in October 2015: ‘As one of the relatively stable provinces in the Central region, in early October also
Parwan Province received IDPs from Kunduz city’. In October 2015, 223 families or 1,556 individuals were assessed
as genuine conflict IDPs (426).
In an overview of 2015, Parwan is only mentioned as one of the neighbouring provinces of Kabul, from which conflictinduced IDPs came at a ‘steady pace’ (427).
UNHCR does not mention any displacement in or from Parwan Province in the first four months of 2016 (428).

(417) Pajhwok Afghan News, Least 7 dead, 25 wounded in Parwan suicide attack, 5 April 2016; Khaama Press, Casualties feared as suicide blast rocks Parwan
province, 5 April 2016; Tolo News, Suicide bomber kills 8 and wounds 34 in Parwan, 6 April 2016.
(418) Khaama Press, Top Taliban leader killed in a special military operation in north of Afghanistan, 24 April 2016.
(419) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 American soldiers killed in Bagram suicide bombing, 21 December 2015; Daily Beast (The), Worst attack in 18 months shocks U.S.
military, 21 December 2015.
(420) Pajhwok Afghan News, Foreign troops come under bomb attack in Bagram, 3 May 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, No casualties as IED hits NATO convoy in
Parwan, 21 May 2016.
(421) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 wounded in rocket strike on Bagram airfield, police chief, 6 May 2016.
(422) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 police injured in car bomb attack, 22 August 2016.
(423) Pajhwok Afghan News, Rocket hits microfinance bank in Charikar, no casualties, 16 January 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Rocket hits Finca bank building in
Parwan, 25 January 2016.
(424) ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of June 30, 2016, 14 July 2016.
(425) ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of June 30, 2016, 14 July 2016.
(426) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, October 2015.
(427) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement in 2015: the Year in Review, 28 April 2016, p. 9.
(428) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced Displacements - Snapshot (1 January - 31 April 2016), 16 May 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 57

2.1.6. Wardak
General description of the province

Wardak Province, also known as Maydan Wardak, shares borders with Parwan and Bamiyan to the north, Kabul
and Logar in the east, and Ghazni to the south and west. More than fourfifths of the province is mountainous orsemimountainous terrain while a little more than onetenth of the area is made up of flat land. The province of Wardak
is divided into nine districts: Chak, Daymirdad, Hesae Awale Behsud, Jaghatu, Jalrez, Markaze Behsud, Maydan
Shahr, Nirkh, Sayadabad (429). The capital is the town of Maydan Shahr, which is located almost 35 kilometres westof Kabul City (430). The main KabulKandahar highway intersects the province through the districts of Maydan Shahr,
Nirkh and Sayadabad. A provincial road runs west from Maydan Shahr to Bamiyan through Jalrez and the districtsof Hisae Awal-e Behsud and Markaz-e Behsud (431). The areas around the Kabul-Kandahar highway are more densely
populated (432).
The province is estimated to house 596,287 residents (433). The major ethnic group living in Wardak Province isPashtun, followed by Tajiks and Hazaras. The local Pashtun population belongs to a variety of Ghilzai tribes, primarily
the Wardak, Kharoti and Hotak tribes (434). During spring, Kuchi migrations regularly cause violent clashes in the
predominantly Hazara Behsud districts (435).
Despite its political and strategical importance due to its proximity to Kabul and status as gateway to the south, theprovince has few resources and attracts comparatively little financial and political support. It has an unexploredmining sector which holds modest economic potential. The bulk of the agricultural production in the province comesfrom the predominantly Hazara district Markaz-e Behsud (436).
(429) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(430) Pajhwok Afghan News, Back Ground Profile of Maidan Wardak, n.d.
(431) UNOCHA, Wardak Province District Atlas, 14 April 2014.
(432) Goodhand, J. and Hakimi, A., Counterinsurgency, local militias and statebuilding in Afghanistan, January 2014, p. 17.
(433) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(434) AREU, The Political Economy Of Education and Health Service Delivery In Afghanistan, February 2016, p. 33.
(435) Landinfo, The conflict between Hazaras and Kuchis in the Beshud Districts of Wardak Province, 6 June 2011.
(436) Goodhand, J. and Hakimi, A., Counterinsurgency, local militias and statebuilding in Afghanistan, January 2014, pp. 17-18.

58 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Background on the conflict and actors in Wardak
In 2014, according to Landinfo, rebels consisted of local and regional Taliban groups, Hezb-e Islami and internationalgroups of fighters (437). The main jihadi party in the 1980s and 1990s was Hezb-e Islami and most Taliban fighters
in Wardak are former Hezb-e Islami members (438). In June 2015, the US Department of Defense reported that Al
Qaeda fighters, pushed out of their safe havens in Waziristan by a Pakistani military operation, surfaced in Wardak,
among other places, in the spring of 2015 (439). These reinforcements led to renewed fighting between Taliban andHezb-e Islami fighters in Nirkh district in the summer (440).
According to a BBC report from October 2014 on Sayadabad’s Tangi valley, this area is firmly under Taliban control. It
collects taxes, runs the schools and maintains a rudimentary court system (441). Chak, also known as Chak-e Wardak,
was considered the insurgent headquarters for the past 13 years. The Taliban had set up several checkposts in the
district and ran a parallel judicial system until it was ousted by ANSF operations in January 2015 (442).
According to Landinfo, since 2008 the Taliban has significantly destabilised the province, resulting in several areas
becoming inaccessible to government officials. As of autumn 2015, it was difficult for provincial government officials
to travel from Maydan Shahr, the provincial capital, to any of the district centres (443). According to UNHCR, in
September 2015 Wardak was in a state of permanent instability. The security situation in the summer of 2015 wastense with several security incidents, including IED attacks and explosions, targeting military forces and government
institutions. Civilian property was destroyed, which was, according to UNHCR, a violation of the principle of distinctionin International Humanitarian Law. Killing of civilians in confrontations between AGEs and ANSF was reported inseveral districts, such as Chak, Sayadabad and Nirkh (444).
In August 2015, the provincial governor labelled Daymirdad, Jaghatu, Nirkh, Chak and Jalrez as volatile districts ofthe province. He also stated ‘although Behsud is a relatively calm district, there are disturbing questions about therule of law there’ (445). These Hazara districts were de facto under the control of the political party Hezb-e Wahdat.
However, AREU stated that some Hazara areas in the province, without specifying which, were affected by Taliban
presence (446).
The US Department of State also stated that the Taliban remained active throughout 2015 in what it called their’traditional stronghold’, Wardak (447). After Jalrez saw heavy fighting in the previous reporting period (448), thegovernment created a pro-government militia outside the ALP, under the ‘National Uprising Support Strategy’ in2015 (449).
The provincial governor said the security personnel in August 2015 in Wardak numbered 5,000, compared with up to
1,500 AGEs. He also regretted the province had no independent army battalion. The four ANA battalions in Wardak
are operating under the Gardez-based brigade (450). Since October 2008, the province experienced a series of local
security initiatives (451). The ALP, like earlier initiatives, was plagued by ethnic and political problems, inadequate
vetting procedures and accountability. As a result, 258 ALP were dismissed in March 2012. According to the same
source, there seems to be an improvement since but issues of corruption and criminality among the ALP still needa lot of effort to eradicate (452). In 2014, ALP staffing levels were reduced from 1,650 in seven districts to 975 in five(437) Landinfo, Temanotat Afghanistan Sikkerhetsoppdatering, 9 January 2014, p. 21.
(438) AREU, The Political Economy Of Education and Health Service Delivery In Afghanistan, February 2016, pp. 37-38.
(439) US Department of Defense, Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan, June 2015, p. 25.
(440) Pajhwok Afghan News, Scores of dead, wounded in Hizb-e-Islami, Taliban clash, 17 June 2015.
(441) BBC, Afghanistan conflict: Life Inside a Taliban Stronghold, 20 October 2014.
(442) Tolo News, ANSF gain control of district Chak after 13 years, 28 January 2015.
(443) AREU, The Political Economy Of Education and Health Service Delivery In Afghanistan, February 2016, p. 35.
(444) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, September 2015.
(445) Pajhwok Afghan News, Effective security uplift plans drawn by Wardak governor, 8 August 2015.
(446) AREU, The Political Economy Of Education and Health Service Delivery In Afghanistan, February 2016, p. 38.
(447) US Department of Defense, Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan, December 2015, p. 1.
(448) EASO, Country of Origin Information Report. Afghanistan. Security Situation, January 2016, pp. 53-54.
(449) UNAMA, Afghanistan Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2015, February 2016, p. 65.
(450) Pajhwok Afghan News, Effective security uplift plan drawn, Wardak governor, 8 August 2015.
(451) HRW, “Just Don’t Call It a Militia” Impunity, Militias, and the “Afghan Local Police”, 12 September 2011; Goodhand, J. and Hakimi, A., Counterinsurgency,
local militias and statebuilding in Afghanistan, January 2014, pp. 19-25.
(452) International organisation, e-mail, 26 October 2014. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 59

districts, due to budgetary considerations, according to a source in Kabul (453). According to a US Department of
Defense report from April 2014, ALP is active in the districts of Sayadabad, Chakh, Nirkh, Jalrez and Maydan Shahr (454).
International Crisis Group reported about abusive behaviour by ALP and the total absence of complaints mechanisms
and accountability, e.g. in Chakh district (455).
According to UNICEF and UNAMA, in 2015 there were three incidents at health facilities and between 10 and 15
conflict-related incidents against schools (456).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Wardak Province counted 359 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (457):
Violence targeting individuals

28

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

277

Explosions

33

Security enforcement21

Non-conflict related incidents

0

Other incidents

0

Total security incidents

359

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Wardak Province (458):
Jalrez117

Maydan Shahr

26

Sayadabad

74

Jaghatu

18

Nirkh

51

Hisa-i Awali Bihsud

0

Chak

38

Markaz-e Bihsud

0Daymirdad34

In October 2015, government officials claimed Taliban had wanted to (re)take the Chak district centre and several
security posts but failed because of an ANSF ambush. ANSF claimed it killed a dozen AGEs and injured 18 more in
the clash (459).
In Sayadabad civilians regularly became victims when caught in crossfire or ground engagements, often on, or
around Highway 1. On 16 October 2015, during a clash between the Taliban and Afghan security forces in Sayedabad
district, a Taliban-fired mortar hit the Kabul-Ghazni highway, killing two civilians and injuring nine others as they weretravelling in buses (460). The clash involved heavy weapons on both sides and the highway remained closed for morethan a day (461). In December 2015, ANA fired two explosive recoilless rifle rounds that hit a mosque in Sayedabad
district, killing nine civilians, including four boys, and injuring three others (462). In February 2016, a child was shot bya soldier firing from his security post on the main Kabul-Ghazni road (463). In March 2016, a Ghazni judge was killed
while passing with his vehicle over the same highway (464).

(453) International organisation, e-mail, 26 October 2014. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(454) US Department of Defense, Report on Progress toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan, April 2014, p. 55.
(455) ICG, The Future of the Afghan Local Police, 4 June 2015, p. 10.
(456) UNAMA, Education and Healthcare at Risk: Key trends and incidents affecting children’s access to healthcare and education in Afghanistan, April 2016 p. 2.
(457) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(458) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(459) Pajhwok Afghan News, 13 rebels killed, 18 wounded in Wardak clashes, 8 October 2015.
(460) UNAMA, Afghanistan Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2015, February 2016, p. 30.
(461) Pajhwok Afghan News, Clashes Taliban block road near Maidan Shahr, 15 October 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Clashes erupt in Wardak, Kabul Ghazni highway
closed, 16 October 2015.
(462) UNAMA, Afghanistan Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2015, February 2016, p. 58.
(463) Pajhwok Afghan News, Afghan soldier accused of shooting a child detained, 20 February 2016.
(464) Pajhwok Afghan News, Ghazni urban court judge shot dead in Maidan Wardak, 26 March 2016.

60 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

In February 2016, two separate ANSF operations in Nirkh resulted in firefights with the Taliban. According togovernment sources, two commanders and a Taliban fighter were killed in these operations (465). Government
forces held a major clearing operation in the district a few days later, resulting in heavy fighting. The government
claimed to have killed a dozen Taliban fighters in the operation that lasted for days (466). It claimed to have cleared
several villages that were under Taliban control for many years (467).
On 18 February 2016, Afghan Special Forces and the IMF conducted a joint operation in the Tangi Sayedan area ofDaymirdad district and entered a government health clinic funded by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. Twopatients and a 15-year-old boy on a visit were taken to a nearby shop and summarily executed (468). Later, IMF wereaccused of complicity in the raid (469).
In May 2016, the Ministry of Defense announced it had killed the first commander of Islamic State in Wardak in anairstrike (470).
In April 2016, during fighting as a result of an attack on an Afghan security forces convoy, crossfire injured six civilians
in Sayedabad district (471).
In its mid-year report of 2016, UNAMA documented 12 abductions in Wardak Province in the first half of 2016 (472).
As of June 2016, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), most of Sayadabad, including the district
centre, and parts of Chak, Nirkh and Jalrez are under control of the Taliban. The rest of Chak, Maydan Shahr andparts of Jalrez are considered ‘high confidence Taliban support zones’, while the rest of Nirkh and a small stretch in
Hesae Awale Behsud are considered ‘low confidence Taliban support zones’ (473).
Also in August 2016, there were reports of several Taliban attacks in the province (474).
Displacement
A tense security situation and permanent instability continued to force people out of their homes. The majority of
the conflict-induced IDPs in Wardak originate from different districts around Wardak and settle in the provincial
capital Maidan Shahr (475). Kabul also continued to receive IDPs from Wardak, following large counter-insurgency
operations in 2015 (476). In an overview of the first four months of 2016, UNHCR mentions only small displacementfrom three southern districts to Ghazni (477).

(465) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 Taliban commanders eliminated in Wardak firefights, 7 February 2016.
(466) Pajhwok Afghan News, Offensive against Taliban launched in Maidan Wardak, 10 February 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Dozen Taliban eliminated in Maidan
Wardak operation, 14 February 2016.
(467) Tolo News, 12 insurgents killed in Wardak operation, 14 February 2016.
(468) UNAMA, UN calls all parties to respect health facilities, 23 February 2016.
(469) Pajhwok Afghan News, Foreign troops involved in Wardak clinic raid, SCA, 24 February 2016.
(470) Pajhwok Afghan News, Daesh commander among 4 rebels dead in airstrikes, 30 May 2016.
(471) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2016, July 2016, p. 41.
(472) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2016, July 2016, p. 66.
(473) ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of April 12, 2016, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of February 23, 2016,23 February 2016; ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of June 30, 2016, 14 July 2016.
(474) Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, 21 killed, 13 vehicles destroyed in Wardak, 21 August 2016; Bakhtar News, Armed Insurgents Sustained Heavy Casualties In
Maidan-Wardak, 21 August 2016.
(475) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, September 2015.
(476) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement in 2015: the Year in Review, 28 April 2016, p. 9.
(477) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced Displacements - Snapshot (1 January - 31 April 2016) [map], 16 May 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 61

2.1.7. Logar
General description of the province

Logar Province is located to the south of Kabul and is surrounded by Nangarhar, Paktya, Kabul, Wardak and Ghazni
provinces. The province is divided into seven districts: Azra, Baraki Barak, Charkh, Kharwar, Khoshi, Mohammad Agha,
Pule Alam (478). The provincial capital is Pule Alam. The road connecting Kabul with Gardez in Paktya runs throughthis province. The province is estimated to have 392,045 inhabitants (479).
According to a source in Kabul, the province is 70 % Pashtun and 30 % Tajik. Tajiks constitute 75 % of the populationin Charkh district, 50 % in Khushi district, 40 % in Baraki Barak, and 20-25 % in Mohammad Agha and Pul-e Alam
districts. Kharwar and Azra districts are homogenous Pashtun districts (480).
Background on the conflict and actors in Logar
According to an anonymous source in Kabul, the province was said to be one of the most volatile and kinetic provincesin the region and constitutes an ‘insurgents’ highway’ from Pakistan to Kabul, through an unguarded border of eight
kilometres in Azra district (481).
According to local officials, quoted by AAN’s Obaid Ali (482):‘the Taleban aim to rule the districts of Azra, Khoshi, Baraki Barak and Muhammad Agha. These areas borderneighbouring provinces with high insurgent activity; controlling them opens up easy supply and back-up routes.
For example, the Taleban in Azra district call in support from the Taleban front in Hesarak district of Nangarhar
province; the Taleban in Baraki Barak enjoy support from their ‘brothers’ in Sayedabad district of Maidan-Wardak
province. Another goal of the insurgents could be to connect their Logar fronts with the insurgents in Northern(478) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(479) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(480) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(481) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(482) Ali O., The empty streets of Mohammad Agha. Logar’s struggle against the Taleban, 15 December 2014.

62 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Waziristan, Pakistan. According to local journalists, the Taleban’s networks in Logar, Ghazni, Maidan Wardak andPaktia gain direct support from Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan in Waziristan. The best route for connecting thesegroups leads through the districts of Azra and Muhammad Agha, which border Pakistan’.
In December 2014, Ali described the districts Mohammad Agha, Azra, Kharwar, Baraki Barak and Charkh as worst hit
by the insurgency: ‘The situation in Logar – never completely calm – started to deteriorate in 2011. Assassinations
and kidnappings became daily news, in addition to increasing numbers of victims being caught up in the fighting
between Afghan National Security Forces and insurgents’ (483).
Relations between the local administration and communities have suffered from ANSF operations, particularly nightraids, while security problems also limited government accessibility (484). In 2013 Taliban control of the province was socomplete that even public servants turned to the Taliban courts, believing they were swifter and more honest than state
judiciary (485). Local officials admitted in 2014 that ‘most parts of Charkh, Kharwar and Azra are under the control of armed
opponents’ (486). In Mohammad Agha, the Taliban regularly pins documents to mosque walls that detail their rules andedicts, mostly calling on people not to support the government. The AGEs also deliver night letters threatening people
to stop working for government institutions or they will be killed. As a result of this, in some villages families fled theirhomes for Kabul. Local insurgents have also imposed a curfew on everyone in Mohammad Agha, except themselves (487).
According to a source in Kabul in 2015, Azra, Kharwar, Charkh and Baraki Barak districts have limited government
accessibility due to security issues (488). The US Department of State also stated that the Taliban remained active
throughout 2015 in what it called its ‘traditional stronghold’, Logar (489).
According to Ali, ‘the district centre of Mohammad Agha […], only 23 kilometres beyond Kabul’s city limits […] isa key strategic area for the Taleban – not only because of the proximity to the capital but also because from there,
local fighters can join insurgent fronts in the neighbouring provinces of Nangrahar in the east; Paktia, Paktika andKhost in the south; and Wardak and Ghazni in the west’(490).
In August 2015, more than 2,000 security forces took part in an operation called ‘Iron Triangular’ which was launchedsimultaneously from Azra district, Kabul’s Surobi district and Nangarhar’s Khogyani in order to remove insurgent safe
havens in these districts and break up the ’insurgent highway’, from Pakistan’s Waziristan to Kabul (491).
According to AAN’s Obaid Ali, Logar became a ’dangerous place to live for many residents. The number of violent
incidents and assassinations of locals committed by Taliban has increased starkly. […] Perhaps the larger numberof displaced and civilian casualties stems from the Taleban’s change in tactics, turning to larger-scale operations,but it could also hail from the ANSF’s takeover of ground engagements from ISAF’(492). Maruf Stanekzai, the headof the Stanekzai tribe, one of the dominant tribes in Mohammad Agha, told AAN in December 2014, ‘[i]n the pastfew months many innocent people in Muhammad Agha were killed by insurgents. No one is safe anymore, even inhealth clinics or mosques’ (493). This continued throughout 2015. UNAMA mentioned Logar along with Kunduz andHelmand as one of the provinces where civilian casualties from combined operations of IMF and ANSF rose in thesecond half of 2015, contrary to the national trend (494).
According to Ali, in 2014, ‘600 Afghan Local Police (ALP) and 1,200 Afghan National Police ensure the safety of Logar’s
districts. […] In some districts, like Kharwar and Azra, the ANP only manages to ensure security for the government
offices in the district centres. Suicide attacks continue to diminish the number of ALP in districts’ (495). According to(483) Ali O., The empty streets of Mohammad Agha. Logar’s struggle against the Taleban, 15 December 2014.
(484) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(485) IWPR, Taleban justice dominant in Logar province, 2 August 2013.
(486) Tolo News, Logar districts on the edge of collapse, officials, 12 December 2014.
(487) Ali O., The empty streets of Mohammad Agha. Logar’s struggle against the Taleban, 15 December 2014.
(488) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(489) US Department of Defense, Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan, December 2015, p. 1.
(490) Ali O., The empty streets of Mohammad Agha. Logar’s struggle against the Taleban, 15 December 2014.
(491) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban planned inroads in Kabul through Hesarak, 27 August 2015; US Department of Defense, Enhancing Security and Stability in
Afghanistan, December 2015 p. 30.
(492) Ali O., The empty streets of Mohammad Agha. Logar’s struggle against the Taleban, 15 December 2014.
(493) Ali O., The empty streets of Mohammad Agha. Logar’s struggle against the Taleban, 15 December 2014.
(494) UNAMA, Afghanistan Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2015, February 2016, p. 63.
(495) Ali O., The empty streets of Mohammad Agha. Logar’s struggle against the Taleban, 15 December 2014.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 63

a source in Kabul, ‘Afghan Local Police (ALP) tashkeel were allocated to Pul-e-Alam (200 men), Mohammad Agha
(200 men), Baraki Barak (150 men) and Azra (300 men). In Pul-e-Alam and Baraki Barak, a majority of the ALP was
recruited among the shia, Dari speaking minority, creating tensions with the sunni Pashtun majority’ (496).
In some districts, such as Baraki Barak, Charkh and Pul-e Alam, locals staged public uprisings against the Taliban (497).
According to a source in Kabul, the ‘popular uprisings’ in Pul-e Alam and Mohammad Agha – one of which has been
since dismantled – have been controversial for the same reasons as the ALP tashkeel: shia-dominated militias insunni Pastun communities (498).
A relatively well-known local Taliban commander, Saad Emarati, swore allegiance to the Islamic State in January 2015
but his group was pushed out of Logar by a Taliban operation in July (499) after Emarati was reportedly beheaded byIslamic State agents in June 2015 for returning to the Taliban (500). Mohammad Agha and Charkh districts, according
to the ISW, still have small pockets of IS support zones. IS reportedly recruits local fighters in Kharwar and Taliban
fighters in Azra (501).
In the north of the province, in the district Mohammad Agha, lies what Thomas Ruttig called ‘potentially the world’s
second-largest open copper pit’ – the Aynak copper mine. This project has been won by a consortium of Chinesestate-own companies but due to a precarious security situation in the area, opposition by the Taliban, archeologicalfinds on the site and – more recently – political doubts about the contract with the Chinese, this project has still noteffectively taken off (502).
There are supposedly 50 health centres in the district but it is acknowledged that this is insufficient to meet publicneed, especially for women and in rural areas (503). In 2015, there were two attacks on health facilities, according
to UNAMA (504).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Logar Province counted 180 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (505):
Violence targeting individuals

15

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

100

Explosions

32

Security enforcement28

Non-conflict related incidents

3

Other incidents

2

Total security incidents

180

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Logar Province (506):
Pul-e Alam

55

Chark

14

Barak-e Barak

42

Khoshi

12

Mohammad Agha

25

Azra

9

Kharwar23(496) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(497) EASO, Country of Origin Information Report. Afghanistan. Security Situation, January 2016, p. 62.
(498) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(499) Ruttig, T., Afghan Taliban contain Islamic State’s regional reach, 17 November 2015.
(500) Roggio B., Islamic State’s Khorasan province beheads former shura member who defected back to the Taliban, 17 June 2015.
(501) ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of April 12, 2016, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of February 23, 2016,23 February 2016.
(502) Ruttig, T., Copper and Peace: Afghanistan’s China Dilemma, 11 July 2015.
(503) IWPR, More Doctors Needed in Afghan Districts, 12 January 2016.
(504) UNAMA, Education and Healthcare at Risk: Key trends and incidents affecting children’s access to healthcare and education in Afghanistan, April 2016, p. 2.
(505) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(506) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

64 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

The provincial capital Pul-i Alam repeatedly experienced explosions in crowded areas in this reporting period. In
September 2015, a suicide bomber exploded his car in the middle of the bazaar in Pul-i Alam before reaching his
intended target, government buildings. Eight civilians were wounded in the incident (507). Another attack in front ofa bazaar in September 2015 was an MIED attached to a petrol tanker. It destroyed two ANSF vehicles that were partof the convoy and five shops, without causing any casualties (508). The judicial department head and the appellate
attorney were wounded and their driver killed after unknown gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in Pul-i Alamin November 2015 (509). In December 2015, a bomb attached to a bicycle targeted a row of policemen lining up in
front of the Kabul Bank branch in Pul-i Alam, injuring a policeman and two civilians (510). Again in front of the Kabul
Bank in Pul-i Alam, a bomb targeting a police vehicle exploded in February 2016. One civilian and two policemen were
injured in the explosion (511). One week later, another explosion targeted the police in Pul-i Alam, killing one officer
and wounding eight others (512). Also in February, a remote-controlled IED targeted the vehicle of judicial personnel
in Pul-i Alam. One police officer was killed in the explosion while four judges and four civilians sustained wounds.
Although the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, the provincial governor blamed ‘land-grabbers’ (513). Earlier
in November 2015, the provincial government clamped down on land-grabbing following a presidential decree.
Eighteen people were arrested on suspicion of having illegally seized government land in the previous 15 years (514).
In August 2016, residents of an area in the capital Pul-i Alam reported that the Taliban was forcibly collecting ushr,
an Islamic tax, on their wheat harvest (515).
In Mohammad Agha, the area of Zargon Shahr, according to Pajhwok Afghan News, is ‘infested with Taliban
militants’ (516). In September 2015, ANSF launched a clearing operation in the area, where it believed the suicide
bomber of explosion in the bazar of Pul-e Alam came from. This operation caused, according to government officials,
heavy losses to the Taliban. Four soldiers and four civilians died too (517). In March 2016, during another military
operation in the same area, the commander of the 203 military corps who was in charge of the operation was killed.
AGEs placed explosives to the gate of his ancestral home and detonated the device when he came out after a visit (518).
During more clearing operations in April 2016, the provincial governor claimed that seven Chechen fighters, including
three women, were killed (519). According to a source in Kabul, Logar’s position on the ‘insurgents highway’ from
Pakistan to Kabul results in a higherthanaverage ratio of foreign fighters.520 AAN’s Obaid Ali describes the presenceof foreign fighters, Pakistani Taliban, and Arabs, as an ‘aggravating factor’. ‘This lack of local roots among the fighterscoming and going likely contributes to the cruelty of attacks on civilians’ (521).
Despite the formal end of a combat mission for US forces in Afghanistan (522), US military forces have been very activein Logar Province. In October 2015, US forces conducted a joint operation in Baraki Barak district against Haqqani
operators, killing and injuring several of them (523). Later the same month, ANSF and US military launched a joint
operation, including air support, in Kharwar district. The operation, which killed 20 Taliban according to government
sources, and other operations in Azra, came after AGEs were suspected of trying to overrun the whole province, as(507) Pajhwok Afghan News, Suicide bombing leaves 8 injured in Pul-i Alam, 5 September 2015.
(508) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 shops, 2 police vehicles destroyed in Logar explosion, 19 September 2015.
(509) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 court officials wounded, their driver killed in Logar, 18 November 2015.
(510) Pajhwok Afghan News, Policemen, civilian wounded in Pul-i Alam, 6 December 2015.
(511) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 policemen, civilian injured in Pul-i Alam bombing, 1 February 2015.
(512) Al Jazeera, Afghan soldiers killed in blast near army camp, 8 February 2016.
(513) Pajhwok Afghan News, Judges among 8 injured in Logar bomb attack, 7 February 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Land grabbers pose serious security threatsin Logar, 8 February 2016.
(514) Pajhwok Afghan News, 18 detained on land grab charges, 9 November 2016.
(515) Pajhwok Afghan News, Logar residents say Taliban forcibly collecting Ushr, 16 August 2016.
(516) Pajhwok Afghan News, Senior military official killed in Logar bomb attack, 27 March 2016.
(517) Pajhwok Afghan News, Suicide bombing leaves 8 injured in Pul-i Alam, 5 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 70 rebels killed in Logar operation,
7 September 2015.
(518) Pajhwok Afghan News, Senior military official killed in Logar bomb attack, 27 March 2016.
(519) Khaama Press, 3 female Chechen militants among 10 killed in Logar operations, 16 April 2016.
(520) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(521) Ali O., The empty streets of Mohammad Agha. Logar’s struggle against the Taleban, 15 December 2014.
(522) New York Times (The), U.S. Combat Missions May End, but Fighting Goes On, 14 May 2016.
(523) Pajhwok Afghan News, US-Afghan raid leaves 6 Haqqanis dead in Logar, 8 Ocotober 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 65

they had done in Kunduz in September 2015 (524). The US presence in Logar comes at a cost: after a roadside bomb
targeted one of their vehicles in Pul-e Alam in October 2015, US forces were accused of firing indiscriminately at
civilians and dislodging some residents from their homes (525).
In a repetition of earlier incidents, two deminers were kidnapped in Mohammad Agha district in October 2015 (526).
In February 2016, four tribal elders were kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Azra district. They were released twodays later (527). The Taliban denied involvement in this incident and blamed pro-government militiamen for the
kidnapping (528).
In October 2015, ANSF held a week-long clearing operation in Kharwar district. The government spokesman stated the
district was previously under complete Taliban control but the operation, in which he claimed more than a hundred
AGEs had been killed, would not stop before the whole district was cleared (529). In November 2015, several Taliban,
including the district shadow governor of Khoshi, were arrested during night raids in Khoshi district (530). During more
raids in April 2016, NDS claimed to have arrested another Taliban commander and killed three of his fighters (531). In
another clearing operation in Baraki Barak district in January 2016, a civilian was killed in the crossfire when ANSF and
Taliban clashed (532). During a night raid in Pul-e Alam in April 2016, another Taliban commander was arrested (533).
One child was killed and three other were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in Charkh district in February
2016. Government officials stressed this road was not used by ANSF, only by locals who want to visit the nearby
shrine (534). Shrines have been targeted by AGEs before (535).
In the previous reporting period, several incidents were mentioned in which schools, teachers, students or education
officials were targeted, resulting in limited access to education (536). Such incidents continued to happen throughout
this reporting period. In September 2015 two schoolchildren were killed and three others wounded when a roadsidebomb exploded while they were going to school in Azra district (537). A teacher was shot in Pul-i Alam at the end of
May 2016 (538).
According to reports by ISW in 2016, large parts of the southern districts Baraki Barak, Charkh and Kharwar are under
Taliban control. Most of the rest of the province is considered ‘high confidence Taliban support zone’. In February
2016, ISW considered the Charkh district centre contested by Taliban, but not anymore in April 2016 (539).
Displacement
In November 2015, UNHCR reported that 174 families had fled the violence, intimidation and harassment.
Displacement occurred gradually from January 2015 to November 2015 and largely within the province. Most IDPs
were displaced from Pul-e Alam, Baraki Barak, Khoshi, Kharwar, to the provincial centre and to relatively safe areasof Mohammad Agha and Pul-e Alam districts. 346 families from Logar were reported in Kabul (540). From January to
April 2016, 2,100 IDPs were reported in Logar. Most of them moved around in the province or to Kabul (541).

(524) Pajhwok Afghan News, Afghan-US forces kill 20 insurgents in Logar, 20 October 2015.
(525) Pajhwok Afghan News, US forces accused of killing 4 civilians in Logar, 12 October 2015.
(526) Pajhwok Afghan News, Gunmen kidnap 2 de-miners in Logar, 11 October 2015.
(527) Pajhwok Afghan News, Logar tribal elders freed; payment of ransom ruled out, 23 February 2016.
(528) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 Tribal elders kidnapped in Azra, Taliban deny involvement, 21 February 2016.
(529) Pajhwok Afghan News, 110 militants killed in Logar, Taliban refute, 15 October 2015.
(530) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban’s shadow district chief among 6 detained in Logar, 25 November 2015.
(531) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban military commander held in Logar raid, 3 April 2016; Khaama Press, Senior Taliban injured shortly after returning from Pakistan
to Logar, 4 April 2016.
(532) Pajhwok Afghan News, Civilians among 3 dead in Logar clearing operation, 28 January 2016.
(533) Pajhwok Afghan News, Notorious Taliban commander captured, weapons seized in Logar, 11 April 2016.
(534) Pajhwok Afghan News, 1 child killed, 3 wounded by Taliban-planted bomb in Logar, 24 February 2016.
(535) EASO, Country of Origin Information Report. Afghanistan. Security Situation, January 2016, pp. 61-62.
(536) EASO, Country of Origin Information Report. Afghanistan. Security Situation, January 2016, p. 60.
(537) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 schoolchildren dead in Logar roadside bombing, 10 September 2015.
(538) Pajhwok Afghan News, School teacher gunned down in Logar, 1 June 2016.
(539) ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of April 12, 2016, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of February 23, 2016,23 February 2016; ISW, Afghanistan partial threat assessment as of June 30, 2016, 14 July 2016.
(540) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, November 2015.
(541) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced Displacements - Snapshot (1 January - 31 April 2016), 16 May 2016.

66 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.2.	Central Highlands
2.2.1. Bamyan
General description of the province

Bamyan Province borders Samangan province to the north, Baghlan, Parwan and Wardak to the east, Ghazni andDaykundi to the south and Sar-e Pul and Ghor to the west. It is divided into 7 districts: Bamyan, Kahmard, Panjab,
Sayghan, Shibar, Waras and Yakawlang (542). Bamyan City is the capital of the province (543). Bamyan Province ismountain-locked, people mainly live in the Bamyan valley in the east and in the Band-e-Amir valley in the west (544).
The province has an estimated 447,218 inhabitants (545). The large majority of the population belongs to the Hazara
ethnic group, followed by Tajiks, Tatars and Pashtuns (546). Dari is the dominant language (547), more than 96 % of the
inhabitants speak it (548).
The Kabul-Bamyan highway is one of the two main routes connecting Bamyan with the capital via Wardak. The
pass is 60 kilometres closer to Kabul than the route via Parwan Province (549). In March 2016 Kam Air began directcommercial flights between Kabul and Bamyan (550).

(542) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Bamyan Province - Reference Map, 18 February 2014.
(543) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Bamyan Province - Reference Map, 18 February 2014.
(544) Bamyan Tourism, The Land, n.d.
(545) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(546) MRRD, Report of the Survey on Agricultural and Rural Development Potential in the Central Highlands of Afghanistan, November 2010, p. 19.
(547) Afghan Ag, Bamyan, n.d.
(548) ISW, Regional Command East, n.d.
(549) Pajhwok Afghan News, Hajigak Pass reopens for traffic, 26 April 2015.
(550) Khaama Press, Kam Air starts direct commercial flights to Bamyan for the first time, 9 March 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 67

Background on the conflict and actors in Bamyan
The Taliban’s establishment in the province is illustrated by its exploitation of the Kahmard mine in Bamyan since2013. After the official closure of the mine, the Taliban extracted coal from it, which provided it with a stable sourceof income of reportedly more than 3,000 USD per day. The closure of mines in Bamyan in 2013 left approximately
4,000 young men unemployed and several of them have since joined the AGEs’ ranks (551).
According to provincial officials, Taliban fighters have attempted to attack Bamyan from the neighbouring Baghlan (552).
In recent years many incidents of violence have been reported in Shikari valley in Sayghan district (553).
In November 2015, the activity of very few Islamic State AGEs was reported in Bamyan (554).
The ALP programme is not present in Bamyan (555).
According to Khaama Press, Bamyan is ‘a relatively peaceful province’ (556). Local officials stated in February 2016that Bamyan is a stable province (557).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Bamyan Province counted 33 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (558):
Violence targeting individuals

4

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

12

Explosions

1

Security enforcement9

Non-conflict related incidents

4

Other incidents

3

Total security incidents

33

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Bamyan Province (559):
Kahmard12

Sayghan

4

Shibar8

Yakawlang2

Bamyan7

In February 2016, NDS officials seized arms from a Taliban cache in Shibar district. The arms were hidden by Mullah
Seddiqullah, who is a Taliban commander in Tala Wa Barfak district of Baghlan (560). In April 2016, NDS officials
discovered caches of weapons and explosives in Kahmard district near the border with Baghlan province (561).
In May 2016, Taliban fighters from Baghlan attacked police checkpoints in Shikari valley in Sayghan district of Bamyan
but the Afghan security forces repelled the attack; they killed six Taliban fighters and injured 10 others. Three police
officers were also killed and five others injured in the clashes (562).
There were several demonstrations in Bamyan Province. In September 2015, civil-society activists protested in theprovince against the killing of civilians in different parts of the country (563). In October and November 2015, teachers(551) Afghanistan Today, Taliban making thousands of dollars every day from ‘closed’ mines in Bamiyan and Wardak, 15 July 2015.
(552) Afghanistan Times, Six militants killed in Bamyan, 21 May 2016.
(553) Afghan Zariza, Community leaders in Bamyan and Baghlan join hands to tackle the issue of insecurity, 6 May 2015.
(554) Oxford Analytica, Afghan Taliban contain Islamic State’s regional reach, 17 November 2015.
(555) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 89.
(556) Kahrami Shahid rence Map, 19yanf 2016 operation in Sabari district; haama Press, Kam Air starts direct commercial flights to Bamyan for the first time,
9 March 2016. ahrami Shahid rence Map, 19yanf 2016 operation in Sabari district;(557) Pajhwok Afghan News, ‘Iranian-made’ bombs discovered in Bamyan, 28 February 2016.
(558) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(559) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(560) Pajhwok Afghan News, ‘Iranian-made’ bombs discovered in Bamyan, 28 February 2016; BAAG, Afghanistan in February 2016, n.d.
(561) Pajhwok Afghan News, NDS operatives seize weapons catches in Bamyan, 10 April 2016.
(562) Afghanistan Times, Six militants killed in Bamyan, 21 May 2016; Rasad News Agency, Three Policemen killed and Five Others Injured in Bamyan, 21 May 2016.
(563) Pajhwok Afghan News, Civilian deaths blamed on govt’s indifference, 10 September 2015.

68 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

protested because the government had not paid their salaries for several months (564). In November 2015, civilsociety acitivists held a gathering and hundreds of peope staged protests in Bamyan condemning the beheading ofHazaras by the Islamic State in Zabul (565). In February 2016, hundreds of people demonstrated against the abductionof some Bamyan residents on their way to Kabul (566). On the Kabul-Bamyan route a number of kidnappings werereported in the first quarter of 2016 (567).
In February 2016, hundreds of people demonstrated against the road conditions in the province (568). Between
January and May 2016, several demonstrations were staged in Bamyan against the change in the route of the
Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) power project. A decision was made to routethe project through the Salang Pass rather than Bamyan (569). The project – financed by the Asian Development
Bank – seeks to boost access to electricity. A major feature of the project is linking together the 10 separate gridsthat provide electricity in Afghanistan (570).
Displacement
The Central Highlands saw the lowest levels of displacements in 2015 (571). In November 2015, small-scale
displacements were profiled in Bamyan (572).
In February 2016, some families left their villages in the province and relocated to urban areas, including Bamyan
City, because of water shortages and limited access to agricultural land in their areas of origin (573).

(564) Pajhwok Afghan News, School teachers sit-in a protest in Bamyan, 7 October 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Teachers stage a protest in Bamyan, 2 November 2015;
Pajhwok Afghan News, Bamyan teachers protest non-payment of salaries, 2 November 2015.
(565) Pajhwok Afghan News, Bamyan activists seek justice for Daesh victims, 11 November 2015.
(566) Pajhwok Afghan News, Protest, 7 February 2016; Khaama Press, Afghan MPs warn government for changing TUTAP route from Bamyan to Salang, 4 May 2016;
Pajhwok Afghan News, TUTAP project route change triggers angry protest in Bamyan, 6 May 2016.
(567) Khaama Press, Kam Air starts direct commercial flights to Bamyan for the first time, 9 March 2016.
(568) BAAG, Afghanistan in February 2016, n.d.
(569) Pajhwok Afghan News, Protest, 7 May 2016.
(570) ADB, Sector assessment (summary): Energy, n.d.
(571) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-induced Internal Displacement 2015: The Year In Review, April 2016, p. 2.
(572) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015, p. 2.
(573) UNOCHA, Humanitarian Bulletin, Afghanistan, 01-29 February 2016, 13 March 2016, p. 5.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 69

2.2.2. Daikundi (Dai Kundi)
General description of the Province

Located in the Central Region, Daikundi is surrounded by Ghor Province in the north, Bamyan province in the east,
Ghazni province in the south, Uruzgan province in the southwest and Helmand province in the west574. Besides theprovincial capital Nili, Daikundi consists of the following districts: Ashtarlay, Kajran, Khadir, Kiti, Miramor, Sang-eTakht, Shahrestan and Gizab/Patoo (575).
Regarding the establishment of the province of Daikundi, sources differ. According to Pajhwok Afghan News, Daikundi
was once a district of Uruzgan Province and was given the status of a separate province in 2003 (576). However,according to the Dutch embassy in Kabul, Daikundi originated from the province of Uruzgan in March of 2004.
Additionally, it was stated that the exact borders of the districts and the province are not clear (577). Moreover, thedistrict of Gizab is disputed (578). According to AAN, Gizab is formally still part of Daikundi Province, despite the factthat in 2006 it was temporarily placed under the authority of the province of Uruzgan, a decision that still stands,
even though at that time there was no government presence there (579).
About 80 % of Daikundi is mountainous. Due to heavy snowfall in the long winter, roads remain blocked for months,
cutting the communication of the province with rest of the country (580).

(574) Pajhwok Afghan News, Daikundi province background profile, n.d.; Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Central Statistics Organization, Socio-demographic andEconomic Survey – Daykundi, 2012, p. 15.
(575) UNOCHA, Daykundi Province – Reference Map [map], 18 February 2014.
(576) Pajhwok Afghan News, Mineral resources of Daikundi province, 1 February 2014.
(577) Royal Netherlands Embassy in Kabul (The), Context Analysis/URUZGAN Province, August 2006, p. 3.
(578) Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Central Statistics Organization, Daykundi province, Socio-demographic and Economic Survey, Highlights, 2014, p. 5.
(579) Van Bijlert, M., Trouble in Gizab; the fight everyone chose to ignore, 31 October 2011.
(580) Pajhwok Afghan News, Daikundi province background profile, n.d.; Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Central Statistics Organization, Socio-demographic andEconomic Survey – Daykundi, 2012, p. 15.

70 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

The main crops in the province are wheat, barley, potatoes, almonds and beans. However, Daikundi is one of theleast productive provinces agriculturally; most of the land is barren and inaccessible (581). According to UNODC, 381
hectares of opium poppy were cultivated in Daikundi in 2015, which represents a 35 % decrease from 2014 (582).
UN OCHA estimated the population for 2015 to be 424,339 in Daikundi (583). Hazaras form the majority in the province.
Daikundi also has small populations of Pashtun, Balochi and Sayeed (584).
In June of 2015, the second female governor in Afghanistan, Masooma Muradi, was appointed to the province of
Daikundi (585).
Background on the conflict and actors in Daikundi
Daikundi was regarded as a relatively safe area by Pajhwok Afghan News in March 2015 (586), although locals
complained about the presence of illegal armed groups in the province, extortion, kidnapping of girls and armed
robbery (587). According to a provincial council member, Khadir, Sang-e-Takht and Ashtarlay districts have becomeless secure due to the presence of “illegal gunmen” such as the Pesaran-i-Mublaigh group, led by former jihadi
commanders who reportedly captured 23 policemen in late August 2015 (588).
According to an international organisation, as of September 2015 a substantial number of schools were closed dueto the Taliban’s presence as it ideologically opposes the education of girls (589).
As stated by UNODC in December 2015, Daikundi was the only province in the southern part of the country (590)
where security was generally good, with the exception of Kajran district (591). Kajran – where ANA troops werereportedly deployed in 2015 (592) – was regarded as unstable by Pajhwok Afghan News since it also borders theprovince of Helmand (593).
According to residents of Kajran, the district was on the brink of falling under Taliban control in March 2015. A memberof the provincial council stated that seven villages including Gharma, Menara and Chobzar had already fallen to the
Taliban, with security forces having been deployed to the area, which, according to the source, apparently was not
sufficient. However, a security official stated that Kajran was under the control of the government (594).
According to UNAMA, the ALP programme has not been present in Daikundi (595).

(581) Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Central Statistics Organization, Socio-demographic and Economic Survey – Daykundi, 2012, p. 15.
(582) UNODC, Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015, Cultivation and Production, December 2015, pp. 12-13.
(583) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(584) Die Zeit, Bei den Hazara von Daikundi, 5 January 2014; ISW, Regional Command South, Day Kundi province, n.d.
(585) Khaama Press, President Ghani appoints female governor for Daikundi province, 5 June 2015; International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015.
(586) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kajran district may fall to Taliban, residents warn, 25 March 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Daikundi security forces professionally
improved: officials, 30 March 2015.
(587) Pajhwok Afghan News, Daikundi security, stability top priority: PC, 31 May 2015; Tolo News, Daykundi Resident’s Protest over Irresponsible Armed Men,
8 April 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Daikundi residents protest against Mubaligh brothers, 31 March 2015.
(588) Pajhwok Afghan News, Illegal armed men’s influence growing in Daikundi: PC member, 30 August 2015.
(589) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015.
(590) The UNODC report refers to Daikundi, Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul as the Southern Region. UNODC, Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015, Cultivation
and Production, December 2015, p. 20.
(591) UNODC, Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015, Cultivation and Production, December 2015, p. 12.
(592) Sada-e Azadi, Daikundi security forces professionally improved: officials, 31 March 2015.
(593) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kajran district may fall to Taliban, residents warn, 25 March 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Daikundi security forces professionally
improved: officials, 30 March 2015.
(594) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kajran district may fall to Taliban, residents warn, 25 March 2015.
(595) UNAMA, Afghanistan Annual Report 2015, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 67.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 71

Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Daikundi Province counted 48 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (596):
Violence targeting individuals

7

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

26

Explosions

8

Security enforcement6

Non-conflict related incidents

1

Other incidents

0

Total security incidents

48

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Daykundi province (597):
Kajran18

Shahristan

2

Khadir

14

Gizab

1

Ishtarlay

7

Miramor

1

Kiti

2

Sangh-e Takht

1

Nili

2

In March 2016, Kajran residents expressed fear about a possible spillover of security threats into their area from
Baghran district of Helmand and Charchino town of Uruzgan provinces. According to the head of the Kajran Ulema
Council, the district was facing a serious security threat from the two neighbouring districts with the Taliban planningto spread its activities to central Afghanistan through Kajran as part of its spring offensive. A provincial council
member from Kajran said that several residents of Daikundi Province had been killed or wounded by the AGEs enroute to Helmand and Uruzgan provinces (598).
Nearly a dozen security checkposts fell to the Taliban in Gizab district in the end of May 2016. ANA admitted
a shortage of troops there but denied the district had fallen (599).
Displacement
According to UNHCR and UN OCHA, there were no IDPs recorded in or out of Daikundi from September 2015 until
29 May 2016 (600).

(596) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(597) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(598) Pajhwok Afghan News, Daikundi governor pledges improved security, 10 March 2016.
(599) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban overrun 11 police check-posts in Uruzgan’s Gizab district, 31 May 2016.
(600) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015; UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, October
2015; UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015; UNHCR, Afghanistan conflict-induced internal displacement 2015:
the year in review, April 2016; UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced Displacements - Snapshot (1 January - 30 April 2016), 15 May 2016; UNOCHA,
Afghanistan: Conflict induced displacements, Actual displacements between 1 January 2016 and 29 May 2016, 5 June 2016.

72 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.3.	South
2.3.1. Kandahar
General description of the province

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 73

The southern province of Kandahar is surrounded by Uruzgan Province in the north, Zabul Province in the east andHelmand Province in the west, while it borders Pakistan in the south (601).
Kandahar consists of Kandahar City and the districts of Dand, Zheray, Daman, Arghandab, Arghestan, Panjwayi,
Maruf, Spinboldak, Maywand, Shahwalikot, Khakrez, Nesh, Ghorak, Reg, Miyanshin and Shorabak (602).
Most of the province is flat or semi-flat desert, although the northern areas are mountainous (603). Kandahar is known
as a commercial hub of the country (604).The agricultural products of the province include grape, pomegranate,apricot, peach, melon, watermelon, wheat, corn, fig, almond, orange and apple (605). According to UNODC, opium
poppy cultivation decreased by 38 % from 33,713 hectares in 2014 to 21,020 hectares in 2015 in Kandahar Province
where the main cultivation districts were Maywand, Zheray and Panjwayi (606).
UN OCHA estimated the 2015 population to be at 1,226,593 (607). Kandahar is overwhelmingly Pashtun with the
Durrani and Ghilzai tribes forming the majority but small numbers of Baluchis, Hazaras and Tajiks also live in theprovince (608).
Dr. Humayun Azizi was appointed as new governor of Kandahar in April 2015 (609).
Background on the conflict and actors in Kandahar
Kandahar was where Mullah Omar’s Taliban emerged in the 1990s (610) and regaining control over Kandahar City has
been one of the Taliban’s most important goals since 2001 (611). The presence of AQIS, the newest regional branchof al Qaeda’s international organisation, was also noted in the province (612).
Foschini (Afghanistan Analysts Network) reported in April 2015 that, according to residents, central areas of Kandahar
Province felt relatively safer compared to the daily violence experienced in previous years. Statistics developed byan independent monitoring organisation showed that Panjwayi witnessed the most dramatic drop in insurgent
incidents among Kandahar districts (from 345 in 2013 to 44 in 2014) and security forces were reportedly trying
to bring neighbouring Zheray under the same degree of control, while districts such as Maywand or Shahwalikotremained affected by daily insurgent operations (613).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Kandahar Province counted 1,880 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (614):
Violence targeting individuals

82

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

1,064

Explosions

163

Security enforcement540

Non-conflict related incidents

25

Other incidents

6

Total security incidents

1,880(601) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background Profile of KandaharProvince, n.d.
(602) UNOCHA, Kandahar Province – Reference Map [map], 19 February 2014.
(603) ISW, Regional Command South, Kandahar province, n.d.
(604) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background Profile of Kandahar Province, n.d.
(605) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background Profile of Kandahar Province, n.d.
(606) UNODC, Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015, Cultivation and Production, December 2015, pp. 21-22.
(607) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(608) ISW, Regional Command South, Kandahar province, n.d.
(609) Khaama Press, Humayun Azizi appointed as new governor of Kandahar, 27 April 2015.
(610) ISW, Afghanistan Threat Assessment: The Taliban and ISIS, 11 December 2015, pp. 3-4.
(611) ISW, The Taliban’s campaign for Kandahar, December 2009.
(612) Joscelyn, T., Al Qaeda’s Kandahar training camp ‘probably the largest’ in Afghan War, 31 October 2015.
(613) Foschini, Fabrizio: Classics of Conflict (1): Reviewing some of Afghanistan’s most notorious hotspots, 3 July 2015.
(614) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

74 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Kandahar province (615):
Maywand

468

Zhari

71

Shah Wali Kot

216

Arghandab

57

Kandahar

213

Daman

53

Khakrez

150

Panjwayi

33

Maruf

142

Shobarak

31

Arghistan

118

Dand

30

Ghorak

93

Nesh

30

Miya Nishin

93

Reg

2

Spin Boldak

79

Dishu

1

According to Pajhwok Afghan News in October 2015, security incidents had increased in Maywand, Ghorak,Shahwalikot and some other areas of the province (616).
In Shahwalikot district at least 19 AGEs, including eight suicide bombers, were killed when a group of Taliban fightersattacked ALP posts in September 2015 (617). Twenty eight AGEs were killed and another four were captured laterin the month during a search operation that largely focused on the Zangal area of the district. The operation was
launched after AGEs closed the Kandahar-Uruzgan highway that passes through the district (618). In December 2015,
suspected Taliban fighters broke into the house of a tribal elder and gunned down his four sons in Zangitan area ofthe district. The Alokozai tribal elder once served as district chief but had no government job or personal feud (619).
At least four policemen were killed in a suspected insider attack in Shahwalikot in March 2016. The assailant officer
managed to flee the area after the attack, taking several weapons and ammunition with him. At least 11 policemen
were also missing following the incident (620). The Taliban shadow governor for Kandahar Province was killed alongwith 43 fighters during an operation in Kata Sang area of the district in early May 2016 (621). Overall, more than 80
Taliban fighters were killed or wounded in a series of operations conducted by the ANSF in the vicinity of Shahwalikot
district in May 2016, focusing on clearing the Kandahar-Tirinkot highway (622). An Afghan army general was also killed
in an explosion after visiting Afghan army checkposts in the district in May 2016. Earlier, another Afghan army generaldied as a result of an attack by militants in Dand district in March 2016 (623).
Taliban fighters attacked a border police compound in Spinboldak in October 2015. One border policeman and all
four attackers were killed in the incident (624). Three Taliban fighters were killed during an attack on a police centre
in the district in January 2016 (625). In April 2016, at least seven policemen were killed in a suspected insider attack in
Spinboldak district. The Taliban has claimed that the attack was carried out as part of the summer offensive launchedunder the name of Omari Operations (626).
Insider attacks were also reported in other parts of the province: at least four policemen were killed in a suspected
insider attack in Khakrez district in January 2016 (627); in the Abdul Rauf area of Zheraydistrict at least 5 policemen
lost their lives in February 2016 (628); seven policemen with the ALP were shot in Arghandab district in March 2016
by ALP forces who apparently had links with the AGEs (629); and two Romanian special forces soldiers were killed anda third wounded when members of the local police unit they were training with shot them in the city of Kandahar
in early May 2016 (630).
(615) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(616) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kandahar suicide bombing leaves policeman dead, 13 October 2015.
(617) Pajhwok Afghan News, 8 suicide bombers among 14 rebels killed in Kandahar, 12 September 2015.
(618) Pajhwok Afghan News, 28 insurgents eliminated in Shah Walikot operation, 28 September 2015.
(619) Pajhwok Afghan News, Gunmen kill 4 sons of Kandahar tribal elder, 20 December 2015.
(620) Khaama Press, 4 policemen martyred, 11 missing following an insider attack in Kandahar, 1 March 2016.
(621) Khaama Press, Taliban shadow governor Haji Lala killed with his 43 fighter in Kandahar, 2 May 2016.
(622) Khaama Press, Over 80 Taliban insurgents killed, wounded in Kandahar: 205th Atal Corps, 17 May 2016.
(623) Khaama Press, Top Afghan army general Abdul Basir Sharwand martyred in Kandahar explosion, 19 May 2016.
(624) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban attack on Kandahar police building ends, 21 October 2015.
(625) Khaama Press, Three Taliban killed in Kandahar attack, 25 January 2016.
(626) Khaama Press, 7 policemen killed in a suspected insider attack in Kandahar, 12 April 2016.
(627) Khaama Press, 4 Afghan policemen martyred in suspected insider attack in Kandahar, 16 January 2016.
(628) Khaama Press, 5 policemen martyred, 6 wounded in an insider attack in Kandahar, 11 February 2016.
(629) Khaama Press, Insider attack claims lives of 7 policemen in Kandahar province, 24 March 2016.
(630) RFE/RL, Two NATO Soldiers Killed In Afghan ‘Insider’ Attack, 7 May 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 75

One child was killed and two others were wounded in a roadside bomb incident in Sher Ali Karez area of Maywand
district in September 2015 (631). A suicide bomber attacked a police checkpoint in the SoorBaghal area of the district in
October 2015, killing one policeman and injuring another (632). In August 2016, four civilians were killed by a roadsidebomb in Maywand district (633).
In Shorabak district two large al Qaeda training facilities were raided by US forces in October 2015. Since thebeginning of 2015, Pakistani authorities have carried out several raids against AQIS. However, according to Pakistani
officials, AQIS has relocated a significant portion of its operations not just into Kandahar, but also into Helmand (634).
Twenty five AGEs were killed after they attacked security posts in Ghorak district and were repelled in an operation
backed by Afghan air force (635).
A female employee of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan was shot dead in October 2015 byunidentified gunmen in the Arg Bazaar area of the fourth police district in Kandahar City (636). In November 2015,
an NDS employee was killed in a hit-and-run attack in the second police district of the provincial capital (637). In
December 2015, Taliban fighters wearing military uniforms forced their way into the Kandahar International Airport,
opening fire on security personnel at the entrance (638). Regarding the casualties, sources differ: Pajhwok AfghanNews reported 51 dead and 35 injured, while, according to AFP, 37 people were killed and 35 wounded (639). In
late December 2015, two unidentified gunmen killed a female anti-polio campaigner and seriously wounded her
granddaughter in Kandahar City (640). In March 2016, a mosque custodian was killed by the Taliban in the provincial
capital for allegedly working for the intelligence services (641). A policewoman was shot by armed motorcyclists in
May 2016 near the Zahir Shahee High School in Kandahar City (642).
Displacement
UNHCR did not document any IDPs originating from or to Kandahar in September 2015 (643). According to UNHCR, 366
families/1,792 individuals were identified as recent conflict-induced IDPs in Herat in October 2015, mainly displaced
from unstable districts of Badghis, Farah, Faryab, Helmand and Kandahar provinces (644). In November 2015, UNHCR
stated that 410 families were profiled as IDPs in Ghazni Province and 30 % of them originated from Maidan Wardak,
Uruzgan, Kandahar, Zabul and Jawzjan provinces (645). Kandahar was among the provinces that reported more than
2,000 IPDs in 2015 (646).
According to UNOCHA, between 1 January 2016 and 29 May 2016, there were 11,646 individuals displaced to
Kandahar, 9,599 of them originating from the same province. 621 individuals were displaced to Reg, 214 to Shorabak,
318 to Arghestan and 310 to Khakrez. 7,745 individuals were displaced to Maywand, 322 of them from Nahr-e Saraj,
Helmand province. 1,686 individuals were displaced to Danddistrict, 1,298 of them from Sangin, Helmand province,
63 of them from Ghorak and 325 from Shahwalikot. Ghorak also hosted 427 individuals from Sangin and there were
595 individuals displaced to Shahwalikot (647).

(631) Pajhwok Afghan News, 28 insurgents eliminated in Shah Walikot operation, 28 September 2015.
(632) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kandahar suicide bombing leaves policeman dead, 13 October 2015.
(633) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 civilians dead in Kandahar roadside explosion, 12 August 2016.
(634) Joscelyn, T., Al Qaeda’s Kandahar training camp ‘probably the largest’ in Afghan War, 31 October 2015.
(635) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kandahar clashes leave 37 Taliban dead, 12 October 2015.
(636) Pajhwok Afghan News, Female worker of UNAMA gunned down in Kandahar attack, 12 October 2015.
(637) Pajhwok Afghan News, NDS worker gunned down in Kandahar, 28 November 2016.
(638) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban militants storm Kandahar airport; clash ongoing, 8 December 2015; AFP, 37 killed in Taliban siege at Afghan airport,
9 December 2015.
(639) Pajhwok Afghan News, 51 dead, 35 injured in Kandahar airport assault, 9 December 2015; AFP, 37 killed in Taliban siege at Afghan airport, 9 December 2015.
(640) RFE/RL, Female Antipolio Volunteer Shot Dead In Afghanistan, 28 December 2015.
(641) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 58.
(642) Pajhwok Afghan News, Policewoman gunned down by motorcyclists in Kandahar, 4 May 2016.
(643) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015.
(644) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, October 2015 p. 4.
(645) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015 p. 4.
(646) UNHCR, Afghanistan conflict-induced internal displacement 2015: the year in review, April 2016.
(647) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Conflict induced displacements, Actual displacements between 1 January 2016 and 29 May 2016, 5 June 2016.

76 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.3.2. Helmand
General description of the province

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 77

Helmand is Afghanistan’s largest province with about 60,000 square kilometres (648). It is surrounded by Kandahar
Province in the east, Uruzgan, Daikundi and Ghor provinces in the north, Farah and Nimroz provinces in the west
and shares a 162-kilometre-long border with Pakistan. The provincial capital is Lashkargah (649). Helmand Province
consists of the following districts: Baghran, Deh-e-Shu, Garmser, Kajaki, Lashkargah, Musaqala, Nad-e Ali/Marja,
Nahr-e Saraj (also known as Gereshk), Nawa-e Barakzai (also known as Nawa), Nawzad, Reg (also known as Khaneshin),
Sangin, Washer (650).
The high mountains of the Hindu Kush are located in the northern parts of Helmand, while the area in the south is
known as the ‘Desert of Death’. Nearly all of Helmand’s population lives along the Helmand River (651).
According to UNODC, Helmand remained Afghanistan’s single largest opium poppy cultivating province in 2015,
accounting for 47 % of the total area under opium poppy cultivation in the country. Cultivation levels in 2015
were highest in Nad-e Ali, Nahr-e Saraj, Kajaki, Garmser, Khaneshin, Musaqala, Nawzad, Sangin, Deh-e-Shu, NawaeBarakzai and Baghran. Opium poppy cultivation decreased by 16 % from 103,240 hectares in 2014 to 86,443 hectares
in 2015. This decrease mainly occurred in the north of the province (652).
UN OCHA estimated the 2015 population to be 924,711 for Helmand Province (653). The majority is Pashtun but small
numbers of Balochis, Hazaras and Tajiks also live there (654).
Mirza Khan Rahimi was introduced as the new governor for Helmand in June 2015 (655).
Background on the conflict and actors in Helmand
Control of Helmand is at the centre of the long-term strategy of the Taliban, which can be explained partly in economic
terms. Afghanistan produces most of the world’s opium and Helmand is the centre for production, so ‘whoever calls
the shots in the province can get a sizeable share of drug business’ which always had been an important source offunding for the AGEs. The Taliban sees Helmand as a stepping stone to other areas, since it has good exit routes
across the border to Pakistan and through neighbouring Nimroz Province to Iran and also has strong supply lines toother parts of the country (656).
11,000 US troops came to Helmand in 2009 as part of an attempt by President Obama to weaken the insurgency
before the withdrawal scheduled for the end of 2014. Those troops sent to Helmand represented more than half of theoverall increase in troops (21,000), indicating the importance of the province in the Afghanistan-wide fight (657). The
Taliban was repelled, but retained presence in the north of Helmand, including Baghran, most of Kajaki and Musaqala.
In the wake of the troops withdrawal in late 2014, the AGEs advanced into northern and central Helmand (658). By
the end of 2014, most foreign troops had left Afghanistan, with ISAF becoming RS (Resolute Support), a strictly noncombat ‘train, assist and advise’ mission (659).
In 2015, Helmand was one of the most volatile areas in Afghanistan with repeated offensives by the AGEs and counteroffensives by the security forces, particularly in the districts of Sangin, Kajaki and Musaqala (660). The Taliban heldand even expanded its level of control in various districts across the province, aided by the effective use of the new(648) Reuters, FACTBOX-Facts about Afghanistan’s Helmand province, 18 July 2009.
(649) Pajhwok Afghan News, Recognition of southern Helmand province, n.d.
(650) UNOCHA, Hilmand Province – Reference Map [map], 19 February 2014; Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016.
(651) Reuters, FACTBOX-Facts about Afghanistan’s Helmand province, 18 July 2009.
(652) UNODC, Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015, Cultivation and Production, December 2015, p. 21.
(653) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(654) ISW, Regional Command South, Helmand province, n.d.
(655) Pajhwok Afghan News, New Helmand governor vows improved security, 4 June 2015.
(656) Osman, B., Why capturing Helmand is top of the Taleban’s strategic goals, 28 December 2015.
(657) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016.
(658) Amiri, R., Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016.
(659) Amiri, R.: Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016.
(660) UNHCR, Afghanistan conflict-induced internal displacement 2015: the year in review, April 2016.

78 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

qet’a system and the weapons, ammunition and equipment looted from captured ANSF bases (661). Taliban training
camps and hideouts of drug smugglers were operational in Deh-e-Shu and Khaneshin. The establishment of al Qaeda
training facilities in Baramcha town, in the district of Deh-e-Shu was also reported. Al Qaeda-linked groups, such as
the Indian Muhajideen and Laskhar-e-Jhangvi, were involved (662).
In the second half of 2015 entire areas of Helmand Province started to fall to the Taliban (663).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Helmand Province counted 1,828 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (664):
Violence targeting individuals

28

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

1,598

Explosions

108

Security enforcement89

Non-conflict related incidents

1

Other incidents

4

Total security incidents

1,828

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Helmand province (665):
Marja

461

Naw Zad56

Nahr-e Saraj

280

Musa Qala

37

Sangin245

Nawa-i Barak Zayi

37

Nad Ali

217

Garmser23

Lashkar Gah

166

Washer

13

Dishu

161

Greshk6

Kajaki122

Khanasin

4

As of late May 2016, the Taliban was in full control of four districts – Baghran, Musaqala, Nawzad and Deh-e-Shu –and some parts of Lashkargah (666), while Kajaki, Sangin, Nad-e Ali, Gereshk, Marja and Khaneshin were partiallycontrolled by the group (667). According to Al Jazeera, the Taliban controlled or contested 10 districts in Helmand
Province as of August 2016 (668).
Deh-e-Shu and Baghran districts have been under Taliban control for the past 10 years (669).

(661) Up until Akhtar Mohammad Mansour took over as the de facto leader of the Taliban, the movement’s forces had mainly been based on the mahaz (front) system. As
part of a multi-level hierarchy of district and provincial commanders, ultimately falling under the movement’s military commission, each mahaz was locally mobilised
by a commander. For any major offensive, each mahaz would be asked to contribute fighters who would go home to their own areas after the operation. This approach
was expensive to equip and maintain, while often it was not very effective. As a result of restructuring the Taliban’s military organisation, the mahaz system has been
supplemented with a more permanent, military-like structure – the qet’a (meaning unit in Dari, Pashto and originally in Arabic). The new system is based on groups of up to
220 fighters with sub-groups of 20 men who operate together. Compared to the mahaz fighters, those in the qet’a are more mobile, better trained and equipped, and areshifted around within a province or even between provinces. Given their success in Helmand, the Taliban is using the qet’as strategically in Kandahar, Zabul and Kunduz:
Amiri, R., Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016.
(662) Roggio, B. and Joscelyn, T., Al Qaeda operates in southern Helmand province, 24 October 2015.
(663) Amiri, R.: Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016.
(664) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(665) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(666) Pajhwok Afghan News, 57 police confirmed killed in Helmand clashes, 30 May 2016.
(667) Pajhwok Afghan News, Police facing multiple challenges in Helmand: Official, 22 May 2016.
(668) Al Jazeera, Thousands flee fierce fighting in Afghanistan’s Helmand, 9 August, 2016.
(669) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, Afghanistan Analysts Network, 10 March 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban in control of 4 Helmand
districts, 24 December 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 79

With its relatively large population and large bazaar, Musaqala is the heart of northern Helmand and is one of the
major hubs of the opium trade. In August 2015, it was captured by the Taliban (670). Although the security forces
managed to take some areas back in December 2015, Musaqala has been under Taliban control since February 2016
when troops were ordered to retreat from there to reinforce Gereshk (671).
With its isolated location and lack of security forces, Nawzad has been an ideal transit point for drug smugglers
for the past 10 years (672). At least 19 Afghan border police officers were killed in the district when Taliban fightersstormed their posts in October 2015 (673). ANA Special Forces raided a prison in December 2015 in Bar Nawzad areaand freed 17 policemen, 19 local policemen, 21 civilians and three de-miners. According to the spokesman for the215th Maiwand Military Corps, the released men spent more than two years in a Taliban jail (674). In February 2016,
Afghan government forces pulled out of Nawzad as ‘a tactical decision to reposition forces to fight the Taliban more
effectively’, leaving no troops in the district (675).
Although Kajaki has a relatively small population compared to other districts in the province, it is strategically andeconomically important because of its hydro-electric power station (676). Twenty Taliban fighters were killed and 35
others wounded in two days of clashes in the district in September 2015. Kajaki Social Council’s head stated that
the Taliban captured most areas of the district (677). As of March 2016, in Kajaki only the district centre and the dam
located close to it were still under the control of the ANSF, according to AAN (678).
Sangin, bordering Musaqala to the southeast, is the other large centre for drug trade and smuggling. Sangin has also
been important to the Taliban because the road connecting the Kajaki Dam and Lashkargah also runs through the
district (679). In November at least 65 ANA soldiers surrendered to the Taliban in Sangin (680). Police sources statedin late December 2015 that the Taliban had captured the district, a claim rejected by the governor of Helmand
Province (681). British troops have reportedly been deployed to Helmand to help Afghan security forces retake control
of Sangin, but, according to the UK Defence Ministry, they would not take any combat role and would only provide
advisory support (682). As of March 2016, only some parts of Sangin district are under government control. The mainroad connecting the district with the southern areas of Helmand Province is now the dividing line between the Taliban
and the Afghan security forces. The areas to the north, northeast and west of the district centre are held by the
Taliban, while the district centre and the bazaar are held by the government, although they are highly contested (683).
Gereshk is not only the second most populated area in the province after Lashkargah, with its district centre being
the second-biggest city after the provincial capital, it is also in a highly strategic location. It connects the northernand central part of Helmand and the ring road also passes through the district (684). The district came under serious
military pressure in October 2015 with heavy fighting occurring for several days, which threatened the provincial
capital and the ring road as well (685). The Taliban captured all the posts in the Malgir area of the district in October
2015 and began an offensive against two villages in Zanbulai area in December 2015. During this attack, the Taliban
did not only target ALP fighters but the local population as well, inflicting significant civilian causalities (686). Deh
Adam Khan was captured by the Taliban in mid-January 2016 (687). According to AAN, as of March 2016 about 99 % of(670) BBC, Afghanistan Helmand violence: At least 19 police killed, 14 October 2015.
Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, Afghanistan Analysts Network, 10 March 2016.
(671) Khaama Press, Army pulled out of Helmand’s Musa Qala District, 20 February 2016; Amiri, R.: Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, Afghanistan Analysts
Network, 10 March 2016.
(672) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, Afghanistan Analysts Network, 10 March 2016.
(673) BBC, Afghanistan Helmand violence: At least 19 police killed, 14 October 2015.
(674) Pajhwok Afghan News, 60 people freed from Taliban prison in Helmand raid, 4 December 2015.
(675) RFE/RL, Afghan Forces Pull Out Of Two Southern Districts, 22 February 2016.
(676) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, Afghanistan Analysts Network, 10 March 2016.
(677) Pajhwok Afghan News, 20 Taliban eliminated in Kajaki fighting, ANA claims, 17 September 2015.
(678) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, Afghanistan Analysts Network, 10 March 2016.
(679) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, Afghanistan Analysts Network, 10 March 2016.
(680) Pajhwok Afghan News, 65 soldiers have surrendered to Taliban: Helmand governor, 14 November 2015.
(681) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban capture Helmand’s Sangin, besiege 150 police, 20 December 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Sangin has not fallen to Taliban,
says Helmand governor, 21 December 2015.
(682) Pajhwok Afghan News, British troops mobilised to help retake Sangin from Taliban, 22 December 2015.
(683) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016; Amiri, R.: Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016.
(684) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016.
(685) Reuters, Taliban threatens southern Afghan city, civilians flee, 20 October 2015.
(686) Amiri, R., Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016.
(687) Amiri, R., Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016; Tolo News, Villages In Helmand’s Gereshk Fall to Taliban, 16 January 2016.

80 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Malgir is under Taliban control with the exception of a few checkposts between Spin Masjad and Gereshk Bazaar (688).
Taliban fighters attacked the police headquarters and intelligence agency offices in the district in March 2016 but
were repelled by security forces (689). At least 27 police were killed and 26 wounded in Shawal area of Nad Ali and 25
more police were killed and nine wounded in Malgir area of Gereshk district during two days of clashes in late May
2016 (690). In August 2016, the Helmand–Kandahar highway was closed by the Taliban (691).
In late October 2015, Taliban fighters attacked security posts in Nad-e Ali district, leading to casualties on bothsides (692). According to AAN, the AGEs captured Loya Manda, Kofaka and the villages of 31 Gharbi and 31 Sharqi.
The Changir and Shawal areas of the district were attacked later and, by November 2015, these areas represented
the new frontline (693). Nad-e Ali district was about 80 % under government control as of March 2016 (694). At least
four people were killed and 12 others wounded in a car suicide bombing in the Du-Rahi area of Nad-e Ali in midMay 2016. According to an eyewitness, a man wearing an ALP uniform drove his explosives-laden vehicle to the ALP
academy and blew it up (695).
Maintaining security in the district of Marja in central Helmand has special significance due to its proximity to
Lashkargah (696). The district came under pressure in October 2015 when fierce clashes were also taking place in
the Babaji area and Nad-e Ali district of the province (697). Since November/December 2015, the Taliban has gained
significant influence in Marja and since the beginning of February 2016 it has also taxed local communities (698). The
ANA conducted air raids in Nad-e Ali, Marja and Nawa districts in late March 2016, leaving more than 100 Taliban
fighters dead or wounded (699). At least 18 Taliban fighters were killed in Marja in the latest infighting between the
supporters of Mullah Akhtar Mansour and Mullah Mohammad Rasool in early May 2016 (700). According to AAN,
only small parts of the district, notably the district centre and areas around it, are under government control withother areas remaining highly contested (701).
As of March 2016, the government controlled the majority of the district of Nawa in central Helmand, where the
ALP and ANP had a strong presence. This, along with little support from the local population, has made it difficult
for the Taliban to gain more control (702). In early May 2016, at least 30 fighters were killed during a clash between
fighters loyal to Mullah Akhtar Mansour and Mullah Rasool (703).
As explained by AAN, the district of Garmser was mostly under government control as of March 2016, while in
Khaneshin only the district centre was government-controlled (704). Reports emerged in mid-March that the Taliban
had taken control of Khaneshin district following a coordinated attack (705). However, it was also reported later that
ANSF had retaken full control of the district (706).
The district centre of Washer is still under government control as of March 2016, just like parts of the ring roadcrossing the district. According to AAN, security forces are able to control this part of the ring road and its connection
to the district centre during the day but at night it falls under Taliban control (707).

(688) Amiri, R., Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016.
(689) RFE/RL, Taliban Militants Attack Government Offices In Helmand, 9 March 2016.
(690) Pajhwok Afghan News, 57 police confirmed killed in Helmand clashes, 30 May 2016.
(691) Tolo News [Twitter], 23 August 2016.
(692) Pajhwok Afghan News, 30 killed as clashes in Helmand continue, 18 October 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 policemen, several rebels killed in Nad Ali fighting,
19 October 2015.
(693) Amiri, R., Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016.
(694) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016.
(695) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 killed, 12 wounded in Nadali suicide attack, 14 May 2016.
(696) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016.
(697) RFE/RL, Clashes Continue After A Southern Afghan District Falls To Taliban, 21 October 2015.
(698) Amiri, R., Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016.
(699) Khaama Press, Over 100 Taliban insurgents killed in Helmand airstrikes, 26 March 2016.
(700) Khaama Press, Infighting among Taliban leaves 18 dead in Helmand province, 9 May 2016.
(701) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016.
(702) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016.
(703) Pajhwok Afghan News, Infighting leaves 30 Taliban dead in Helmand, 9 May 2016.
(704) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016.
(705) Khaama Press, 54 Taliban militants killed amid surging violence in Helmand province, 17 March 2016.
(706) Khaama Press, Afghan forces retake full control of Khanshin district in Helmand, 27 March 2016.
(707) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 81

Lashkargah, still more or less controlled by the government as of March 2016, was under serious pressure in October
2015 with heavy clashes occurring between Afghan government forces and Taliban fighters after the AGEs captured
Malgir in Gereshk district (708). Local sources reported an additional 1,000 troops sent to the provincial capital after
the city’s Babaji district fell to the Taliban on October 20 (709). Taliban gunmen attacked police checkposts in Babaji
in early May 2016 and established their checkposts five kilometres from Lashkargah, in Mokhtar locality. According
to the group’s spokesman, they have been in control of the Babaji area for the past six months (710). The fall of Babaji,
according to AAN, was a direct consequence of the capture of Malgir since the areas have a common border. When
the Taliban took over most of Gereshk and parts of Nad-e Ali, it also partly surrounded Lashkargah. With Babaji undercontrol, the AGEs ‘have a foot’ in the provincial capital, as it is technically a suburb of Lashkargah (711).
Al Jazeera reported in August 2016 that the Taliban advance towards the provincial capital raised fears amongresidents about the potential fall of the city. However, US and Afghan officials insisted that ‘they will not allow
another urban centre to be captured’ (712). The US deployed 100 troops to Laskargah because the Taliban closed inon the city centre (713).
Increased violence has impeded the delivery of services in Helmand. As of September 2015, 16 schools were closed
due to security threats in Musaqala, six in Kajaki, 12 in Sangin and two in Nawzad districts. Out of 385 schools in theprovince, 247 were open to 193,000 students (714). In November 2015, the Taliban allowed schools in areas under
its control to be reopened, months after they were closed due to security fears. According to the acting provincial
education director, 51 schools had been closed in central parts of the province due to security threats, driving 31,000
students out of school (715).
The spokesman of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology confirmed in November 2015 thatprivate mobile operators had stopped providing their services due to increasing incidents of violence in Helmand (716).
As of December 2015, 85 health facilities were operational in Lashkargah and in the districts, although 25 % of themwere lacking proper buildings. Emergency clinics were situated in Sangin, Musaqala, Gereshk, Marja and Garmser
districts. However, as the Public Health Director explained, despite all available resources, the health department
was unable to provide facilities to those in areas affected by the conflict and the presence of AGEs (717).
Displacement
In 2015, as the conflict intensified, Helmand Province was one of the displacement-affected areas where the lack ofaccess most severely hindered humanitarian action (718).
The protracted instability in the districts of Musaqala, Sangin and Nawzad triggered movements towards the southernpart of the province, notably to Lashkargah in September 2015. In the beginning of the month 362 recent conflictinduced IDP families/2,882 individuals were assessed in Lashkargah City and 24 families/200 individuals in Gereshk,
according to UNHCR. Several families had their houses destroyed as a result of the confrontations between theparties in conflict and restrictions to leave the areas of conflict and seek safety were also reported (719).
In November 2015 some 1,871 families/14,292 individuals were profiled in 43 different locations as newly conflictinduced IDPs, who originated largely from Marja (55 %), Sharwala (27 %), Nad-e Ali (13.5 %) and in lower proportions
from Babaji, Kajaki, Musaqala, Nawzad and Sangin districts (720).

(708) Amiri, R., Helmand (1): A crisis a long time coming, 10 March 2016; Amiri, R., Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016; RFE/RL, Clashes
Continue After A Southern Afghan District Falls To Taliban, 21 October 2015.
(709) RFE/RL, Clashes Continue After A Southern Afghan District Falls To Taliban, 21 October 2015.
(710) Pajhwok Afghan News, 14 rebels, 3 police killed in clash near Lashkargah, 8 May 2016.
(711) Amiri, R., Helmand (2): The chain of chiefdoms unravels, 11 March 2016.
(712) Al Jazeera, Thousands flee fierce fighting in Afghanistan’s Helmand, 9 August, 2016.
(713) Khaama Press, 100 American soldiers deployed to Helmand amid surge in violence, 23 August 2016.
(714) Pajhwok Afghan News, Insecurity, not Taliban, challenge to Helmand schools, 25 September 2015.
(715) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban allow reopening of schools in Helmand, 23 November 2015.
(716) Pajhwok Afghan News, Insecurity impedes delivery of telecom services in Helmand, 10 November 2015.
(717) Pajhwok Afghan News, Insecurity hampers delivery of health services in Helmand, 17 December 2015.
(718) UNHCR, Afghanistan conflict-induced internal displacement 2015: the year in review, April 2016.
(719) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015, p. 5.
(720) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015 p. 5.

82 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

About 5,000 families were displaced in December 2015 due to recent fighting in Helmand, according to the provincial
council chairman who also mentioned that the displaced households had taken refuge in Lashkargah (721).
According to UN OCHA, between 1 January 2016 and 29 May 2016, there were 14,294 individuals displaced from
Helmand, while it was the province of displacement for 11,996 individuals. 3,876 individuals were displaced to Reg,2,857 to Lashkargah and 2,945 to Nahr-e Saraj. A smaller number of IDPs was registered in Deh-e-Shu, Nawa-e
Barakzai, Nawzad and Musaqala (722).
The provincial governor’s spokesman stated in August 2016 that about 30,000 had been displaced in Helmand in
the previous weeks. Most of them were heading to Lashkargah where residents feared that the city could fall since
soldiers were running out of supplies and the AGEs controlled all roads leading to the provincial capital (723).

(721) Pajhwok Afghan News, Helmand conflict displaces thousands of families, 31 December 2015.
(722) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Conflict induced displacements, Actual displacements between 1 January 2016 and 29 May 2016, 5 June 2016.
(723) Al Jazeera, Thousands flee fierce fighting in Afghanistan’s Helmand, 9 August 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 83

2.3.3. Nimroz
General description of the province

84 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

The province of Nimroz is located in the south and shares a border with Iran to the west and Pakistan to the south.
The province of Helmand is located to its east and Farah province to its north (724). Nimroz consists of the capital
Zaranj and Charburjak, Chakhansur, Kang, Khashrod/Dularam districts (725).
The province is a desert area with significant water shortages for much of the year (726). According to UNODC, opium
poppy cultivation in Nimroz decreased by 40 % from 14,584 hectares in 2014 to 8,805 hectares in 2015 (727).
UN OCHA estimated the population of Nimroz for 2015 at 164,978 (728). The Baloch (61 %) form the majority in theprovince; there is a significant Pashtun population (27 %) and Tajiks and nomads also live in Nimroz (729).
President Ashraf Ghani approved Mohammad Samiullah as the new governor for Nimroz province in May 2015 (730).
Background on the conflict and actors in Nimroz
Several projects were executed in parts of the province under the National Solidarity Programme in 2015, excluding
Khashrod district where 37 projects remained incomplete due to security problems (731).
As of September 2015, at least 20 schools were closed by the Taliban with several others remaining shut due tosecurity fears and at least two were torched. The affected schools were located in the outskirts of Zaranj City and in
the districts of Charburjak and Khashrod (732). In October 2015, a primary school in Manar village of Khashrod district
was rehabilitated and reopened. According to the district chief, three schools were operational in Khashrod: twoin the district centre and the third in a rural area; schools in other areas were not functional due to security issues
and the presence of AGEs (733).
The Taliban reportedly has established a ‘quick reaction force’ of 200-500 fighters which is operational in Farah,
Nimroz and Herat (734). The 215th Corps of the ANA and ANP forces conducted military operations in the province (735).
In December 2015, the Ministry of Interior promised the governor of Nimroz the deployment of 500 ALP personnel
to Khashrod and Charburjak districts, along with a reinforcement of the border police to secure borders withneighbouring countries. A 85-kilometre portion of the 230-kilometre border with Iran is open and not controlled
and Nimroz also shares a 220-kilometre border with Pakistan, 185 km of which is uncontrolled (736).
However, according to the information obtained by UNAMA in January 2016, the ALP programme is not present in
Nimroz (737).

(724) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Nimroz, n.d.
(725) UNOCHA, Nimroz Province – Reference Map [map], 19 February 2014.
(726) Relief International, DFID GTF Project CN-367 Nimroz Province, Afghanistan, Final Evaluation, March 2013; UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population Statistics,
8 September 2014.
(727) UNODC, Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015, Cultivation and Production, December 2015, p. 14.
(728) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(729) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Nimroz, n.d.; ISW, Regional Command South, Nimroz province, n.d.
(730) Khaama Press, Eight more provinces will receive governors, 20 May 2015.
(731) Pajhwok Afghan News, Hundreds of development projects executed in Nimroz, 12 January 2016.
(732) Pajhwok Afghan News, Closure of Nimroz schools deprives many students of education, 16 September 2015.
(733) Pajhwok Afghan News, School rehabilitated after 4 decades in Nimroz, 22 October 2015.
(734) UN Security Council, Letter dated 18 August 2015 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) addressedto the President of the Security Council, 26 August 2015, pp. 9, 21.
(735) Khaama Press, 23 militants killed in Nimroz operations, MoD claims, 1 May 2016.
(736) Pajhwok Afghan News, 500 ALP personnel to secure Nimroz borders with Iran, Pakistan, 2 December 2015.
(737) UNAMA, Afghanistan Annual Report 2015, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 67.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 85

Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Nimroz Province counted 111 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (738):
Violence targeting individuals

15

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

48

Explosions

18

Security enforcement19

Non-conflict related incidents

11

Other incidents

0

Total security incidents

111

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Nimroz province (739):
Khash Rod60

Chakhansur

5

Zaranj

32

Kang

3

Chahar Burjak

10

Dilaram1

According to Khaama Press, Nimroz is among the relatively volatile provinces in Afghanistan with AGEs operating
in a number of districts (740).
Local authorities stated that Khashrod and Dularam districts were under threat from the Taliban based in Helmand
and Farah provinces as of September 2015 (741).
In Khashrod district six ANA soldiers were killed and at least three others wounded in September 2015 when AGEs
attacked a checkpost in Deh Mazang village (742). In October 2015, six policemen were killed along with two AGEs
during a clash. According to the Taliban, two of the attackers were AGEs who had infiltrated police ranks743. In May
2016, three Taliban fighters, including two Pakistanis and two policemen, were killed during a clash (744).
In Charburjak district the Taliban attacked the Kamal Khan Dam in September 2015 but faced strong resistance fromthe security forces. According to the district chief, there were enough security personnel in the area and there wasno threat of losing security posts (745). A mother and her son were killed in Charburjak when their car was hit bya roadside bomb in September 2015 in Rodbar village (746). Another roadside bomb claimed the lives of two civilians
in December 2015 in the same village. According to Khaama Press, Rodbar is the most restive area in Charburjak
district (747).
In Zaranj, the provincial capital of Nimroz, unidentified gunmen killed the former director of Hajj and Religious
Affairs in November 2015 (748). In February 2016, unknown gunmen shot an employee of the Prosecutor’s office andanother civilian in the 5th police district of Zaranj (749). In May 2016, nearly 200 school students, including girls, werepoisoned in Zaranj with gas at Shahid Naheed and Shahid Gul Makai Schools (750). A few days earlier a similar attack
occurred at Malalai school in Zaranj with nearly 40 girls poisoned (751).

(738) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(739) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(740) Khaama Press, 23 militants killed in Nimroz operations, MoD claims, 1 May 2016.
(741) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 Afghan soldiers killed, 3 wounded in Nimroz attack, 6 September 2015.
(742) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 Afghan soldiers killed, 3 wounded in Nimroz attack, 6 September 2015; Tolo News, Six Soldiers Killed in Nimroz Attack,7 September 2015.
(743) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 policemen, 2 insurgents killed in Nimroz clash, 12 October 2015.
(744) Pajhwok Afghan News, Bomber among 6 killed in Nimroz incidents, 14 May 2016.
(745) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 insurgents killed after botched attack on Nimroz dam, 13 September 2015.
(746) Pajhwok Afghan News, Mother, son lose life in Nimroz blast, 27 September 2015; Khaama Press, Landmine blast kills mother, son in Nimroz, 27 September 2015.
(747) Khaama Press, Roadside bomb blast claims two lives in Nimroz, 23 December 2015.
(748) Khaama Press, Unknown gunmen kill former director of Hajj and Religious Affairs in Nimroz, 29 November 2015.
(749) Pajhwok Afghan News, Nimroz prosecutor gunned down along with civilian, 15 February 2016.
(750) Pajhwok Afghan News, 200 schoolchildren fall unconscious after Nimroz gas attack, 17 May 2016.
(751) Tolo News, Schoolgirls Poisoned In Nimroz, 12 May 2016.

86 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Displacement
UNHCR profiled 125 families/856 individuals as conflict-induced IDPs in the province of Nimroz in September
2015 (752). Small-scale displacements were profiled in the province in October-November 2015 but no numbers werecited by UNHCR (753). According to UN OCHA, between 1 January 2016 and 29 May 2016, there were 479 individuals
displaced in Nimroz Province, 88 of them in Khashrod district. The remaining 391 displaced individuals were locatedin Zaranj – 251 of them were displaced from Nad-e Ali/Marja, Helmand Province and 140 of them originated from
Gulestan, Farah province (754).

2.3.4. Uruzgan
General description of the province

The province of Uruzgan, also pronounced “Rozgan”, is situated at the southern foothills of the Hindu Kush, surroundedby the provinces of Daikundi in the north, Zabul and Kandahar in the south, Helmand in the southwest and Ghazni inthe east (755). It consists of the districts Dehrawud, Chora/Chinarto, Shahid-e Hassas and Khas Uruzgan. The capital
is Tirinkot (756). For information on the district of Gizab, please see the section on Daikundi.
About 72 % of Uruzgan is mountainous while 21 % is flat (757). Although the main roads leading to and within Uruzgan
are mostly unpaved, they can be accessed by car (758).

(752) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015.
(753) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, October 2015; UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November
2015.
(754) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Conflict induced displacements, Actual displacements between 1 January 2016 and 29 May 2016, 5 June 2016.
(755) Pajhwok Afghan News, Brief introduction of Uruzgan province, n.d.; Royal Netherlands Embassy in Kabul (The), Context Analysis/URUZGAN Province, August
2006, p. 3.
(756) UNOCHA, Uruzgan Province – Reference Map [map], 19 February 2014.
(757) Pajhwok Afghan News, Brief introduction of Uruzgan province, n.d.
(758) Royal Netherlands Embassy in Kabul (The), Context Analysis/URUZGAN Province, August 2006, p. 3.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 87

Agriculture and animal husbandry are the key economic activities in the province, with opium poppy as a dominantcrop (759). According to UNODC, opium poppy cultivation in Uruzgan increased by 22 % from 9,277 hectares in 2014
to 11,277 hectares in 2015. The districts of Tirinkot, Shahid-e Hassas and Dehrawud were the main opium poppycultivating districts in the province (760).
UN OCHA estimates the province’s population for 2015 to be 386,818 (761). The majority is Pashtun with the dominanttribal confederation being the Durrani (70-75 %) and the Ghilzai comprising 15-20 % of the total population. The
Hazara represent a minority (10 %) in the province and Kuchi nomads also live in Uruzgan (762).
In October 2015, President Ashraf Ghani appointed Haji Nazir Kharotai to replace Amanullah Taimori as governorof Uruzgan (763).
Background on the conflict and actors in Uruzgan
In 2015, several security operations were conducted by the ANSF in Uruzgan. During each operation, sources reported
AGEs being arrested, killed and wounded; weapons were also seized (764). In August 2015, targeted killings claimed
the lives of several prominent officials, including the head of the provincial council of Uruzgan (765).
Pashtuns and Hazaras lived in an ‘uneasy co-existence’ in Khas Uruzgan district, where most years have seen fighting
around the district centre and security outposts. The district also provides access for the Taliban to the northern
region of Helmand and Ghor through Gizab from Zabul and Ghazni provinces. After nearly non-stop fighting frommid-May to August 2015, the Taliban almost destroyed the ALP in the district while most of the other security forceswere forced back into the district centre. As stated by AAN, the siege was ‘not just part of a wider effort by the
Taliban to put pressure on key districts’. It is more likely that this effort coincided with the local population’s anger
against the ALP commander and his men, whose behaviour, according to local sources, had become ‘intolerable’ (766).
As a result of Taliban’s increased presence in Khas Uruzgan, Hazara communities were under greater pressure,according to AAN. In Palan area, Taliban ordered those who were working (or had worked) for either the international
forces or the government to present themselves, so that the ‘Emirate’ could decide how to deal with them – theyalso had a detailed list of 116 names (767).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Uruzgan Province counted 412 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (768):
Violence targeting individuals

36

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

302

Explosions

55

Security enforcement18

Non-conflict related incidents

1

Other incidents

0

Total security incidents

412(759) Royal Netherlands Embassy in Kabul (The), Context Analysis/URUZGAN Province, August 2006, p. 5.
(760) UNODC, Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015, Cultivation and Production, December 2015, p. 20.
(761) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(762) Royal Netherlands Embassy in Kabul (The), Context Analysis/URUZGAN Province, August 2006, pp. 13, 20-22.
(763) Pajhwok Afghan News, New Uruzgan governor vows improved security, 4 October 2015.
(764) Pajhwok Afghan News, Khas Uruzgan road reopens after 3 months, 9 July 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Gigantic anti- rebels operation being launched in south,
9 July 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 112 militants killed in a week in south, 1 July 2015; Tolo News, 62 Insurgents Killed in Afghan Operations, 17 June 2015;
Tolo News, 110 Insurgents Killed in Afghan Military Operations, 11 June 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 22 Taliban militants killed in Wardak, Uruzgan: MoI,
2 June 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 130 insurgents eliminated in Uruzgan offensive, 22 May 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Over 80 insurgents, 11 army
personnel killed: MoD, 30 March 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 24 rebels dead in Uruzgan, Kandahar security operations, 15 February 2015.
(765) Telegraph (The), Afghan forces recapture district which fell to Taliban after withdrawal of British troops, 30 August 2015.
(766) Van Bijlert, M., Trouble in Khas Uruzgan: Insults, assaults, a siege and an airlift, 2 September 2015.
(767) Van Bijlert, M., Trouble in Khas Uruzgan: Insults, assaults, a siege and an airlift, 2 September 2015.
(768) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

88 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Uruzgan Province (769):
Tirin Kot

122

Khas Uruzgan

57

Dihrawud99

Chinartu

1

Chora

69

Shahidi Hassas

1

Char Chino

63

In October 2015, Khaama Press called Uruzgan one of the relatively volatile provinces in which armed insurgent
groups were actively operating and often carried out attacks (770). Taliban fighters were closing in on the headquartersof Chinarto and Dehrawud districts in September 2015 (771). The provincial police chief claimed in February 2016that AGEs were carrying out targeted killings in cooperation with some government officials, including district police
chiefs (772). The Long War Journal estimated in March 2016 that four districts of Uruzgan were heavily contested by
the Taliban (773).
In Chinarto district, the Taliban attacked and overran several checkpoints in September and December 2015 (774). In
January 2016, 10 security personnel, including the checkpoint commander, were killed as a result of an insider attack.
A week earlier, another policeman had killed nine of his colleagues in a similar incident in Dehrawud district (775). In
April 2016, the Taliban attacked security posts in Chinarto and Dehrawud districts but security forces were able torepel them (776).
In Dehrawud district dozens of policemen abandoned their posts and arrived in the capital of Uruzgan province inJanuary 2016, after a dispute with the district police chief (777). According to tribal elders and residents, the Taliban
controlled 95 % of the district in February 2016 (778). On 1 March 2016, about 100 policemen and soldiers were
removed from checkpoints in the volatile Shahid-e Hassas district and redeployed to Dehrawud. According to the
spokesman for the governor of Uruzgan province, Afghan forces want to create a reserve battalion in Dehrawud
district and forces from other nearby districts also may be moved there (779). Security forces launched an operationin the district’s Miand and Maktab areas in mid-March 2016, with both sides suffering casualties (780). The heavy
fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces in Dehrawud district in March 2016 resulted in at least 73
civilian casualties (26 deaths and 47 injured), according to UNAMA (781).
A local official warned in May 2016 that Dehrawud may fall to the Taliban without emergency support from thegovernment. The AGEs had entered the district centre and launched coordinated attacks, while the security forceswere faced with a shortage of weapons and fuel and civilians were also suffering casualties. However, according to
the governor’s spokesman, there were enough security personnel to repel the attack (782).
In Charchino four security posts fell to the Taliban in September 2015 and the district police commander warned
that the entire area could be captured by the AGEs, if reinforcements were not dispatched from Tirinkot (783). Intense
clashes resulting in roadblocks and casualties on both sides occurred in the district in October 2015 and March
2016 (784). AGEs stormed the district centre from different directions in May 2016 but security forces managed to(769) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(770) Khaama Press, Taliban beheads religious cleric in Uruzgan province, 6 October 2015.
(771) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban closing in on 2 Uruzgan districts, 16 September 2015.
(772) Pajhwok Afghan News, Govt officials complicit in target killings: Uruzgan police chief, 1 February 2016.
(773) Roggio, B., Afghan forces withdraw from district in Uruzgan, 9 March 2016.
(774) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban closing in on 2 Uruzgan districts, 16 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 14 rebels killed in clash with police in Uruzgan,
28 December 2015.
(775) RFE/RL, Rogue Police Officer Kills 10 Afghan Comrades, 26 January 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 10 police killed by Taliban at Chinartu checkpoint in Uruzgan,
26 January 2016.
(776) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban pushed back from 2 towns: Uruzgan governor, 14 April 2016.
(777) Pajhwok Afghan News, 60 police abandon 7 posts in Uruzgan’s Dehrawud, 31 January 2016.
(778) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban control 95pc of Uruzgan’s Dehrawud: elders, 4 February 2016.
(779) RFE/RL, Afghan Security Forces Withdraw From District In Uruzgan Province, 1 March 2016.
(780) Pajhwok Afghan News, 10 security men, 15 rebels killed in Uruzgan clash, 15 March 2016.
(781) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 37.
(782) Pajhwok Afghan News, Deh Raud may fall if reinforcements don’t arrive, official warns, 17 May 2016.
(783) Pajhwok Afghan News, Insurgents overrun 4 security checkpoints in Uruzgan, 7 September 2015.
(784) Pajhwok Afghan News, 38 police, 65 Taliban dead in Charchinu clashes, 14 October 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Casualties as clashes enter a second day
in Uruzgan, 21 March 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, More than a dozen including police dead in Uruzgan clash, 26 March 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 9
insurgents, 7 police perish in ongoing Uruzgan firefight, 27 March 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 89

repel the attack. According to the governor’s spokesman, 27 AGEs were killed and another 12 wounded (785). At
least eight policemen defected to the Taliban in Charchino in May 2016, while at least another six policemen werereportedly killed in a suspected insider attack in the same month (786).
The district police chief of Khas Uruzgan was killed along with four other policemen when the district police
headquarters was stormed by AGEs in September 2015 (787). AGEs executed a former administrative head for the
district and shot three other persons, including a teacher in November 2015 (788). In March 2016, 65 policemen
travelling from Khas Uruzgan to Tirinkot surrendered their weapons to Taliban fighters and joined them (789). In
May 2016, operations were conducted in Chora and Khas Uruzgan districts where nine Taliban fighters were killed,
including the group’s shadow governor and military commission chief (790).
The Taliban killed the acting administrative head for Surab in September 2015 and the AGEs claimed they had seized
control of several security checkpoints (791).
On 29 February 2016, the Taliban claimed the Khar Khordi area of Shahid-e Hassas had been ‘completely liberated’.
Security forces were removed from the district next day and redeployed to Dehrawud. Neither the Taliban nor
government officials have yet stated that the entire district is under Taliban control (792).
A roadside bomb hit a vehicle carrying road workers in Marabad area on the outskirts of Tirinkot, the capital of
Uruzgan province in September 2015 (793). Taliban fighters shot a 12-year-old boy on his way to school in the city
in February 2016. The boy reportedly fought against the Taliban along with his uncle and other militia fighters (794).
Unidentified gunmen shot the head of a village development council and his son in the Shah Zafar neighbourhoodof Tirinkot in February 2016 (795).
Displacement
Uruzgan was not mentioned in relation to IDPs by UNHCR in September 2015 (796). Small scale displacements havebeen profiled in the province in October 2015, but no numbers were cited (797). In November 2015, UNHCR statedthat 410 families were profiled as IDPs in Ghazni province and 30% of them originated from Maidan Wardak, Uruzgan,
Kandahar, Zabul and Jawzjan provinces (798).
As a result of clashes between security forces and AGEs in Dehrawud district in March 2016, thousands of families
from Londyana, Diwana, Warkh, Dezak, Osaki and other areas migrated to other parts of the province. According
to the district chief, the main highway from Dehrawud to Tirinkot had been closed by Taliban fighters, althoughcivilians could still travel on it (799).
According to UN OCHA, between 1 January 2016 and 29 May 2016, there were 13,961 individuals displaced to
Uruzgan, 13,738 of them originating from the same province. Fifty four individuals from Chora, 401 from Khas
Uruzgan and 546 from Dehrawud were displaced to Tirinkot, while Dehrawud hosted the largest number of IDPs in
the province (11,702). A smaller number of IDPs was registered in Chora and Shahid-e Hassas as well (800).

(785) Pajhwok Afghan News, Uruzgan clash leaves 27 militants dead, 16 May 2016.
(786) Pajhwok Afghan News, 8 police defect to insurgents in Uruzgan, 7 May 2016; Khaama Press, 6 policemen killed in a suspected insider attack in Uruzgan,
21 May 2016.
(787) Pajhwok Afghan News, District police chief among 4 wounded in Taliban attack, 17 September 2015.
(788) Pajhwok Afghan News, Militants accused of hanging former district chief in Uruzgan, 28 November 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Teacher, son among 3 killed
in Uruzgan, 29 November 2015.
(789) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 policemen disappear in Uruzgan, 11 March 2016.
(790) Khaama Press, Taliban shadow governor and military commission chief killed in Uruzgan, 29 May 2016.
(791) Pajhwok Afghan News, Sarab district’s acting chief gunned down by Taliban, 9 September 2015.
(792) Roggio, B., Afghan forces withdraw from district in Uruzgan, 9 March 2016.
(793) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 killed, 3 injured as bomb hits vehicle carrying labourers, 4 September 2015.
(794) AFP, Assassinated at 12: rights groups condemn killing of Afghan militia boy, 4 February 2016.
(795) Pajhwok Afghan News, Man gunned down along with son in Tirinkot, 26 February 2016.
(796) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015.
(797) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, October 2015, p. 2.
(798) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015, p. 4.
(799) Pajhwok Afghan News, Thousands displaced as Uruzgan clashes continue, 24 March 2016.
(800) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Conflict induced displacements, Actual displacements between 1 January 2016 and 29 May 2016, 5 June 2016.

90 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.3.5. Zabul
General description of the province

The province of Zabul, also known as Zabalistan, is located in southern Afghanistan, on the Kabul-Kandahar
highway (801). Zabul is surrounded by Uruzgan Province in the north, Kandahar in the west and Ghazni and Paktika inthe east, while it shares an international border with Pakistan in the south (802). The provincial capital is Qalat (803).
The province is made up of the following districts: Atghar, Arghandab, Daychopan, Kakar (also known as Khak-eAfghan), Mizan, Nawbahar, Qalat, Shahjoy, Shinkay, Shomulzay and TarnakWaJaldak (804).
The people of Zabul are primarily associated with raising livestock and agriculture such as wheat and barley.
Additionally, melon, watermelon, grapes, figs, almond and raspberries are mostly produced in the province (805).
According to UNODC, opium poppy cultivation in Zabul saw a significant decrease of 78 % from 2,894 hectares in2014 to 644 hectares in 2015. The districts of Tarnak Wa Jaldak, Kakar and Mizan were the main poppy-cultivating
districts in the province, where security was poor (806).
UN OCHA estimated Zabul’s population for 2015 at 304,126 (807). The majority is Pashtun with 40 % of the provincial
population belonging to the Ghilzai tribe (808).
Bismillah Afghanmal was appointed governor of Zabul Province in March 2016 (809).

(801) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Zabul, n.d.
(802) CFC, Afghanistan Resource Desk, Key information regarding Zabul province, November 2011, p. 1.
(803) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Zabul, n.d.
(804) UNOCHA, Zabul Province – Reference Map[map], 19 February 2014; Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Zabul, n.d.
(805) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Zabul, n.d.
(806) UNODC, Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015, Cultivation and Production, December 2015, pp. 21-22.
(807) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(808) CFC, Afghanistan Resource Desk, Key information regarding Zabul province, November 2011, p. 6.
(809) Khaama Press, Afghanmal appointed Zabul’s new governor, 14 March 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 91

Background on the conflict and actors in Zabul
According to Khaama Press, AGEs belonging to the Taliban as well as the Haqqani network have been active in theprovince (810). In August 2015, infighting between the loyalists of Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour and Mullah
Mansour Dadullah occurred in Zabul. Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour was appointed as the leader of the Taliban
after the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar was confirmed (811).
ANSF also reportedly encountered large numbers of ‘foreign fighters’ during an operation in the district of Daychopan
in July 2015. A local tribal elder said that they were mostly Uzbek fighters who had fled from North Waziristan (812).
In 2015, AGEs abducted 30 Hazara passengers travelling from Herat to Kabul in Shahjoy district. Most hostages werereleased in exchange but three were executed and two others died, reportedly of natural causes (813).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Zabul Province counted 219 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (814):
Violence targeting individuals

14

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

118

Explosions

56

Security enforcement27

Non-conflict related incidents

4

Other incidents

0

Total security incidents

219

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Zabul Province (815):
Qalat

74

Atghar7

Shah Joy

37

Shamulzayi

7Arghandab

28

Daychopan

5

Mizan

19

Khak-e Afghan

5

Tarnak Wa Jaldak17

Naw Bahar

5

Shinkay

14

Shahr-e Safa

1

According to Khaama Press, Zabul is among the relatively volatile provinces in southern Afghanistan where AGEs
are operating in a number of districts (816).
Heavy fighting occurred in the province in November 2015 between the supporters of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar
Mansour and Mullah Mansour Dadullah (817). Differences between supporters of the two intensified in September
2015 after Dadullah refused to pledge allegiance to Mansour (818). In November 2015, Mullah Mohammad Rasool
was appointed as head and Dadullah was named as deputy leader of Taliban’s splinter group called ‘High Councilof Afghanistan Islamic Emirate’ (819). In heavy clashes between the factions in Arghandab, Khak-e Afghan andDaychopan districts of Zabul province, Dadullah’s splinter group was supported by Uzbek IS fighters (820). Mullah(810) Khaama Press, Taliban commander among 7 killed during clash with Afghan police in Zabul, 3 May 2016.
(811) Khaama Press, Taliban infighting left five killed in Zabul, 30 August 2015.
(812) Pajhwok Afghan News, Afghan forces launch big anti-rebels offensive in Zabul, 11 July 2015.
(813) UNAMA, Afghanistan Annual Report 2015, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 49.
(814) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(815) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(816) Khaama Press, Taliban commander among 7 killed during clash with Afghan police in Zabul, 3 May 2016.
(817) Pajhwok Afghan News, 110 killed as Taliban-IS clashes rage in Zabul, 9 November 2015.
(818) Pajhwok Afghan News, Dadullah besieged in Zabul as Taliban cracks widen, 2 September 2015.
(819) Pajhwok Afghan News, Mullah Rasool named leader of Taliban’s splinter group, 2 November 2015.
(820) Pajhwok Afghan News, 110 killed as Taliban-IS clashes rage in Zabul, 9 November 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Clashes between insurgent groups still underway
in Zabul, 11 November 2015.

92 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Mansour Dadullah died in the fighting in Khak-e Afghan on 12 November 2015 and the district has since becomea stronghold of IS, demonstrating how ‘reverberations within Taliban strongholds can produce opportunities for
ISIS’ (821). According to ISW, ISIS reportedly continued recruiting in Khak-e Afghan district in early April 2016 (822).
In Khak-e Afghan district unidentified gunmen kidnapped 14 members of a single family in October 2015, who wereset free later in Ghazni Province after mediation of elders (823). Seven civilians were kidnapped from Gilan district inGhazni Province and their dead bodies were recovered from Khak-e Afghan district in November 2015. According
to officials, the victims belonged to the Hazara community and included four men, two women and a child. Taliban
fighters reportedly hanged eight IS fighters for beheading the seven hostages, although NDS rejected these reports‘as baseless’, stating that IS fighters had been killed during infighting after splitting into several groups (824).
Five policemen were killed at a security post in Kajarkhil area of Shahjoy district, while two other policemen
disappeared in September 2015 (825). A soldier from the ANA, who had allegedly killed them, was arrested later (826).
Unidentified gunmen kidnapped 20 civilians between Shahjoy and Qalat in November 2015, the second incident ofmass abduction of the year. Most of the hostages were reportedly Hazara. Nine abducted passengers were releaseda day after the incident and, according to the Ministry of Interior, efforts were underway to release the rest (827). AGEs
launched an attack on security posts in Shahjoy in December 2015, reportedly supported by fighters from Kandahar,
but security forces suppressed the attack (828). In May 2016, four children were killed and one wounded as a resultof a roadside explosion in the Tazi locality of the district (829).
The Taliban claimed responsibility for killing eight policemen in Arghandab in September 2015 (830). The district also witnessed
heavy clashes between Taliban groups and residents of the area fled their homes because of the tense situation (831). Fivesecurity personnel were killed in a roadside bombing on the Arghandab-Qalat highway in March 2016 (832).
The Taliban blocked the Kabul-Kandahar highway near the capital of southern Zabul Province in October 2015. According to
the governor’s spokesman, the flow of traffic on the key highway was blocked in two areas – Spin Ghbargi and Kharijwe – on
the outskirts of Qalat. The security forces later were able to reopen the highway in Spin Ghbargi area but clashes occurredin Khan and Norak villages (833). A landmine explosion killed two people in Seori Tapi area of Qalat and two children losttheir lives in a roadside bomb blast in the provincial capital in March 2016 (834). Three civilians were killed when people
gathered to play games near Tarang River on the outskirts of Qalat and were attacked by AGEs in April 2016 (835).
Displacement
UNHCR did not document any IDPs originating from or to Zabul in September-October 2015 (836). In November 2015,
UNHCR stated that 410 families were profiled as IDPs in Ghazni Province and 30 % of them originated from Maidan
Wardak, Uruzgan, Kandahar, Zabul and Jawzjan provinces (837). According to UN OCHA, between 1 January 2016 and
29 May 2016, there were 1,393 individuals displaced in Zabul, all of them originated from the same province. There
were 140 individuals displaced in Kakar, 196 in Daychopan and 1,057 in Shahjoy (838).
(821) ISW, Afghanistan Threat Assessment: The Taliban and ISIS, 11 December 2015, pp. 3-4; Tolo News, Khak-e-Afghan District A Daesh Stronghold: Security
Sources, 12 November 2015.
(822) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016.
(823) Khaama Press, Unidentified gunmen kidnap 14 civilians in Zabul, 27 October 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Abducted Zabul residents freed in Ghazni,
31 October 2015.
(824) Khaama Press, Taliban hang 8 militants for beheading women and child in Zabul, 9 November 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban did not hang IS fightersover beheadings: NDS, 10 November 2015.
(825) Khaama Press, Five policemen martyred in Zabul, 7 September 2015.
(826) Khaama Press, Former soldier who allegedly martyred five comrades in Zabul arrested, 15 September 2015.
(827) Khaama Press, Unidentified gunmen kidnap 20 civilians in Zabul, 21 November 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 9 abducted passengers released, rescue mission
intensifies, 22 November 2015.
(828) Khaama Press, Security forces rebuff attack of hundreds of Taliban in Zabul province, 24 December 2015.
(829) Pajhwok Afghan News, Children dead in Zabul roadside explosion, 7 May 2016.
(830) Khaama Press, Eight policemen martyred in their security post in Zabul, 19 September 2015.
(831) Khaama Press, Internal clashes leave 40 fighters of Taliban, Daesh killed in Zabul, 8 November 2015.
(832) Pajhwok Afghan News, At least 10 killed in Zabul, Herat incidents, 22 March 2016.
(833) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban block Kabul-Kandahar highway near Qalat, 15 October 2015.
(834) Khaama Press, Two people killed, another wounded in landmine explosion in Zabul, 19 March 2016; Khaama Press, Bomb blast kills two school children in
Zabul, 30 March 2016.
(835) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 civilians shot dead in Zabul, 16 April 2016.
(836) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015; UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update,
October 2015.
(837) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015 p. 4.
(838) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Conflict induced displacements, Actual displacements between 1 January 2016 and 29 May 2016, 5 June 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 93

2.4.	South-East
2.4.1. Ghazni
General description of the province

94 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Ghazni Province is located in the southeast of the country. The province borders Wardak and Bamyan province tothe north, Paktya, Paktika and Logar to the east, Zabul to the southwest and Uruzgan and Daykundi to the west.
The provincial capital Ghazni City is located 145 kilometres from Kabul City on the Kabul-Kandahar highway (839).
The province consists of the following districts: Jaghuri, Malistan, Nawur, Ajrestan, Andar, Qarabagh, Giro, Muqur,
Waghaz, Gelan, Abband, Nawa, Dehyak, Rashidan, Zanakhan, Khwajaumari, Jaghatu, Wali-Shahid (Khogyani) andGhazni centre (840). Ghazni Province is estimated to have 1,228,831 inhabitants; the population of Ghazni City is60,458 (841). The province consists of Pashtun (49 %) and Hazara (46 %), with a small Tajik population (5 %) (842). Some
Kuchi nomads are also present in Ghazni (843).
Background on the conflict and actors in Ghazni
Security in the province of Ghazni is fragile and AGEs pose a major challenge (844).
The Taliban actively operated in several districts and proved capable of conducting coordinated attacks (845) and evencollected taxes in Ghazni City for several years (846). In 2016, the Taliban shadow governor for Ghazni, Qari Yusuf, wasarrested by NDS in Khost Province (847). According to the Afghanistan Analysts Network, Taliban networks in Ghazni
enjoy direct support from the TTP (848).
In January 2015, about 200 IS-linked foreign fighters and their families settled in the southeast, including Ghazni
Province (849). ISW reported that IS conducted its first attack in Ghazni Province, north of Ghazni City, in March 2016,
and continued recruiting in the province (850), mainly in Andar, Gilan and Giro districts but IS movements have beenreported in Nawa district as well (851).
The AGEs’ main targets have been the ANSF (852), district governors (853), tribal leaders (854) and NGO workers (855) but
civilians have also suffered heavy casualties (856). AGEs have blocked the main roads of the province several times,
especially the strategically significant Kabul-Kandahar highway, in order to conduct attacks in different parts of theprovince (857). According to UNAMA, in 2015 and in the first half of 2016, Ghazni was one of the most IED-affected
provinces (858). Kidnappings of Hazaras by AGEs were reported in several provinces, including Ghazni, in 2015 (859).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Ghazni Province counted 1,292 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (860):(839) Pajhwok Afghan News, Mineral Resources of Ghazni Province, 20 July 2014.
(840) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Ghazni Province - Reference Map, 19 February 2014.
(841) UNOCHA, Afghanistan population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(842) CPAU, Conflict analysis: Jaghori and Malistan districts, Ghazni province, April 2009, p. 5.
(843) CPAU, Conflict analysis: Jaghori and Malistan districts, Ghazni province, April 2009, p. 5.
(844) BTI, BTI 2016 — Afghanistan Country Report, n.d.
(845) US Department of Defence, Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan, December 2015.
(846) Pajhwok Afghan News, Ghazni traders, elders warned against donating money to Taliban, 4 July 2016.
(847) Ariana News, Afghan intelligence arrests Taliban’s shadow governor for Ghazni, 16 April 2016.
(848) Obaid Ali, The Empty Streets of Mohammad Agha: Logar’s struggle against the Taleban, 15 December 2015.
(849) Middle East Institute, Policy Focus 2016-11, The Islamic State in Afghanistan, Examining its Threat to Stability, May 2016.
(850) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016.
(851) Pajhwok Afghan News, IS fighters flown to Ghazni by helicopters: HPC provincial head, 1 April 2016.
(852) Pajhwok Afghan News, MPs want security bosses grilled over growing unrest, 12 September 2015.
(853) Khaama Press, District Governor killed in Taliban ambush in Ghazni, 22 October 2015.
(854) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban can’t reach goals by killing scholars: Ghani, 7 November 2015.
(855) IRB, Afghanistan: Situation of Afghan citizens who work for NGOs or international aid organizations, and whether they are targeted by the Taliban; attacks
against schools and incidents of violence against students, teachers, and the educational sector; state response (2012-January 2016), 22 February 2016.
(856) Pajhwok Afghan News, Intense fighting displaces dozens of Qarabagh families, 2 September 2015.
(857) Tolo News, Security Forces Thwart Taliban Attack on Ghazni, 12 October 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Commuters in trouble as Taliban roadblock continues,
14 October 2015.
(858) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Annual Report 2015, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 36; UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2016,
Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 48.
(859) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Annual Report 2015, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016. p. 49.
(860) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 95

Violence targeting individuals

39

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

952

Explosions

140

Security enforcement155

Non-conflict related incidents

4

Other incidents

2

Total security incidents

1,292

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Ghazni province (861):
Ghazni

321

Zanakhan

41

Andar

265

Khwajaumari

35

Giro

114

Abband15

Qarabagh113

Khogyani

3

Dehyak

95

Nawur

3

Gelan

74

Rashidan

3

Waghaz

69

Nawa

2

Muqur

54

Jaghuri

1

Jaghatu

42

Malistan

1

Ajrestan

41

In January 2016, tribal elders stated that ‘Andar, Giro, Maqur and some other districts are under direct threat from
Taliban’ (862). Nawa district had been under Taliban control for several years (863). In February 2016, many MPs
expressed their concerns over increased security threats in the province (864). In March 2016, the Afghan Ministryof Interior confirmed that there was a high level of threat in Qarabagh, Wali-Shahid, Gelan, Muqur, Abband, Andarand Giro districts (865).
In May 2016, Pajhwok reported that 11 district chiefs of Ghazni stay in Ghazni City and perform their duties fromthe provincial capital due to security fears in their districts (866). Due to the deteriorated security situation there areno judicial officers in 13 districts of the province (867).
In June 2016, local residents stated that the security situation had worsened; a tribal leader emphasised that ‘armed
clashes between Taliban and the government have now become a daily occurrence in the districts’ (868). In August
2016, several airstrikes and ground operations were conducted by ANSF in different areas in the province, leading
to clashes with AGEs (869).
Several attacks have been conducted by AGEs in Ghazni City. In September 2015, the Taliban conducted a complex
operation: it stormed a maximum security prison in the provincial capital and freed more than 400 prisoners,
including about 150 Taliban fighters, and simultaneously attacked several security posts near the jail and in otherparts of the city and in the districts. The Afghan government forces were uncoordinated and displayed confusion
during the attacks (870). In November 2015, the deputy governor of the province admitted that the Taliban tried tostorm Ghazni City (871). In November 2015, the Taliban killed a prominent religious cleric who had administered(861) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(862) Pajhwok Afghan News, Ghazni elders meet Abdullah, warn against Taliban advance, 10 January 2016.
(863) Tolo News, MPs Concerned Over Security Situation in Ghazni, Helmand, 16 March 2016.
(864) BAAG, Afghanistan in March 2016, n.d., p. 1.
(865) Tolo News, Ghazni Districts Under Threat: MPs, 15 March 2016.
(866) Pajhwok Afghan News, 11 district chiefs operate from Ghazni City, 25 May 2016.
(867) Pajhwok Afghan News, No judicial officials in 13 Ghazni districts, 10 August 2016.
(868) Pajhwok Afghan News, Security on the nosedive in most parts of Ghazni: Residents, 29 June 2016.
(869) Pajhwok Afghan News, Security officials among 30 dead in Ghazni clashes, airstrikes, 20 August 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Security personnel among 13
killed in Ghazni clashes, 1 August 2016.
(870) AAN, Ghazni Jailbreak: Where the government failed and its enemy succeeded, 15 January 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 policemen among 8 killed in Taliban
attack on jail, 14 September 2015; RFE/RL, Taliban Storm Afghan Prison, Free Inmates, 14 September 2015; Tolo News, MOI Assigns Team To Probe Ghazni
Prison Break, 14 September 2015.
(871) Pajhwok Afghan News, Fearing Taliban attacks, residents stop visiting Ghazni City, 3 November 2015.

96 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situationa religious school in Ghazni City and had religious radio programmes (872). In April 2016, a tribal elder died and twoof his relatives were injured during a VBIED attack (873). According to local officials 80 AGEs were killed in a military
operation in the province; the provincial police chief stated that ‘large areas of Ghazni City and districts had been
recaptured from the militants’ in May 2016 (874). In May 2016, three policemen were killed in an insider attack in
Deh Khudaidad area of the city; the attack was confirmed by the Taliban (875). In the same month, one child died andthree others were injured when a mortar shell exploded in Kalajoz area of the city (876). At the end of May 2016, AGEs
attacked an ALP vehicle, killing four civilians by IED (877). In June 2016, at least nine people (including the attackers)
died and 13 other were injured when four suicide bombers attacked the provincial court in the city; the Taliban
claimed responsibility for the accident (878), saying that it was ‘in retaliation for the execution of six Taliban-linked
inmates in early May’ (879). In July 2016, Taliban fighters torched the MTN mobile-phone tower in Qadam Qala area
near Ghazni City (880).
In Dehyak district the Taliban has a strong presence (881); clashes between the AGEs and the ANSF are common.
Taliban fighters consistently block the roads, plant roadside bombs (882) and attack police posts. In September 2015,at least six civilians died when a roadside bomb exploded (883); then at least 20 AGEs and three ALP members were
killed in clashes when about 300 AGEs stormed police posts in the district (884). At the end of September 2015, Taliban
distributed night letters and warned local residents to leave the district in order to avoid clashes between them andthe ALP forces (885). In November 2015, two civilians were killed in a roadside bomb explosion (886). In January 2016,
three civilians lost their lives during clashes between the AGEs and the Afghan security forces (887). In February 2016,
Taliban fighters killed two policemen (888). In June 2016, two policemen and three AGEs died in Laghabad area of the
district when AGEs attacked security posts (889). In July 2016, four children died and two others were injured whena roadside bomb exploded in Bashir Qala area of the district (890).
Andar district is another hotspot in the province. Taliban fighters regularly storm security posts (891), attack ANA
soldiers (892) and kidnap civilians (893) in the district. However, in November 2015, Andar residents also accused ANA
soldiers (894) and ALP personnel (895) of killing innocent civilians and kidnapping women for ransom (896). In February
2016, dozens of people demonstrated in Ghazni City against Andar ALP members because they harassed Andar
residents (897). In March 2016, the Andar district chief told Pajhwok that recently a large number of Taliban fighters
had assembled and launched efforts to take control of the town in Andar (898). In April 2016, 16 Taliban fighters,
including Mullah Qadar and Mullah Yousaf, were killed in two separate incidents (899).
(872) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban can’t reach goals by killing scholars: Ghani, 7 November 2015.
(873) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 insurgents, a tribal elder killed in Ghazni, 27 April 2016.
(874) Pajhwok Afghan News, 80 insurgents killed, wounded in Ghazni operation: Governor, 24 April 2016.
(875) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 policemen killed in insider attack in Ghazni, 7 May 2016.
(876) Pajhwok Afghan News, 1 child killed, 3 wounded in Ghazni mortar blasts, 23 May 2016.
(877) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 48.
(878) Xinhuanet, Death toll of suicide attack in Afghan eastern Ghazni soars to 9, with 13 injured, 1 June 2016; Khaama Press, Ghazni Appellate Court Chief woundedin Taliban attack, 1 June 2016.
(879) Dawn, Six killed as Taliban attack Ghazni courthouse, 2 June 2016.
(880) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban torch telecom tower, abduct guard in Ghazni, 20 July 2016.
(881) Khaama Press, Bomb blast kills two brothers in Ghazni, 18 November 2015.
(882) Pajhwok Afghan News, In Ghazni, Taliban-planted roadside bombs fuel concerns, 23 September 2015.
(883) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 civilians dead, 3 injured in Ghazni roadside bombing, 1 September 2015.
(884) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 ALP personnel among 23 killed in Deh Yak battle, 8 September 2015.
(885) Khaama Press, Taliban warn villagers in Ghazni to empty their homes, 20 September 2015.
(886) Pajhwok Afghan News, Ghazni roadside bombing claims lives of 2 brothers, 18 November 2015.
(887) Pajhwok Afghan News, Civilians among 8 killed in Paktika, Ghazni incidents, 2 January 2016.
(888) Pajhwok Afghan News, Nearly a dozen killed in separate Ghazni clashes, 14 February 2016.
(889) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 insurgents, 2 policemen dead in Ghazni firefights, 2 June 2016.
(890) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 children killed, 2 injured in Ghazni landmine blast, 5 July 2016.
(891) Pajhwok Afghan News, Ander clash leaves 9 dead, 6 wounded, 1 September 2015.
(892) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 civilians, soldier dead as Taliban open fire at car, 15 September 2015.
(893) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kidnapped passengers rescued in Ghazni, 20 September 2015; Khaama Press, Taliban release most of Ghazni hostages,
20 September 2015.
(894) Pajhwok Afghan News, ANA soldiers accused of killing civilian in Ghazni, 1 November 2015.
(895) Pajhwok Afghan News, Local police mercilessly kill civilian in Ghazni, 16 November 2015.
(896) Pajhwok Afghan News, ALP forces kidnap Andar women for ransom, 17 November 2015.
(897) Pajhwok Afghan News, Protest held against ALP, uprising members in Ghazni, 20 February 2016.
(898) Pajhwok Afhan News, Andar could fall to Taliban, fear officials and residents, 19 March 2016.
(899) Pajhwok Afghan News, 16 Taliban militants killed in Ghazni’s Andar incidents, 20 April 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 97

Other parts of the province, especially Muqur and Qarabagh districts, are also insecure and have experienced
heavy clashes (900).
In November 2015, Uzbek members of the IS abducted Hazara people from Jaghuri district, Ghazni and killed themin Zabul Province (901).
In June 2016, the Taliban shadow governor for Ghazni and three other AGEs were killed in an airstrike in Abband
district; according to local residents two civilians were also injured (902).
In June 2016, at least 14 Taliban fighters were killed in Gilan district in two separate incidents; the police also sufferedcasualties (903). In August 2016, six members of a family, including 2 children, were killed by a roadside bomb in
Gilan (904).
In May 2016, due to military operations, 30 villages were cleared of AGEs in Khogyani district (905). At the end of May
2016, two women died in the district when ANA mortar targeting Taliban positions hit their house (906).
Displacement
In 2015, more than 5,000 new conflict-induced displaced individuals were recorded in the province (907). In September
2015, dozens of Qarabagh families – primarily from Pirogai, Shadi Khan Kala, Nasratabad, Akhtaro Chamber, Saifuddin
Chamber and Wazir Kala areas – moved to Ghazni City due to the ongoing clashes between the Taliban and security
forces (908).
Between January and May 2016, 1,483 persons were displaced to Ghazni district, most of them from Qarabagh (340persons), Andar (168 persons) and Jaghatu (143 persons) districts (909).

(900) Pajhwok Afghan News, 11 district chiefs operate from Ghazni City, 25 May 2016; Khaama Press, Deadly clashes erupting between rival Taliban groups in
Ghazni, 16 February 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Martyred ALP personnel from Khonyan: United in life and death, 27 February 2016.
(901) Pajhwok Afghan News, 110 killed as Taliban-IS clashes rage in Zabul, 9 November 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Abdullah vows to punish killers, rules out
compromise, 12 November 2015.
(902) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban’s shadow governor for Ghazni killed in airstrike, 18 June 2016.
(903) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 insurgents, 2 policemen dead in Ghazni firefights, 2 June 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 commanders among 8 Taliban killed in
Ghazni clash, 11 June 2016.
(904) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 of a family among 10 dead in Ghazni, Farah bombings, 8 August 2016.
(905) Pajhwok Afghan News, 30 villages cleared of insurgents in Ghazni: officials, 30 May 2016.
(906) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 73.
(907) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-induced Internal Displacement 2015: The Year In Review, April 2016.
(908) Pajhwok Afghan News, Intense fighting displaces dozens of Qarabagh families, 2 September 2015.
(909) UNOCHA, Afghanistan, Conflict-induced Displacements, Snapshot, 1 January - 31 May 2016, 12 June 2016.

98 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.4.2. Paktya
General description of the province

Paktya province is located in the southeast of the country. It borders Logar Province to the north, Ghazni to the west,
Paktika to the south, Khost to the southeast and Pakistan to the east. Paktya is 115 kilometres from Kabul and consistsof 11 districts: Ahmadaba, Alikhel/Jaji, Chamkani, Dand Wa Patan, Gardez, Lija Ahmad Khel/Laja Mangel, Janikhel,
Sayedkaram/Mirzaka, Shawak, Zadran and Zurmat (910). The province is estimated to have 551,987 inhabitants;
the population of the provincial capital, Gardez, is 24,803 (911). Paktya is predominantly Pashtun, with a small Tajik
population. Some Kuchi nomads are also present in the province. About two-thirds of the province is mountainousor semi-mountainous, so it is prone to natural disasters such as floods, landslides and avalanches (912).
Background on the conflict and actors in Paktya
The most problematic district of the province has been Zurmat for several years. The district connects Paktya tothree provinces (Paktika, Ghazni and Logar), making it a crossroads for Taliban fighters (913). In the 2000s, Zurmat
was labelled a Taliban stronghold and sometimes called “Little Kandahar” since many Taliban leaders were born
there. Violence gradually eased after the withdrawal of international forces; however, the relatively calm situation
seems to stem from the relations between the Taliban and local residents, who usually settle their disputes throughthe Taliban (914). According to Thomas Ruttig, ‘most of the Taleban fighters who fight in Zurmat belong to both the
Haqqani network as well as Abdul Latif Mansur’s, nephew of Nasrullah Mansur, the leader of a splintered factionof Harakat-e Nawin-e Inqilab-e Islami (New Islamic Revolution Moment)’ (915). He stated that ‘Mansur’s fighters are(910) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Paktya Province - Reference Map, 19 February 2014.
(911) UNOCHA, Afghanistan population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(912) ACF, Semi-Quantitative Evaluation of Access and Coverage, n.d., p. 10.
(913) Ruttig, T., The Second Fall of Musa Qala: How the Taleban are expanding territorial control, 3 September 2015.
(914) AAN, Classics of Conflict (2): Reviewing some of Afghanistan’s most notorious hotspots, 9 July 2015.
(915) Ruttig, T., The Second Fall of Musa Qala: How the Taleban are expanding territorial control, 3 September 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 99

in the majority in the district, while Haqqani fighters are smaller in number’ (916). However, the Haqqani network,
which is considered to be the most cohesive and best-funded insurgent group in the region, has had strongholds in
Paktya for years (917).
According to Afghan officials, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence is involved in ground battles in Chamkani
district (918) and Pakistani Taliban fighters are present in the province (919).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Paktya province counted 394 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (920):
Violence targeting individuals

19

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

235

Explosions

54

Security enforcement82

Non-conflict related incidents

3

Other incidents

1

Total security incidents

394

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Paktya province (921):
Gardez119

Ahmadaba

20

Zurmat104

Chamkani

19

Jaji

41

Lija Ahmad Khel

16

Dand Wa Patan

39

Jani Khel

11

Sayedkaram

24

Shawak1

In August 2016, the Taliban reportedly seized Jani Khel district after heavy clashes with ANSF (922). In reaction, it wasreported that drone attacks were conducted against the Taliban positions (923).
In Zurmat district ongoing clashes between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban killed at least nine civilians
in September 2015 (924). In January 2016, the ANA, the ANP, the ALP and the ANCOP jointly carried out a 10-day
operation called Khyber in the Sahak area of the district, which is mainly inhabited by the Sahak tribe and has long
been almost fully under Taliban control (925). Both the Afghan government and the Taliban endangered the lives of
local residents: the Taliban launched its attacks from areas close to the locals’ houses; the ANSF shelled villages
suspected to be Taliban hideouts and used schools and civilians’ houses for military purposes 926. Moreover, the
ANA stayed in a health clinic for three nights (927). At the end of the operation, which resulted in civilian casualties,
both parties claimed victory (928).
Dand Wa Patan district has also experienced heavy clashes between the ANSF and the Taliban. In September
2015, the Taliban attacked border police posts; about 70 AGEs and at least six border police officers died during
the clashes (929). According to a border zone commander, 1,000 Pakistani militiamen backed Taliban fighters in the(916) Ruttig, T., The Second Fall of Musa Qala: How the Taleban are expanding territorial control, 3 September 2015.
(917) Reuters, Taliban’s Haqqani may be even more deadly foe than Mansour, 22 May 2016.
(918) Tolo News, Pakistan’s ISI and military supporting insurgents in Paktia: Officials, 15 July 2015.
(919) Tolo News, 37 insurgents killed in ANSF operations, 28 May 2015.
(920) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(921) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(922) Khaama Press, Taliban militants capture Jani Khel district in of Paktia, 27 August 2016.
(923) Pajhwok Afghan News, Drone strikes kill 120 militants in Paktia, 29 August 2016.
(924) Pajhwok Afghan News, At least 9 civilians lose lives to ongoing clashes in Paktia, 16 September 2015.
(925) AAN, The ANSF’s Zurmat Operation: Abuses against local civilians, 4 March 2016.
(926) AAN, The ANSF’s Zurmat Operation: Abuses against local civilians, 4 March 2016.
(927) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 25.
(928) AAN, The ANSF’s Zurmat Operation: Abuses against local civilians, 4 March 2016.
(929) Pajhwok Afghan News, Clashes on, rebels capture border police posts in Paktia, 7 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 border policemen killed inongoing Paktia clash, 8 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Pakistan border guards constructing facilities in Paktia, 10 September 2015.

100 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

district (930). In November 2015, hundreds of Taliban fighters attacked border security posts again in the district, killingat least two border policemen (931). In March 2016, Pakistani forces entered many kilometres inside the district andbuilt military facilities there, according to local residents (932). A border police commander claimed in March 2016that Pakistani security forces fired rockets into the district in retaliation for a Taliban attack (933).
In October 2015, in Ahmad Khel district, Taliban fighters blocked the Gardez-Dand Wa Patan highway, which connects
six districts with Gardez, in order to carry out attacks (934).
A number of security incidents have been reported from Sayedkaram district. In October 2015, a US F-16 fighter jet
was hit by small-arms fire but the pilot returned the plane safely back to Bagram Airfield (935). At the end of October
2015, four policemen were killed when a roadside bomb exploded (936). In November 2015, Taliban fighters abductedcivilians in the district; according to a Taliban source, ALP officers were kidnapped (937). In May 2016, four policemen
died when a checkpost was attacked (938).
In Zadran and Shawak districts students did not complete their courses due to the ongoing security problems andshortage of teachers (939).
In August 2016, foreign forces conducted airstrikes against AGEs in Chamkani district (940).
ANSF conducted several counterinsurgency operations in the province. For example, in September 2015, 32 AGEs
died in an ANA operation (941). In November 2015, NDS detained three prominent members of the Haqqani network
in Gardez City (942). In May 2016, 14 AGEs were killed in two airstrikes (943).
Several demonstrations have been staged in the province. In September 2015, hundreds of people protested in
Gardez City demanding the words “Afghan” and “Islam” be mentioned in the electronic national IDs (944) and 300
demonstrators blocked the Kabul-Gardez highway for two days asking the government to pay more attention to theprovince in terms of reconstruction and security (945). In November 2015, doctors went on strike because they had
not been paid for five months (946). In April 2016, protestors accused the provincial council and their representatives
in the Wolesi Jirga of corruption (947). In the same month, hundreds of people protested against the assassination ofa tribal elder, who was attacked two days before (948).
Displacement
In September, October and November 2015, small-scale displacements were profiled in Paktya (949). In 2015 morethan 5,000 new conflict-induced displaced individuals were recorded in the province (950). Between January and May(930) Pajhwok Afghan News, Pakistan border guards constructing facilities in Paktia, 10 September 2015.
(931) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 police wounded as Taliban torch security post in Paktia, 1 November 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Fierce fighting in Dand-i-Patan
enters second day, 2 November 2015.
(932) Pajhwok Afghan News, Pakistani forces enter ‘several kilometers’ inside Paktia, 17 March 2016.
(933) Pajhwok Afghan News, Pakistani forces fire rockets into Dand-i-Patan district, 28 March 2016.
(934) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban block Gardez-Dand Patan highway in Paktia, 30 October 2015.
(935) Khaama Press, US F-16 fighter jet struck by Taliban militants in Paktia province, 19 October 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Pentagon confirms F-16 hit by smallarms fire in Paktia, 20 October 2015.
(936) Khaama Press, Landmine explosion martyrs four policemen in Paktia, 29 October 2015.
(937) Pajhwok Afghan News, A dozen civilians taken hostage by Taliban in Paktia: Official, 11 November 2015.
(938) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 policemen dead, 2 wounded in Paktia check-post attack, 4 May 2016.
(939) Pajhwok Afghan News, In remote Paktia districts, school education in a shambles, 29 February 2016.
(940) Pajhwok Afghan News, A dozen Taliban killed in Paktika, Paktia airstrikes, 15 August 2016.
(941) Pajhwok Afghan News, 32 militants eliminated in Paktia airstrikes, ANA claims, 3 September 2015.
(942) Khaama Press, NDS detains bomb supplier of Haqqani network in Paktia, 22 November 2015.
(943) Khaama Press, 14 militants killed in separate airstrikes in Paktia province, 31 May 2016.
(944) Pajhwok Afghan News, Hundreds rally in Paktia over e-ID cards issue, 2 September 2015.
(945) Pajhwok Afghan News, Protestors accuse central govt of neglecting Paktia, 9 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Kabul-Gardez highway reopens after
2 days of protests, 12 September 2015.
(946) Pajhwok Afghan News, Striking Paktia doctors vow to continue strike, 10 November 2015.
(947) Pajhwok Afghan News, Protesters accuse Paktia lawmakers of corruption, 11 April 2016.
(948) Pajhwok Afghan News, Hundreds rally in Paktia over elder’s assassination, 25 April 2016.
(949) UNHCR, Afghanistan, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015; UNHCR, Afghanistan, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement
Monthly Update, October 2015; UNHCR, Afghanistan, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015.
(950) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-induced Internal Displacement 2015: The Year In Review, April 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 101

2016, 38 individuals were displaced from Pul-e Khumri to Gardez district; while in Chamkani district 85 were newly
displaced persons; in Dand Wa Patan district 370 newly displaced persons were recorded. From Lija Ahmad Khel/
Laja Mangel district 77 individuals were displaced to Mohammadagha district, Logar (951).
UNHCR closed its offices in Paktya at the end of December 2015 (952).

2.4.3. Khost
General description of the province

Khost province is located in the southeast of Afghanistan and was formed from parts of Paktya and Paktika in
1995 (953). The province has a 185-kilometre border with the tribal areas of North Waziristan and Kurram Agency inPakistan. This long and porous border makes the province of great strategic importance as many AGEs have founda safe haven across the border in Pakistan (954).
The province is made up of the following districts: Bak, Gurbuz, Jajimaydan, Khost (Matun), Mandozayi, Musakhel,
Nadirshahkot, Qalandar, Sabari, Shamal, Spera, Tani, Terezayi (955). Khost City, locally also known as Matun, is thecapital of the province. The province has an estimated 574,582 inhabitants (956). The large majority of the population
belongs to the Pashtun ethnic group; prominent tribes are the Zadran, Mangal, Tani, Gurbuzi, Babakar Khel, Jaji,(951) UNOCHA, Afghanistan, Conflict-induced Displacements, Snapshot, 1 January - 31 May 2016, 12 June 2016.
(952) Pajhwok Afghan News, UNHCR closes office in southeastern Afghanistan, 31 December 2015.
(953) Tribal Analysis Center, Khost Province District Studies, 20 May 2013. p. 3.
(954) EASO, Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan Security Situation, January 2016. p. 97.
(955) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Khost Province - Reference Map, 19 February 2014.
(956) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.

102 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Sabari, Terezayi, Mandozayi, Moqbil and Ismael Khel (957). With the exception of the tribally heterogeneous Terezayi
district, Khost districts are quite homogenous in terms of tribal composition. In Khost City small populations of Tajiks
and Hazaras also live alongside Pashtuns (958). A sizeable population of Kuchi nomads is present in the province (959).
Background on the conflict and actors in Khost
Khost governor stated that a number of counterinsurgency operations had been conducted jointly by ANA and NDS
in the province (960). According to UNAMA, the number of civilian casualties resulting from combined operations of
IMF and ANSF increased in the second half of 2015 in Khost Province (961). The ALP programme is not present in theprovince (962). According to UNAMA, in the first half of 2016, the paramilitary pro-Government armed group, theKhost Protection Force, which is not regularised into ANSF, was involved in several incidents that resulted in civilian
casualties, mainly in Sabari district (963).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Khost Province counted 441 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (964):
Violence targeting individuals

9

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

142

Explosions

91

Security enforcement196

Non-conflict related incidents

3

Total security incidents

441

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Khost province (965):
Khost (Matun)

91

Mandozayi

20

Terezayi

73

Spera

19

Nadirshahkot

47

Qalandar

14

Musakhel

42

Tani

12

Sabari40

Shamal

4

Bak

33

Bak

1

Jajimaydan

21

Sabari1

Gurbuz21

According to RFE/RL, Khost was relatively calm in the second half of 2015 (966). In October 2015, a Khost provincial council
member stated that: ‘Khost was one of the peaceful provinces of the country due to the preparedness of security forces
and all-out cooperation from residents’ ‘967). Khost police chief, brigadier general Faziullah Ghairat, stated in November
2015 that AGEs may be present in border areas but rejected claims that IS carried out activities in the province (968).
AGEs’ attacks mainly targeted the ANP, government officials and tribal leaders in Khost province. In September 2015,
Taliban fighters attacked a police checkpoint in Bak district but were repelled by security forces (969). In October
2015, six tribal leaders were injured in a roadside bomb attack in Mandozayi district (970). In December 2015, two(957) Tribal Analysis Center, Khost Province District Studies, 20 May 2013. p. 8.
(958) Tribal Analysis Center, Khost Province District Studies, 20 May 2013, p. 5.
(959) The Liaison Office, Major Land Disputes and Land Titling Systems of Khost Province, October 2014, p. 16.
(960) Pajhwok Afghan News, Khost governor, PC head extol security forces’ performance, 16 February 2016.
(961) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Annual Report 2015, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 63.
(962) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 89.
(963) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, pp. 25, 88.
(964) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(965) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(966) RFE/RL, Afghan Students Killed in School Attack, 11 January 2016.
(967) Pajhwok Afghan News, Ramp up cooperation with security forces, Khostis urged, 7 October 2015.
(968) Pajhwok Afghan News, Khost, Paktia join hands against security threats, 28 November 2015.
(969) Pajhwok Afghan News, A dozen insurgents perish in Khost firefight: Police, 12 September 2015.
(970) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 tribal elders wounded in Khost roadside bombing, 14 October 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 103

policemen were wounded in an explosion on the outskirts of Khost City (971). In January 2016, Taliban fighters attacked
a security checkpoint in Sabari district, killing 11 civilians (972). In January 2016, AGEs’ rockets detonated near a school
in Bak district, killing a boy and injuring 10 other children and a woman (973). In February 2016, AGEs attacked andinjured the public health director of Khost in Khost City (974) and a senior NDS official died in an explosion (975). In
April 2016, a district court registrar was shot dead in Mandozayi district (976). In May 2016, the border police chief
was killed in a bomb attack (977).
Afghan security forces launched several operations against AGEs in the province. In October 2015, a top commanderof the Haqqani network was detained, who moved from Pakistan to Khost Province with 100 fighters to conductattacks in Khost City (978). In April 2016, the NDS discovered two weapon caches of the Haqqani network in Terezayi
district (979). In January 2016, nearly 200 local and foreign AGEs were killed in the Operation Khyber launched by theAfghan security forces in Khost, Paktya, Paktika and Ghazni provinces (980). In February 2016, the ANA killed morethan 10 AGEs and seized weapons and ammunition during an operation in Sabari district of Khost (981).
During Afghan Special Forces’ operations several civilians were killed in Gurbuz district in September 2015 (982),
in Terezayi district in November 2015 (983) and also in Khost City in April 2016 (984). In April 2016, Khost Protection
Force killed three civilians during a search operation in Sabari district in an exchange of fire; and in June 2016, Khost
Protection Force also killed three civilians believed to be AGEs during another search operation in Sabari district (985).
In August 2016, Afghan Special Forces killed two children and wounded 15 other civilians, including women in a nightraid against AGEs in Spera district (986). Also in August, the ANA launched a large-scale military operation against the
Taliban in Musakhel district (987).
NDS rescued several abducted children in March and May 2016 and arrested the kidnappers (988).
Demonstrations have been staged in the province: in September 2015, hundreds of people protested demanding thewords “Afghan” and “Islam” be mentioned in the electronic national IDs (989) and teachers protested because they
were denied land (990). The striking teachers closed 71 schools in Tanai and Gurbuz districts (991); as a consequenceof the strikes, 275 teachers were given land plots in those districts in November 2015 (992). In May 2016, thousandsof citizens protested against routing the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) projectthrough Bamyan (993).

(971) Pajhwok Afghan News, Policemen among 3 wounded in Khost explosion, 10 December 2015.
(972) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban-fired mortar shells leaves child dead, 10 wounded in Khost, 11 January 2016.
(973) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 53.
(974) Pajhwok Afghan News, Khost public health director wounded in shooting, 10 February 2016.
(975) Pajhwok Afghan News, Senior NDS official dead in Khost explosion, 19 February 2016.
(976) Pajhwok Afghan News, District court registrar gunned down by motorcyclists in Khost, 24 April 2016.
(977) Pajhwok Afghan News, Khost border police chief killed, 5 injured in bomb attack, 24 May 2016.
(978) Pajhwok Afghan News, Key Haqqani commander detained in Khost, 5 October 2015.
(979) Ariana News, Afghan intelligence thwarted Haqqani Network plots in Kabul, Khost, 13 April 2016.
(980) Pajhwok Afghan News, ‘Some 200 militants killed in southeast offensive’, 5 January 2016.
(981) Pajhwok Afghan News, Daesh fighters among 54 killed in 24 hours: MoD, 15 February 2016.
(982) Pajhwok Afghan News, Probe launched after couple killed in Special Forces raid, 6 September 2015.
(983) Pajhwok Afghan News, Special Forces gun down 2 more civilians during Khost raid, 11 November 2015.
(984) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 of a family shot dead and injured in Khost, 4 April 2016.
(985) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, pp. 25, 88.
(986) Pajhwok Afghan News, Children among 4 dead in overnight Khost raid, 9 August 2016.
(987) Pajhwok Afghan News, Over hundred Taliban dead, scores hurt in Khost offensive, 10 August 2016.
(988) Pajhwok Afghan News, Child rescued in Khost, 4 abductors detained, 11 March 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 5-member group of kidnappers busted, childrescued, 25 March 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Boy rescued, suspected kidnapper detained in Khost raid, 13 May 2016.
(989) Pajhwok Afghan News, Hundreds rally in Khost against new e-ID cards, 10 September 2015.
(990) Pajhwok Afghan News, Teachers’ strike closes 71 schools in Khost, 14 September 2015.
(991) Pajhwok Afghan News, Teachers’ strike closes 71 schools in Khost, 14 September 2015.
(992) Pajhwok Afghan News, 275 teachers being distributed land plots in Khost, 10 November 2015.
(993) Pajhwok Afghan News, Thousands rally against change in TUTAP project actual route, 15 May 2016.

104 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Displacement
In November 2015, small-scale displacements were profiled in Khost (994). In 2015, more than 2,000 new conflictinduced displaced individuals were recorded (995).
Due to the Pakistani military operations against militants in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) morethan 10,000 Pakistani citizens arrived in Khost and Paktika between September and December 2015 (996). Following
new military operations in North Waziristan further families arrived in Khost in the first months of 2016 (997). About
10,000 refugees from North Waziristan Agency stayed in the Gulan camp of Gurbuz district (998).

(994) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015, p. 2.
(995) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-induced Internal Displacement 2015: The Year In Review, April 2016, p. 7.
(996) USAID, Afghanistan - Complex Emergency, 18 December 2015, p. 2.; US Department of State, Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2015 - Afghanistan,
13 April 2016.
(997) UNHCR, Afghanistan, Khost & Paktika Situation Update, 10 May 2016, p. 2.
(998) Pajhwok Afghan News, Waziristan refugees allege anomalies in aid distribution, 19 January 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 105

2.4.4. Paktika
General description of the province

106 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Paktika province borders Paktya and Khost provinces to the north, Zabul to the east, and it shares borders in thenorth and northwest with the province of Ghazni. In the south and southeast it shares a 360-kilometre border withPakistan’s restive and volatile tribal areas (999). Paktika consists of 19 districts: Bermel, Dila, Gomal, Gyan, Janikhel,
Matakhan, Naka, Omna, Sarobi, Sarrawzah, Sharan, Turwo, Urgun, Wazakhah, Wormamay, Yahyakhel, Yosufkhel,
Zarghunshahr and Ziruk (1000). Sharana City is the provincial capital of the province. Paktika has an estimated 434,742
inhabitants (1001). The large majority of the population belongs to the Pashtun ethnic group, followed by Tajiks, Arabs
and Pashais (1002).
Background on the conflict and actors in Paktika
In Paktika a new faction of the Taliban, led by Mullah Obidullah Hunar, has emerged, which did not recognise Mullah
Akhtar Mansour as leader (1003). The Haqqani network, the TTP and al-Qaeda are also present (1004). IS uses Paktika
as a recruitment base (1005). In January 2015, about 200 IS-linked foreign fighters and their families settled in thesoutheast, including Paktika province (1006).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Paktika Province counted 491 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1007):
Violence targeting individuals

15

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

332

Explosions

56

Security enforcement84

Non-conflict related incidents

1

Other incidents

3

Total security incidents

491

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Paktika Province (1008):
Wazakhah76

Sarrawzah

17

Gyan

71

Dila

16

Bermel

50

Ziruk

14

Urgun

46

Yahyakhel

12

Omna

44

Yosufkhel

12

Gomal

37

Wormamay

9

Sharan30

Zarghunshar

8

Janikhel

23

Sarobi7

Matakhan

17

Naka

2

According to Khaama Press, Paktika is one of the most volatile provinces in the southeast of Afghanistan (1009). The
Taliban and the Haqqani network have demonstrated the capability to launch attacks in a number of districts (1010).

(999) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Paktika, n.d.
(1000) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Paktika Province - Reference Map [map], 19 February 2014.
(1001) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1002) ISW, Regional Command East, n.d.
(1003) Tolo News, New Taliban Faction Emerges in Paktika, 15 February 2016.
(1004) Roggio B., US airstrike kills 15 Pakistani Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan, 11 September 2015.
(1005) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 23 February 2016.
(1006) Middle East Institute, Policy Focus 2016-11, The Islamic State in Afghanistan, Examining its Threat to Stability, May 2016, p. 3.
(1007) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1008) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1009) Khaama Press, Taliban bomb kill 6 member of a single family in Paktika province, 20 February 2016.
(1010) Khaama Press, Taliban bomb kill 6 member of a single family in Paktika province, 20 February 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 107

In April 2016, Paktika governor, Aminullah Shariq stated that since the launch of the Taliban’s spring offensive –Omari – the AGEs conducted 28 attacks in the province; however, security forces repulsed them, killing eight rebels
and injuring more than 20 others (1011).
The Taliban conducted permanent attacks against Wazakhah district. In September 2015, they captured six police
checkpoints in the Goshta area of the district but were repelled (1012). In October AGEs attacked the district’s
headquarters but were repelled again (1013). At the beginning of November – after more than two weeks of constantattacks – Taliban fighters seized seven villages near the district centre (1014). They harassed civilians, blew up police
posts and houses (1015), blocked all roads to the district centre (1016). In December – after two months blockade –they reopened the roads linking Wazakhah, Turwo and Wormamay districts with Sharana on condition that locals
stop joining ALP (1017). In February 2016, a Taliban-planted IED attack was reported, which killed six members ofa family (1018), although security forces were targeted (1019).
In Omna district the Taliban conducted bomb attacks (1020), launched attacks against the district headquarter andcheckpoints (1021) and targeted tribal leaders and government officers (1022). In August 2016, foreign forces conductedairstrikes against AGEs in Omna district (1023).
In September 2015, a major attack was conducted in Sigani village of Zarghunshahr district: IEDs were used to target
a volleyball game (1024). Seventeen civilians were killed and 60 injured in the suicide attack (1025). The NDS blamed the
Haqqani network for the blast (1026).
In Bermel district Pakistani forces attacked Afghan border police posts after AGEs fired rockets from Afghan territory
into the other side of the Durand Line in November 2015 (1027). The cross-border shelling intensified after Pakistan
opened a gate built in Afghan territory (1028). Due to diplomatic efforts the military installation built in Paktika washanded over to the Afghan government in May 2016 (1029).
Officers and local residents in Bermel district stated in January 2016 that Pakistani forces occupied areas near theborder and forced people to get Pakistani ID cards if they wanted to commute (1030).
In Bermel clashes between the Taliban and AGEs loyal to IS were frequent (1031). In February 2016, security officers
arrested Hazrat Ali, who was the chief operator of Taliban insurgency in the area (1032).
In Yahyakhel district two civilians died and six were injured in a bomb blast in October 2015 (1033), while in February
2016, six civilians died and nine were injured in a suicide attack, which targeted the district governor, Musa Khan
Kharotai (1034).

(1011) Pajhwok Afghan News, 10,000 Paktika youth provided jobs in 4 months: governor, 18 April 2016.
(1012) Pajhwok Afghan News, Security personnel among 57 dead in Paktika battles, 9 September 2015.
(1013) Pajhwok Afghan News, Casualties as Taliban attacks beaten back in Paktika, 29 October 2015.
(1014) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban besiege Paktika’s Waza Khwa district, 5 November 2015.
(1015) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban besiege Paktika’s Waza Khwa district, 5 November 2015.
(1016) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban surround Waza Khwa district centre, 9 November 2015.
(1017) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban conditionally reopen roads in 3 Paktika districts, 24 December 2015.
(1018) Khaama Press, Taliban bomb kill 6 member of a single family in Paktika province, 20 February 2016.
(1019) RFE/RL, Land Mine Kills Several Members Of Afghan Family, 21 February 2016.
(1020) Pajhwok Afghan News, Paktika deputy police chief among 4 injured in blast, 23 September 2015.
(1021) Pajhwok Afghan News, Casualties as Taliban attacks beaten back in Paktika, 29 October 2015.
(1022) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban kill 5 Paktika tribal elders in 3 days: Residents, 7 November 2015.
(1023) Pajhwok Afghan News, A dozen Taliban killed in Paktika, Paktia airstrikes, 15 August 2016.
(1024) Khaama Press, Paktika attack widely condemned that left nine killed, 51 wounded, 28 September 2015.
(1025) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, report of theSecretary General, 10 December 2015, p. 8.
(1026) Khaama Press, Suicide blast leaves six killed, nine wounded in Paktika, 8 February 2016.
(1027) Pajhwok Afghan News, Militant attack sparks Afghan-Pak border skirmish, 15 November 2015.
(1028) Khaama Press, Exchange of fire erupts at Pak-Afghan border in Paktika after Pakistan opens gate inside Afghanistan territory, 16 November 2015.
(1029) Tolo News, Pakistan Hands Over Military Installation to Afghanistan, 21 May 2016.
(1030) Pajhwok Afghan News, Angoor Ada residents ‘forced’ to get Pakistani ID cards, 24 January 2016.
(1031) Khaama Press, Taliban confirm losing 13 fighters in Paktika drone strikes, 13 February 2016.
(1032) Pajhwok Afghan News, Notorious Taliban commander held in Paktika, 17 February 2016.
(1033) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 civilians dead, 6 wounded in Paktika explosion, 14 October 2015.
(1034) Khaama Press, Suicide blast leaves six killed, nine wounded in Paktika, 8 February 2016.

108 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

In Janikhel district the Taliban hanged two policemen in May 2016 (1035).
In Gomal district clashes were ongoing between rival Taliban factions (1036). In September 2015, a drone strike killed 15
TTP fighters (1037), while NDS killed eight al-Qaeda members (1038). In February 2016, AGEs loyal to the Taliban shadow
governor, Asmatullah were killed in a drone strike (1039). The same month, at least three al Qaeda affiliated AGEs
were killed in a drone strike (1040). In April 2016, at least 20 people, including many civilians, died in US air strikes (1041).
In Orgun district ALP and Taliban fighters clashed when the AGEs attacked an ALP checkpoint in December 2015;a member of the ALP and seven Taliban fighters died (1042). In March 2016, a civilian died when ALP fired towards
a residential area after AGE had attacked an ALP checkpoint. Local residents staged a peaceful demonstration against
the incident in the district centre (1043).
In the provincial capital, Sharana six civilians were injured in an explosion targeted primarily an ALP commander inJanuary 2016 (1044). Close to Sharana, in Matakhan district, the Taliban attacked ALP posts in April 2016 (1045). The
Dila district police chief and six of his colleagues were killed by the Taliban in May 2016 (1046).
Paktika’s education director acknowledged that due to security fears schools were not monitored in Gomal,
Wormamay, Wazakhah, Turwo, Gyan, Naka and Bermel districts (1047). According to locals, a lot of schools are under
Taliban influence (1048). The Taliban forced people in Ziruk, Urgun, Omna, Sarrawzah, Gomal, Sarobi, Bermel and Naka
districts to give them one-tenth of their total pine-nuts income (1049).
Displacement
In November 2015, small-scale displacements were profiled in Paktika (1050). Many people were displaced due to theborder skirmishes (1051) but they returned after the fights had ended (1052).
Due to the Pakistani military operations against militants in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) morethan 10,000 Pakistani citizens entered Khost and Paktika between September and December 2015 (1053). Following
new military operations in North Waziristan further families arrived in Paktika in the first months of 2016 (1054).

(1035) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban hang two policemen in Paktika, 10 May 2016.
(1036) Khaama Press, Several killed in Daesh, Taliban clashes in Paktika, 11 February 2016.
(1037) Khaama Press, Drone strike kills 15 Pakistani militants in Paktika, 11 September 2015.
(1038) Khaama Press, Senior al-Qaeda commander among eight killed in Paktika, 14 September 2015.
(1039) Khaama Press, Drone strike kills six Taliban in Paktika’s Gomal District, 18 February 2016.
(1040) Khaama Press, Drone strike leaves 3 Al-Qaeda militants dead in Paktika province, 27 February 2016.
(1041) Pajhwok Afghan News, Karzai condemns civilian casualties in Paktika drone strike, 9 April 2016.
(1042) Pajhwok Afghan News, Suspected Pakistanis among 7 insurgents killed in Paktika, 26 December 2015.
(1043) UNAMA, Afghanistan, Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 90.
(1044) Pajhwok Afghan News, Civilians among 8 killed in Paktika, Ghazni incidents, 2 January 2016.
(1045) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 killed, 7 injured in overnight Paktika firefight, 4 April 2016.
(1046) Pajhwok Afghan News, District police chief among 7 dead in Taliban attack, 17 May 2016.
(1047) Pajhwok Afghan News, No school in Khoshamand district of Paktika, 11 November 2015.
(1048) Pajhwok Afghan News, Future of 50,000 schoolchildren at stake in Paktika, 17 December 2015.
(1049) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban forcibly collecting usher in Paktika, claim inhabitants, 10 October 2015.
(1050) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015
(1051) Pajhwok Afghan News, Militant attack sparks Afghan-Pak border skirmish, 15 November 2015.
(1052) Pajhwok Afghan News, 1 Afghan policeman killed, 4 wounded in border clash, 16 November 2015.
(1053) USAID, Afghanistan - Complex Emergeny Factsheet, 18 December 2015; US Department of State, Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2015 - Afghanistan,
13 April 2016.
(1054) UNHCR, Afghanistan, Khost & Paktika Situation Update, 10 May 2016, p. 2.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 109

2.5. East
2.5.1. Laghman
General description of the province110 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Laghman Province (capital Mehtarlam) consists of 5 districts: Alingar, Alishang, Dawlatshah, Mehtarlam/Bad Pash
and Qarghayi (1055) and is predominantly mountainous or semi-mountainous. The province is connected with Kabul
and Nangarhar via a main road crossing the district of Qarghayi. According to UNOCHA, 445,588 people live in theprovince (1056). The main ethnic groups are Pashtuns, Tajiks and Gujjars. About 58 % of the population speaks Pashto
while others communicate in Dari (1057).
Background on the conflict and actors in Laghman
According to Khaama Press, in April of 2016 Laghman was considered to be among the relatively volatile provincesin eastern Afghanistan. AGEs were actively operating in a number of its isolated districts (1058).
Religious scholars attended a gathering in Laghman and called on the Taliban to denounce violence and to consent
to the government’s peace-talks offer. The main goal of the meeting was to strengthen the unity among tribes andto increase efforts at bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan (1059).
The Kabul Tribune reported that during 2015 significant achievements were realised in various sectors by the local
Laghmani government. These improvements were registered in various sectors, such as security, governance,development as well as overall service delivery to the people of Laghman, in all districts and the capital. This led tocontinued cooperation with the local administration (1060). Nonetheless, AGEs are actively operating in a number of
its isolated districts (1061).
An international organisation stated that the security situation for the entire province of Laghman remained unstablein 2015 (1062). The volatility of the security situation in Laghman Province in 2015 was further highlighted by incidents
such as armed clashes, assassinations, intimidations and airstrikes. The security hotspots were areas where AGEs
are present, particularly in Alingar, Dawlat Shah, Badpakh and Alishing district. Other aspects of security problems
were due to a tribal-dominated society with ethnic differences, a conservative rural population, some of which havefundamentalist religious beliefs, as well as different groups of AGEs, but also organised crime, narcotics, cross-bordershelling, cross-border influences and other aspects (1063).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Laghman Province counted 852 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1064):
Violence targeting individuals

42

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

719

Explosions

49

Security enforcement

42

Total security incidents

852

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Laghman Province (1065):
Mehtarlam

340

Qarghayi

70

Alisheng

245

Dawlat Shah

29

Alingar168(1055) UNOCHA, Laghman Province - Reference Map [map], 9 February 2014; MRRD, Laghman Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1056) UNOCHA, Afghanistan population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1057) MRRD, Laghman Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1058) Khaama Press, Policeman kills his 3 comrades in latest insider attack in Laghman, 28 April 2016; Khaama Press, 6 militants killed in Afghan Air Force, army
raids in Laghman, 22 February 2016.
(1059) Pajhwok Afghan News, Laghman clerics urge Taliban to shun violence, accept talks offer, 15 March 2016; Tolo News, Govt To Talk Only With Taliban Groups
That Denounce Violence, 28 February 2016.
(1060) Kabul Tribune, Laghman’s notable achievements in 2015, 11 April 2016.
(1061) Khaama Press, Policeman kills his 3 comrades in latest insider attack in Laghman, 28 April 2016.
(1062) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015; Khaama Press, Policeman kills his 3 comrades in latest insider attack in Laghman, 28 April 2016;
Khaama Press, 6 militants killed in Afghan Air Force, army raids in Laghman, 22 February 2016.
(1063) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015.
(1064) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1065) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 111

A large-scale coordinated attack by the Taliban carried out on the district of Dawlat Shah in October 2015 wasrepelled by the security forces. The security forces also foiled the Taliban’s plan of occupying the district (1066). During
a military operation in November 2015, in the district of Behsoud in Nangarhar, the Taliban governor for the province,
Aminuallah Kuchi, was captured by security forces (1067). In December 2015, two local commanders of the Taliban
militant group were killed in an aerial attack in the district of Alishing (1068). In January 2016, a senior commander of
the Taliban was killed during clashes with the Afghan military in the district of Alishing. Three other AGEs were also
killed in the clash (1069). In February, a magnetic IED attached to an ANP vehicle exploded in the city of Mehterlam.
A dozen civilians were injured during this incident which took place near a bank (1070). In March 2016, raids, armed
clashes, as well as attacks by rockets and air, took place in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan andLaghman (1071). In mid-March the deputy district police chief of Nuristan (a neighbouring province of Laghman), waskilled in an attack in Laghman (1072). In April 2016, at least three policemen were killed in an insider attack, according
to local security officials. The incident took place at a security post in Mehtarlam (1073). In May 2016, a commander
for the Taliban, Mullah Saboor, was killed along with three other Taliban in the district of Bad Pakh Shaitan in thevillage of Gum Shaidan. According to the NDS the group of Mullah Saboor was planning a suicide attack along with 11
other fighters before the commander was killed (1074). In June 2016, a roadside bomb killed two civilians and wounded
16 others in Alisheng (1075). Also in June, eight civilians were wounded by the detonation of a magnetic IED in thecapital Mehterlam (1076). In July 2016, a magnetic bomb attached to a police vehicle detonated in Alisheng, injuring
an ALP member and six civilians (1077). In August 2016, a magnetic bomb attached to a police vehicle detonated in
Mehterlam, injuring four civilians (1078).
Displacement
Only small-scale displacements have been profiled for Laghman for the months of September (1079), October (1080)
and November 2015 (1081).

(1066) Khaama Press, Security forces foil Taliban plan to capture Laghman’s Dawlat Shah District, 17 October 2015.
(1067) Khaaama Press, NDS detain Taliban shadow governor for Laghman province, 4 November 2015; UPI, Afghanistan: More than 50 militants killed in countrywide
operations, 15 November 2015.
(1068) Press TV, Fresh US assassination drone raid kills two in eastern Afghanistan, 30 December 2015.
(1069) Bakhtar News, Taliban Senior Commander Killed In Laghman Clash, 20 January 2016.
(1070) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 52.
(1071) BAMF, Briefing Notes, 4 April 2016; BAMF, Briefing Notes, 14 March 2016.
(1072) BAMF, Briefing Notes, 21 March 2016.
(1073) Khaama Press, Policeman kills his 3 comrades in latest insider attack in Laghman, 28 April 2016.
(1074) Khaama Press, Taliban suicide attacks organizer killed in Laghman province, 31 May 2016.
(1075) New Afghan Press, Roadside Bomb Kills 2 Civilians, Injures 16 Others In Laghman, 3 June 2016.
(1076) Tolo News, Eight Civilians Wounded in Laghman Blast, 23 June 2016.
(1077) Pajhwok Afghan News, ALP official, 6 civilians injured in Laghman bomb attack, 22 July 2016.
(1078) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 civilian injured in Laghman, NDS agent shot dead in Faryab, 1 August 2016.
(1079) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, September 2015.
(1080) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, October 2015.
(1081) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, November 2015.

112 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.5.2. Nangarhar
General description of the province

Nangarhar Province (capital Jalalabad) consists of 22 districts (Achin, Batikot, Behsud, Chaparhar, Dara-e-Nur, Dehbala(or Hasqa Mina) (1082), Durbaba, Goshta, Hesarak, Jalalabad, Kama, Khogyani, Kot, Kuzkunar, Lalpur, Muhmand Dara,
Nazyan, Pachieragam, Rodat, Shinwar, Surkhrod, Sherzad (1083) and is mainly mountainous and semi-mountainous (1084).
Of the 1,517,388 inhabitants (1085), 90 % are Pashtuns while the remaining population consists of Pachay, Tajiks, Gujjars
and Kuchis (1086). Jalalabad has an estimated population of 226,029 (1087).
Background on the conflict and actors in Nangarhar
AGEs have infiltration and movement hotspots in Nangarhar Province along the border with Pakistan. In 2015, themajority of the security incidents occurred in Hisarak, Achin, Khogyani, Sherzad, Chaparhar, Bati-Kot, Dih-Bala,
Pachir-Wa-Agam, Kot, Lal Pur and Nazyan Districts. Other security concerns are caused by a tribal-dominated society
with ethnic differences, a conservative rural population, of which some have fundamentalist religious beliefs, aswell as different groups of AGEs, but also organised crime, narcotics, cross-border shelling, cross-border influences
and poor governance (1088).
Khaama Press reported in March 2016 that Nangarhar was considered to be among the relatively volatile provinces,in which AGEs, including Taliban fighters, as well as IS loyalists, were actively operating in a number of its secluded
districts (1089).

(1082) Afghan biographies, Haska Mina District Nangahar Province, 12 November 2014.
(1083) UNOCHA, Afghanistan Administrative Divisions, 14 January 2014; MRRD, Nangarhar Provincial Profile, n.d., p. 1.
(1084) MRRD, Nangarhar Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1085) UNOCHA, Afghanistan population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015; USAID, Afghanistan: Central Statistics Organization (CSO) Estimated Population 1394
(2015-2016), 16 December 2015.
(1086) MRRD, Nangarhar Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1087) UNOCHA, Afghanistan population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1088) Western security analyst, anonymous source specialised in security in Afghanistan, emails and briefing, July - October 2015.
(1089) Khaama Press, ISIS loyalists suffer casualties after ambushing Afghan forces in Nangarhar, 20 March 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 113

In January 2015, IS officially announced its presence in Afghanistan. It grew from Pakistani militants who had settled
since 2010 in the southeastern districts of the province of Nangarhar and their ranks include other Pakistani militants
who arrived during 2014 and former Taliban members (1090). The district of Achin (1091) in Nangarhar was chosen as
the group’s headquarters for various reasons, including proximity to the Pakistani border, easy access to weaponsand logistical supply routes (1092). Its presence was limited to the districts of Achin, Deh Bala and Chaparhar of
Nangarhar (1093). IS attempted to expand its territory beyond Nangarhar Province but failed (1094). It clashed heavily
with the Taliban in Nangarhar and, initially, it did not target ANSF (1095). In July 2015, ANSF stepped in and on multiple
occasions conducted offensive operations against IS in the districts of Achin, Kot, Nazian and Bati until June 2016,
sometimes with US air support. As a result the districts of Achin and Kot were recaptured. Nonetheless, in otherinstances the operations have made no gains, since some of the territory was retaken by the group. The Afghan
government relied excessively on ‘so-called popular forces, militias raised by local power-brokers and run by the
NDS’. These forces were able to stop IS from gaining further territory and in return became primary targets for IS
attacks (1096).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Nangarhar Province counted 1,901 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1097):
Violence targeting individuals

127

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

1,049

Explosions

199

Security enforcement460

Non-conflict related incidents

55

Other incidents

11

Total security incidents

1,901

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Nangarhar Province (1098):
Achin

250

Kot

91

Bihsud158

Pachir Wa Agam73

Hisarak142

Lal Pur50

Jalalabad

135

Rodat

50

Mohmand Dara

127

Nazyan44

Surkh Rod125

Sherzad35

Bati Kot

114

Kama

27

Khogyani

113

Goshta25

Shinwar102

Kuz Kunar

24

Chaparhar98

Dur baba18

Dih Bala92

Dar-i Nur

8(1090) Reuters, Al Qaeda re-emerges as challenge for U.S., NATO in Afghanistan, 15 April 2016; AAN, The Islamic State in ‘Khorasan’: How it began and where it
stands now in Nangarhar, 27 July 2016.
(1091) Pajhwok Afghan News, Why Daesh chose Achin district as its base in Afghanistan, 9 May 2016; Khaama Press, Security forces kill 24 Daesh militants in
Nangarhar, 12 March 2016.
(1092) Pajhwok, Why Daesh chose Achin district as its base in Afghanistan, 9 May 2016.
(1093) Reuters, Al Qaeda re-emerges as challenge for U.S., NATO in Afghanistan, 15 April 2016.
(1094) AAN, The Islamic State in ‘Khorasan’: How it began and where it stands now in Nangarhar, 27 July 2016.
(1095) NY Times, Afghan ISIS Branch Makes Inroads in Battle Against Taliban, 13 October 2015; IB, ISIS In Afghanistan: US Airstrikes, Afghan Forces Target Islamic Statein Group in Eastern Afghanistan, 23 February 2016; AAN, The Islamic State in ‘Khorasan’: How it began and where it stands now in Nangarhar, 27 July 2016.
(1096) AAN, The Islamic State in ‘Khorasan’: How it began and where it stands now in Nangarhar, 27 July 2016.
(1097) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1098) For more information on the source and the methodology of the maps, see introduction.

114 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

The overall security situation in the province of Nangarhar is volatile (1099). In August 2016, Tolo News indicatedNangarhar was the most volatile province in Afghanistan (1100).
In the provincial capital Jalalabad, in October 2015, a remote-controlled IED exploded against a minibus carrying
staff of Afghanistan´s Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), killing two human-rights workers and injuring
six others (1101). A plane crash in the same month killed 11 people, including service members of the United States.
The incident took place at Jalalabad airport. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident, stating via social
media that it shot down the plane (1102) In December 2015, five people were killed by a suicide bomb in Jalalabad.
This happened during the detention of Russian-speaking people who, according to an official source, were planningto join IS. Among the detained were five men, one female and three children (1103). In January 2016, 13 civilians were
killed and 14 others were injured in a suicide attack in Jalalabad City (1104). The Afghan security forces killed twogunmen following a suicide bomb attack near the Pakistani consulate. According to a high-ranking Afghan official,seven Afghan servicemen were killed during the incident, and seven others were injured. It was stated that threecivilians were also injured. IS claimed responsibility for the attack which took place in January 2016 (1105). In March
2016, a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle filled with explosives outside the entrance of the Indian consulate in
Jalalabad (1106), killing two people and injuring 19 others (1107). In July 2016, two civilians were killed and 17 others
wounded in a suicide attack in Jalalabad City (1108). In August 2016, three people playing sports were injured ina landmine blast in Jalalabad (1109).
In September 2015, during clashes between security forces and IS in the district of Achin, 35 AGEs were killed.
According to an official source two soldiers were killed and another two were wounded (1110). In October, the NDS
arrested AGEs in Nangarhar. The AGEs were involved in several terrorist activities, including planting landmines andassassinating prominent figures. The AGEs initially planned to attack military and civilian vehicles. Also a variety ofarms were found in their possession (1111). The district chief of Aching stated in November 2015 that AGEs had attacked
a security checkpoint in Abdul Khel. During clashes that lasted for hours, the security forces killed a dozen IS fightersand wounded several others (1112). During clashes in January 2016, security forces killed 15 IS AGEs. Initially the AGEs
planned to attack a security post in the area of Saluram Farm in the district of Bati Kot. An unspecified number ofAGEs were wounded in this incident. No civilian casualties were reported, although a police officer suffered light
injuries (1113). During a US airstrike in February 2016, the “Voice of the Caliphate”, an IS-operated radio station, wasdestroyed. The “Voice of the Caliphate” was illegally broadcasting throughout Nangarhar, calling on fighters to join
the group (1114). In March 2016, security forces foiled an IS plan to attack security posts in the areas of Deh Sarakund Pansar in the district of Achin. Twenty four rebels were killed (1115). According to officials, 12 people died in
April 2016 when a suicide bomber drove his rickshaw into a bus full of members of the ANA. An additional 38 were
injured (1116). During 24 hours in May 2016, at least a dozen IS fighters were killed during various NATO drone strikes
in Nangarhar (1117). In June 2016, IS fighters overran several ANSF posts in the district of Kot (1118). They also torchedcivilian houses, causing the displacement of hundreds of families from Kot, and abducted inhabitants (1119).

(1099) Western security official, anonymous source specialised in security in Afghanistan, emails and briefing, July - October 2015; Khaama Press, ISIS loyalists suffer
casualties after ambushing Afghan forces in Nangarhar, 20 March 2016.
(1100) Tolo News, Afghan Civilian Casualty Toll Up By 82% in July, updated on 8 August 2016.
(1101) UNAMA, UNAMA condemns murder of human rights workers, 26 October 2015.
(1102) RFE/RL, Eleven Dead As U.S. Plane Carrying Troops Crashes In Afghanistan, 2 October 2015.
(1103) NY Times, Bomb Rocks Kabul’s Diplomatic Quarter and Starts a Standoff, 11 December 2015.
(1104) UNAMA, UNAMA condemns attack in Jalalabad, 17 January 2016.
(1105) RFE/RL, Gunmen Killed After Pakistan Consulate Attack In Afghanistan, 13 January 2016.
(1106) RFE/RL, Civilians, Militants Killed In Attack On Indian Consulate In Afghanistan, 2 March 2016.
(1107) Ariana News, Nangarhar mass attack killed 2, injured 19 others, 2 March 2016.
(1108) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 dead, 17 wounded in Nangarhar suicide bombing, 2 July 2016.
(1109) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 sportsmen injured in Jalalabad blast, 28 August 2016.
(1110) Khaama Press, 35 Daesh militants killed in clash with security forces in Nangarhar’s Achin District, 27 September 2015.
(1111) Press TV, Afghanistan security forces arrest nine militants in Nangarhar, 15 October 2015.
(1112) Afghanistan Times, 12 Daesh fighters killen in Nangarhar, 20 November 2015.
(1113) Khaama Press, 15 Daesh militants killed in clash with security forces in Nangarhar, 5 January 2016
(1114) Business Insider, Airstrikes destroy ISIS radio station in Afghanistan, 2 February 2016
(1115) Khaama Press, Security forces kill 24 Daesh militants in Nangarhar, 12 March 2016
(1116) Tolo News, 12 killed In Nangarhar Suicide Attack, 11 April 2016
(1117) Pajhwok, 12 Daesh militants killed in Nangarhar drone strikes, 26 May 2016
(1118) AAN, The Islamic State in ‘Khorasan’: How it began and where it stands now in Nangarhar, 27 July 2016.
(1119) 1 TV News, IS militants torch 90 houses in Nangarhar, 27 June 2016; Press TV, Daesh-linked terrorists abduct 30 in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar, 25 June 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 115

According to reports, approximately 100 strikes against IS in Khorasan were conducted by the US forces in the first
three months of 2016 (1120). It was reported that IS violence prevented 33,000 children from attending school in the
districts of Achin, Haskamena, and Kot (1121).
Displacement
UNHCR reported that from mid-June 2015 until February 2016 continuous displacement occurred in the easternregion – particularly in the province of Nangarhar. As a result of several military operations, as well as clashes
between various groups such as the Taliban and IS affiliators, displacement occurred in the districts of Kot, Achin
and Chaparghar (1122).
In September 2015, 918 families or 5,483 individuals were displaced in the province of Nangarhar. The IDPs registeredoriginated from the districts of Kot, Achin, Khugyani, Nazyan, Ghani Khel and Shirzad (1123). In October 2015, 1,920
families or 12,323 individuals were displaced. The IDPs were displaced from/within the districts of Kot, Achin,
Chaparhar, Deh Bala, Nazian and Shirzad (1124). In November 2015, 970 families or 5,910 persons/individuals weredisplaced in Nangarhar Province. The IDPs were displaced within Nangarhar, from the districts of Kot, Achin, Hesarak
and Pachiragam (1125).
In June 2016, the displacement of hundreds of families were reported from districts in Nangarhar where fightingwith IS groups was taking place (1126). This happened again in July (1127).

(1120) Reuters, Al Qaeda re-emerges as challenge for U.S., NATO in Afghanistan, 15 April 2016(1121) Voa News, Afghan Students Out of School in IS-Controlled Areas, 21 March 2016.
(1122) UNHCR, Major situations of conflict-induced displacement in the first months of 2016 Summary note for Afghanistan Protection Cluster, 24 February 2016.
(1123) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, September 2015.
(1124) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, October 2015.
(1125) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, November 2015.
(1126) 1 TV News, IS militants torch 90 houses in Nangarhar, 27 June 2016; Press TV, Daesh-linked terrorists abduct 30 in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar, 25 June 2016;
Daily Outlook Afghanistan, Hundreds of Families Displaced After Taliban and Daesh Clash in Nangarhar, 16 June 2016.
(1127) Ariana News, Nangarhar clashes leave 300 families displaced, 19 July 2016.

116 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.5.3. Kunar
General description of the province

Kunar Province is composed of 15 districts: Asadabad, Barkunar, Chapadara, Chawkay, Dangam, Dara-e-Pech,Ghaziabad, Khaskunar, Marawara, Narang, Nari, Nurgal, Sarkani, Shigal wa Sheltan, Watapur (1128). Its capital,
Asadabad, is divided by the main road which links Jalalabad (Nangarhar administrative centre) to Nuristan Provinceand Pakistan. According to UNOCHA, 450,652 people live in the province (1129), mostly Pashtun (1130). Kunar has
a 170-kilometre border with the Pakistani tribal areas (1131).
Background on the conflict and actors in Kunar
Khaama Press reported that AGEs including Taliban fighters were operating in a number of districts in Kunar andfrequently carry out insurgency activities (1132).
In September of 2015 an intensification of ISAF/ANSF military operations aimed at removing the Pakistani fighters
including Taliban, TTP, Al-Qaeda, Hezb-e Islami, Lashkar-e Taeeba, Lashkar-e Mujahedeen, Albadar Mujahedeen andSalafis. Nevertheless, the security situation in this province remained volatile and the AGEs entered Kunar from the
Pakistani side of the border. The ANSF is faced with hit-and-run attacks by the AGEs who then flee back to Pakistan
when meeting armed resistance (1133). According to the report of the Secretary General of the United Nations, military
operations in neighbouring Nangarhar, as well as pressure from the Taliban, led IS to establish a small, secondarypresence in the province of Kunar (1134). UNAMA confirmed this presence (1135).

(1128) UNOCHA, Kunar province - Reference Map, 19 February 2014.
(1129) UNOCHA, Afghanistan population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1130) Tolo News, Provincial profile: Kunar, n.d.
(1131) Roggio, B., Quetta airbase attacks carried out by Pakistani Taliban, IMU, 17 August 2014.
(1132) Khaama Press, Taliban militants suffer casualties after attacking Kunar security posts, 13 April 2016.
(1133) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015.
(1134) UNGASC, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 June 2016.
(1135) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016, Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 117

Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Kunar Province counted 1,470 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1136):
Violence targeting individuals

70

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

1,279

Explosions

69

Security enforcement

49

Other incidents

3

Total security incidents

1,470

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Kunar Province (1137):
Sirkanay

295

Chapa Dara

72

Nari

255

Wata Pur

63

Ghaziabad

126

Nurgal52

Marawara

123

Chawkay49

Dangam120

Asadabad31

Bar Kunar

88

Narang19

Shaygal Wa Shiltan

83

Khas Kunar

17

Dara-i Pech

77

According to Khaama Press in April 2016, Kunar was among the volatile provinces in eastern Afghanistan (1138).
A bomb attack in the provincial capital Asadabad killed at least 28 civilians in September 2015 (1139). In February
2016, a suicide bomber killed at least 11 and wounded 40 in a park in the city of Asadabad. Most of the victims were
civilians including children (1140). In March 2016, a magnetic IED detonated in Asadabad, killing an ANA soldier andinjuring seven others, including civilians (1141). In August 2016, an explosion in a market building in Asadabad injured
10 civilians (1142). Two weeks later, a rocket attack against a gathering in Asadabad centre on Independence Day killed
two civilians and wounded 49 others (1143).
In the rest of the province, in September 2015, fighting and airstrikes took place (1144). At least four civilians were
killed by a bomb attack in December 2015 (1145). In January and February 2016, again fighting, airstrikes and cleansing
operations by ANSF were reported (1146). During March (1147), April (1148) and May (1149) 2016 fighting in the provinceof Kunar was reported. A key road between eastern Nuristan and Kunar provinces was blocked by a rockslide andTaliban fighters obstructed efforts to reopen the road. Security forces launched the operation “Sher Ghashai” (LionArrow) in May 2016 to reopen the road, which succeeded, as was confirmed by residents (1150). In April 2016, theTaliban suffered casualties after attacking security posts in Marwara and Sarkano districts of Kunar Province (1151). In(1136) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1137) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1138) Khaama Press, Taliban militants suffer casualties after attacking Kunar security posts, 13 April 2016.
(1139) BAMF, Briefing Notes, 21 September 2015.
(1140) Guardian (The), Taliban suicide bombings kill Afghan civilians, 27 February 2016.
(1141) Pajhwok Afghan News, 1 ANA soldier killed, 6 injured in Kunar blast, 24 March 2016.
(1142) Pajhwok Afghan News, 10 civilian injured in Asadabad blast, 3 August 2016.
(1143) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kunar: 2 dead, 49 hurt as rocket hits I-Day function, 18 August 2016.
(1144) BAMF, Briefing Notes, 14 September 2015.
(1145) BAMF, Briefing Notes, 14 December 2015.
(1146) BAMF, Briefing Notes, 8 February 2016.
(1147) BAMF, Briefing Notes, 14 March 2016.
(1148) BAMF, Briefing Notes, 4 April 2016.
(1149) BAMF, Briefing Notes, 9 May 2016.
(1150) Pajhwok Afghan News, Nuristan-Kunar road reopens after military offensive, 28 May 2016.
(1151) Khaama Press, Taliban militants suffer casualties after attacking Kunar security posts, 13 April 2016.

118 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

June 2016, clashes were reported in Sarkano district between TTP and Afghan Taliban groups, which killed several
insurgent fighters (1152). In the same month it was reported that Afghan border provinces, including Kunar, hadsuffered the previous months from cross-border shelling causing civilian casualties and material damage (1153).
Displacement
Only small-scale displacements have been profiled for Kunar Province for September (1154), October (1155) andNovember 2015 (1156).

2.5.4. Nuristan
General description of the province

According to UNOCHA, the population of this province is 147,967. The province of Nuristan, surrounded by Laghman,
Panjshir, Badakshan and Kunar provinces (1157), borders Pakistan in the east, and comprises eight districts: Barg-eMatal, Duab, Kamdesh, Mandol, Nurgeram, Poruns, Wama and Waygal (1158). The capital of Nuristan is Parun (1159).
Background on the conflict and actors in Nuristan
Due to limited access to information, the lack of international community and IMF/ANSF presence throughout theprovince, an accurate assessment of the security situation is difficult. Nevertheless, it has been reported that Nuristan
Province has inadequate ANSF structure, no permanent ANA forces and no sufficient ANSF military operations
to tackle infiltration by Pakistan-based militants such as the TTP, Al-Qaeda, Hezb-e-Islami, Lashkar-e-Taeeba,(1152) Kabul Tribune, 14 Taliban militants killed in an infighting in eastern Kunar province, 24 June 2016.
(1153) Pajhwok Afghan News, Border skirmishes: Kabul, Islamabad trade blame at UN, 22 June 2016.
(1154) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, September 2015.
(1155) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, October 2015.
(1156) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, November 2015.
(1157) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1158) UNOCHA, Nuristan: Reference Map, 19 February 2014.
(1159) Pajhwok, Background Profile of Nuristan, n.d.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 119

Lashkar-e-Mujahedeen, Albadar Mujahedeen and Salafis. As a result the security situation remains volatile in thisprovince (1160). AGEs are operating in a number of Nuristan’s districts and often carry out insurgency activities (1161).
Parun, the provincial capital, has a government presence but it is not connected to six of Nuristan’s seven districts.
One of these districts, Barg-e-Matal, has remained under Taliban control for years (1162).
In December 2015, it was reported that the Taliban claimed that nearly 200 security personnel and 140 government
officials defected to the jihadist group in the embattled province of Nuristan. However, these Taliban claims were
not verified (1163). In April 2016 it was reported that IS lost large parts of its territories in the country, particularly inthe eastern province of Nangarhar and that now its fighters are fleeing towards Nuristan Province (1164).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Nuristan Province counted 75 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1165):
Violence targeting individuals

3

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

63

Explosions

8

Security enforcement

1

Total security incidents

75

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Nuristan province (1166):
Kamdesh39

Nurgaram

6

Waygal14

Barg-e Matal

5

Du Ab

8

Parun

3

In September 2015, the Taliban attacked ANSF checkpoints in Kamdish district. The police received air support and
15 AGEs were reportedly killed (1167). In November 2015 at least four Pakistani AGEs were killed in Nuristan Province
after a group of AGEs crossed the border and opened fire on border police (1168). In March and April 2016, fighting,airstrikes, rocket attacks, raids etc. took place in Nuristan (1169). In March 2016, it was reported that the Afghan Air
Force (AAF) helicopters attacked AGEs amid ongoing clashes in Duab district of Nuristan Province. Heavy gun battles
between the Afghan security forces and the AGEs was also reported (1170). In April 2016, joint operations by the Afghanarmy, police force and air force were conducted in Nurgeram districts. Another operation was conducted in Kamdish
district (1171). In June 2016, AGEs attacked an ANSF checkpost but were repelled after ANSF received support fromAfghan Air Force and IMF air strikes, reportedly killing more than 70 AGEs (1172). Also in June, it was reported that
Afghan border provinces, including Nuristan, had suffered the previous months from cross-border shelling causing
civilian casualties and material damage (1173).
In August 2015, dozens of Taliban fighters stormed the Waygal district centre but ANSF repulsed the attack (1174).

(1160) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015.
(1161) KHAAMA Press, Afghan army helicopters pound militants amid ongoing clashes in Nuristan, 24 March 2016.
(1162) NY Times, Afghan Province Tucked in Mountains Lies Beyond Reach of Aid and Time, 25 December 2015.
(1163) LWJ, Taliban claims hundreds of military personnel, government officials defect in Nuristan, 1 December 2015.
(1164) Tolo News, Daesh Losing Territory in Afghanistan:NATO Alliance, 15 April 2016.
(1165) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1166) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1167) Pajhwok Afghan News, Security personnel among 19 dead in Kamdish battle, 12 September 2015.
(1168) Tolo News, Four Pakistani Insurgents Killed in Nuristan Clash: Border Officials, 22 November 2015.
(1169) BAMF, Briefing Notes, 4 April 2016.
(1170) Khaama Press, Afghan army helicopters pound militants amid ongoing clashes in Nuristan, 24 March 2016.
(1171) Khaama Press, Senior Taliban leader among 10 killed in Afghan forces raids in Nuristan, 8 April 2016.
(1172) Khaama Press, 73 Taliban insurgents killed in Afghan, US forces airstrikes in Nuristan, 30 June 2016.
(1173) Pajhwok Afghan News, Border skirmishes: Kabul, Islamabad trade blame at UN, 22 June 2016.
(1174) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban storm Nuristan’s Want Waigal district, 14 August 2016.

120 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Displacement
For the month of October (1175), November (1176) 2015 only small-scale displacements have been recorded for Nuristan
Province. A large number of conflict-induced IDPs from Nuristan live in Nangarhar (1177).

2.6.	North-East
2.6.1. Baghlan
General description of the province

According to UNOCHA, the population of this province is 910,784 (47.6 % female and 52.4% male) (1178). The provinceof Baghlan (capital: Pul-e-Khumri), surrounded by Bamian, Samangan, Kunduz, Takhar, and Parwan provinces, lieson the main route to north and northeastern regions of Afghanistan (1179) and comprises diverse ethnic groups(mainly Tajiks, also Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Turkmens and Ismailis) (1180). This province is made up of the following districts:
Andarab, Baghlan-e-Jadid, Burka, Dahana-e-Ghori, Dehsalah, Doshi, Fereng Wa Gharu, Guzargah-e-Nur, Khenjan,
Khost Wa Fereng, Khwajahejran, Nahrin, Pul-e-Hasar, Pul-e-Khumri (1181) and Tala Wa Barfak (1182). Its principal income
is derived from agriculture, boosted by the water sources of the Baghlan-Kunduz river system, and from energy
plants and modest industrial enterprises, notably the Ghori cement factory, the sugar mill, hydropower plants, andcoal mines (1183).
(1175) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, October 2015.
(1176) UNHCR, Afghanistan Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Update, November 2015.
(1177) Community World Service, Situation Update Afghanistan: Continuous Conflict & Displacement in Northeastern Parts, 8 October 2015.
(1178) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1179) MRRD, Provincial Profile: Baghlan, n.d.
(1180) AAN, Baghlan on the Brink: ANSF weaknesses and Taliban resilience, 31 May 2013.
(1181) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Baghlan Province – District Atlas, April 2014.
(1182) UNOCHA, Baghlan Province – Reference Map, 19 February 2014.
(1183) Goodhand, J. and Hakimi, A., Counterinsurgency, local militias, and statebuilding in Afghanistan, USIP, January 2014.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 121

President Ghani appointed a new governor for Baghlan Province in October 2015 to improve the administration (1184).
Background on the conflict and actors in Baghlan
Insurgent groups active in the province include the Taliban, Jundullah groups and Islamic State of Khorasan. All
groups are recruiting fighters in Baghlan (1185). Also the activity of armed Hezb-e Islami (Gulbuddin Hekmatyar) men
was reported in the province (1186).
The occupation of Kunduz City by the Taliban in September and October 2015 demoralised people of Baghlan and the
ANSF, especially in and around Pul-e-Khumri district. Local residents believed the Taliban would attack Pul-e-Khumri.
They recounted how the police checkposts on the section of the highway passing through Dand-e Ghuri area had
been abandoned. The pro-government militias were also a security concern as, in the aftermath of the fall of Kunduz,
a number of Jihadi commanders in the region mobilised a large number of supporters to back the government forcesin their fight against the Taliban. Hundreds of Tajik young men, essentially from Andarab, registered with the police
as belonging to various militia units, although such militias do not appear in the ministry of interior’s charts. They
were affiliated with Jamiat-e Islami and linked to the local governance and security establishment (1187).
The United Nations closed its office in Baghlan Province as cautionary measure (1188). The UN Secretary-Generalreported that: ‘as a consequence of the increased risks posed by the conflict, particularly in urban areas, civilian
actors, including the United Nations, necessarily curtailed programme activities and temporarily relocated staff
from Kunduz, Baghlan and Badakhshan provinces’ (1189). IS fighters settled their families in this area, notably in Burka
district, and were trying to recruit fighters (1190).
In 2016, Pajhwok Afghan News reported on the weak morale of the ANSF in Baghlan province and their lack of militaryequipment causing their incapability of effectively battling the Taliban (1191).
Recent Security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Baghlan Province counted 415 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1192):
Violence targeting individuals

36

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

280

Explosions

37

Security enforcement53

Non-conflict related incidents

9

Total security incidents

415

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Baghlan Province (1193):
Pul-e Khumri

215

Khost Wa Firing

5

Baghlan-e Jadid

113

Tala Wa Barfak

5

Dushi

24

Dih Sala

4

Dahan-e Ghuri

16

Nahrin

3

Burka

13

Andarab2

Khinjan13

Pul-e Hisar

2(1184) Khaama Press, President Ghani appoints four new provincial governors, 8 October 2015.
(1185) Tolo News, Daesh ‘Deployment’ in Baghlan Triggers Alarm Among Residents, 10 December 2015.
(1186) Pajhwok Afghan News, HIA fighters in control of 2 Baghlan coalmines, 21 July 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, HIA gunmen driven from Baghlan coalmines,
7 August 2016.
(1187) AAN, The 2015 insurgency in the North (4): Surrounding the cities in Baghlan, 21 October 2015.
(1188) ABC News, The Kunduz legacy: 13,000 families flee Afghanistan’s battle-torn region, 15 October 2015.
(1189) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 December 2015.
(1190) Tolo News, Daesh ‘Deployment’ in Baghlan Triggers Alarm Among Residents, 10 December 2015.
(1191) Pajhwok Afghan News, Baghlan police incapable to fight against Taliban: police chief, 14 July 2016.
(1192) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1193) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

122 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

During the two-week Taliban occupation of Kunduz City in September and October 2015, there was also a strong
insurgent presence in the province of Baghlan, immediately in south of Kunduz. They held up the security forces’
convoys for days in Baghlan with road blocks and ambushes (1194). The Afghan forces recaptured the Baghlan-Kunduz
Road in October 2015 (1195). Nevertheless, in December 2015, Baghlan residents continued to be concerned about
the security situation on the highway around Pul-e-Khumri district1196. After the fall of Kunduz, the Taliban looted
weapons, equipment and money which it transferred to Pul-e-Khumri and Baghlan-e-Jadid (1197).
In December 2015, children and women were among the victims killed when unexploded munitions went off inPul-e Khumri district (1198).
UNAMA reported in its 2016 midyear report in Baghlan Province the sexual abuse of a boy by an ALP unit suspectedof abusing also other boys. UNAMA also reported that the ANA occupied four schools in the Dand-e-Ghori area,
preventing students, including 200 girls, and teachers, including 50 women, from accessing these schools (1199).
Civilians were forced to dig trenches for the Taliban in this province. The AGEs took dozens of youths for work
daily (1200).
The power supply from Uzbekistan to Kabul was cut in January 2016 after the Taliban blew up a power pylon near Pul-eKhumri and a technical team could not travel to the area which was controlled by AGEs. However, a Taliban spokesman
denied it was behind the sabotage (1201). In the same month, the Taliban warned telecommunication companies toswitch off their towers at night. Residents faced problems informing relatives in emergency situations (1202). Also in
January 2016, at least 47 AGEs, including Pakistanis, were killed in military operations in the province. The Taliban
claimed that it destroyed two army vehicles. It planted landmines on roads and agricultural fields, and warned local
residents against coming out of their houses (1203).
The Baghlan Journalists Association condemned violence against journalists in this province. In February 2016,
two officials of a private radio station were shot and injured in the capital of the province. Two local television staff
members and many journalists had received threats from unknown callers (1204).
During a conference in Kabul in February 2016, civil-society activists claimed that nearly 800 civilians sufferedcasualties because of clashes between security forces and the Taliban in Baghlan: at least 135 civilians, including 40
women and children, were killed in different areas in Baghlan. The provincial governor announced that 130 AGEs,
including their eight commanders, were killed, and 95 AGEs, including Pakistani rebels, were wounded in military
operations (1205).
Clashes between security forces and AGEs continued in March 2016 and caused casualties in both sides as well as
among civilians in Baghlan. The Taliban retreated from Salang area towards Joye Naw and Ahmadzai villages. Security
forces recaptured Niazullah, Akakhel and Arab Tapa villages in Salang area (1206).
In April 2016, the ANCOP arrested the driver of an international humanitarian organisation, accusing him of supplying
medicines to AGEs and seized the organisation’s vehicle in Baghlan-e Jadid district (1207).
In the same month, AGEs attacked ANSF installations and positions in many areas in Baghlan Province. Both AGEs and
ANSF used heavy weapons including rocket-propelled grenades and artillery (1208). AGEs attacked on 11 April 2016
(1194) AAN, The 2015 insurgency in the North (4): Surrounding the cities in Baghlan, 21 October 2015.
(1195) UPI, Afghan forces in Kunduz recapture road leading to Kabul, 6 October 2015.
(1196) Pajhwok Afghan News, Baghlan residents concerned at insecurity on key Anchor highway, 27 December 2015.
(1197) AAN, The 2015 insurgency in the North (4): Surrounding the cities in Baghlan, 21 October 2015.
(1198) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 children killed, 15 injured in Baghlan blast, 1 December 2015; Pajhkwok Afghan News, 3 women killed, as many teens injured inBaghlan blast, 15 December 2015.
(1199) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016 - Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, pp. 20-21.
(1200) Pajhwok Afghan News, Baghlan residents forced into digging trenches for Taliban, 23 January 2016.
(1201) Pajhwok Afghan News, Technicians fear Taliban to repair Kabul power supply line, 27 January 2016.
(1202) Pajhwok Afghan News, Baghlan residents forced into digging trenches for Taliban, 23 January 2016.
(1203) Pajhwok Afghan News, Pakistanis among 47 militants killed in Baghlan, 31 January 2016.
(1204) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 radio workers shot injured in Baghlan, 4 February 2016.
(1205) Pajhwok Afghan News, Baghlan residents call for ceasefire as civilians suffer, 11 February 2016.
(1206) Pajhwok Afghan News, Man dead, children wounded in Baghlan rocket strike, 1 March 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Casualties as security forces, Taliban
clash in Dand-i-Ghori, 1 March 2016.
(1207) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016 - Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016.
(1208) UNOCHA, Flash Update n°1: Conflict in North-eastern Afghanistan, 17 April 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 123

ANSF installations and positions in Shahbudin, Gajji, Kunduz Tepa, Qandari and Qutub Khel areas of Baghlan-eJadid district. On 13 April 2016, ANSF were reported to have shelled AGEs positions near Pul-e-Dolcha village,
approximately 2 kilometres from a roadway corridor to Dand-e-Shahbudin District in Baghlan Province (1209). At theend of April, the Taliban, which already controlled Shahr-e-Naw or Bazaar Postak area, was close to Dahana-e-Ghori
district. Four Taliban fighters were killed in the clash, five injured and two others arrested while trying to flee thearea disguised in women’s clothes (1210). Earlier in the month, the provincial governor, concerned by the Dand-eGhori situation, asked the central government to dispatch additional security forces to Baghlan (1211). In May 2016,
about 78 security officials, including local police and uprising members, were rescued after being besieged by Taliban
fighters who captured the Surkh Kotal locality of Baghlan province (1212). On 14 May 2016, the Taliban claimed major
gains in Pul-e-Khumri (1213).
In May 2016, AGEs attacked family members of a deceased ALP agent in Baghlan-e-Jadid district, killing four girls,
two boys, and two women, and injuring two boys (1214).
In July 2016, armed men set a school on fire in the district of Nahrin (1215).
In August 2016, Pajhwok reported on AGEs attacking military bases and the district centre of Dahana-I Ghori. The
attack on the district centre was reportedly repelled and followed military operations against AGEs in Dahana-I Ghori
district. Nevertheless, a few days later, the district was seized by the Taliban (1216).
In August 2016, HRW published a report on the military use of schools in Baghlan by the ANSF and of the Taliban
hampering children’s right to education and putting their lives at risk. The report was based on a research missionin April 2016. HRW’s research identified 12 schools in Baghlan that were used for military purposes (1217).
Displacement
In the wake of Kunduz’ occupation by the Taliban in September and October 2015, hundreds of mainly middle-classand well-off families fled from Pul-e-Khumri district to Kabul (1218).
In the beginning of 2016, a large number of individuals were displaced by intense fighting in Dand-e-Ghori (1219).
In April 2016, following fighting in Pul-e-Khumri district, approximately 300 families were displaced to Pul-e-Khumri
City, Baghlani Jadid District centre and surrounding areas (1220).
As of 30 April 2016, nearly 29,000 people had been displaced due to security fears in Baghlan (1221).

(1209) UNOCHA, Flash Update n°1: Conflict in North-eastern Afghanistan, 17 April 2016.
(1210) The Frontier Post, Taliban closing in on Dohn-i-Ghori, 28 April 2016.
(1211) Pajhwok Afghan News, Governor demands reinforcements as Baghlan clashes continue, 16 April 2016.
(1212) Pajhwok Afghan News, 78 Baghlan security men rescued from Taliban siege, 18 May 2016.
(1213) LWJ, Taliban offensive in north stresses Afghan military, 16 May 2016.
(1214) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016 - Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 51.
(1215) Pajhwok Afghan News, Baghlan school set alight by unidentified gunmen, 3 July 2016.
(1216) Pajhwok Afghan News, Bariz blames security forces for Dahna-i-Ghori’s fall, 15 August 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Baghlan’s Dahna-i-Ghori district falls to
Taliban, 15 August 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, More than 100 killed in fresh wave of violence: MoD, 13 August 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban attack
on Dehna Ghori pushed back: Baghlan governor, 10 August 2016.
(1217) HRW, Afghanistan: Rise in Military Use of Schools, 17 August 2016.
(1218) AAN, The 2015 insurgency in the North (4): Surrounding the cities in Baghlan, 21 October 2015.
(1219) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016 - Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 32.
(1220) UNOCHA, Flash Update n°1: Conflict in North-eastern Afghanistan, 17 April 2016.
(1221) UNOCHA, Humanitarian Bulletin – Afghanistan- Issue 51/ 01-30 April 2016, 15 May 2016.

124 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.6.2. Kunduz
General description of the province

According to UNOCHA, the population of this province is 1,010,037 (48 % female and 52 % male) (1222). Kunduz,
surrounded by Balkh, Takhar, and Baghlan provinces, and by Tajikistan, is made up of Aliabad, Chahar Dara, Dashte-Archi, Emamsaheb, Khanabad, Kunduz and Qala-e-Zal districts (1223) as well as the recently created three districtsof Aqtash (formerly part of Khanabad), Kalbad (formerly part of Emamsaheb) and Gur Tepa (formerly part of Kunduz
City) (1224). It lies in the northern region of Afghanistan, and comprises diverse ethnic groups (Pashtuns (34 %), Uzbeks(27 %), Tajiks (20 %) and Turkmens (9.4 %). This mix has often led to inter-ethnic tensions over control of Kunduz
which is crossed by the strategic trade route north to Tajikistan (1225).
Background on the conflict and actors in Kunduz
The security was threatened in the province by conflict between AGEs and ANSF (1226).
By 2008, hundreds of Taliban fighters and other AGEs from Pakistan had arrived in the district of Chahar Dara, whichwith a pre-dominantly Pashtun population became the main insurgent hub in Kunduz Province. Other insurgent
groups present include Jundullah (IMU) and some commanders related to the Haqqani network (1227).
In 2014, the Taliban advanced in the province with several areas under its control, including the districts of Chahar
Dara and Dasht-e Archi. The districts of Imam Sahib and Aliabad were under serious pressure and the Taliban forces(1222) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1223) Humanitarian Response, Kunduz: Province Atlas, April 2014.
(1224) Pajhwok Afghan News, Ghani fires Kunduz NDS officials, approves 3 new districts, 26 November 2015.
(1225) News (The), Wounded flood trauma centre as Taliban attack Afghan city, 25 August 2014.
(1226) UNOCHA, Flash Update N°1 : Conflict in North-eastern Afghanistan, 17 April 2016.
(1227) AAN, The 2016 Insurgency in the North: Beyond Kunduz city – lessons (not taken) from the Taliban takeover, 30 January 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 125

were closing in on the Kunduz City Centre. As a result of a military operation in Pakistan, called Zarb-e-Azb (thename of a sword used by the Prophet Muhammad in battles), against groups linked to al Qaeda, more IMU and otherforeign fighters relocated to Kunduz (1228).
According to AAN, the Taliban also overran Dasht-e Archi district (locally known as just Archi) in June 2015. Since
then, the district, homeland of Kunduz Province shadow governor Mullah Salam Baryalai, has become anotherstronghold for the AGEs in the province with training camps frequently visited by commanders from other parts of
Afghanistan and also occasionally from Central Asia. The Taliban established a strong military commission in Archi
district before the assault on Kunduz City. This commission organises all military affairs throughout the province. It
includes the provincial shadow governor, the shadow district governor of Archi, military commanders and military
experts from other parts of the province (1229).
The security situation continued to worsen in Kunduz. Pro-government militias and ALP were accused of crimes suchas illegal taxation, robbing and rape. The ALP had a long history of abuses that Human Rights Watch documented ina report as far back as 2011. The government took some measures to prevent the enlistment of pre-existing, illegal
militias in the ALP. Nevertheless, the vetting process failed, allowing many armed groups to make their status official
under the flag of the ALP, regardless of their previous abuses and human-rights violations (1230).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Kunduz Province counted 416 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1231):
Violence targeting individuals

35

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

334

Explosions

20

Security enforcement23

Non-conflict related incidents

3

Other incidents

1

Total security incidents

416

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Kunduz Province (1232):
Kunduz162

Chahar Dara

40

Khanabad75

Qala-i Zal

21

Dasht-e Archi

60

Aliabad17

Emamsaheb

41

On 28 September 2015, in a large-scale attack, the Taliban, with child soldiers in its ranks (1233), overran the city ofKunduz, took control of most areas, freed hundreds of prisoners from the jail, seized key buildings and advancedon the airport. Foreign groups such as al Qaeda, Jundullah, IMU, Lashkar-e Tayeba and Jombesh-e Nasr-e Tajikistan
participated in this attack. Since the fall of the Taliban regime, it was the first time the insurgent movement seizeda provincial capital (1234). Residents, mainly women activists, were frightened by the door-to-door searches led by
the Taliban after seizing the city. The women social workers received threats even after they left Kunduz (1235).

(1228) AAN, The Fall of Kunduz: What does it tell us about the strength of the post-Omar Taliban?, 30 September 2015; Cecchinel, Lola, Taleban Closing in on the
City: The next round of the tug-of-war over Kunduz, 2 September 2014.
(1229) AAN, The 2016 Insurgency in the North: Beyond Kunduz city – lessons (not taken) from the Taliban takeover, 30 January 2016.
(1230) Diplomat (The), Afghanistan: After Kunduz, 16 December 2015.
(1231) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1232) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1233) NY Times, Taliban Used Child Soldiers in Kunduz Battle, Rights Group Says, 17 February 2016.
(1234) BBC, Taliban overrun afghan city of Kunduz, 28 September 2015; AAN, The 2016 Insurgency in the North: Beyond Kunduz city – lessons (not taken) from the
Taliban takeover, 30 January 2016.
(1235) Diplomat (The), Afghanistan: After Kunduz, 16 December 2015.

126 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

People injured by the fighting were treated in the Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in the province. The Afghan
authorities reportedly suspected the Taliban was taking shelter in the hospital. On the night of 3 October 2015, thecomplex of the MSF hospital was damaged by US airstrikes. Many patients and MSF staff were injured or killed in
the attack. The US military blamed ANSF for misleading information (1236).
Members of the Afghan National Assembly criticised the Government’s handling of the Kunduz crisis and on 2
November the Lower House tabled a vote of no confidence in the Minister of the Interior which did not pass (1237).
According to the head of a government-appointed inquiry commission: ‘Misuse of resources and lack of coordination
among security forces were the other principal reasons for the brief capture of the capital of northern Kunduz
province’ (1238). In the wake of these political and security developments, President Ghani sacked national security
officials who neglected their duty to defend Kunduz. He appointed a governor and a provincial chief of police for
Kunduz (1239). Three new districts were created in the province. But in the beginning of 2016 these districts were still
under Taliban’s control (1240).
By October 2015, following a strong Taliban presence and activity in Kunduz, access to this province was limited.
Supply deliveries, even food, were more viable when made by air (1241). In the same month, Afghan forces succeededin recapturing the Baghlan-Kunduz road from Taliban fighters. This road merges with other routes leading into Kabul.
Kunduz Province supplies half of the country’s rice and it is crossed by major roads leading to central and northernparts of the country (1242).
In November 2015, AGEs, including 200 foreign fighters, took control of 40 % of Emamsaheb district (1243).
In the first half of 2016, the case of an ALP commander arresting a 16 year-old boy was reported. The commander
raped the boy during three days of detention (1244).
In February 2016, Taliban fighters looted and torched houses of ALP personnel and other pro-government people inKunduz City as well as in the districts of Khanabad, Aliabad and Aqtash. They blocked the Kunduz-Baghlan highway
for eight hours in a clash in which 23 AGEs and five policemen were killed (1245).
In February 2016, Taliban fighters, including the Archi district shadow governor, were reportedly killed in an attackby the security forces (1246). In April 2016, the Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced that the district was
cleared of Taliban and its key hideouts were destroyed (1247).
Four hundred entrepreneurs and traders, scared by the propaganda of the Taliban, left Kunduz Province for security
reasons, badly affecting the economic condition in spite of security guarantees promised by the police (1248). After
residents and civil-society activists staged protests against mounting security risks due to the increased activities
of AGEs, such as harassment and sporadic fighting in Kunduz Province, President Ghani met the youth, elders, MPs
and Provincial Council representatives in February 2016 and introduced Asadullah Omarkhail as the new governorof the province (1249).
However, in April 2016, there was continued fighting between AGEs and ANSF on the outskirts of Kunduz City andother locations in all districts of Kunduz Province. There was no electricity during this conflict (1250). Power returned
to Kunduz City in August 2016 (1251). Also in April 2016, the Taliban declared the beginning of its annual spring
offensive. Officials of the province warned that the military equipment stolen by the Taliban during their takeover(1236) Monde (Le), Centre MSF de Kunduz : histoire d’une bavure, 8 October 2015.
(1237) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 December 2015.
(1238) Pajhwok Afghan News, Saleh finds leadership failure behind fall of Kunduz City, 21 November 2015.
(1239) Reuters, Afghan president sacks security officials over fall of Kunduz, 26 November 2015.
(1240) Pajhwok Afghan News, Newly created Kunduz districts still under Taliban control, 11 January 2016.
(1241) Foreign Policy, On the Road to Kunduz: Follow an FP Contributor’s Journey on Instagram, 1 October 2015.
(1242) United Press International (UPI), Afghan forces in Kunduz recapture road leading to Kabul, 6 October 2015.
(1243) Tolo News, Insurgents Still Control 40 Percent of Imam Sahib, 13 November 2015.
(1244) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016 - Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 20.
(1245) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban embark on arson campaign in Kunduz, 3 February 2016.
(1246) Frontier Post (The), Taliban, security forces suffer casualties in Kunduz, 22 February 2016.
(1247) Ministry of Defense, Dasht-e-Archi Cleared Of Taliban, Key Hideouts Destroyed, 24 April 2016.
(1248) Pajhwok Afghan News, 400 traders leave Kunduz for security reasons, 8 February 2016.
(1249) Tolo News, Ghani Meets Kunduz Residents, Introduces New Governor, 10 February 2016.
(1250) UNOCHA, Flash Update N°1 : Conflict in North-eastern Afghanistan, 17 April 2016.
(1251) Pajhwok Afghan News, Power returns to Kunduz after a week-long blackout, 24 August 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 127

was posing a serious threat to Kunduz City (1252) while the provincial governor maintained that ‘the security situation[was] absolutely normal’ (1253). In the same month the Kunduz district governor said that 30 AGEs were killed and 20
wounded within the Kunduz City’s limits (1254) where hundreds of insurgent fighters were trying to cut off Chahar
Dara district and stop the government reinforcements. Four members of security forces were killed and 11 wounded.
Six dead and 107 wounded were brought over three days to city hospitals which were put under heavy strain since
the destruction of the MSF hospital in 2015 (1255).
In the district of Chahar Dara, which has a long history of insurgency presence though it is just 1.5 kilometres from the
district head’s office, the Taliban continued to pose a serious threat. There were also foreign fighters in this district.
In February 2016, the Taliban’s shadow governor for this district was arrested during a raid by the special units ofpolice (1256). In April 2016, 28 Taliban fighters were killed and 38 wounded in Chahar Dara and Khanabad (1257). On
12 April 2016, two ANA helicopters fired rockets that hit a residence in Chahar Dara, injuring 15 civilians. In spite of
ANSF’s clearing operations in Chahar Dara, the Taliban was threatening the government by operating in large areas ofthe district. Clearing operations helped the ANSF to take back the control over only some areas in the district centre
and a portion of road leading to Kunduz City (1258). AGEs reportedly managed to temporarily break through ANSF
lines before being pushed back by airstrikes and ground troops on 16 April 2016 (1259). At the end of April 2016, ANA
officials reportedly took back Chahar Dara district after an operation during which house-to-house searches wereconducted in many villages. During this military operation, at least 100 Taliban fighters, including key commanders,were killed and wounded (1260).
The Taliban captured Qala-e-Zal district’s bazar and some other parts of the district in April 2016 after a fierce clash
with security forces (1261). An insurgent commander and six of his fighters were killed in the clash1262.
In May 2016, Taliban fighters kidnapped at least 185 passengers from 4 buses, 3 vans and 3 cars on the KunduzTakhar highway in Aliabad district (1263). They killed 17 of them, kept at least 18 passengers and released the others
after interrogation (1264). In the same month, Taliban fighters continued its operations, notably on highways leading
to Kunduz, by taking hostages or executing passengers suspected of connections to the government, and travellingin buses and civilian vehicles (1265).
Government forces continued to target AGEs through drone strikes and other air attacks in Kunduz Province (1266). In
August 2016, residents and provincial council members complained about the deteriorating security situation, with
AGEs seizing more territory, and they feared Kunduz City might collapse again soon (1267). Tolo News reported that
Kunduz City was under siege: a strategic bridge near the city was attacked by the Taliban and an attempted attack
on Kunduz airport was repelled by ANSF. Clashes were ongoing in different other parts of the province but a largescale military offensive against the AGEs that was promised to the residents of Kunduz City never occurred (1268).
Displacement
Following an escalation in conflict between AGEs and ANSF in Kunduz Province, at least 100 families were displacedin April 2016 to Taloqan City, the capital of Takhar Province, according to an IDP screening committee. However,(1252) NY Times, Taliban Attack Kunduz City, Alarming Afghans, 15 April 2016.
(1253) Express Tribune (The), Afghan forces repel Taliban in Kunduz as spring fighting begins, 15 April 2016.
(1254) Express Tribune (The), Afghan forces repel Taliban in Kunduz as spring fighting begins, 15 April 2016.
(1255) Reuters, Heavy fighting continues in Afghan city Kunduz, 17 April 2016.
(1256) Khaama Press, Taliban’s shadow governor for Chahardara District of Kundoz arrested, 21 February 2016.
(1257) Reuters, Afghan officials say Taliban driven back in Kunduz fighting, 16 April 2016.
(1258) AAN, The 2016 Insurgency in the North: Beyond Kunduz city – lessons (not taken) from the Taliban takeover, 30 January 2016.
(1259) UNOCHA, Flash Update N°1 : Conflict in North-eastern Afghanistan, 17 April 2016.
(1260) Tolo News, Afghan Forces Retake Taliban-Held Chahar Dara District In Kunduz, 29 April 2016.
(1261) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kunduz: Taliban capture Qala-i-Zal district’s bazaar, 20 April 2016.
(1262) Khaama Press, 3 Taliban commanders killed in northern Kunduz province, 18 April 2016.
(1263) Stars and Stripes, Taliban abduct dozens in Kunduz province, 31 May 2016.
(1264) Khaama Press, Taliban kill 17 passengers after kidnapping around 185 in Kunduz, 31 May 2016.
(1265) Tolo News, UNAMA Concerned At Spate Of Abductions, 2 June 2016.
(1266) Khaama Press, 5 militants killed, 2 wounded in Kunduz airstrike, 10 May 2016; Khaama Press, 20 Taliban insurgents killed in Kunduz drone strike, 17 May 2016.
(1267) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kunduz City may collapse soon, warn anxious residents, 23 August 2016.
(1268) Tolo News, Military Operation Still Not Launched In Kundus: Officials, 23 August 2016.

128 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

reported displacement has been limited, with most IDPs moving to locations within Kunduz Province, although
UNOCHA has also received reports of some IDPs moving to shelter with family in Takhar and Kabul Provinces andthe Balkh provincial capital of Mazar-e-Sharif (1269).
UNOCHA said (1270):‘springtime 2016 in the north eastern province has been tragically filled with conflict and suffering, leading to an
extraordinary displacement of more than 22,400 people in Kunduz. Civilians appear to be caught in the cross-fire
between a ‘spring offensive’ launched by non-State actors and subsequent countermeasures put in motion by
Government forces. Fleeing for their lives, 14, 000 people were forced from Kunduz City to remote areas […]. As
the violence continued after mid-April, families were forced to flee and seek safety with family members andneighbors who opened their doors to offer a haven in the midst of chaos. As displacement swelled, aid agencies
prioritized urgent humanitarian assistance to the 7,000 displaced people; however in many cases one of thebiggest challenges is access to reaching the most vulnerable families in need’.

(1269) UNOCHA, Flash Update N°1 : Conflict in North-eastern Afghanistan, 17 April 2016.
(1270) UN News Centre, Nearly 1,000 Afghans fleeing their homes daily, warns UN relief wing, 17 May 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 129

2.6.3. Takhar
General description of the province130 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

The province of Takhar (capital Taloqan) is composed of 17 districts: Baharak, Bangi, Chahab, Chal, Darqad, Dasht-e
Qala, Eshkashem, Farkhar, Hazarsumuch, Khwajabahawuddin, Khwajaghar, Kalafgan, Namakab, Rostaq, Taloqan,
Warsaj, Yangi Qala (1271) and has a largely mountainous or semi-mountainous landscape (1272). According to UNOCHA,
the population is 983,336 (1273), and is divided between two main ethnic groups: Uzbeks (44 %) and Tadjiks (42 %);Pashtun tribes (10 %) and Hazaras are also present (1274). The mines of salt and coal are important sources of revenue
for the provincial government and play a key role in creating jobs (1275).
Background on the conflict and actors in Takhar
Takhar is a volatile province where AGEs are present in large numbers, and it is surrounded by two other volatile
provinces of Kunduz and Badakhshan (1276). In 2015, the Taliban expanded its territorial reach capturing many areasin the north including in Takhar Province (1277).
Takhar has been facing ethnic conflict for years as Uzbeks, gathered by the Uzbek mujahidin lobbying group, the
Jihadi Council, are opposed to the appointment of Tajiks in key posts in the province. The main members of thiscouncil are involved in illegal activities (1278). The Uzbek insurgent group Jundullah, once opposed to the Taliban but
close to the IMU, pledged allegiance to the Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour in August 2015. But
Jundullah suspected that the Taliban revealed its positions to the security forces. Large areas of Takhar Province
were under Jundullah control (1279). In September 2015, this group approached IS (1280).
The government put facilities in place for religious education in Takhar, so students would not have to go to Pakistan
where they were also trained on terrorist activities at different madrassas (1281).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Takhar Province counted 136 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1282):
Violence targeting individuals

5

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

96

Explosions

8

Security enforcement18

Non-conflict related incidents

7

Other incidents

2

Total security incidents

136

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Takhar Province (1283):
Khwajaghar

36

Chahab

3

Darqad31

Farkhar3

Eshkashem

21

Dasht-e Qala

3

Yang-e Qala

12

Bangi

2

Taloqan11

Kalafgan

2

Baharak3

Rostaq2(1271) UNOCHA, Paktya Province - Reference Map, 9 February 2014; MRRD, Takhar Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1272) MRRD, Takhar Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1273) UNOCHA, Afghanistan population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1274) Giustozzi, A. and Reuter, C., The Insurgents of the Afghan North, November 2011.
(1275) Pajhwok Afghan News, Takhar mining revenue slumps by 300m afs, 14 February 2014.
(1276) Khaama Press, Afghan forces retake control of Darqad district in Takhar, 10 January 2016; UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications
for international peace and security, 10 December 2015.
(1277) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 7 March 2016.
(1278) AAN, Ethnic Revolt or Mujahedin Solidarity? A look at the power shuffle in Takhar (amended), 17 July 2013.
(1279) AAN, The 2016 Insurgency in the North: Beyond Kunduz city – lessons (not taken) from the Taleban takeover, 30 January 2016.
(1280) AAN, The 2016 insurgency in the North: Raising the Daesh flag (although not for long), 15 July 2016.
(1281) Pajhwok Afghan News, Number of religious schools in Takhar province rises to 246, 18 February 2016.
(1282) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1283) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 131

Boosted by the fall of Kunduz in September 2015, the Taliban attacked many districts in the bordering Takhar Provincesuch as Yangi, Ashkmash and Darqad (1284). In October 2015, the AGEs overran the Khwajaghar district again only
three days after the ANA had regained control over it. An army general said that 80 % of the killed and captured
rebels were under 18 years of age, recruited among madrassa students. The governor’s spokesman confirmed this.
But the Taliban spokesman denied the recruitment of child soldiers as it is in conflict with Islamic ideology to recruit‘people without beards’ (1285).
In September 2015, the Jundullah group raised the IS flag for a few hours in Takhar and retreated before the arrivalof the Taliban (1286).
In November 2015, the Yangi Qala district chief said that his team could not reach a village under the Taliban’s control
in the district where it killed three members of a family on charges that they spied for the government (1287).
After the earthquake in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Taliban seized the Darqad district in October 2015 (1288). ANSF
retook the district and clashes between the security forces and AGEs continued in January 2016 (1289). During therecapture of the Darqad district in January 2016, 40 Taliban fighters surrendered to Afghan forces, 20 AGEs were
killed and 12 arrested (1290). Thirteen suspected AGEs were arrested during separate raids in Taloqan (1291).
In February 2016, 10 AGEs and three ANA soldiers were killed in clashes in the Khwajaghar district (1292).
In March 2016, it was reported that several men had joined the Taliban after being tortured by ALP forces. According
to a resident of Darqad district, instead of providing security to people, the ALP forces harassed them. An ALP
commander was arrested because he had links with the Taliban and supplied weapons to them (1293).
In April 2016, the Kunduz-Takhar highway was reopened after a four-day blockade and 18 rebels were killed asa result of a clearing operation by security forces (1294).
In April and May 2016, schoolgirls were poisoned by drinking water in their classrooms in Takhar Province. These‘poison attacks’ on schoolgirls occurred several times in the province in recent years, but the government has failed
to identify the motive (1295).
On 20 April, in Khwaja Bahauddin district, a stray bullet from a clash between ALP and AGEs killed the headmasterof a school in front of his students (1296).
Also in Takhar, according to the police chief: ‘the insurgents were encouraged by the government to put down their
weapons and reconcile, but they betrayed and returned to their group and have been recently fighting against security
forces’. Four of them were killed by security forces in May 2016. Dozens of ‘reconciled Taliban insurgents’, who were
given monthly stipends for a period of time, joined again their comrades and were engaged in clashes alongsidesecurity forces in Darqad, Khwajaghar and some other districts. According to the provincial High Peace Committee
head, a lack of budget allocated to paying them caused some reconciled AGEs to return to the battlefield (1297). In
March 2016, reconciled Taliban fighters in northern Takhar Province claimed their lives were endangered by former
comrades and that the government was also not committed to its promises (1298).

(1284) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban claim capturing 2 Takhar districts, 29 September 2015; AAN, The Fall of Kunduz: What does it tell us about strength of the
post-Omar Taleban?, 30 September 2015.
(1285) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban accused of using children as soldiers in Takhar, 19 November 2015.
(1286) AAN, The 2016 insurgency in the North: Raising the Daesh flag (although not for long), 15 July 2016.
(1287) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban accused of killing 3 members of a family, 23 November 2015.
(1288) BBC, Afghanistan-Pakistan quake: Taliban seize Darqad district, 28 October 2015.
(1289) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban capture parts of Takhar’s Darqad district, 21 January 2016; Afghanistan Times, Darqad district of Takhar recaptured from
Taliban, 10 January 2016.
(1290) Khaama Press, 40 Taliban militants surrender to security forces in Takhar, 16 January 2016.
(1291) Pajhwok Afghan News, 13 suspected terrorists detained with weapons in Takhar raids, 24 February 2016.
(1292) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 ANA soldiers among 13 dead in Takhar gun battles, 21 February 2016.
(1293) Pajhwok Afghan News, ALP commander held over supplying arms to Taliban, 24 March 2016.
(1294) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kunduz-Takhar highway has been reopened and 18 rebels killed as a result of a clearing operation by security force,s 23 April 2016.
(1295) Pajhwok Afghan News, 47 Takhar girls hospitalised after suspected poison attack, 19 April 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, Once again, several schoolgirls
poisoned in Takhar, 14 May 2016.
(1296) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016 - Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016.
(1297) Pajhwok Afghan News, Reconciled rebels return to battlefield in Takhar, 21 May 2016.
(1298) Pajhwok Afghan News, Ex-rebels in Takhar complain govt left them in the lurch, 2 March 2016.

132 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

On 23 May, the director of Kunduz Justice Department was attacked by a pro-government armed group in Warsaj
district (1299).
Abductions continued in 2016 in Takhar, mainly on highways leading to Kunduz or Badakhshan despite heavy
casualties among the Taliban due to military operations in this area (1300).
In August 2016, the Taliban reportedly blocked the road from the provincial capital Taloqan to Darqad district (1301).
Displacement
By the end of 2015, 6,914 families (39,025 individuals) were displaced in Takhar Province due to the conflict1302. By
the end of April 2016, 59,000 individuals were displaced in the province (1303).

2.6.4. Badakhshan
General description of the province

According to UNOCHA, the population of this province is 950,953 (48.1% female and 51.9% male), composedof 77 % Tajiks, some Uzbeks and Ismailis, living mainly in rural areas (1304). Located in the north eastern region,
Badakhshan is bordered by Takhar Province in the west and Nuristan in the south, and shares international borders
with Tajikistan in the north, China in the east, and Pakistan in the south. Nearly 90% of the province is mountainousor semi mountainous terrain while one-tenth of the area is made up of flat or semi-flat land. The provincial capital is(1299) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016 - Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016.
(1300) Bakhtar News, Taliban Kidnap Number of Bus Passengers In Kunduz-Takhar Highway, 8 June 2016; Khaama Press, Taliban suffer heavy casualties as Afghan
forces re-open Kunduz-Takhar highway, 23 April 2016.
(1301) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban block Taloqan-Darqad road against traffic, 17 August 2016.
(1302) UNHCR, Afghanistan: conflict-induced internal displacement- 2015: the year in review, 12 April 2016.
(1303) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Conflict Induced Displacements – Snapshot (1 January – 30 April 2016), 15 May 2016.
(1304) OCHA, Afghanistan: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 133

Fayzabad (1305). The province is divided into the following districts: Arghanjkhwa, Argo, Baharak, Darayem, Darwaz,
DarwazeBalla, Eshkmesh, Fayzabad, Jorm, Keshem, Khash, Khwahan, Kofab, Kohestan, Koran Wa Monjan, Raghestan,
ShahreBuzorg, Shaki, Shighnan, Shuhada, Tagab, Teshkan, Wakhan, Warduj, YaftaleSufla, Yawan, Yamgan, Zebak (1306).
Background on the conflict and actors in Badakhshan
Badakhshan, which used to be peaceful, has become disputed. It was the only province to escape the Taliban rule
when it held power in Afghanistan. But in recent years the AGEs, including foreign fighters, have taken root in several
districts. Their families are settled in this province. The Central Asian fighters of IMU are also largely present in theprovince which provides safe passage of logistical supplies from Pakistan. Smugglers pay a transit fee to traffic drugs
towards bordering Tajikistan (1307).
Security in Badakhshan Province is threatened by different actors. It is considered to be an important region for
poppy culture and a transit zone for drug trafficking (1308).
Many precious minerals are mined in the province which is part of the new Silk Road. The Taliban is suspected of trying
to thwart Afghanistan’s economic influence. According to residents, independent political analysts and journalists,
MPs and government officials from the province should be blamed as they have exacerbated security problems in
the province for their own political and economic gains. This lack of governance has led to clashes between security
forces and AGEs, roadside bomb incidents and increasing violence by criminal organisations (1309).
Many districts in the province are under threat from the Taliban. The government promised in April 2016 to clear thevolatile districts of AGEs. The governor of Badakhshan called on the youth, who are fighting against the government,
to join the government and ‘restrain implementing wrong policies of Pakistan in Afghanistan’ (1310). In May 2016, theAfghan Foreign Minister confirmed the presence of foreign rebels in the province (1311).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Badakhshan Province counted 109 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1312):
Violence targeting individuals

10

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

86

Explosions

3

Security enforcement7

Non-conflict related incidents

2

Other incidents

1

Total security incidents

109(1305) MRRD, Badakhshan Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1306) OCHA, Afghanistan: Badakhshan Province – District Atlas, April 2014.
(1307) AAN, The 2015 Insurgency in the North (2): Badakhshan’s Jurm district under siege, 14 September 2015.
(1308) AREU, Evolving Terrain: Opium Poppy Cultivation in Balkh and Badakhshan Provinces in 2013, April 2014.
(1309) Tolo News, Badakhshan Residents Blame Government, MPs for Deteriorating Security, 14 May 2015.
(1310) Tolo News, Badakhshan Provincial Council Concerned over Spike in Insurgency, 30 April 2016.
(1311) Pajhwok Afghan News, Presence of foreign rebels in Badakhshan a big concern: Rabbani, 5 May 2016.
(1312) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

134 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Badakhshan province (1313):
Baharak

19

Teshkan

4

Jorm

16

Kohestan

3

Tagab

13

Shuhada3

Raghestan

10

Khash

2

Warduj10

Keshem

1

Yaftal-e Sufla

8

Kwahan1

Yamgan

6

Yawan

1

Fayzabad

6

Wakhan1

Argo

5

In October 2015, the Taliban spokesman claimed that AGEs killed 50 soldiers and captured 28 checkpoints in
Badakhshan Province. The governor of Badakhshan, appointed in October 2015 (1314), said that a Taliban commander
acting as a “shadow governor” of the province was killed in an airstrike (1315).
In the same month, security forces arrested 12 AGEs, including seven underage fighters in Badakhshan where theuse of child soldiers is a common practice by AGEs. The Warduj and Baharak districts, which have fallen a few times
to the Taliban, were reportedly once again taken by security forces in October 2015 (1316).
In November 2015, the Yamgan district fell to the Taliban who captured and tortured some government servants.
The AGEs claimed they killed 14 security officials during clashes. One tank, two vehicles and other military gear wereseized. They acknowledged the loss of six Taliban in clashes (1317). A few days later, an official said that at least 28
Taliban, including six foreigners, were killed in some villages of the Yamgan district. He said that about 180 foreign
fighters, including Uzbek, Pakistani and Tajik nationals, had been fighting against security forces. The governor of
Badakhshan said that 350 foreign AGEs were active in the Dara-I Khustak locality of Jorm district (1318). During clashes
in Yamgan, AGEs used military tanks and heavy weapons they had taken from security forces (1319).
In December 2015, three foreign AGEs and one Afghan militant were killed by their explosives in the Warduj district,which had fallen to Taliban, when they were planting a roadside bomb (1320).
In 2015, 29 violent incidents against women occurred in Badakhshan, especially in Warduj, Koran wa Monjan,
Yamgan, Jorm and other remote areas. Some of these women were killed by AGEs. The husband of one victim wasserving in the ALP (1321).
In January 2016, the Taliban was driven out of the Tagab district after a two-day military operation. Fifteen Taliban
members were killed and 20 others wounded. AGEs then fled to Yamgan and Teshkan districts (1322). During thisperiod, the situation deteriorated in Warduj district; after the fall of the district to AGEs, about 700 government
officials fled to Baharak district. In the Warduj district, most shops were closed and business stopped. Therefore,
due to poverty, people allowed their children to join AGEs. These children were paid monthly stipends and trainedin military techniques. 70 % of them were used as fighters in areas where the Taliban, particularly foreign AGEs,
were in full control (1323).

(1313) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1314) Afghan Biographies, Begzad, Ahmad Faisal, 15 November 2015.
(1315) RT, Taliban push on, seizing strategic hubs & key roads across Afghanistan, 4 October 2015.
(1316) Tolo News, Officials Arrest Seven Alleged Child Soldiers in Badakhshan, 18 October 2015.
(1317) Pajhwok Afghan News, Yamgan district of Badakhshan falls to Taliban, 19 November 2015.
(1318) Pajhwok Afghan News, Foreigners among 28 militants killed in Badakhshan clashes, 21 November 2015.
(1319) Pajhwok Afghan News, Intelligence officer among 11 killed in Badakhshan fighting, 18 November 2015.
(1320) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 foreign rebels blown up by own explosives in Badakhshan, 25 December 2015.
(1321) Pajhwok Afghan News, Many crimes against women go unreported in Badakhshan, 26 December 2015.
(1322) Khaama Press, Taliban driven out of Badakhshan’s Tagab District, 26 January 2016.
(1323) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban recruit hundreds of children in Badakhshan, 5 January 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 135

In February 2016, three women and two men, suspected to be agents of Pakistan’s intelligence service ISI, werearrested in Badakhshan by the NDS and the police (1324). In the same month, many AGEs, including foreigners, were
killed in separate security incidents in Badakhshan (1325). Twenty-five Taliban surrendered to government forces (1326).
Council members from Badakhshan Province said that the commander of an illegal armed group and his men wereillegally extracting lapis lazuli (1327) from a local mine. The commander had brought two Taliban commanders to the
district and half of the mine’s profits was used to support the Taliban. The government was blamed for its failure toensure the security of mines; also, elements inside the government were supporting mine smugglers (1328).
In March 2016, heavy clashes took place in Baharak district (1329). A large number of AGEs were equipped with heavy
and light weapons. Five Taliban were killed, 10 wounded and four arrested (1330).
On 20 June, a remote controlled-IED detonated by AGEs killed 12 civilians, including two girls and three boys, andinjured 36 others, including 14 children in Keshem district (1331).
In June 2016, Afghan security forces seized at least 65 trucks of lapis lazuli illegally extracted from a mine innortheastern Badakhshan Province. This occurred as the Global Witness in its report said the illegal mining of theminerals also funneled millions of dollars into the hands of corrupt warlords besides fuelling the conflict in the country.
A Ministry of Mines and Petroleum spokesman said: ‘the government will pave the way for the legal extraction oflapis lazuli in Badakhshan once the security situation improves’ (1332).
In August 2016, ANSF conducted operations and the Afghan Air Force executed airstrikes against AGEs’ positions in
Raghistan district. This happened after the latter had cut off communication networks in the area (1333).
Displacement
Besides displacements due to the abovementioned natural disasters, Badakhshan has experienced significant conflictinduced displacements, especially after the October 2015 clashes in Kunduz (1334). According to UNOCHA, about
27,000 persons were displaced as of May 2016 in Badakhshan (1335).

(1324) Khaama Press, Five ISI agents arrested in Badakhshan, 7 February 2016.
(1325) Khaama Press, Foreigners among 24 terrorists killed in Badakhshan, 18 February 2016.
(1326) Khaama Press, 25 Taliban militants give up fighting in Badakhshan province, 4 February 2016.
(1327) A deep blue semi-precious stone.
(1328) Tolo News, Lawmakers Concerned over Illegal Extraction of Mines in Badakhshan, 8 February 2016.
(1329) Pajhwok Afghan News, Heavy clashes in Badakhshan’s Baharak district underway, 2 March 2016.
(1330) Kaama Press, Security forces rebuff Taliban attack in Badakhshan’s Baharak district, 3 March 2016.
(1331) UNAMA, Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016 - Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016.
(1332) Khaama Press, 65 trucks of illegally extracted Lapis Lazuli seized by Afghan forces, 9 June 2016.
(1333) Pajhwok Afghan News, 26 rebels eliminated in Badakhshan airstrikes, 9 August 2016.
(1334) UNHCR, Major situations of conflict-induced displacement in the first months of 2016 - Summary note for Afghanistan Protection Cluster, 24 February 2016.
(1335) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Conflict Induced Displacements – Snapshot (1 January – 30 April 2016), 15 May 2016.

136 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.7. North
2.7.1. Faryab
General description of the province

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 137

Faryab is situated in the western end of the northern region of Afghanistan, bordering Turkmenistan to the west andnorth, Jawzjan and Sar-e Pul to the east, Ghor to the south and Badghis in the southwest. The provincial capital is
Maymana. The province is comprised of the following districts: Almar, Andkhoy, Bilcheragh, Dawlatabad, Garziwan,
KhaneChar Bagh, Khwajasabzposh, Kohestan, Maymana, Pashtunkot, Qaramqol, Qaysar, Qorghan, Shirintagab (1336).
The terrain of the province ranges from the Hindu Kush mountains of southern Faryab to the desert flatlands ofnorthern Faryab. The ring road passes through the majority of district centres of Faryab, connecting Maymana
to other cities of the northern region such as Mazare Sharif. Construction on the connection with Herat throughBadghis has stalled (1337). The road between Maymana and Shiberghan in Jawzjan is intermittently closed due toinsurgent activities (1338).
The population of the province is estimated to be 998,147, and for Maymana approximately 84,098 (1339). According
to UNAMA figures cited in a Norwegian report, Faryab is the only Afghan province with an ethnic Uzbek majority andtherefore holds symbolic national significance for this Afghan minority. Tajiks are the second-largest group, followed
by Pashtuns then Turkmens, while there is a minor Hazara presence (1340). Shakh but also Nawabad, Khwaja Kandu,
Konjak, Chahar Shanba, Ashab Kaf, Faiz Nawa and Qabchin are said to be Pashtun-dominated areas (1341).
Background on the conflict and actors in Faryab
In May 2014, Obaid Ali considered the province the Taliban’s gateway to the north (1342). According to a source in Kabul,
since 2014 the security situation indicated that the province had passed the ‘tipping point’ into a vicious cycle ofsecurity threats, consistent attacks on security forces, inaccessibility of government actors and eventual inaccessibilityof nongovernment development actors, increased frustrations of local communities, which exacerbated security
problems (1343). Graeme Smith from ICG described the situation as deteriorating rapidly after the withdrawal of IMF.
The Taliban reportedly deliberately chose the ‘hard approach’ for Faryab (1344). In July 2015, hundreds of Taliban
fighters arrived in the province from Badghis, Ghor, Sar-e Pul and Jawzjan provinces with foreign fighters and attacked
dozens of villages in the districts of Qaysar, Almar and Pashtun Kot (1345). The Taliban is reportedly recruiting among
the Uzbek community in Faryab (1346) and, according to the New York Times, in August 2015 there were 3,000 local
fighters in Faryab (1347).
According to locals, since 2015 government control has been limited to district centres (1348) and Faryab has been
partially controlled by Taliban (1349) with the constant shifting of fronts due to clashes with ANSF (1350) and progovernment forces led by Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum in August 2015 (1351). For example, Qaysar
district was the scene of fierce battles between ANSF and the Taliban, resulting in shifting control over areas. After
military sweeps by Dostum’s forces, the Taliban often easily regained influence over areas that had been under its
control several years previously (1352).

(1336) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(1337) Pajhwok Afghan News, Foreign militants pose serious threat to Faryab security: PC, 2 June 2015.
(1338) Pajhwok Afghan News, Rebel leader injured, 3 killed in Faryab incidents, 15 March 2015.
(1339) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1340) Bauck P., a.o., An Assessment of Conflict and Actors in Faryab Province to Establish a Basis for Increased Norwegian Civilian Involvement, Chr. Michelsen
Institute, July 2007.
(1341) Pajhwok Afghan News, So-called vigilantes unleash hell on Qaysar residents, 24 August 2015.
(1342) Ali, O., Moving East in the North: transitioned Faryab and the Taleban, 17 May 2014.
(1343) International organisation, e-mail, 26 October 2014. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1344) ICG, Afghanistan’s Insurgency after the Transition, 12 May 2014, pp. 10-11.
(1345) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 Faryab districts under attack from rebels, 5 July 2015.
(1346) ICG, Afghanistan’s Insurgency after the Transition, 12 May 2014, p. 14.
(1347) NY Times, Afghan Vice President Raises Concerns After Turning to Militias in Taliban Fight, 18 August 2015.
(1348) RFE/RL, Afghan MP says Taliban ‘very much at ease’ in Faryab province, 15 April 2015.
(1349) Jamestown Foundation (The), Resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan’s North, 1 April 2016; RFE/RL, Return of militias To Afghan front lines sparks allegations ofabuses, 5 September 2015.
(1350) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, September 2015, p. 4.; Jamestown Foundation (The), Resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan’s
North, 1 April 2016.
(1351) Pajhwok Afghan News, Dostum trip to boost security forces’ morale in Faryab, 3 August 2015; NY Times, Afghan Vice President Raises Concerns After Turning
to Militias in Taliban Fight, 18 August 2015; RFE/RL, Afghan Vice President vows to ‘Clear’ Northern Province of Militants, 20 August 2015; Pajhwok AfghanNews, Taliban recapture Faryab’s Astana baba area, 27 August 2015; Ruttig, T., The Second Fall of Musa Qala: How the Taleban are expanding territorial
control, 3 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban overrun more areas in Faryab, 6 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban recapture 3
areas of Qaisar district, 1 September 2015.
(1352) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban recapture 3 areas of Qaisar district, 1st September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban overrun more areas in Faryab,
6 September 2015.

138 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Insurgent groups in Faryab also include IMU (1353) and they are regularly believed to recruit foreign nationals, suchas Pakistanis, Uzbeks, Uighurs, Tajiks, Arabs (1354) and Turkmens (1355). According to the New York Times there are‘about 3,000 local fighters, aided by about 500 foreign militants, largely from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan,which pledged loyalty this year to the Islamic State’ (1356). IS has been present in Faryab since March 2015 (1357) andhas even appointed recruiters (1358).
According to a source in Kabul, the Junbeshe Melli party, led by ethnic Uzbek General Dostum, established its
dominance within the province and retained strong political influence. There is a strong rivalry with Jamiate Islami.
The province has long been the ground for factional conflict, in recent years fueled by the remobilisation of former
commanders in the ALP and its predecessor the CIP (1359). Besides ALP, some 382 disbanded CIP members were,according to a source in Kabul, still operational in Bilchiragh and Dawlatabad districts in 2014 (1360). According toa report by ICG, some of these men joined the ALP, others became ‘freelance warlords’. Because of the ties thesemilitias have with political parties such as Junbesh or Jamiat they enjoy a degree of impunity (1361). ALP members andpro-government militias’ members are estimated as 22,000 and accused of selling arms and ammunition to AGEs.
Within the ANP, according to the Kabul Bank, 6,000 policemen receive a salary from the Afghan state but only 3,629
can be affectively counted – the rest are considered ‘ghosts’ (1362). There are also armed progovernment militia in
Faryab, in Almar and Qaysar districts (1363). In 2015, UNAMA stated that they were involved in abuses and civilian
casualties especially in the north and northeast, mainly Kunduz and Faryab (1364).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Faryab Province counted 771 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1365):
Violence targeting individuals

99

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

502

Explosions

81

Security enforcement76

Non-conflict related incidents

12

Other incidents

1

Total security incidents

771(1353) BBC, Afghan suicide bombing at market leaves many dead, 18 March 2014; NY Times, Afghan Vice President Raises Concerns After Turning to Militias in
Taliban Fight, 18 August 2015; RFE/RL, The Islamic Movement Of Uzbekistan Comes Unraveled, 28 November 2015.
(1354) Khaama Press, Pakistani militants among 200 killed or injured in Farah operations, 25 May 2014; Tolo News, Hundreds of insurgents attack district of Faryab,
24 August 2014; Pajhwok Afghan News, 75 rebels killed in Faryab offensive, 28 August 2014.
(1355) RFE/RL, Who Do Turkmen Authorities Think They Are Fooling?, 20 October 2015.
(1356) NY Times, Afghan Vice President Raises Concerns After Turning to Militias in Taliban Fight, 18 August 2015.
(1357) Jamestown Foundation (The), Resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan’s North, 1 April 2016.
(1358) USIP, The Islamic State in Afghanistan: Assessing the Threat, 7 April 2016, p. 2.
(1359) International organisation, e-mail, 26 October 2014. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1360) International organisation, e-mail, 26 October 2014. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1361) ICG, Afghanistan’s Insurgency after the Transition, 12 May 2014, p. 11; Pajhwok Afghan News, Civilian murder sparks protest in Faryab, 1 June 2014.
(1362) RFE/RL, Police and militia corruption aids taliban in dangerous Afghan province, 19 January 2016.
(1363) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 65.
(1364) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2014. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2015, p. 85; UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear Report 2015.
Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2015, pp. 73-77.
(1365) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 139

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Faryab Province (1366):
Qaysar127

Kohestan

38

Pashtunkot

117

Garziwan

38

Almar

108

Bilcheragh18

Shirintagab

90

Andkhoy

8

Khwajasabzposh88

Qaramqol8

Dawlatabad

81

Qorghan

5

Maymana42

Khan-e Char Bagh

4

According to UNAMA, three health facilities were attacked during 2015 (1367).
According to ISW, the situation has not changed from December 2015 to June 2016 concerning Taliban presence inFaryab Province, besides Khwajahsabzposh district which since June 2016 is considered a ‘high Taliban support zone’
and was part of the ‘low confidence Taliban support zone’ in the previous maps. Since December 2015, northern
districts such as Khan-e Char Bagh, Andkhoy, Qaramqol, Qorghan and eastern part of Bilcheragh district wereassessed as ‘low confidence Taliban support zones’; all the remaining districts were evaluated as ‘high confidence
Taliban support zones’ or zones controlled by the AGEs. The Taliban thus controls a zone that includes: the eastof Khwajahsabzposh district, areas in Bilcheragh district, areas in the western part of Garziwan district, an area of
Pashtunkot, and a wide area in Qaysar district (1368).
Several incidents causing civilian casualties were reported on Faryab’s roads or highways, including armed attacks
on vehicles (1369), violent robberies of passengers (1370) and mass abductions (1371). In January 2016, more than 20
buses were stopped on Maymana-Khawajasabzposh road (1372).
UNAMA reported in its 2016 mid-year report that pro-government armed groups clashes caused 24 civilian casualties
in Faryab (1373). For example, 3 civilians were killed and 12 injured on 17 May 2016 after fighting between 2 PGMs (1374).
In August 2016, RFE/RL reported again on militias threatening inhabitants of Faryab. The main problem was extortion
but also civilian killings were reported (1375).
On 4 October 2015, the Taliban attempted to capture the provincial capital Maymana. The provincial council head
was worried about the security of his city: ‘Despite suffering casualties in Garziwan and Pashtunkot, Taliban mightstorm Maimana... if the government does not reinforce security personnel’ (1376). Although it could not seize thecity in October, the Taliban targeted bomb attacks against police vehicles which caused civilian casualties (1377). In
November 2015, a man was kidnapped in the city and as his family could not purchase the AK- 47 requested by
AGEs to secure his release, he was shot (1378). In February 2016, for the third time of the Afghan solar year a bomb
exploded in front of the Azizi Bank branch in the morning killing 2 civilians and injuring 12 people (1379). In March
2016, demonstrations were organised by Vice President General Dostum’s supporters to protest about the damagesof their leader’s billboards in Mazar-e Sharif. Some people were injured during the violence which broke out with

(1366) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1367) UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Education and Healthcare at Risk: Key trends and incidents affecting children’s access to healthcare andeducation in Afghanistan, April 2016, p. 7.
(1368) ISW, Afghanistan Threat Assessment: The Taliban and ISIS, 10 December 2015; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 23 February 2016; ISW, Afghanistan
Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1369) Pajhwok Afghan News, 1 student killed, 4 injured in Faryab gun attack, 17 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 civilians killed, 10 injured in Faryab,
Jawzjan blasts, 24 December 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Insurgents put to death 2 kidnapped passengers in Faryab, 26 February 2016; Pajhwok AfghanNews, Militants seize dozens of passengers in Faryab, 13 April 2016.
(1370) Pajhwok Afghan News, Dacoits rob Faryab passengers of cash, valuables, 14 January 2016.
(1371) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 including 2 education officials kidnapped in Faryab, 28 December 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban free 108 of 110 kidnapped
passengers in Faryab, 7 February 2016.
(1372) Pajhwok Afghan News, Dacoits rob Faryab passengers of cash, valuables, 14 January 2016.
(1373) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear report 2016. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 86.
(1374) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear report 2016. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 87.
(1375) RFE/RL, Problems With Paramilitaries In Afghanistan’s Faryab Province, 6 August 2016.
(1376) RFE/RL, Revisions To Turkmenistan’s Neutrality Policy, 12 October 2015.
(1377) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 people wounded in Faryab explosion, 27 October 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Children among 15 civilians injured in Maimana
explosion, 19 May 2016.
(1378) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 61.
(1379) Pajhwok Afghan News, Maimana explosion claims 2 lives, leaves a dozen injured, 17 February 2016.

140 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Balkh Province Governor Atta Mohammad Noor’s supporters (1380). In July 2016, a girl studying at the university was
killed by poison in Maimana (1381). In August 2016, a bomb strapped to the back of a donkey detonated in Maimana
City, injuring one police officer and a civilian (1382).
In September 2015, residents of Qaysar district complained to RFE/RL about the brutal behaviour of Vice President
General Dostum’s armed forces during the August 2015 operation (1383). During this month the Taliban regained
control of Ghora area in this district and clashes were reported in Kata wa Lang area (1384). In another area of this
district in the same month a 12-year-old boy suspected of collaborating with the government was killed by the
Taliban (1385). In October 2015, heavy clashes were again reported in this district which caused the suspension ofelectricity supply and the rise of oil and gas prices (1386). Another operation was conducted in order to reopen the
Qaysar-Ghormach (Badghis province) highway which was mined by AGEs. Casualties among AGEs and ANSF werereported (1387). In December 2015, a clash between AGEs and ANSF occurred in Konjak (1388). In January 2016, theexplosion of an unexploded mortar shell injured 7 children (1389), two policemen were killed on the Qaysar-Ghormach
highway (1390) and the Taliban took control of 12 villages. These were retaken by ALP with the aid of the public in
February 2016 (1391). Also in February 2016, one civilian was killed and one other wounded when their motorbike
hit a roadside bomb (1392). In the following month a mother and her two children were wounded when a grenade
exploded (1393). In July 2016, an 18-year-old girl was stabbed to death in her home in Qaysar district (1394).
In September 2015, a resident of Pashtunkot district complained to RFE/RL about the brutal behaviour of Vice
President General Dostum’s armed forces during the August 2015 operation. Specifically, the kidnapping of women
was mentioned (1395). Between October and November 2015, clashes occurred in Pashtunkot district between ANSF
and the Taliban (1396) after the latter had taken control of more areas of the district in October (1397). For example,
Kata Qala, Nadirabad and Khesht Pul were under the Taliban’s control before a clearing operation in November
2015 and the AGEs set up checkpoints in order to extort money from people and vehicles (1398). In November 2015,
60 members of an uprising group defected to the Taliban (1399), an army helicopter had to make an emergency
landing after it was attacked by the Taliban and people on board were abducted (1400); four children were wounded
and one was killed when an IED they were playing with exploded in the Kala Shakh area. According to an uprisingcommander this happened at a security post where children were sent by the Taliban (1401). By the end of February
2016, heavy clashes as a result of a clearing operation caused the displacement of hundreds of families, casualties
and killing between fighting parties (1402). The same month a woman accused of adultery was lashed by the Taliban
in Khwaja Musa area (1403). In May 2016, the Taliban coordinated attacks against police checkposts in Kala Kalaan(1380) RFE/RL, Deadly Clashes In North Afghanistan Over Torn-Down Posters, 24 March 2016.
(1381) Pajhwok Afghan News, Teenage girl found stabled to death in Faryab, 31 July 2016.
(1382) Pajhwok Afghan News, Donkey bomb blast leaves 2 injured in Faryab, 31 August 2016.
(1383) RFE/RL, Return of militias To Afghan front lines sparks allegations of abuses, 5 September 2015.
(1384) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban overrun more areas in Faryab, 6 September 2015.
(1385) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban overrun more areas in Faryab, 6 September 2015.
(1386) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban’s deputy governor for Faryab killed, 21 October 2015.
(1387) Pajhwok Afghan News, Nearly a dozen rebels dead in Qaisar, Ghormach operations, 21 October 2015.
(1388) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban, security personnel suffer casualties in Faryab clashes, 5 December 2015.
(1389) Pajhwok Afghan News, 7 children wounded in Faryab mortar shell explosion, 3 January 2016.
(1390) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 policemen dead in Faryab, Badakhshan attacks, 7 January 2016.
(1391) Pajhwok Afghan News, 12 villages of Qaisar district retaken from insurgents, 11 February 2016.
(1392) Pajhwok Afghan News, Civilian killed, intelligence agents among 3 wounded, 10 February 2016.
(1393) Pajhwok Afghan News, Child killed, uprising leader among 5 injured in Faryab, 21 March 2016.
(1394) Pajhwok Afghan News, Teenage girl found stabled to death in Faryab, 31 July 2016.
(1395) RFE/RL, Return of militias To Afghan front lines sparks allegations of abuses, 5 September 2015.
(1396) Pajhwok Afghan News, Commander among 6 Taliban killed in Faryab clash, 9 October 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 8 Afghan soldiers, 4 insurgents dead inbattles, 30 November 2015.
(1397) Pajhwok Afghan News, Despite casualties, Taliban overrun more areas in Faryab, 8 October 2015.
(1398) Pajhwok Afghan News, 8 Afghan soldiers, 4 insurgents dead in battles, 30 November 2015.
(1399) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 militiamen killed, 60 defect to Taliban in Faryab, 15 November 2015.
(1400) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban attack ANA copter after emergency landing in Faryab, 24 November 2015.
(1401) Pajhwok Afghan News, Child among 3 dead in Faryab explosion, clash, 22 November 2015.
(1402) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban’s shadow district chief among 6 killed in Faryab, 28 February 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 28 more Taliban eliminated in
Dostum-led Faryab offensive, 29 February 2016.
(1403) Pajhwok Afghan News, AIHRC slams lashing of woman, wants perpetrators punished, 10 February 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 141

village (1404), security posts of uprising members in Gilimbaf area (1405) and took 30 people hostage including children;
the AGEs also killed 6 civilians in retaliation for the killing of one of their commanders and their fighters by uprisinggroups (1406). In July 2016, a Taliban force of about 1,500 fighters attacked and seized the strategic Thilan area of
Pashtunkot (1407). In August, ANSF and PGMs recaptured the area but shortly afterwards the Taliban staged anotherattack with more than 1,000 fighters with motorcycles, Humvees and other vehicles. This forced the ANSF and PGM
to flee their bases in the area again (1408).
In Almar district in September 2015, Khwaja Gawhar bazaar was attacked by the Taliban after border policemen
abandoned it (1409). In December 2015, a roadside bomb killed two people and wounded a third person (1410).
In Shirintagab district, in September 2015, an uprising leader and his friend were killed in a suicide attack which also
injured three other people (1411). In December 2015, the Taliban tried to take control of the district centre (1412) anda Koh Sayyad area police post was attacked in December 2015 causing deaths and casualties on both sides (1413). In
March 2016, in the same area, a policeman was targeted by a remote-controlled bomb (1414) and an ALP official was
killed in an ambush (1415). In May 2016, security checkpoints were attacked by the Taliban (1416) and two representativesof people with disabilities were abducted and killed (1417). In June 2016, the Taliban stated on its website that Vice
president General Dostum’s militia looted shops and houses, kidnapped more than 70 elders and stole cattle andcivilians’ belongings in Shiringtagab district (1418).
In Khwajasabzposh district, in September 2015, the Taliban fired at a students’ vehicle (1419). In December 2015,a roadside bomb was detonated against a vehicle causing death and injuries (1420). In December 2015, five people wereabducted on the highway, three of them were released and the two others, Ministry of Education’s employees shouldhave been released if they did not have ‘political affiliation’, according to the Pashtunkot Taliban commander (1421). In
February 2016, more than 50 passengers of a bus and private cars were abducted by the Taliban; fifty one of themwere soon released but two of them, members of ANA, were killed (1422). In April 2016, a security checkpoint was
attacked in Sahrai Qala area (1423). In May 2016, at least 12 people were killed and 18 injured after clashes between
Jamiat and Junbish parties (1424).
In January 2016, in the Khairabad area of Dawlatabad district, a police patrol was attacked (1425). In April 2016, 300
Taliban members tried to take control of the district’s headquarters (1426). The following month, a former mayor
was killed by a magnetic bomb placed on his vehicle (1427). In July 2016, security forces and militias led by Dostum
reportedly arrested 81 civilians in Dawlatabad. In house-to-house search operations nine civilians were killed andsecurity and militia men looted the homes (1428).

(1404) Pajhwok Afghan News, Faryab: Ex-mayor killed in blast, 2 ANA troops die in mishap, 9 May 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 ALP personnel among 15 killed inseparate attacks, 10 May 2016.
(1405) Pajhwok Afghan News, 20 Taliban militants killed in Faryab, Ghor clashes, 15 May 2016.
(1406) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban kill 6 civilians, hold 30 hostage in Faryab, 16 May 2016.
(1407) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban capture Faryab village after overpowering uprising forces, 22 July 2016.
(1408) Pajhwok Afghan News, Faryab’s Tilan area again falls after massive rebel raid, 22 August 2016.
(1409) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban overrun more areas in Faryab, 6 September 2015.
(1410) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 civilians killed, 10 injured in Faryab, Jawzjan blasts, 24 December 2015.
(1411) Pajhwok Afghan News, Anti-Taliban militia leader killed in Faryab suicide attack, 27 September 2015.
(1412) Pajhwok Afghan News, 17 Taliban killed, power supply snapped in Faryab fighting, 29 December 2015.
(1413) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 Taliban militants, 2 police killed in Faryab firefight, 21 December 2015.
(1414) Pajhwok Afghan News, Child killed, uprising leader among 5 injured in Faryab, 21 March 2016.
(1415) Pajhwok Afghan News, 10 dead in Faryab traffic accident, Taliban attacks, 17 March 2016.
(1416) Pajhwok Afghan News, 20 Taliban militants killed in Faryab, Ghor clashes, 15 May 2016.
(1417) Pajhwok Afghan News, Special people’s representative shot dead in Faryab, 19 May 2016.
(1418) Voice of Jihad, Dostum militia burn dozens of homes in Faryab, abduct more than 70, 28 June 2016.
(1419) Pajhwok Afghan News, 1 student killed, 4 injured in Faryab gun attack, 17 September 2015.
(1420) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 civilians killed, 10 injured in Faryab, Jawzjan blasts, 24 December 2015.
(1421) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 including 2 education officials kidnapped in Faryab, 28 December 2015.
(1422) Pajhwok Afghan News, Insurgents put to death 2 kidnapped passengers in Faryab, 26 February 2016.
(1423) Pajhwok Afghan News, 11 rebels, 2 tribal militiamen killed in Ghazni, Faryab, 21 April 2016.
(1424) Pajhwok Afghan News, 12 killed, 18 wounded in Jamiat-Junbish clashes in Faryab, 19 May 2016.
(1425) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban key commander killed in Faryab, 22 January 2016.
(1426) Pajhwok Afghan News, 7 rebels eliminated, Taliban repulsed in Faryab, 1 April 2016.
(1427) Pajhwok Afghan News, Faryab: Ex-mayor killed in blast, 2 ANA troops die in mishap, 9 May 2016.
(1428) Pajhwok Afghan News, ‘9 civilians killed, houses plundered in Dostum-led offensive’, 2 July 2016.

142 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

In Garziwan district, in September 2015, two residents including a local policeman’s father were killed by the
Taliban (1429). By the end of the first week of October 2015, Garziwan district was easily captured by the Taliban
as security forces were said to have ‘tactically vacated the areas’ (1430). In April 2016, clearing operations were
undertaken in Jar Kala area with consequent clashes between policemen along with uprising groups against Taliban
which caused casualties in both sides (1431). During these clashes ‘[civilians] could not come out of their houses as
Taliban use the residential areas as their trenches and don’t allow people to leave the area’ (1432).
In Bilcheragh district, a clash between illegal commanders was reported in November 2015 (1433).
In Qaramqol district, bordering Turkmenistan, in February 2016, 110 passengers were kidnapped in the Mirza Quam
area. All except four of them were released (1434). A border policeman was killed after being abducted by the Taliban
in March 2016 (1435). A police patrol was attacked in Khan-e Char Bagh district in January 2016 (1436). Three months
later about 60 travellers were abducted in Mirza Qam area of this district and then released (1437).
In December 2015, in Andkhoy district, a former Jumbesh-e Milli islami commander was targeted by a bomb in the
district centre. Two civilians were killed and 14 people were injured (1438).
Pajhwok Afghan News also reported that 5 clinic employees in Kohestan were abducted in October 2015 (1439).
Displacements
From September 2015 to December 2015, Faryab was among the top Afghan provinces from where people weredisplaced. In September 2015, 570 families (3,664 people) who took refuge mainly in Maymana were assessed (1440).
These families, mainly from Almar and Qaysar district, left their homes because of ‘harassment and intimidations
by non-State Armed Groups’ (1441) and ‘the presence of ANA and ANP bases close to their village. The frequentattacks against these military installations worsened the risks for the civilian population, who was often caught in
the exchanges of fire’ (1442).
In October 2015, 417 families (2,626 people) were assessed as IDPs in the provincial capital. These families decided toquit Qaysar, Almar, Shiringtabag, Pashtunkot and Khwajasabzposh districts because of ‘general insecurity, conflicts
between ANSF and AGEs as well as frequent attacks on ANA bases by AGEs, which in turn created heightened security
and safety risks for the civilian population’ (1443).
In November 2015, there was a decrease of IDPs with 183 families (1,210 people) assessed by the UNHCR (1444). For
2015, UNHCR concluded that ‘Faryab province emerged as one of the most volatile areas in Afghanistan. Displacement
was generally confined to the provincial territory, particularly to the city of Maymana and the surrounding areas’ (1445)
with a total of 3,411 displaced families (1446).
From January to April 2016, 6,800 IDPs were reported in Faryab, more than half of all the IDPs in the northern
region (1447).
(1429) Pajhwok Afghan News, Woman among 6 killed in Faryab, Jawzjan clashes, 2 September 2015.
(1430) Pajhwok Afghan News, Despite casualties, Taliban overrun more areas in Faryab, 8 October 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Faryab’s Gorzaiwan district falls to
Taliban, 8 October 2015.
(1431) Pajhwok Afghan News, Balcheragh police chief killed during Faryab clash, 16 April 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 11 rebels, 2 tribal militiamen killed in Ghazni,
Faryab, 21 April 2016.
(1432) Pajhwok Afghan News, 30 Taliban fighters eliminated in Faryab, claim officials, 27 April 2016.
(1433) Pajhwok Afghan News, Child among 3 dead in Faryab explosion, clash, 22 November 2015.
(1434) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban free 108 of 110 kidnapped passengers in Faryab, 7 February 2016.
(1435) Pajhwok Afghan News, 10 dead in Faryab traffic accident, Taliban attacks, 17 March 2016.
(1436) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 militants, police driver killed in Faryab clash, 29 January 2016.
(1437) Pajhwok Afghan News, Militants seize dozens of passengers in Faryab, 13 April 2016; Jamestown Foundation (The), Resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan’s North,
1 April 2016.
(1438) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 civilians killed, 15 wounded in Faryab blast, 19 October 2015.
(1439) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 health workers kidnapped in Faryab’s Kohistan district, 25 October 2015.
(1440) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, October 2015, p. 2.
(1441) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, September 2015, p. 4.
(1442) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, September 2015, pp. 4-5.
(1443) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, October 2015, p. 5.
(1444) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, November 2015, p. 2.
(1445) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, December 2015, p. 11.
(1446) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, December 2015, p. 5.
(1447) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: conflict induced displacements - snapshot (1 January-30 April 2016), 15 May 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 143

2.7.2. Jawzjan
General description of the province

144 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Jawzjan is situated in the northern part of Afghanistan, bordering Turkmenistan in the north, Balkh in the east, Sar-e
Pul in the south and Faryab in the west. It is divided into 11 districts (Aqcha, Darzab, Fayzabad, Khamyab, Khanaqa,
Khwajadukoh, Mardyan, Mingajik, Qarqin, Qushtepa, Shiberghan) (1448) and its capital, Shiberghan, lies on the ringroad from Mazar-e Sharif to Herat. A secondary road connects Sar‑e Pul with the ring road also in Shiberghan.
The province has an estimated 540,255 inhabitants; the provincial capital Shiberghan has 80,032 (1449). More thana quarter of the province is mountainous or semi‑mountainous terrain while more than two thirds of the area is madeup of flat land. The major ethnic groups living in Jawzjan Province are Uzbek and Turkmen followed by Tajik, Pashtun
and Arab. Uzbek is spoken by the largest proportion of the population, followed by Turkmen (1450). Turkmen dominate
the population in the northern and eastern districts, notably Khamyab, Qarqin, Mingajik, Mardyan and Aqcha.
Uzbeks comprise the largest ethnic group in Darzab, Qushtepa and Fayzabad (1451). There are strategically importantgas fields near Shiberghan, deemed important for the economy of neighbouring Balkh Province. Construction on
a 95-kilometre pipeline has been going on for two years and occasionally attracts insurgent attacks (1452).
Background on the conflict and actors in Jawzjan
In December 2014, local parliamentarians warned that security threats were ‘widely spread’ in northern provinces,including Jawzjan (1453). An anonymous source in Kabul stated that due to a large number of AGEs infiltrating theprovince from Balkh, Sar-e Pul and Faryab, the security situation in Jawzjan deteriorated from the start of 2015 (1454).
In February 2015, the provincial chief of police claimed that 600 AGEs ‘rebranded’ themselves into fighters of IS (1455).
Since the spring of 2015, IMU is reported to have infiltrated Jawzjan Province after being driven out of Faryab
Province (1456) along with foreign AGEs ousted from Pakistani tribal areas by a military campaign (1457). In April 2015,
a small group of Uzbek members of IS were reportedly recruiting in some villages in Qushtepa (1458). In September
2015, RFE/RL estimated that there were more than 3,000 Taliban members in the north and that they captured
hundreds of villages in Faryab, Sar-e Pol and Jawzjan province (1459). Concerning security problems in Jawzjan Province,a member of the provincial council stated in October 2015 that ‘if the government supported public uprising forces
and increased the number of local police personnel the move could positively impact Jawzjan’s security’ (1460).
According to IWPR: ‘there has been a steady increase in fighting over the last few years in the Jowzjan and Faryab
provinces of Afghanistan’ (1461).
The political situation in Jawzjan is significantly linked to Junbeshe Melli and its leader, Vice President General Abdul
Rashid Dostum. After years of singleparty domination by Junbesh in the province, however, other political parties,
namely Jamiat and Hezbe Islami, have succeeded in establishing bases in the province (1462). After months of lobbyingin the National Security Council, Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum decided to raise his own militia to takeon the AGEs in the north. In July 2015, he gathered thousands of armed men to fight the Taliban in Jawzjan (1463).

(1448) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(1449) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1450) MRRD, Jawzjan Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1451) International organisation, e-mail, 26 October 2014. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1452) Pajhwok Afghan News, Work on 95 km Jawzjan-Balkh pipeline launched, 2 July 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 dead in attack on Jawzjan check post,
6 January 2014; Pajhwok Afghan News, 7 dead in Ghor and Jawzjan clashes, 17 May 2014.
(1453) Tolo News, Northern provinces face serious security threats, 22 December 2014.
(1454) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1455) Tolo News, Taliban militants raise Daesh flags in Jowzjan: Officials, 11 February 2015.
(1456) RFE/RL, Afghanistan’s New Northern Flashpoints, n.d.; Tolo News, Jowzjan Police concerned over Uzbek terrorist activities, 20 April 2015.
(1457) Tolo News, Influx of foreign militants blamed for uptick in violence, 28 April 2015.
(1458) Pajhwok Afghan News, Jawzjan group wooing residents to join Daesh, 13 April 2015.
(1459) RFE/RL, Return of militias To Afghan front lines sparks allegations of abuses, 5 September 2015.
(1460) Pajhwok Afghan News, Jawzjan forces facing combat gear shortage, 6 October 2015.
(1461) IWPR, Taleban Threat May Tempt Turkmenistan Out of Isolation, 19 February 2016.
(1462) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1463) NY Times, Afghan Vice President raises Concerns by Turning to Militias in Taliban Fight, 18 August 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 145

Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum came to Jawzjan Province to head operations against AGEs in October
2015 (1464) and in April 2016 (1465). During the latter month, Afghan security forces led ground operations and air
security operations (1466).
In July 2015, of the 600 approved, a total of 420 ALP were reported to serve in the districts of Qush Tepa, Darzab
and Fayzabad (1467).
In the northern districts, several former Jihadi warlords have rearmed their followers and created arbaki in 2014 (1468).
The ANP Directorate of Security confirmed to UNAMA the formation of pro-government armed groups in Khamyab,
Aqcha, Mingajik, Fayzabad, and Qarqin districts (1469). According to UNAMA these pro-government groups are
responsible for human-rights abuses in Jawzjan Province (1470) but as they are affiliated with powerbrokers they go
unpunished (1471). Inter-pro-government armed group activities caused 6 incidents which led to civilian casualties
during the first six month of 2016 in this province (1472). There is also one popular militia led by an ethnic Turkmen in
Jawzjan, Emir Karyad, which has been fighting the Taliban for two years (1473).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Jawzjan Province counted 229 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1474):
Violence targeting individuals

34

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

145

Explosions

13

Security enforcement35

Non-conflict related incidents

1

Other incidents

1

Total security incidents

229

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Jawzjan Province (1475):
Qush Tepa

52

Mardyan

9

Shiberghan

50

Mingajik

8

Aqcha

34

Khanaqa7

Khamyab26

Khwajadukoh

4

Fayzabad22

Khwaja Sabz Posh

2

Darzab13

According to UNAMA, two health facilities were attacked during 2015 (1476).

(1464) RFE/RL, Afghan Fighting Reaches Turkmenistan’s Border, 23 October 2015; RFE/RL, Afghan army retakes Taliban-held district, 24 October 2015; RFE/RL,
Turkmenistan’s Afghan Policy Revealed, 27 October 2015.
(1465) Pajhwok Afghan News, Dostum arrives in north, vows to teach militants a ‘lesson’, 19 April 2016.
(1466) Pajhwok Afghan News, 13 militants dead in Jawzjan air and ground offensive, 23 April 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 46 insurgents killed in round-the-clock
operations, 29 April 2016.
(1467) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1468) RFE/RL, Last line of defense against the Taliban – Qarqeen, 15 March 2014; RFE/RL, More warnings south of the Afghan-Turkmen Border, 17 August 2014;
RFE/RL, Turkmenistans new Afghanistan border policy, 10 October 2014.
(1469) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 65.
(1470) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 65.
(1471) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 8.
(1472) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear report 2016. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 86.
(1473) IWPR, Taleban Threat May Tempt Turkmenistan Out of Isolation, 19 February 2016.
(1474) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1475) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1476) UNAMA, Education and Healthcare at Risk: Key trends and incidents affecting children’s access to healthcare and education in Afghanistan, April 2016, p. 7.

146 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

According to RFE/RL in September 2015, Qush Tepa district witnessed a rising Taliban presence (1477). In September
2015, ANSF and the Taliban suffered casualties during gun battles in Qush Tepa’s Sherbeg area (1478) and the AGEs
organised an insider attack against a checkpoint which killed at least four soldiers in this district1479. According toa testimony from Sherbeg area, the Taliban took control of this area from November 2015 until February 2016,
when Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum came to Qush tepa district with ‘thousands of security forces’ toclear it: ‘Taliban in our village have a compound, but they escaped after they were informed about Dostum’s arrivalin Jawzjan.’ He said it was ‘for the first time that local people felt safe after militants captured their village threemonths ago and forced villagers into paying zakat and ushr’ (1480). In February 2016, heavy clashes were reported in
Sherbeg causing AGEs to flee. These clashes led to loss of domestic animals (1481) and civilians casualties in Hawz Biliarea (1482). In the same area, a shopkeeper suspected of aiding the government, was gunned down by the Taliban
in March 2016 (1483). In July 2016, four employees of a private telecom company were abducted by the Taliban on
the Qush Tepa–Sheberghan highway. A week later they were released after mediation by community elders (1484).
In August 2016, ANSF staff were besieged for three days by Taliban forces after a clash in Qush Tepa district. They
were rescued by reinforcements and air support (1485).
In April 2016, the killing of dozens of AGEs when they attacked a checkpoint in Qush Tepa demonstrated that they
were still active in this district (1486). By June 2016, the entire district was considered a ‘high confidence Taliban
support zone’ by the ISW (1487).
In Aqcha district, in Qum village, a woman died and a child and a man were injured when a rocket fired by AGEs
hit their house in January 2016 (1488). An Aqcha inhabitant, suspected of being a Taliban member, was shot by ALP
members (1489). In February 2016, two members of uprising forces and a policeman were killed after being kidnappedor being ambushed (1490). An inhabitant of this district told Pajhwok Afghan News in March 2016 that: ‘No one could
go a kilometer away from the district centre because militants used to ambush and punish suspected people.
No government official can dare to enter villages’ (1491). Executions by the Taliban were reported in this district:two persons suspected of being murderers in Kalra Shakh (1492) and a woman accused of adultery in the village of
Khanqa (1493). ISW considered Aqsha district a ‘low confidence Taliban support zone’ until April 2016 (1494). It has been
evaluated as a ‘high confidence Taliban support zone’ in its assessment of June 2016 (1495).
In Khamyab district, there has been fighting since the beginning of October 2015 when a joint-security operation
and airstrikes against AGEs took place: 19 AGEs were killed and almost the same number injured as a result of two
clashes and an air strike in Khamyab and in the neighbouring district of Mingajik (1496). Until 20 October 2015, theTaliban controlled all the government buildings in Khamyab district centre (1497). Vice President General Dostum led
a clearing operation on 21 October and the Taliban was driven away; several dozen took refuge two days later on(1477) RFE/RL, Insurgents Kill 10 Afghan Soldiers In ‘Insider Attack’, 2 September 2015.
(1478) Pajhwok Afghan News, Woman among 6 killed in Faryab, Jawzjan clashes, 2 September 2015.
(1479) Pajhwok Afghan News, 10 soldiers killed in Taliban attack on ANA checkpoint, 22 September 2015; RFE/RL, Insurgents Kill 10 Afghan Soldiers In ‘Insider Attack’,2 September 2015.
(1480) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban flee as Dostum arrives in Jawzjan’s Qush Tapa, 4 February 2016.
(1481) Pajhwok Afghan News, Security forces among 9 dead in Jawzjan gunbattles, 16 February 2016.
(1482) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban flee as Dostum arrives in Jawzjan’s Qush Tapa, 24 February 2016.
(1483) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 civilians gunned down in Jawzjan, Faryab, 8 March 2016.
(1484) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 kidnapped workers of MTN freed: Jawzjan governor, 24 July 2016.
(1485) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban siege broken, security personnel rescued in Jawzjan, 1 August 2016.
(1486) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kunduz won’t fall again to militants, promises governor, 17 April 2016.
(1487) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1488) Pajhwok Afghan News, 10 rebels killed in Aqcha; woman dead in rocket strike, 27 January 2016.
(1489) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear report 2016. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 89.
(1490) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban kill kidnapped policeman, uprising force member in Jawzjan, 24 February 2016.
(1491) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban execute three persons in Jawzjan, 29 March 2016.
(1492) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban execute three persons in Jawzjan, 29 March 2016.
(1493) Khaama press, Horrific video shows Taliban publicly killing woman over adultery, 7 May 2016.
(1494) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 23 February 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Threat
Assessment: The Taliban and ISIS, 10 December 2015.
(1495) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1496) Pajhwok Afghan News, 40 Taliban killed; security forces retake Baharak district, 3 October 2015; RFE/RL, Who Do Turkmen Authorities Think They Are Fooling?,
20 October 2015.
(1497) RFE/RL, Who Do Turkmen Authorities Think They Are Fooling?, 20 October 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 147

an island in the Amu-Darya river which divides Afghanistan from Turkmenistan (1498). They fought back crossing theriver in Afghanistan killing between 10 or 12 of Dostum’s elite troops (1499). During this operation 20 AGEs were killedand 10 were arrested and by the end of October local officials claimed that Khamyab was cleared of Taliban (1500).
Nevertheless there were still clashes between security forces and the Taliban by the end of November 2015 causing
casualties on both sides. The Taliban claimed to have taken control of villages in this district (1501). By the end of 2015,a roadside bomb killed an uprising commander and a police official (1502). In December 2015 (1503) and February
2016 (1504), the district centre was still contested by the Taliban. By June 2016, half of Khamyab district was considereda ‘high confidence Taliban support zone’ by the ISW (1505).
In Fayzabad district, in September 2015, people suspected of being ALP members were executed (1506) and clashes
between the Taliban and local militias were reported in Keshak (1507). In March 2016, clashes occurred between
Taliban and local militias which caused casualties on both sides in Garjak area (1508), Kukuldash village (1509) a woman
accused by her in-laws of adultery was shot dead by the Taliban in Mimlik village (1510); and a person suspected ofcollaborating with the government was killed by insurgents (1511). By June 2016, a part of this district was assessed
as a ‘high confidence Taliban support zone’ by the ISW which also assessed a pocket near the district centre asa Taliban control zone (1512).
Darzab’s district centre was still contested by the Taliban in December 2015 (1513) and in February 2016 (1514). By June
2016, according to the ISW, this was no longer the case but half of the district was considered a Taliban-controlled
zone and the other half a ‘high confidence support zone’ (1515).
In Mardyan district in December 2015, there were civilian deaths and injuries as a result of explosives that prematurely
went off (1516) and because of Taliban infighting over land ownership in January 2016 (1517). In April 2016, an ambush led
by the Taliban against policemen killed a dozen of them (1518). The next month 20 AGEs from Jangal Arigh village werereported to have ‘reconciled with the government’ (1519). According to the ISW, an area covering the south-west of this
district and bordering Mingajik and Aqsha districts is, from April 2016, a ‘high confidence Taliban support zone’ (1520)
while it was assessed as a ‘low confidence Taliban support zone’ in December 2015 (1521) and in February 2016 (1522).
In October 2015 in Mingajik district a local resident told Pajhwok Afghan News: ‘We are in dire conditions. Taliban
pass through our village regularly and they beat people on several excuses like cooperation with the government
and uprisings’ (1523). At the beginning of October 2015, AGEs were close to seizing the district centre after besieging
its headquarters (1524). Pajhwok Afghan News reported the Taliban execution of a local elder, who was a relative(1498) RFE/RL, Afghan Fighting Reaches Turkmenistan’s Border, 23 October 2015; RFE/RL, Afghan army retakes Taliban-held district, 24 October 2015; RFE/RL,
Turkmenistan’s Afghan Policy Revealed, 27 October 2015.
(1499) RFE/RL, Turkmenistan’s Afghan Policy Revealed, 27 October 2015.
(1500) Pajhwok Afghan News, 8 security personnel among 28 killed in Khamab battle, 25 October 2015.
(1501) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban forced into fleeing Khamab: Jawzjan police chief, 21 November 2015.
(1502) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 uprising commanders killed, 6 robbers arrested, 30 December 2015.
(1503) ISW, Afghanistan Threat Assessment: The Taliban and ISIS, 10 December 2015.
(1504) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 23 February 2016.
(1505) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1506) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 civilians among 6 shot to death in Jawzjan clashes, 19 December 2015.
(1507) Pajhwok Afghan News, Woman among 6 killed in Faryab, Jawzjan clashes, 8 September 2015.
(1508) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 illegal gunmen killed in clash with Jawzjan uprising forces, 17 March 2016.
(1509) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 rebels, illegal armed men killed in fresh bout of violence, 5 March 2016.
(1510) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban accused of killing a woman on adultery charges, 27 March 2016.
(1511) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 civilians gunned down in Jawzjan, Faryab, 8 March 2016.
(1512) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1513) ISW, Afghanistan Threat Assessment: The Taliban and ISIS, 10 December 2015.
(1514) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 23 February 2016.
(1515) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1516) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 civilians killed, 10 injured in Faryab, Jawzjan blasts, 24 December 2015.
(1517) Pajhwok Afghan News, Infighting among militants in Jawzjan causes civilian casualties, 11 January 2016.
(1518) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban ambush leaves 6 police killed in Jawzjan, 4 April 2016.
(1519) Pajhwok Afghan News, Dozens of insurgents give up violence in Jawzjan, 2 May 2016.
(1520) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016.
(1521) ISW, Afghanistan Threat Assessment: The Taliban and ISIS, 10 December 2015.
(1522) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 23 February 2016.
(1523) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban court orders elderly man executed in Jawzjan, 19 October 2015.
(1524) Pajhwok Afghan News, 40 Taliban killed; security forces retake Baharak district, 3 October 2015.

148 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situationof a commander of an uprising group in the same month (1525). In March 2016, an ex-member of an uprising groupwith no links with the government was assassinated (1526). According to the ISW, this district is assessed as a ‘highconfidence Taliban support zone’ with a large pocket bordering Khwajadukoh district controlled by the group since
December 2015 (1527).
Khanaqa district was the scene of clashes between the Taliban and security forces in September 2015 (1528). According
to the ISW, in this district only a strip bordering Shiberghan district was a ‘high confidence Taliban support zone’ inJune 2016 (1529).
UNAMA reported an incident in Khwajadukoh district where the Taliban forced female students over 12 years old
to wear burqas (1530).
Displacement
In an overview of profiled IDPs from January to December 2015, Jawzjan is in the lowest category, from 22 to
1,273 in 2015 (1531). In September 2015, UNHCR stated that small case displacements were profiled in Jawzjan (1532).
In November 2015, only three families from this province who moved to Ghazni were assessed (1533) and few families
from Jawzjan were registered in Logar Province (1534). In January 2016, according to Pajhwok Afghan News, thousandsof people were displaced in Aqcha district because of overnights clashes (1535). From January to April 2016, UNOCHA
assessed 2,000 IDPs in Jawzjan Province (1536).

(1525) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban court orders elderly man executed in Jawzjan, 19 October 2015.
(1526) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban execute three persons in Jawzjan, 29 March 2016.
(1527) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016, ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat
Assessment, 23 February 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Threat Assessment: The Taliban and ISIS, 10 December 2015.
(1528) Pajhwok Afghan News, Jawzjan forces facing combat gear shortage, 6 October 2015.
(1529) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1530) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear report 2016. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 21.
(1531) UNHCR, Afghanistan conflict-induced internal displacement 2015: the year in review, April 2016, p. 16.
(1532) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, September 2015, p. 2.
(1533) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, November 2015, p. 4.
(1534) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, November 2015, p. 4.
(1535) Pajhwok Afghan News, Thousands of civilians flee fighting in Jawzjan’s Aqcha district, 28 January 2016.
(1536) UNOCHA, Afghanistan Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 51 | 01 – 30 April 2016, 15 May 2016, p. 1.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 149

2.7.3. Balkh
General description of the province

Balkh is situated in the northern part of Afghanistan, bordering Uzbekistan in the north, Tajikistan in the northeast,
Kunduz in the east, Samangan in the southeast, Sare Pul in the southwest and Jawzjan in the west. The province isestimated to have 1,325,659 inhabitants, of which an estimated 402,806 live in Mazar-e Sharif (1537). The province
is divided into 15 districts: Balkh, Charbulak, Charkent, Chemtal, Dawlatabad, Dehdadi, Kaldar, Keshendeh, Khulm,
Marmul, Mazare Sharif, NahreShahi, Sholgareh, Shortepa, Zari (1538). The major ethnic groups living in Balkh province
are Tajiks and Pashtuns followed by Uzbek, Hazaras, Turkmen, Arab and Baluch (1539).
Mazare Sharif is one of the biggest commercial and financial centres of Afghanistan (1540). The city lies on an
important eastwest connection between Herat in the west and Kabul and Kunduz in the east. On the border with
Uzbekistan lies the vital economic dry port of Hairatan (1541). Balkh has a tradition of high educational standards
and has a comparatively high literacy rate, including for women. It is home to several universities including Balkh
University, the secondlargest in Afghanistan (1542).
Background on the conflict and actors in Balkh
An important factor in the conflict in the North is the 209th Shaheen Military Corps, based in Balkh province and led
by General Zalmai Weesa (1543). The decline in insurgent activity in Balkh district was attributed to ANSF effectivenessand specifically to the new district police chief in January 2015 (1544).

(1537) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1538) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(1539) MRRD, Balkh Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1540) Pajhwok Afghan News, ‘Background Profile of Balkh’, n.d.
(1541) CMFC, The rise of Afghan rails, 18 November 2010; Fishstein, P., Balkh’s economy in transition, AREU, August 2013.
(1542) MOHE, Balkh University, 15 January 2015; MRRD, Balkh Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1543) Pajhwok Afghan News, Rebels’ infiltration into north blocked: Weesa, 22 December 2014.
(1544) APPRO, Afghanistan: Monitoring Women’s Security in Transition. Cycle 5, January 2015, pp. 19-22.

150 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

According to a 2016 study by APPRO (1545):‘In general, citizens’ complaints are more vociferously lodged against informal power holders than against ANP.
In general, the police respond well to complaints about street harassment and protect girls on their way to andfrom school. There are also reports of some police personnel insulting schoolgirls, driving fast, and harassing
hawkers and street venders for bribes. No cases of abuse by law enforcement officials have been registered in
the province over the last four months, however.’In 2014, ALP was deployed in the Alborz districts of Chemtal, Charbulak and Sholgareh (1546) and pro-government
groups have been present in Chemtal and Charbulak districts since September 2015 (1547). According to UNAMA
these pro-government groups are responsible of human-rights abuses in Balkh province; during the first six monthsof 2016 inter-pro-government armed group activities caused three incidents which led to civilian casualties in theprovince (1548).
In January 2015, shortly after IS announced the birth of the Khorasan chapter, jihadi leaders and youth created thegroup “Margh” (“Death”) in Mazar-e Sharif. They claimed they had 5,000 followers and would fight against any form ofterrorism in Afghanistan (1549). In March 2016, Balkh governor Atta Mohammad Noor stated that some AGEs pledged
allegiance to IS and that they might be ‘remnants of the IMU, sent to northwestern areas of Afghanistan by theirleader, Usman Ghazi, after he swore allegiance to Islamic State and before Ghazi was killed in November 2015’ (1550).
According to Pajhwok Afghan News, Balkh’s drug smugglers are a factor of instability as they spent 30 % of theirincome on insurgent operations’ costs (1551).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Balkh Province counted 370 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1552):
Violence targeting individuals

48

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

165

Explosions

62

Security enforcement93

Non-conflict related incidents

4

Other incidents

1

Total security incidents

370

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Balkh Province (1553):
Chemtal78

Nahr-e Shahi

12

Charbulak

55

Kaldar12

Keshendeh

49

Balkh

12

Dawlatabad

42

Khulm

5

Mazar-e Sharif

27

Dehdadi4

Shortepa

27

Charkent

1

Sholgareh

23

Marmul

0

Zari

23

(1545) APPRO, Afghanistan Rights Monitor: Baseline Report, April 2016, p. 23.
(1546) US Department of Defense, Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in, April 2014, p. 55.
(1547) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 65(1548) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear report 2016. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 86.
(1549) Pajhwok Afghan News, Ex-jihadi leaders pledge support to security forces, 22 January 2015; Khaama Press, “Marg” Group formed against Taliban and ISIS in
northern Afghanistan, 27 January 2015.
(1550) RFE/RL, A Knock At Uzbekistan’s Southern Door, 4 May 2016.
(1551) Pajhwok Afghan News, Drug smugglers finance rebels in north: Gen. Hameed, 12 December 2015.
(1552) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1553) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 151

Balkh witnessed seven attacks on health facilities in 2015 (1554).
According to researcher Paul Fishstein who carried out field work in Balkh Province in May 2015 (1555):‘Security in some areas of Balkh such as Jar Qalah was considered better due to the creation several years ago,
under the sponsorship of Governor Atta, of the Afghan Local Police (ALP), which puts some money in local pockets,
even if it raises concerns about long-term stability. Areas of Charbulak, while not considered completely secure,were seen as better than two years ago. Taliban were said to circulate mainly at night, with elements from Koh-e
Alburz (Alburz Mountains) attacking Chemtal and also collecting ten percent ushr (traditional tithe paid to themullah or other religious leader for their services) in order to keep the opium poppy fields safe. Variation insecurity even within the two districts underlines the localised nature of conditions in Afghanistan.’
Balkh provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, witnessed blasts and attacks which affected its residents. In October 2015,
a small bomb was thrown in a mobile market located in Tor Bazaar area and at least 9 people were wounded (1556).
Two months later a police vehicle was targeted by a magnetic bomb (1557). On 3 January 2016, 5 civilians were caught inthe crossfire between Afghan forces and AGEs who tried, unsuccessfully, to enter the Indian consulate (1558). In order
to assure security for Nowruz celebrations in the provincial capital, the provincial governor led military operations
against AGEs in the first week of March 2016 (1559) and in May 2016 against AGEs’ offensives from Samangan andSar-e-Pul (1560). In August 2016, a suicide attack near a market in Mazar killed one civilian and injured 14 others,
including a child and three women (1561).
In October 2015, Chemtal district was the scene of a family murder (4 killed and 3 wounded). The ALP linked the caseto a Taliban commander (1562). According to the ISW, an area covering half the southern part and a smaller pocket in
the north of this district is, as of April 2016, a ‘high confidence Taliban support zone’ (1563) while it was considereda ‘low confidence support zone’ in February 2016 (1564). In May 2016, during a joint military clearing operation in
Chemtal district, between 30 (1565) and 45 Taliban were killed (1566).
In Charbulak district, in March 2016, Taliban fighters came in order to destabilise the security of the highway connecting
Mazar-e Sharif and Shiberghan (1567). They attacked security posts and during the clashes at least two policemen diedand 20 Taliban were killed, injured or fled to the neighbouring district of Fayzabad (Jawzjan Province) (1568). Someweeks later, in April 2016, another Charbulak district’s police outpost was attacked by AGEs coming from Jawzjan
Province (1569).
In the southern districts of Balkh, Zari and Keshendeh, IS presence has been reported as its black flag was observed (1570)
and the provincial governor stated that his forces repelled the Taliban and loyalists of IS during a clearing operationin Zari and Keshendeh district in March 2016 (1571). A young insurgent captured during this operation claimed to havebeen trained by IS during three months in Keshendeh district (1572). The clearing operation was led by Atta Mohammad
Noor as ‘Both extremist groups [Taliban and Daesh] are trying to destabilize this valley [near the Deh Yak village],as well as Keshendeh and Shulgara districts and other parts of Balkh province’ (1573). AGEs were planning to set up
an operational base in Sizda village in Keshendeh district where they killed, tortured residents and torched their(1554) UNAMA, Education and Healthcare at Risk: Key trends and incidents affecting children’s access to healthcare and education in Afghanistan, April 2016, p. 7.
(1555) Fishstein, P., Briefing note on fieldwork in Balkh Province, May 2015. Opium Poppy and rural livelihoods, October 2015, p. 1.
(1556) Pajhwok Afghan News, 9 wounded, two critically, in Balkh bomb attack, 29 October 2015.
(1557) Pajhwok Afghan News, Policeman among 5 wounded in Balkh, Khost explosions, 17 December 2015.
(1558) RFE/RL, Siege Ends Near Indian Consulate In Northern Afghanistan, 4 January 2016.
(1559) Khaama press, Operations led by Ata Mohammad Noor launched in Balkh ahead of Nowruz celebrations, 7 March 2016.
(1560) Khaama press, Noor says Afghan forces turned Balkh into graveyard of Taliban and ISIS, 16 May 2016.
(1561) Tolo News, Mazar-i-Sharif Blast Leaves One Dead, 14 Wounded, 9 August 2016.
(1562) Pajhwok Afghan News, ALP personnel gun down 3 civilians of a family in Balkh, 28 October 2015.
(1563) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016.
(1564) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 23 February 2016.
(1565) Khaama press, 61 militants in latest air and ground operations of Afghan forces, 25 May 2016.
(1566) Tolo News, 45 Insurgents Killed in Balkh Clashes: Officials, 26 May 2016.
(1567) Tolo News, Two Policemen Killed in Balkh Clash, 30 March 2016.
(1568) Tolo News, Two Policemen Killed in Balkh Clash, 30 March 2016; Khaama press, Policemen and Taliban militants suffer casualties in Balkh clash, 30 March 2016.
(1569) Tolo News, 12 Taliban Insurgents Killed in Balkh Clashes, 18 April 2016.
(1570) Jamestown Foundation (The), Resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan’s North, 1 April 2016.
(1571) Khaama press, Noor says Afghan forces confronted ISIS loyalists in Balkh operations, 13 March 2016.
(1572) Tolo News, Daesh srufaces in Balkh : Atta Noor, 13 March 2016.
(1573) Tolo News, Daesh srufaces in Balkh : Atta Noor, 13 March 2016.

152 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

houses (1574). According to the ISW, an area covering more than the half of Keshendeh district is, from April 2016,a ‘high confidence Taliban support zone’ (1575) while it was assessed as a ‘low confidence Taliban support zone’ inFebruary 2016 (1576). In May 2016, new clashes occurred between ANSF and the Taliban in Keshendeh district (1577).
In Kaldar district, bordering Uzbekistan and Tadjikistan, border police officers were targeted by the Taliban. Two ofthem were killed by a roadside bomb in March 2016 (1578) and one of their border posts was attacked in May 2016 (1579).
In February 2016, when a minibus of the 209 Shaheen corps went through Nawabad area in Dehdadi district, it was
attacked by a suicide bomber which killed three soldiers and injured 18 others (1580). A few days later there wasa counter-terrorism operation in this district led by the ANSF (1581).
Displacement
In September 2015, few families from Balkh went to Maidan Wardak and some 1,200 families from Kunduz moved to
Balkh (1582). In an overview of profiled IDPs from January to December 2015, Balkh is in the second-lowest category,from 1,274 to 3,871 IDPS in 2015 (1583) with more than 2,000 IDPs (1584). From January to April 2016, UNOCHA assessedvery few IDPs in Balkh (1585).

(1574) Khaama press, Noor: Afghan forces stopped militants to establish strong operational base in Balkh, 9 March 2016.
(1575) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1576) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 23 February 2016.
(1577) Khaama press, 17 Taliban insurgents killed in air and ground raids in north of Afghanistan, 11 May 2016.
(1578) Tolo News, Two Border Policemen Killed in Balkh Roadside Mine Blast, 28 March 2016.
(1579) RFE/RL, A Knock At Uzbekistan’s Southern Door, 4 May 2016.
(1580) Khaama press, 3 killed, 20 wounded in suicide attack near Mazar-i-Sharif, 8 February 2016; RFE/RL, At Least Three Afghan Soldiers Killed In Suicide Bombing,
8 February 2016.
(1581) Khaama press, 22 militants killed in counter-terrorism operations led by Afghan army, 12 February 2016.
(1582) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, September 2015, p. 4.
(1583) UNHCR, Afghanistan conflict-induced internal displacement 2015: the year in review, April 2016, p. 16.
(1584) UNHCR, Afghanistan conflict-induced internal displacement 2015: the year in review, April 2016, p. 5.
(1585) UNOCHA, Afghanistan Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 51 | 01 – 30 April 2016, 15 May 2016, p. 1.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 153

2.7.4. Samangan
General description of the province

Samangan is located in northern Afghanistan and shares provincial borders with Balkh, Sare Pul, Kunduz, Baghlan
and Bamyan. The province is divided into seven districts: Aybak, DaraeSufeBala, DaraeSufePayin, Feroz Nakhchir,
HazrateSultan, Khuram Wa Sarbagh, RuyeDuab and the provincial capital is Aybak (1586). The major ethnic groups
living in Samangan province are Uzbek and Tajiks followed by Pashtuns, Hazaras, Arabs and Tatars (1587). With anestimated population of 387,928, Samangan is one of the least populated provinces of Afghanistan (1588).
Through the northwestern corner of the province, the road connecting Mazar-e Sharif with Pul-e Khumri and Kabul
crosses the provincial capital Aybak (1589). Samangan is home to some of Afghanistan’s biggest coalmines. One
coalmine in Dara-e Suf is said to employ about 6,000 people, of whom 2,000 are child labourers (1590).
Background on the conflict and actors in Samangan
In May 2015, residents complained about a deteriorating security situation. A provincial council member statedSamangan ‘was said to be a peaceful province, but lately insurgents intensified their activities and some parts of theprovince became insecure’ (1591). Officials suggested that AGEs active in neighbouring Baghlan use Samangan as a safe
haven in case of ANSF operations against them (1592). In October 2015, 26 AGEs who were active in the provincial
capital, Aybak, joined the peace process; one of them was the Samangan’s shadow governor (1593). Samangan is also

(1586) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(1587) MRRD, Samangan Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1588) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1589) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Samangan Province - Reference Map, 30 March 2014.
(1590) Tolo News, Child labor in Samangan coal mines, 5 March 2015.
(1591) Pajhwok Afghan News, Samangan PC performance unsatisfactory: Residents, 25 May 2015.
(1592) Pajhwok Afghan News, Baghlan-i-Markazi district cleared of rebels, 24 May 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban take control of area after police retreat,23 July 2015.
(1593) Tolo News, Taliban’s Samangan Shadow governor joins peace process, 15 October 2015.

154 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

one of the 9 provinces where IS Khorassan has appointed recruiters (1594). As of 2015, there was no ALP programmerolled out in Samangan (1595) but pro-government armed groups are present in Aybak district (1596) and, according to
UNAMA, pro-government armed groups are responsible for human-rights abuses in Samangan (1597).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Samangan Province counted 42 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1598):
Violence targeting individuals

5

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

18

Explosions

5

Security enforcement9

Non-conflict related incidents

4

Other incidents

1

Total security incidents

42

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Samangan Province (1599):
Aybak

18

Ruy-e Duab1

Dara-i Suf-e Payin

17

Dara-i Suf-e Bala

0

Hazrat-e Sultan

5

Khuram Wa Sarbagh

0

Feroz Nakhchir

1

In March 2016, IWPR reported a sharp increase in violence against women in Samangan, with 200 recorded cases
during the preceding year (1600). Pajhwok reported the same trend in February 2016 (1601). UNAMA also reported
three attacks on health facilities in Sar-e Pul for 2015 (1602).
Most of the incidents were concentrated in Aybak district in the capital city or its outskirts. In September 2015,
AGEs were prevented by the NDS from carrying out a suicide attack in Sarwar-i-Kaynat mosque (1603). Two weeks
later explosives placed in a motorbike injured five people (1604). In January 2016, the chief of the High Peace Council(HPC) for Samangan was killed in Aybak City (1605). In December 2015, Taliban fighters arrived in an outskirt of thecapital Aybak, named Akhta Khana. Local residents asked them to leave and this led to an armed clash in whicha local former commander was killed and a Taliban fighter injured (1606). In the Qara-i-Tayekhwank area, the Taliban
has established its presence over two years. A local commander collects by force ushr, zakat and taxes and a youth
was killed in February 2016 (1607). On the outskirts of the provincial capital, three police officers were killed when
their checkpoint was attacked in Rabata area in April 2016 (1608).
UNAMA mentioned the targeted killing of 3 Hazara civilians in Dara-i Suf district underlining that ‘the motivation
behind the killings remains unclear’ (1609). In the spring of 2016, some incidents were mentioned by Pajhwok AfghanNews in Dara-e Suf-e Payin district. In March 2016, a roadside bombing killed the military attorney of Daikundi(1594) USIP, The Islamic State in Afghanistan: Assessing the Threat, 7 April 2016, p. 2.
(1595) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 67.
(1596) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 65.
(1597) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear report 2016. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 86.
(1598) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1599) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1600) IWPR, Afghan Women Speak Out Against Violence, 10 March 2016.
(1601) Pajhwok Afghan news, Sharp rise in violence agaisnt women in Samangan, 3 February 2016.
(1602) UNAMA, Education and Healthcare at Risk: Key trends and incidents affecting children’s access to healthcare and education in Afghanistan, April 2016, p. 7.
(1603) Khaama press, NDS prevents suicide attack in Samangan mosque, 7 September 2015.
(1604) Tolo News, Five Civilians Injured in Samangan Blast, 20 September 2015.
(1605) Khaama press, High Peace Council Samangan chief gunned down, 5 January 2016.
(1606) Pajhwok Afghan news, Ex-jihadi leader killed in clash with Taliban near Aibak, 6 December 2015.
(1607) Tolo News, Youth’s killing sparks protest in Samangan, 20 February 2016.
(1608) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 policement, an insurgent killed in Samangan, 8 April 2016.
(1609) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear report 2016. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 65.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 155

province (1610). April 2016 marked a full year since the Taliban closed the road connecting Dara-e Suf-e Bala and Dara-e
Suf-e Payin districts to the provincial capital, Aybak (1611). During this year, truck drivers complained about extortion byillegal armed men and AGEs on the road between the district and Aybak (1612). This district was attacked by more than
300 AGEs in April 2016 and a clash between the Taliban and security forces caused the death of one policeman (1613).
The ISW considers that more than half of the north of Dara-e Suf Payin is a high confidence Taliban support zone
and that a small pocket in this district is under its control since April 2016 (1614). In July 2016, according to the Afghan
Ministry of Interior, a military operation in Dara-i Suf district led to the surrender of about 260 Taliban fighters (1615).
Displacement
According to the UNHCR, in October (1616) and November 2015 (1617), only small case displacements were profiled in
Samangan. In an overview of profiled IDPs from January to December 2015, this province is in the lowest category,from 22 to 1,273 in 2015 (1618). From January to April 2016, UNOCHA assessed 1,000 IDPS in Samangan (1619).

(1610) Pajhwok Afghan news, Daikundi military attorney killed in oradside bomb, 30 March 2016.
(1611) Pajhwok Afghan News, Rebels block Dara-i-Sawf-Balkh road, 22 April 2016.
(1612) Pajhwok Afghan News, Truck drivers protest extortion on Samangan road, 25 June 2015.
(1613) Pajhwok Afghan News, Rebels block Dara-i-Sawf-Balkh road, 22 April 2016.
(1614) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016.
(1615) Khaama Press, MoI claims 260 Taliban militants surrendered in Samangan province, 26 July 2016.
(1616) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, October 2015, p. 2.
(1617) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, November 2015, p. 2.
(1618) UNHCR, Afghanistan conflict-induced internal displacement 2015: the year in review, April 2016, p. 16.
(1619) UNOCHA, Afghanistan Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 51 | 01 – 30 April 2016, 15 May 2016, p. 1.

156 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.7.5. Sar-e Pul
General description of the province

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 157

Sar-e Pul borders Ghor and Bamyan provinces to the south, Faryab, Jawzjan and Balkh to the west and north andSamangan to the east. It is a mountainous province, especially in its southern part. The province consists of thefollowing districts: Balkhab, Gosfandi, Kohestanat, Sangcharak, Sare Pul, Sayad, Sozmaqala (1620). The provincial
capital is the town of Sare Pul (1621). The province has an estimated 559,577 inhabitants (1622).
The major ethnic groups living in Sare Pul province are Uzbek, Pashtun, Hazara, followed by Arab and Tajik; the major
tribe is Uzbek in all districts (1623).
Sare Pul is among the richest provinces when it comes to natural resources. The province has vast reserves of
petroleum, copper and other natural resources (1624).
Background on the conflict and actors in Sar-e Pul
Villagers complained in Kohestanat and Sozmaqala districts about growing insurgent infiltration in the spring of 2015and have mobilised self-defence groups (1625). These groups, or so-called ‘popular uprisings’, were reportedly involvedin the fighting to retake the district of Kohestanat in August 2015 (1626). In June 2015, Obaid Ali from the Afghanistan
Analyst Network reported that the security situation in the province had been deteriorating over the previous two
years (1627). In September 2015, RFE/RL estimated that there were more than 3,000 Taliban in the northern region
and that, since July 2015, they captured hundreds of villages in Faryab, Sar-e Pol and Jowzjan provinces (1628). One
lawyer told Pajhwok Afghan News that these AGEs came to Sar-e Pul Province after fleeing Kunduz (1629).
Sar-e Pul is one of the 9 provinces where IS appointed recruiters (1630). According to RFE/RL the IMU is present aswell (1631).
According to Obaid Ali (1632):‘The security forces seem helpless. According to Haji Payenda, the deputy head of the ALP in Sheramha, lastyear all 81 ALP members fled to Sar-e Pul city, taking their families with them. Two ALP commanders joined theinsurgents with 18 of their men.
Reconciliation attempts with the local insurgents remain futile. Speaking to AAN, Mawlawi Naqib, the provincial
director of the High Peace Council, stated that in the past few years, 750 Taleban, including their field commanders,
had indeed joined the peace process, but many then re-joined the insurgents. Six months ago, for example,
a Taleban commander, named as Khan Muhammad, along with his 51 followers, laid down his weapons. However,
local strongmen pushed the provincial judicial department to issue an order for his arrest and accuse him ofcriminal activities. The Taleban commander swiftly re-joined the insurgents.’
Next to regular ANSF, ALP was reported to be active in the western districts of Sare Pul, Kohestanat and Sayadin 20141633. There have been reports of misconduct by ALP (1634) and, according to UNAMA, the worst incidents
committed by ALP in 2015 were in Sar-e Pul and three other provinces (Kunduz, Badakhshan and Kandahar) (1635).
Militias also committed human-rights abuses in Sar-e Pul Province (1636).

(1620) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(1621) MRRD, Sar-i-Pul Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1622) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1623) MRRD, Sar-i-Pul Provincial Profile, n.d.
(1624) Pajhwok Afghan News, Sar-i-Pul Province Background Profile, n.d.
(1625) RFE/RL, Afghanistan’s New Northern Flash Points, July 2015.
(1626) Pajhwok Afghan News, Sar-i-Pul clashes leave 20 dead, 11 wounded, 5 August 2015.
(1627) Ali O., The Insurgency in the North: Case studies from Kunduz and Sar-e Pul, 4 June 2015.
(1628) RFE/RL, Return of militias To Afghan front lines sparks allegations of abuses, 5 September 2015.
(1629) Pajhwok Afghan News, MPs fear Kunduz-style attacks in other provinces, 5 October 2015.
(1630) USIP, The Islamic State in Afghanistan: Assessing the Threat, April 2016, p. 2.
(1631) RFE/RL, Afghanistan’s New Northern Flash Points, July 2015.
(1632) Ali, O., The Insurgency in the North: Case studies from Kunduz and Sar-e Pul, 4 June 2015.
(1633) US Department of Defense, Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan, April 2014, p. 55.
(1634) Pajhwok Afghan News, ALP chided over families’ displacement, 28 October 2013; Pajhwok Afghan News, AIHRC wants illegal armed groups disbanded,
2 September 2014; UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2015, pp. 71 and 76.
(1635) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Annual Report 2015. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 67.
(1636) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear report 2016. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 86.

158 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

According to Obaid Ali (1637):‘Sar-e Pul is mostly dominated by three political parties: Jombesh-e Melli Islami Afghanistan, Hezb-e Wahdat-eIslami Mardom-e Afghanistan and Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan. According to Masuma Ramazan, a provincial
council member, the competition for government posts between Jamiat and Jombesh is a major factor affecting
the security situation negatively. “The government posts are exploited for personal interests by local strongmen,
and this always intensifies the feud among local players,” she stated. Commanders switch sides frequently – andsometimes over to the Taleban.’
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 216, Sar-e Pul Province counted 142 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1638):
Violence targeting individuals

18

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

100

Explosions

11

Security enforcement11

Non-conflict related incidents

2

Total security incidents

142

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Sar-e Pul Province (1639):
Sar-e Pul

77

Kohestanat

5

Sayad

24

Gosfandi

1

Sozma Qala

19

Balkhab0

Sangcharak

16

In January 2016, Mohammad Zahir Wahdat, Sar-e Pul governor, said that ‘the security situation in his province had
improved, but instability loomed because Afghan forces were busy in fighting against militants on all the four sidesof the province’ (1640). In 2015, three health facilities were attacked in this province (1641). In November 2015, Pajhwok
reported increasing security threats on the roads in the province with 29 people being abducted during the previous
months, including teachers, employees of the government and others; those with no links with the government havebeen kidnapped on the highway to Jawzjan Province (1642).
In October 2015, a clash between security forces and the Taliban in Sar-e Pul City caused civilian casualties (1643). In
February 2016, a bomb planted on a handcart exploded in front of a bank during a work-day afternoon, killing one
person and injuring four civilians (1644).
In January 2016, fighting occurred in Sar-i Pul district between security forces and AGEs in Sultan Ibrahim, Dara andKala Sokhta areas, close to the provincial capital. Military operations were led in Adrang, Balghi, Latai, Kala Sokhta
and Sultan Ibrahim areas in the same month (1645) and in Sang Toda area in February 2016 (1646). In the latter district
and in Sayad district, there was also a joint-clearing operation in January 2016 led by the governor which caused
casualties on both sides (1647). In February 2016, a passenger van was attacked near Sar-e Pul City but as a police
commander was on board a clash broke out causing 7 deaths and 17 injuries. The Taliban denied responsibility forthe killings but said that an armed clash between police and residents led to 20 deaths and that policemen torched
residents’ houses (1648).
(1637) Ali, O., The Insurgency in the North: Case studies from Kunduz and Sar-e Pul, 4 June 2015.
(1638) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1639) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1640) Pajhwok Afghan News, Winter best time to eliminate secrurity threats: Governors, 7 January 2016.
(1641) UNAMA, Education and Healthcare at Risk: Key trends and incidents affecting children’s access to healthcare and education in Afghanistan, April 2016, p. 7.
(1642) Pajhwok Afghan News, Insecurity on Sar-i-Pul-Jawzjan highway fuels concerns, 24 November 2015.
(1643) Pajhwok Afghan News, Sar-i-Pul clash leaves 1 civilian dead, 2 policemen hurt, 5 October 2015.
(1644) Pajhwok Afghan news, 1 killed, 4 wounded in Sar-i-Pul explosion, 7 February 2016.
(1645) Pajhwok Afghan News, Operations against militants to continue:Sar-i-Pul governor, 3 January 2016.
(1646) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 insurgents suffer casualties in Sar-i-Pul clashes, 7 February 2016.
(1647) Pajhwok Afghan News, Operations against militants to continue:Sar-i-Pul governor, 3 January 2016.
(1648) Pajhwok Afghan News, Nearly a dozen dead in hours-long Sar-i-Pul clashes, 28 February 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 159

In October 2015, Pajhwok reported that the Taliban besieged the district centre of Kohestanat. Fierce fighting with
ANSF caused access roads to be closed. According to a local police commander, only two villages in the district
were under government control (1649). The ISW reported that the district centre had been controlled by the AGEs
since December 2015 (1650). In January 2016, the governor of Sar-e Pul Province admitted that Kohestanat ‘remained
occupied by the militants’ (1651). The Taliban has also enjoyed a ‘high confidence support zone’ in the north-east of
this district until at least April 2016 (1652).
In Sozmaqala district, a small pocket in the north-west is considered a Taliban high confidence support zone by
the ISW (1653). In September 2015, the Taliban implemented the sharia by publicly stoning a couple accused ofadultery (1654). In May 2016, 14 civilians were injured because of clashes between AGE and ANA (1655). In August 2016,
three children were injured in an explosion in Sozmaqala district (1656).
In November 2015, the Taliban controlled most of Sancharak district and heavy fighting occurred between ‘uprisinggroups’ and the Taliban on 24 November 2015 (1657). Three days later, the Taliban still controlled Masjid Sabz, Gajwa
and Topkhan in this district and came close to seizing the district centre on 27 November 2015 (1658). By 1 December,a clearing operation was undertaken by the army including air force, the police, NDS, and uprising groups in orderto retake Sancharak district (1659). In August 2016, ANSF clashed with the Taliban in Sancharak district. The clash led
to casualties on both sides (1660).
Displacement
In October (1661) and November 2015 (1662), small-scale displacements were profiled in Sar-e Pul and more than 2,000
IDPs were assessed for 2015 (1663). From January to April 2016, UNOCHA assessed 2,000 IDPS in Sar-e Pul (1664).

(1649) Pajhwok Afghan News, Intense battle underway for Kohistanat district, 5 October 2015.
(1650) ISW, Afghanistan Threat Assessment: The Taliban and ISIS, 10 December 2015; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 23 February 2016; ISW, Afghanistan
Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1651) Pajhwok Afghan News, Winter best time to eliminate security threats: Governors, 7 January 2016.
(1652) ISW, Afghanistan Threat Assessment: The Taliban and ISIS, 10 December 2015; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 23 February 2016; ISW, Afghanistan
Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016; ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1653) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 12 April 2016; SW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment, 30 June 2016.
(1654) Pajhwok Afghan News, Insurgents stone SAr_i_Pul pair on adultery charges, 12 September 2015.
(1655) UNAMA, Afghanistan. Midyear report 2016. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, July 2016, p. 38.
(1656) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 civilians killed, 3 injured in Kandahar, Sar-I-Pul incidents, 13 August 2016.
(1657) Pajhwok Afghan News, Sar-i-pul fighting goes on since last 24 hours, 25 November 2015.
(1658) Pajhwok Afghan News, Sancharak district on the verge of collapse, officials warn, 27 November 2015.
(1659) Khaama press, Military operation ongoing to recapture lost areas in Sar-e-Pol’s Sancharak District, 1 December 2015.
(1660) Pajhwok Afghan News, 25 killed, 32 wounded in Sar-i-Pul clashes, 21 August 2016.
(1661) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, October 2015, p. 2.
(1662) UNHCR, Conflict-induced Internal Displacement – Monthly Update, November 2015, p. 2.
(1663) UNHCR, Afghanistan conflict-induced internal displacement 2015: the year in review, April 2016, p. 5.
(1664) UNOCHA, Afghanistan Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 51 | 01 – 30 April 2016, 15 May 2016, p. 1.

160 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.8. West
2.8.1. Herat
General description of the province

Herat, located in the west of Afghanistan, is one of the largest provinces. It shares borders with the provinces of
Badghis and Turkmenistan in the north. The province of Farah is to the south, while Ghor is to the east and the Islamic
republic of Iran to the west (1665). Herat has 16 districts: Adraskan, Chiste Sharif, Farsi, Ghoryan, Gulran, Guzara, Herat,
Injil, Karukh, Kohsan, Kushk, Kushke Kohna, Obe, Pashtun Zarghun, Shindand, Zinda Jan (1666). The provincial capital is
Herat City, estimated to house 477,452 inhabitants; the population in the province is an estimated 1,890,202 (1667).
Background on the conflict and actors in Herat
The most unstable district is Shindand, 130 kilometres from Herat City, with an area of 6,762 square kilometres anda population of about 800,000. Shindand is Afghanistan’s largest district, but it is allotted funds only equal to other
districts. In June 2015, President Ghani ordered the division of the district into several districts without specifying
how many (1668).
According to AAN analyst Fabrizio Foschini, Shindand still accounts for one-third of all security incidents in Herat
Province, although the security situation in recent years has deteriorated in other areas of the province. A vast district
largely populated by Pashtuns, it houses a strategically important military airbase built by the Soviets and reactivated(1665) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Herat Province, n.d.
(1666) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(1667) UNOCHA, Afghanistan : Population Estimate for 2015, August 2015.
(1668) Pajhwok Afghan News, Govt won’t talk peace from weak position, Ghani, 1 June 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 161

by the US, mainly with Iran in mind. Today, the airbase is mainly used as a training facility for Afghan pilots (1669).
Shindand is described as a ‘historic opium growing district’ (1670). The district also has two important roads: the ringroad connecting Herat with Kandahar, from which a secondary road leads towards Farah (1671).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Herat Province counted 496 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1672):
Violence targeting individuals

95

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

197

Explosions

41

Security enforcement144

Non-conflict related incidents

15

Other incidents

4

Total security incidents

496

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Herat Province (1673):
Shindand

154

Injil

18

Herat

68

Kushk-e Kuhna

18

Guzara38

Chist-e Sharif

16

Gulran25

Koshan16

Ghoryan

23

Karukh

15

Obe

23

Zinda Jan

12

Adraskan

22

Farsi

9

Kushk

19

Khak-e Safed

1

Pashtun Zarghun

19

Roadside bombings posed a significant threat in the province and mostly claim the lives of civilians. In the last quarterof 2015, 10 roadside bombings occurred every month. In January 2016, 27 roadside bombings were counted by theprovincial council of Herat. AGEs use this tactic of planting landmines on roads to target security forces (1674). In April
2016, four civilians were wounded when an IED exploded in the province. In the same incident two AGEs were killedby their own explosives (1675).
In the first half of 2016 UNAMA reported that AGEs continued to target prominent women working in public life,
including female police. On 24 January 2016, two female police officers were shot by AGEs (1676).
In July 2016, Herat’s provincial council expressed concerns about the worsened security situation in the districts ofthe province. The security committee of the council stated that AGEs controlled numerous areas in different districts
and their presence threatened Herat City (1677).
In January 2016, a man and a woman were found axed to death in Herat City (1678). Despite government efforts toeliminate criminal activities, residents of Herat City complained that such crime was increasing in the city (1679).

(1669) Foschini, F., Classics of Conflict (1): Reviewing some of Afghanistan’s most notorious hotspots, 3 July 2015.
(1670) Edinburgh International, Afghanistan Weekly Security Report 26 February 2015, 26 February 2015; Edinburgh International, Afghanistan Weekly Security
Report 5 March 2015, 5 March 2015.
(1671) Suroush, Q., Going in Circles: The never-ending story of Afghanistan’s unfinished Ring Road, 16 January 2015.
(1672) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1673) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1674) Pajhwok Afghan News, Roadside bombings spike worries Herat people, 25 January 2016.
(1675) Khaama Press, 2 militants blown up by own explosives in Herat province, 1 April 2016.
(1676) UNAMA, Afghanistan 2016 Mid-Year Report Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 14.
(1677) Tolo News, Concerns Over Insecurity Increases in Herat, 8 July 2016.
(1678) Pajhwok Afghan News, Man, woman axed to death in Herat City, 19 January 2016.
(1679) Pajhwok Afghan News, Herat: 19 Taliban perish, 53 criminals held in a month, 10 February 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 70 suspected criminals detained in
Herat, 27 February 2016.

162 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

In April 2016, a prominent Appellate Court Chief of Herat Province was gunned down in Herat City (1680). UNAMA
reported that on 22 May 2016 the Taliban fired multiple rockets at the Provincial Governor of Herat’s compoundin Herat City, killing one civilian and injuring six civilians (1681). In July 2016, one civilian was killed and four others
wounded in a blast in Herat City (1682). In August 2016, the Taliban targeted and wounded a Wolesi Jirga member ina gun attack in Herat City (1683).
AGEs tried to overrun Shindand district several times. In October 2015, an attack by AGEs was repulsed by security
forces (1684). Clashes between two rival Taliban groups, a pro-Rasool group under the command of Mullah Samad,
and a group under the command of Mullah Nangyalai, supporting Mansour, erupted in December 2015 in the Zirkuh
area of Shindand district (1685). It was reported that a group of 50 AGEs stormed police checkposts in February 2016
in Shindand. Five AGEs were killed (1686). Five AGEs were killed during another clash with the border police in Kalata
Nazar area of Shindand district (1687). In March 2016, three civilians were killed by an IED in Shindand district (1688). In
April 2016, the head of the people’s council for the Shindand district was killed (1689). During the spring of 2016, heavy
clashes between two rival insurgent groups occurred in Shindand district followed by ANSF military operations. The
two groups were suspected of belonging to the local pro-Mansour Taliban group and a pro-Rasool group (1690). Military
operations by the ANSF were reportedly successful, as 100 AGEs, including several commanders, were reported
killed and 110 others injured (1691). But, according to Fabrizio Foschini, the government did not establish stability
in Zerkuk and there is still a ‘Taleban advance’ in this area (1692). The Institute for The Study of War (ISW) stated in
April 2016 that Shindand district was a stronghold for the pro-Rasool group. According to a map produced by ISWof Taliban and ISIS controlled regions, in the north of the province there is a ‘low confidence Taliban support zone’
which covers parts of Herat, including Shindand (1693). In July 2016, UNAMA stated that ‘the situation in Shindand
highlights another aspect of the increasingly complex and dangerous environment for civilians caught between
multiple conflict-actors’ (1694). Tolo News reported in July 2016 that the Taliban had a wide presence in Shindand and
ANSF did not have ‘full sovereignty in the bazar’ (1695).
Local press reported that 200 AGEs attacked security forces in Ghoryan district centre in October 2015 (1696). At theend of March 2016, it was reported that infighting among the Taliban groups in Shindand district moved to Ghoryan
district (1697).
In February 2016, military operations were carried out in Kurkh district. No reports were made of civilian
casualties (1698).
In February 2016, a dozen AGEs surrendered their weapons and promised to participate in the peace process inGuzra district (1699). In September 2015, the Taliban kidnapped four contractors of the Etisalat Telecommunication
Company for ransom money in Guzra. A week later, the Taliban killed them (1700).

(1680) Khaama Press, Herat Appellate Court Chief shot dead by unknown gunmen, 28 April 2016.
(1681) UNAMA, Afghanistan 2016 Mid-Year Report Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 40.
(1682) Pajhwok Afghan News, 1 civilian killed, 5 wounded in Herat explosion, 30 July 2016.
(1683) Pajhwok Afghan News, Lawmaker shot injured in Herat gun attack, 25 August 2016.
(1684) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban attack on Herat’s Shindand district repulsed, 19 October 2015.
(1685) Pajhwok Afghan News, 11 killed as rival Taliban groups clash in Herat, 7 December 2015; Khaama Press, Over 50 killed as clashes intensify among top Taliban
leaders in Herat, 8 December 2015.
(1686) Pajhwok Afghan News, Herat: 19 Taliban perish, 53 criminals held in a month, 10 February 2016.
(1687) Pajhwok Afghan News, Over a dozen including soldiers dead in Herat, Farah clashes, 9 February 2016.
(1688) Khaama Press, Explosion leaves 3 civilians dead in Herat province, 7 March 2016.
(1689) Pajhwok Afghan News, People council’s head for Shindand district gunned down, 6 April 2016.
(1690) Foschini, F., Under the Mountain: A pre-emptive Taleban spring offensive in Shindand, 20 April 2016.
(1691) Pajhwok Afghan News, 100 guerrillas eliminated in week-long Herat operation, 30 March 2016.
(1692) Foschini, F., Under the Mountain: A pre-emptive Taleban spring offensive in Shindand, 20 April 2016.
(1693) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment: April 12, 12 April 2016.
(1694) UNAMA, Afghanistan 2016 Mid-Year Report Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 40.
(1695) Tolo News, Concerns Over Insecurity Increases in Herat, 8 July 2016.
(1696) Khaama Press, Security forces fend off Taliban attack on Herat’s Ghoryan District, 21 October 2015.
(1697) Khaama Press, 5 killed in latest Taliban infighting in Herat province, 24 March 2016.
(1698) Pajhwok Afghan News, ANA soldiers among 42 dead in clashes: MoD, 5 February 2016.
(1699) Pajhwok Afghan News, 11 rebels join peace process in Herat, 10 February 2016.
(1700) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 Etisalat contractors killed after being kidnapped in Herat, 19 September 2015.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 163

On 3 September 2015, more than 100 schoolgirls fell ill after a presumed gas attack on a girl’s school in Baba Haji
district (1701). On 7 September 2015, more than 35 schoolgirls fell ill after a presumed gas attack on a girl’s school in
Injil district (1702).
Four engineers of a road construction company were shot and wounded by unidentified gunmen in November
2015 when they were travelling from Pashton Zarghon district to Herat City (1703). In April 2016, fifteen workers ofthe Halo Trust, a non-profit organisation, were kidnapped in Kahistan district. They were released the next day as
a result of an operation in the province (1704). Seventeen civilians from Zindjan district were kidnapped by the Taliban
on 17 April 2016. They were rescued by the police the same day (1705).
Displacement
Herat City shelters many internally displaced from neighbouring districts and neighbouring provinces. UNCHR
mentioned in September and October 2015 that IDPs coming to Herat were mainly from districts of Badghis, Kunduz,
Ghor and Faryab provinces (1706).
According to Fabrizio Foschini, local authorities from Shindand district stated that approximately 2,000 families of
IDPs had left Zerkuh during the clashes between the two AGE groups in Shindand in the spring of 2016 (1707). UNOCHA
carried out a mission in March 2016 to assess the situation and stated that it could not find evidence of a large numberof IDPs (1708). Foschini claims that members of the elite or people with some previous connection there probably
moved to Herat City, while the rest went to neighbouring districts of Farah or temporarily left their homes (1709).
In an overview of the first four months of 2016, UNHCR mentions only displacement from the provinces of Badghis
and Ghor and small displacements from northern districts to Herat City (1710).

(1701) Khaama Press, 115 more schoolgirls hospitalized after falling ill at school in Herat, 3 September 2015.
(1702) Tolo News, Dozens of School Girls Poisoned in Herat,7 September 2015.
(1703) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 road engineers injured in Herat shooting, 1 November 2015.
(1704) Pajhwok Afghan News, Abducted Halo Trust deminers freed in Herat, 2 April 2016.
(1705) Khaama Press, Police rescue 17 civilians kidnapped by Taliban in Herat province, 9 April 2016.
(1706) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015, p. 4; UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal
Displacement Monthly Update, October 2015, p. 4.
(1707) Foschini, F., Under the Mountain: A pre-emptive Taleban spring offensive in Shindand, 20 April 2016.
(1708) UNOCHA, Western Region; Minutes of Humanitarian Regional Team (HRT) Meeting, 28 March 2016.
(1709) Foschini, F., Under the Mountain: A pre-emptive Taleban spring offensive in Shindand, 20 April 2016.
(1710) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced Displacements - Snapshot (1 January - 31 April 2016), 16 May 2016.

164 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

2.8.2. Badghis
General description of the province

Badghis Province is situated in the western part of Afghanistan. The province shares its borders with Herat, Ghor,
and Faryab provinces as well as with the state of Turkmenistan (1711). The province is mountainous and is dominatedby the Murghab River in the north and the Hari-Rud River in the south (1712). Badghis is known for the productionof pistachios (1713).
The province is made up of the following districts: Ab Kamari, Balamurghab, Ghormach, Jawand, Muqur andQadis. Qala-e-Naw is the provincial capital. The main ethnic groups are Tajik and Pashtun, followed by Uzbek,
Hazaras, Turkman, Arab, and Baluch. There are also Kuchi living in Balkh. The district of Bala Murghab is mostly
Pashtun; the districts of Ab Kamari and Qala-i Naw mainly Tajik (1714). UNOCHA estimated Badghis’ population at495,958 for 2015 (1715). The province lacks basic infrastructure in the urban and rural areas (1716). AREU mentions
that the roads in the province are of ‘poor quality’. They are also generally unsafe because of the presence of the
Taliban and bandits (1717).
According to reports, there are 38 health facilities in the province, including an 80-bed hospital. However, a lack of
medicine and doctors was reported. It was also reported that doctors, especially gynaecologists, were reluctant towork because of the security situation (1718).

(1711) UC Davis, Provincial profile for - Badghis Province, n.d.
(1712) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Badghis province, n.d.
(1713) Tolo News, Taliban Make Millions from Badghis Pistachio Yields, 25 September 2015.
(1714) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1715) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1716) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1717) AREU, The Political Economy Of Education and Health Service Delivery In Afghanistan, February 2016, p. 46.
(1718) Pajhwok Afghan News, Badghis residents without basic health facilities, 22 June 2014; AREU, The Political Economy Of Education and Health Service Delivery
In Afghanistan, February 2016, pp. 52-53.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 165

Background on the conflict and actors in Badghis
RFE/RL reported (1719):‘Badghis Province has been a hotbed of fighting by Taliban and IMU militants since 2014, and Afghan security
forces have launched several offensives since then in an attempt to drive militants out of the province. Thoseoperations usually are launched in response to the seizure of towns or villages by the militants.’
The conflict in Badghis is mainly characterised by armed clashes between AGEs and government forces as well as
periodic conflicts between rival warlords (1720). RFE/RL mentions that different insurgent groups are reported to be
active in Badghis including foreign fighters (Uzbeks, Pakistani). They appeared to be able to gather forces of about
1,000 fighters and also infiltrate neighbouring provinces. Taliban and IMU fighters from North Waziristan in Pakistan
enter Badghis through the eastern part of Herat Province (1721).
Most Taliban fighters are ethnic Pashtuns. The Taliban is active in the districts of Bala Murghab, Muqur and parts ofJawand and Qadis (1722). AREU states that: ‘A recurring feature of Badghis has been that some of the local strongmen
have on-and-off relations with the Taliban or have disguised their men as them’ (1723). The Taliban has shown resilienceand renewed its activities in 2015 in the province (1724). In May 2015, Jawand district was temporarily seized by the
Taliban (1725).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Badghis Province counted 249 security incidents. The following tableprovides an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1726):
Violence targeting individuals

31

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

185

Explosions

20

Security enforcement10

Non-conflict related incidents

1

Other incidents

2

Total security incidents

249

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Badghis Province (1727):
Ghormach61

Ab Kamari

26

Qadis

60

Qala-i Naw

9Murghab52

Jawand

5

Muqur

36

In September 2015, three children were killed in Murqab district when a remnant of a war explosive went off (1728).
In October 2015, security forces launched an operation in Ab Kamari district after they received a tip of a possible
attack on the provincial capital of the district. Reports were made in the same period of clashes between security
forces and the Taliban in Muqur district (1729). During such a clash, on 17 October 2015, the Taliban’s ‘shadow’ district
chief and two ALP members were killed (1730).

(1719) RFE/RL, Afghanistan’s New Northern Flash Points, n.d.
(1720) AREU, The Political Economy Of Education and Health Service Delivery In Afghanistan, February 2016, p. 45.
(1721) RFE/RL, Afghanistan’s New Northern Flash Points, n.d.
(1722) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1723) AREU, The Political Economy Of Education and Health Service Delivery In Afghanistan, February 2016, p. 48.
(1724) Ruttig, T., The Second Fall of Musa Qala: How the Taleban are expanding territorial control, 3 September 2015.
(1725) Pajhwok Afghan News, Badghis district falls to Taliban, 10 May 2015.
(1726) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1727) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1728) Pajhwok Afghan News, Children among 6 civilians killed in Kunduz, Badghis, 7 September 2015.
(1729) Pajhwok Afghan News, 13 insurgents eliminated, 3 wounded in Badghis clashes, 10 October 2015.
(1730) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban’ shadow district chief killed; ALP post falls, 17 October 2015.

166 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

On 17 October 2015, the Taliban raided the district administrative centre of Ghormach. Approximately 2,000 fighters
carried out attacks in the district. Among those killed were 18 AGEs, including commanders Mullah Mohiuddin,
Osman and Rahmatullah and four civilians (1731). In the days after the raid, the Taliban captured the district after
clashes with security forces (1732). The Taliban held control of the centre of the district for almost two months (1733).
After heavy fighting, ANSF forces managed to repel the AGEs in December 2015 (1734). At the end of December 2015,
it was reported that the Afghan police prevented a terrorist attack in the province (1735).
According to local press, the Taliban publically executed a man on adultery charges in Qadis District in January
2016 (1736). In February 2016, a tribal elder was tortured and executed by the Taliban (1737). In March 2016, fighters of
the splinter group of Rasool gathered in district Qadis and announced war against fighters of the group of the (late)
Mansour in Badghis. This can be explained in the light of the clashes between the two factions in Shindand district,
Herat (1738). In March 2016, the Taliban attacked ANA troops in Bala Murghab district. Two soldiers were killed. At
the same time, one ALP official was killed in an ambush by the Taliban in Muqur district (1739). Also in March 2016,
one civilian was killed and another one wounded in a landmine blast in Qadis district (1740).
Clashes between the Taliban and Afghan forces continued in April 2016. One woman was reported killed (1741). ANSF
forces reacted with operations in Badghis Province (1742). In April 2016, the Taliban gave a man 70 lashes after he ran
away with a woman in Ab Kamari district (1743). The April 2016 ISW map identifies the north-west region of Badghis
as a ‘high confidence Taliban support zone’, with two small pockets in this district are under its control (1744).
In May 2016, a group of young people who were travelling to the opium fields to work were targeted by an IED in
Bala Murghab district; 16 were killed. Not long after this attack, another group of young people were the victims ofan IED blast in Qadis district in which 11 people died (1745).
According to UNAMA, in the first six months of 2016, Badghis was one of the provinces in Afghanistan where ERWs
caused the most civilian casualties (1746).
In July 2016, the Afghan Air Force conducted airstrikes on AGEs’ positions in Jawand district (1747). In August 2016,
Taliban fighters attacked security posts in Bala Murghab district. ANSF repulsed the attack with air support fromthe Afghan Air Force. Casualties were reported on both sides (1748). In the same month, according to a government
official, 80 AGEs joined the reconciliation process and were recruited by the police (1749).
Displacement
UNHCR registrated 3, 339 families or 23, 417 individuals displaced from Badghis Province for 2015 (1750). Due to intertribal clashes in Ab Kamari in April 2015, 1,300 families moved to the provincial capital Qala-I Naw (1751). In the second
half of 2015, according to UNHCR, more than 14,000 individuals were displaced from Ab Kamari, Muqur, Qadis and(1731) Pajhwok Afghan News, Civilians among 22 killed in Ghormach clashes, 17 October 2015.
(1732) Roggio, B., Another Afghan district falls to the Taliban, 18 October 2015.
(1733) Tolo News, Ghormach District In Badghis Recaptured By ANSF, 24 December 2015.
(1734) Tolo News, Ghormach District In Badghis Recaptured By ANSF, 24 December 2015.
(1735) Pajhwok Afghan News, Terror attacks thwarted in 3 provinces, claims MoI, 30 December 2015.
(1736) Khaama Press, Badghis Taliban execute man in public on adultery charges, 14 January 2016.
(1737) Khaama Press, Horrific video shows Taliban torturing and executing Badghis tribal elder, 28 February 2016.
(1738) Tolo News, Taliban’s Splinter Group Rise Up Against Mansoor’s Fighters in Badghis, 23 March 2016.
(1739) Pajhwok Afghan News, 3 security personnel killed by Taliban in Badghis attacks, 29 March 2016.
(1740) Pajhwok Afghan News, Blasts rock Badghis & Zabul; terror groups busted in Kandahar, 26 March 2016.
(1741) Pajhwok Afghan News, Woman, 5 insurgents dead in Badghis clash, 12 April 2016.
(1742) Khaama Press, 31 militants killed, 23 wounded in latest operations of Afghan forces, 23 April 2016.
(1743) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban whip Badghis man after elopement, 30 April 2016.
(1744) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment: April 12, 12 April 2016.
(1745) Khaama Press, 16 killed in two separate explosions in Badghis province of Afghanistan, 4 May 2016.
(1746) UNAMA, Afghanistan 2016 Mid-Year Report Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 27.
(1747) Pajhwok Afghan News, 8 rebels eliminated in Badghis airstrikes, 17 July 2016.
(1748) Pajhwok Afghan News, A dozen Taliban, policeman killed in Badghis firefight, 17 August 2016.
(1749) Pajhwok Afghan News, 80 insurgents join reconciliation process in Badghis, 19 July 2016.
(1750) UNHCR, Afghanistan; Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement; 2015: The Year in Review, April 2016, p. 5.
(1751) UNHCR, Afghanistan; Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement; 2015: The Year in Review, April 2016, p. 11.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 167

Bala Murghab districts to surrounding areas of Qala-i Naw City. Fighting between AGEs and ANSF, inter-tribal clashes,
extortion and illegal taxation were reported as the main reasons for haracter displacement within Badghis (1752).
Between 1 January 2016 and 30 April 2016, UNOCHA registrated 3, 800 individuals who fled Badghis Province (1753).

2.8.3. Farah
General description of the province

Farah is located in the west of the country. The province of Herat is to the north, while Ghor is to the north-east.
The province of Nimroz is to the south, while Helmand is to the south-east and the Islamic republic of Iran to thewest (1754). Farah has 10 districts: Pusht Rod, Khaki Safed, Bala Buluk, Pur Chaman, Gulistan, Bakwa, Lash WaJuwayn,
Shib Koh, Pusht Koh, Anar Darah. The provincial capital is Farah City (1755). UNOCHA estimated Farah’s population at
507,405 people for 2015 (1756). The population consists of Pashtun, Baluchi and Dari-speaking communities. Thereis also a Kuchi population in Farah, which consists of about 50,000 individuals in summer and up to 200,000 in
winter (1757). Approximately half of the territory is semi-mountainous and the other half is flat. Farah River, a mainriver, runs through the province (1758). The economic activities in the province are agriculture, minerals, construction
stones, opium, cotton, tobacco, honey, silk and handicraft (1759). The road between Herat and Kandahar runs throughthe districts of Bala Buluk and Gulistan (1760).

(1752) UNHCR, Afghanistan; Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement; 2015: The Year in Review, April 2016, pp. 6, 11.
(1753) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced Displacments - Snapshot (1 January - 31 March 2016), 16 May 2016.
(1754) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Farah Province, n.d.
(1755) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(1756) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015.
(1757) UC Davis, Farah, n.d.
(1758) Pajhwok Afghan News, Background profile of Farah Province, n.d.
(1759) UC Davis, Farah, n.d.
(1760) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Farah Province District Atlas, April 2014.

168 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Background on the conflict and actors in Farah
In recent years the security situation in Farah has developed into a fierce fight between government institutions andinsurgent groups (1761). The Taliban is said to have a ‘quick reaction force’ operational in the region which covers Farah,
Herat and Nimroz provinces and has a ‘goal’ strength of between 200 and 500 fighters. These ‘quick reaction forces’
are under the command of senior Taliban commanders who also act as shadow governors of key provinces (1762).
In November 2015, in a meeting in Farah province a splinter group of the Taliban appointed its own leader, Mullah
Mohammad Rasool. Rasool’s faction disputes the legitimacy of the (late) Mullah Akhtar Mansour (1763). Fights brokeout between this group and the main Taliban group under the leadership of the (late) Mullah Mansour in Farah, Zabul
and Herat provinces. Mainly fighters from the splinter group were killed (1764). In March 2016, Taliban fighters fromsouthern Helmand, western Farah and Nimroz provinces arrived in Herat province to reinforce the Rasool faction.
The two rival factions had clashed in the district three months earlier, leaving many dead and wounded (1765).
Reports mention the presence of IS in Farah Province (1766). A former Taliban commander, Abdul Rauf Khadem, wassaid to have travelled to Iraq in October 2014 and has become loyal to IS. Upon his return he reportedly collectedfollowers from the Taliban in Farah Province by paying them large sums of money (1767). Khadem was reportedly killed
in a US drone strike in February 2015 (1768). The IS group in Farah is believed to be led under the command of Razaq
Mehdi, a native of Herat and former subcommander of Khadem (1769). The UN reported in September 2015 thatclashes between Taliban and IS groups occurred in Farah but on a lower scale than in the province of Nangarhar (1770).
It was reported that, in November 2015, the Taliban carried out attacks against IS groups and succeeded in dislodging
them from western Farah (1771).
Pajhwok Afghan News reported that war widows in Farah Province were forced to beg. Thousands of women havelost their husbands to the conflict in the province in the past three decades, particularly after 2001 (1772).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Farah Province counted 409 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1773):
Violence targeting individuals

82

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

198

Explosions

66

Security enforcement54

Non-conflict related incidents

5

Other incidents

4

Total security incidents

409(1761) Foschini, F., A War of Attrition in Farah Province, 13 March 2013.
(1762) UN Security Council, Letter dated 18 August 2015 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) addressedto the President of the Security Council, 26 August 2015, pp. 8-9.
(1763) Tolo News, New Leader of Taliban Splinter Group Chosen in Farah, 5 November 2015.
(1764) BBC, Why are the Taliban resurgent in Afghanistan?, 5 January 2016.
(1765) Pajhwok Afghan News, 30 killed as clashes linger on between rival Taliban factions, 8 March 2016.
(1766) USIP, The Islamic State in Afghanistan: Assessing the Threat, 7 April 2016; Al Jazeera, The Afghan battlefield has become more complicated, 1 November 2015.
(1767) UN Security Council, Letter dated 18 August 2015 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) addressedto the President of the Security Council, 26 August 2015, p. 20.
(1768) BBC, Afghanistan drone strike ‘kills IS commander Abdul Rauf, 9 February 2015.
(1769) USIP, The Islamic State in Afghanistan: Assessing the Threat, 7 April 2016, p. 2.
(1770) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 1 September 2015, p. 6.
(1771) VOA, Taliban Captures IS Bases in Afghanistan, 5 January 2016.
(1772) Pajhwok Afghan News, Many war widows in Farah forced into begging, 10 August 2016.
(1773) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 169

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Farah Province (1774):
Bala Buluk

146

Bakwa

9

Farah

101

Lash Wa Juwayn

9

Pusht Rod51

Sib Koh7

Khak-e Safed

38

Pur Chaman

6

Qala-I Kah

32

Gulistan

1

Anar Dara

9

The Taliban has tried to seize some districts in Farah Province. For instance, in the last quarter of 2015 it has claimed
it captured the districts of Gulistan (1775) and Baba Baluk (1776). According to the UN, Afghan security forces, with thehelp of international military support, prevented the Taliban from seizing the capital of Farah (1777).
During September and October 2015, AGEs showed their active presence with several attacks, such as storming police
checkpoints on the Herat-Farah highway (1778) and police posts (district Bala Buluk) (1779). In October 2015, the Taliban
claimed to have taken control of the district of Bala Buluk, which had previously been a Taliban stronghold (1780). In
December 2015, two policemen were kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Farah City (1781).
Since the beginning of 2016, the Taliban carried out insurgent activities in Farah. The Afghan security forces respondedwith a military operation (1782). The Taliban ambushed a convoy of ANSF in January 2016 in Anar Darah. During thisclash, 10 AGEs including a senior Taliban leader were killed. According to the provincial police chief, the Taliban leader
killed during the gun battle was Mullah Bismillah, who was appointed as shadow district governor of Posht Koh
district (1783). In January 2016, 8 civilians were abducted from near Kafir Kala area (Farah City) by unknown AGEs. Twoof them, identified as Ihsamuddin, son of a former Wolesi Jirga member and a former provincial council candidate,
Mohammad Arif Mohammadi,were found dead the next day (1784). Also in January 2016, a child was abducted from
Darabad village (Farah City) by unknown gunmen for ransom money; two days later the child was found dead (1785).
Local press reported in February 2016 that at least 40 Taliban fighters had been killed during the military operation
and about 50 injured (1786). On 29 February 2016, four children were killed by an IED in the Karja area of Farah City (1787).
There were a number of reports of clashes between Taliban insurgents and Afghan forces in Pushtrud district andBala Buluk district in the middle of April 2016 (1788). Casualties included Taliban and security personnel, as well ascivilians, including women and children (1789). In order to try to counter the ‘spring offensive’ of the Taliban, the Afghan
forces intensified operations in April 2016 in the province. For instance an air strike was carried out on 17 April 2016
in the district of Pusht Rod, killing 6 AGEs (1790). On 25 April 2016, the Taliban attacked an ANA base in the districtof Anar Darah. Afghan security forces repulsed the attack and killed 20 AGEs. Reports did not mention any civilian
casualties (1791). According to analyst Fabrizio Foschini: ‘Taliban spring offensives in areas like Shindand or Farah, where
opium production is extremely widespread, usually take place after the harvesting in late April’ (1792). According to the
ISW, from April 2016 an area covering most the province is considered a ‘high confidence Taliban support zone’ (1793).
(1774) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1775) Reuters, Afghan forces battle to push back Taliban in Helmand, 23 December 2015.
(1776) Roggio, B., Taliban overruns district in Farah province, 15 October 2015.
(1777) UN Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 10 December 2015, p. 5.
(1778) Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 police killed, 12 wounded in Farah clashes, 17 September 2015.
(1779) Khaama Press, Dozens of policemen under siege of Taliban in Farah’s Bala Buluk District, 14 October 2015.
(1780) Roggio, B., Taliban overruns district in Farah province, 15 October 2015.
(1781) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 kidnapped policemen found dead in Farah, 26 December 2015.
(1782) Tolo News, 40 Taliban Insurgents Killed in Farah Operation, 28 February 2016.
(1783) Khaama Press, Senior Taliban leader killed with his 10 fighters in Farah province, 12 January 2016.
(1784) Pajhwok Afghan News, 2 of 8 abducted people found dead in Farah, 2 January 2016.
(1785) Pajhwok Afghan News, Abducted child killed in Farah; 4 kidnapped in Nimroz, 28 January 2016.
(1786) Khaama Press, Nearly 100 Taliban insurgents killed, wounded in ongoing Farah operations, 28 February 2016; Tolo News, 40 Taliban Insurgents Killed in Farah
Operation, 28 February 2016.
(1787) Pajhwok Afghan News, 4 dead, 2 injured in Farah City explosion, 29 February 2016.
(1788) Pajhwok Afghan News, 21 militants, 5 police killed in Farah clashes, 14 April 2016; Pajhwok Afghan News, 6 police, 5 Taliban dead in Farah clashes, 16 April 2016.
(1789) Pajhwok Afghan News, 21 militants, 5 police killed in Farah clashes, 14 April 2016.
(1790) Khaama Press, 6 militants killed, 3 wounded in Afghan Air Force raid in Farah, 17 April 2016.
(1791) Khaama Press, 20 militants killed as major Taliban offensive repulsed in Farah, 25 April 2016.
(1792) Foschini, F., Under the Mountain: A pre-emptive Taleban spring offensive in Shindand, 20 April 2016.
(1793) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment: April 12, 12 April 2016.

170 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

On 8 May 2016, Mullah Abdul Ghani, Taliban’s deputy ‘shadow’ governor was reportedly killed in Bala Buluk during
a clash with the Afghan forces (1794). In May 2016, five workers of Bala Buluk district were kidnapped in Pusht Koh
for ransom money. Five days later, all of them were released, reportedly after cooperation with the Taliban (1795). In
the first half of 2016, UNAMA reported 16 incidents of conflict-related abductions in Farah (1796).
In July and August 2016, the Taliban conducted an offensive in Pusht Rod district, causing casualties among civilians
and ANSF. The provincial council expressed concerns over the district falling into the Taliban’s hands (1797). Also inAugust, the Taliban launched attacks against army posts in the district of Bala Baluk. Casualties on both sides werereported (1798). In Bakwa district, the Taliban executed six people, including five ANSF staff (1799).
Displacement
Between August 2015 and December 2015, UNHCR documented 1, 463 families (approximately 9, 355 individuals)
displaced by conflict to Farah City or its surroundings. They originated from Bala Buluk, Khaki Safid, Pusht Rod, Bakwa,
Qala-e-Kah, Anar Dara or the surroundings of Qala-i Naw. Military operations with frequent clashes between ANSF
and AGEs were reported as the main reasons for the displacement (1800). Between 1 January 2016 and 30 April 2016,
UNOCHA mentions 2, 200 individuals who fled Farah Province (1801).

(1794) Ariana News, Taliban’s deputy shadow governor for Farah killed, 9 May 2016.
(1795) Pajhwok Afghan News, 5 persons freed from kidnappers in Farah, 11 May 2016.
(1796) UNAMA, Afghanistan 2016 Mid-Year Report Protection of civilians in armed conflict, July 2016, p. 65.
(1797) Pajhwok Afghan News, Farah’s Pusht Rod at risk of falling to Taliban: public rep, 1 August 2016.
(1798) Pajhwok Afghan News, ANA soldiers among 6 dead in Farah clashes, 31 August 2016.
(1799) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban execute 6 including 5 security personnel in Farah, 16 August 2016.
(1800) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, August 2015; UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement
Monthly Update, September 2015; UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, October 2015; UNHCR, Afghanistan:
Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, November 2015.
(1801) UNOCHA, AFGHANISTAN: Conflict Induced Displacments - Snapshot (1 January - 31 March 2016), 16 May 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 171

2.8.4. Ghor
General description of the province

Ghor Province is located in western Afghanistan and shares borders with Herat, Badghis, Faryab, Sare Pul, Bamiyan,
Uruzgan, Helmand and Farah provinces. The province consists of 10 districts: Chaghcharan, Charsadra, Dawlatyar,
Du Layna, Lal Wa Sarjangal, Pasaband, Saghar, Shahrak, Taywara, Tulak (1802). The provincial capital is Firozkoh,
formerly known as Chaghcharan (1803). The province is estimated to have 690,296 inhabitants in an area of 38,579
square kilometres (1804).
The province is very mountainous and haracterized by small isolated villages which are generally inaccessible during
winter. A road connecting Herat in the west with Kabul in the east cuts through the province. The province is relatively
isolated, located 480 kilometres from Kabul and 386 kilometres from Herat (1805). This road is inaccessible for mosttraffic during an large part of the year and is less frequented than the road through Kandahar. Ghor is considered
one of the most underdeveloped provinces of Afghanistan (1806). The province has a rural and tribal society andliteracy is very low (1807). President Ghani appointed a new governor for Ghor in June 2015, one of the few female
provincial governors in Afghanistan (1808). Due to its proximity to areas producing large amounts of opium, Ghor isthe main transit route for opium from north to south. Kakori village in Pasaband is said to house the biggest opium
market of Ghor (1809). Seasonal labourers working in Helmand’s poppy fields brought their expertise and Ghor’s opium
cultivation is quickly expanding (1810).
(1802) Humanitarian Response, AFGHANISTAN: Admin Level 3 Boundaries, based on AGCHO, 25 September 2012.
(1803) International organization, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organization active in the province. The organization wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1804) UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Population Estimate for 2015, 26 August 2015; International organization, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is aninternational organization active in the province. The organization wished to remain anonymous for security reasons.
(1805) Pajhwok Afghan News, Introduction of Ghowr Province, n.d.
(1806) Pajhwok Afghan News, Introduction of Ghowr Province, n.d.
(1807) WFP, Provincial Profile. Ghor, n.d.
(1808) Pajhwok Afghan News, Ex-Lawmaker Seema replaces Rehmati as Ghor governor, 28 June 2015.
(1809) Ali, O., “You must have a gun to stay alive”: Ghor, a province with three governments, 4 August 2013.
(1810) Ali, O., “As easy as growing potatoes”: How formerly ‘poppy-free’ Ghor is at risk of becoming an important player in Afghanistan’s opium business,
4 November 2013.

172 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Background on the conflict and actors in Ghor
Obaid Ali (AAN) stated that ‘[t]he Taimani and Firuzkohi [tribes of the Chahar Aimaq] are considered the largest andmost influential, but there are a great number of smaller groups, most of them of Tajik origin’. Unlike Tajik traditionsin other parts of the country, tribal adherence is, among Tajiks in Ghor, more important than ethnicity. According toAli, most Tajik tribes in Ghor are at war with each other (1811).
According to a source in Kabul (1812):‘Ghor province was under the control of Jamiaat-e Islami and Hezb-e Islami parties until the ouster of the Taliban.
Since Hezb-e Islami was not very influential among the population, some of its members joined Jamiat. Manyof the illegal armed groups (IAG) in most parts of Ghor are seen as a key force in fighting insurgents. Reports
from the ground suggest that often Afghan National defense and Security Forces cooperate with IAGs in fighting
Taliban in districts, such as Pasaband, Charsada, Dawlatyar, etc’.
According to the Human Rights Department of western Ghor, there are 182 illegal armed groups in Ghor, with morethan 9,000 armed men. Local officials acknowledged the presence of 4,500 armed men in the province (1813). The
Taliban is believed to have about 3,000 to 3,500 combatants there (1814). Officials have claimed that foreign AGEs haveestablished a major training facility in Charsada district, leading AGEs from Ghor, Faryab and Sar-e Pul and training
the Taliban fighters in bomb-making. The Taliban, which is said to be in control of all of Charsada and Dawlatyar, isalso openly recruiting in these districts (1815).
According to Obaid Ali, ANSF lacks manpower and is ill-equipped to control these two main actors (IAG and the
Taliban). ANP is said to have only 1,400 men. The neighbouring provinces of Herat and Faryab have 4,000 and 5,500
ANP respectively. The province also has a modest ALP programme with some 200 men for Du Layna and Pasaband
districts only (1816). The total number of ANSF personnel is said to be only 2,500 (1817). In this disadvantaged position,
police are said to be more loyal to their tribes and often refuse to operate against their kinsmen (1818).
Recent security trends
From 1 September 2015 to 31 May 2016, Ghor Province counted 125 security incidents. The following table provides
an overview of the nature of the security incidents (1819):
Violence targeting individuals

31

Armed confrontations and airstrikes

61

Explosions

19

Security enforcement9

Non-conflict related incidents

5

Total security incidents

125(1811) Ali, O., “You must have a gun to stay alive”: Ghor, a province with three governments, 4 August 2013.
(1812) International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015. The local contact is an international organisation active in the province. The organisation wished toremain anonymous for security reasons.
(1813) Pajhwok Afghan News, Illegal armed men constant threat to Ghor security, 9 January 2015.
(1814) Ali, O., “You must have a gun to stay alive”: Ghor, a province with three governments, 4 August 2013; Pajhwok Afghan News, Number of child soldiers in Ghor
on the rise, 23 August 2014.
(1815) Pajhwok Afghan News, Hundreds of foreign insurgents lead, train Taliban in Ghor, 5 August 2015.
(1816) Ali, O., “You must have a gun to stay alive”: Ghor, a province with three governments, 4 August 2013.
(1817) Pajhwok Afghan News, Policemen among 45 killed in Ghor battle, 28 August 2014.
(1818) Ali, O., “You must have a gun to stay alive”: Ghor, a province with three governments, 4 August 2013.
(1819) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 173

The following table presents the number of security incidents per district in Ghor Province (1820):
Chaghcharan

32

Taywara7

Shahrak

23

Saghar5

Du Layna

19

Dawlat Yar

4

Pasaband

15

Tulak

4

Charsada

14

Lal Wa Sarjangal

2

AGEs increased their presence in the province and frequently attacked security posts in the last quarter of 2015 (1821).
In Taywara district, more than 300 AGEs attacked several villages in the district in September 2015. Security forces
repelled the attacks. In September 2015, 14 AGEs were killed during such a clash with an anti-Taliban volunteer
militia (1822). In the same month, in Dawlatyar district, AGEs attacked a security post; eight AGEs were killed by
Afghan police (1823). Fifty AGEs laid down their weapons and surrendered to the government in Dawleena districtat the end of September 2015 (1824). Local press reported that, on 10 September 2015, a Taliban shadow district
chief, named Yousuf Motasem, had been shot dead by one of his own bodyguards for allegedly attempting to rape
the guard’s wife; the Taliban publicly hanged the man (1825). A woman was stoned to death after being accused ofadultery in October 2015 (1826). On 30 October 2015, AGEs attacked ALP checkpoints in Pasabad district. Three AGEs
were killed (1827). No reports were made of civilian casualties. A group of AGEs attacked a police checkpost on the
Ghor-Herat highway in November 2015 (1828). In November 2015, in Chaghcharan district, an armed clash erupted
between AGEs and ANA and ANP, resulting in the death of five civilians (1829). Protests erupted in the province ofGhor (1830). In November 2015, a girl died following an alleged public lashing by armed groups in Shahrak district after
being accused of running away from home (1831). In December 2015 a young boy was kidnapped by the Taliban. Aftera week, the boy was found dead (1832).
In January 2016, it was reported that a young boy, who was kidnapped three months earlier in Dara-e-Takht for
ransom money, was rescued by the Afghan police (1833).
In March 2016, it was reported that 19 AGEs renounced violence in Ghor Province and joined the peace process.
This came after 120 Taliban fighters surrendered following a military operation and joined the peace process innorthern Faryab Province (1834).
According to ISW’s April 2016 map of territorial control, an area covering the north-east part of this province,
Pasaband and Du Layna district is a high confidence Taliban support zone, with a regional pocket in Du Layna district
under Taliban control (1835).
In May 2016, Afghan forces carried out airstrikes on AGEs’ hideouts in Pasaband district, killing 18 and wounded
seven (1836). In August 2016, the Taliban attacked military posts in Pasaband causing casualties on both sides (1837).
In the same month, three civilians were killed and eight injured by a roadside bomb near the provincial capital (1838).

(1820) For more information on the source of the data and the methodology, see introduction.
(1821) Tolo News, 50 Insurgents Renounce Violence in Ghor, 21 September 2015; Pajhwok Afghan News, Ghor female governor vows to defeat Taliban, 20 October 2015.
(1822) Pajhwok Afghan News, 14 rebels eliminated in Ghor clash, 5 September 2015.
(1823) Tolo News, 50 Insurgents Renounce Violence in Ghor, 21 September 2015.
(1824) Tolo News, 50 Insurgents Renounce Violence in Ghor, 21 September 2015.
(1825) Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban district chief killed by own guard in Ghor, 10 September 2015.
(1826) Al Jazeera, Afghan woman stoned to death for ‘adultery’, 4 November 2015.
(1827) Pajhwok Afghan News, Clash ongoing as rebels storm Ghor ALP posts, 30 October 2015.
(1828) Pajhwok Afghan News, Military commander among 7 dead in Ghor clashes, 24 November 2015.
(1829) UNAMA, Afghanistan Annual Report 2015; Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, February 2016, p. 31.
(1830) Pajhwok Afghan News, Kabul, Ghor residents rally against stoning of girl, 6 November 2015.
(1831) Tolo News, Ghor Girl Dies After ‘Public Lashing’, 20 November 2015.
(1832) Tolo News, Taliban ‘Brutally’ Kill Young Man In Ghor, 19 December 2015.
(1833) Tolo News, Police Rescue Kidnapped Teenager In Ghor, 31 January 2016.
(1834) Tolo News, 19 Insurgents Renounce Violence In Ghor, 1 March 2016.
(1835) ISW, Afghanistan Partial Threat Assessment: April 12, 12 April 2016.
(1836) Khaama Press, 18 killed, 7 wounded in Afghan Air Force raids in Ghor province, 15 May 2016.
(1837) Pajhwok Afghan News, 10 dead in hours-long Pasaband gun-battle, 24 August 2016.
(1838) Pajhwok Afghan News, Woman, child among 3 civilians killed in Ghor bomb blast, 29 August 2016.

174 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Pajhwok Afghan News reported in August 2016 that, as a result of continued fighting and roadblocks, the populationof Pasaband district ran out of food and fuel supplies which caused famine. The district had been surrounded by
AGEs for four months already (1839).
Displacement
In this reporting period, conflict-induced displacement took place from different districts in Ghor to the provincial
capital and district centres of Shahrak and Du Layna, but also to neighbouring provinces, mainly Herat. Notable
districts of origin were Shahrak, Du Layna, Pasaband and Chaghcharan. Reasons for displacement were generalised
violence, armed conflict between AGEs and ANSF and inter-tribal conflicts, as well as intimidation, threats, kidnapping
and targeted killing of those affiliated to the government and extortion and forced recruitment by AGEs (1840).

(1839) Pajhwok Afghan News, Famine threatens Ghor’s Pasanad residents, security forces, 16 August 2016.
(1840) UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement Monthly Update, September 2015, p. 4; UNHCR, Afghanistan: Conflict-Induced Internal
Displacement Monthly Update, October 2015, p. 4; UNHCR, Afghanistan; Conflict-Induced Internal Displacement; 2015: The Year in Review, April 2016, p. 3.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 175

Annex 1: Bibliography
Anonymous sources
International organisation, e-mail, 15 September 2015.
Western security official, anonymous source specialised in security in Afghanistan, emails and briefing, July 2015 –July 2016.

Public sources
1 TV News,IS militants torch 90 houses in Nangarhar, 27 June 2016 (http://1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/23181-ismilitants-torch-90-houses-in-nangarhar), accessed 31 August 2016;
Taliban breakaway faction appoints new leader in Afghanistan, 16 August 2016 (http://1tvnews.af/en/news/
afghanistan/24341-taliban-breakaway-faction-appoints-new-leader-in-afghanistan), accessed 23 August 2016.
AAN (Afghanistan Analysts Network),
Almost Signed? The peace agreement with Hezb-e Islami, 21 may 2016 (https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/
almost-signed-the-peace-agreement-with-hezb-e-islami/), accessed 13 June 2016;
Baghlan on the Brink: ANSF weaknesses and Taliban resilience, 31 May 2013 (https://www.afghanistan-analysts.
org/baghlan-on-the-brink-ansf-weaknesses-and-Taliban-resilience/), accessed 16 September 2015;
Ethnic Revolt or Mujahedin Solidarity? A look at the power shuffle in Takhar (amended), 17 July 2013 (https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/ethnic-revolt-or-mujahedin-solidarity-a-look-at-the-power-shuffle-in-takhar/),accessed 12 August 2016;
The 2015 Insurgency in the North (2): Badakhshan’s Jurm district under siege, 14 September 2015 (https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/the-2015-insurgency-in-the-north-2-badakhshans-jurm-district-under-siege/),accessed 7 June 2016;
The 2015 insurgency in the North (4): Surrounding the cities in Baghlan, 21 October 2015 (https://www.afghanistananalysts.org/insurgency-in-the-north-4-baghlan/), accessed 2 June 2016;
The 2016 Insurgency in the North: Beyond Kunduz city – lessons (not taken) from the Taleban takeover,
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20 militants killed as major Taliban offensive repulsed in Farah, 25 April 2016 (www.khaama.com/20-militantskilled-as-major-taliban-offensive-repulsed-in-farah-0751), accessed 18 May 2016;
20 Taliban insurgents killed in Kunduz drone strike, 17 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/20-taliban-insurgentskilled-in-kunduz-drone-strike-0966), accessed 2 June 2016;
22 militants killed in counter-terrorism operations led by Afghan army, 12 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/22-militants-killed-in-counter-terrorism-operations-led-by-afghan-army-0113), accessed 31 May 2016;
23 militants killed in Nimroz operations, MoD claims, 1 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/23-militants-killedin-nimroz-operations-mod-claims-0799), accessed 11 May 2016;

188 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

25 Taliban militants give up fighting in Badakhshan province, 4 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/25taliban-militants-give-up-fighting-in-badakhshan-province-0074), accessed 8 June 2016;
3 female Chechen militants among 10 killed in Logar operations, 16 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/3female-chechen-militants-among-10-killed-in-logar-operations-0672), accessed 2 June 2016;
3 killed, 20 wounded in suicide attack near Mazar-i-Sharif, 8 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/breakingnews-heavy-explosion-reported-in-balkh-province-casualties-feared-4557), accessed 31 May 2016;
3 Taliban commanders killed in northern Kunduz province, 18 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/3-talibancommanders-killed-in-northern-kunduz-province-0692), accessed 2 June 2016;
300,000 children face uneducated future because of Daesh in Nangarhar, 20 September 2015 (http://www.
khaama.com/300000-school-children-face-uneducated-future-because-of-daesh-in-nangarhar-3925), accessed
27 September 2015;
31 militants killed, 23 wounded in latest operations of Afghan forces, 23 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/31militants-killed-23-wounded-in-latest-operations-of-afghan-forces-0736), accessed 26 May 2016;35 Daesh militants killed in clash with security forces in Nangarhar’s Achin District, 27 September 2015 (http://
www.khaama.com/breaking-news-daesh-launch-coordinated-attack-on-security-posts-in-nangarhars-achindistrict-3943), accessed 7 June 2016;
4 Afghan policemen martyred in suspected insider attack in Kandahar, 16 January 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/4-afghan-policemen-martyred-in-suspected-insider-attack-in-kandahar-0002), accessed 29 April 2016;
4 policemen martyred, 11 missing following an insider attack in Kandahar, 1 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/4-policemen-martyred-11-missing-following-an-insider-attack-in-kandahar-0221), accessed 29 April 2016;
40 Taliban militants surrender to security forces in Takhar, 16 January 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/40militants-surrender-to-security-forces-in-takhar-4495), accessed 9 June 2016;
5 killed in latest Taliban infighting in Herat province, 24 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/5-killed-in-latesttaliban-infighting-in-ghor-province-0435), accessed 9 June 2016;
5 militants killed, 2 wounded in Kunduz airstrike, 10 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/5-militants-killed-2wounded-in-kunduz-airstrike-0891), accessed 2 June 2016;
5 policemen martyred, 6 wounded in an insider attack in Kandahar, 11 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/5-policemen-martyred-6-wounded-in-an-insider-attack-in-kandahar-0106), accessed 29 April 2016;
54 Taliban militants killed amid surging violence in Helmand province, 17 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/54-taliban-militants-killed-amid-surging-violence-in-helmand-province-0367), accessed 29 April 2016;
6 militants killed, 3 wounded in Afghan Air Force raid in Farah, 17 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/6-militantskilled-3-wounded-in-afghan-air-force-raid-in-farah-0687), accessed 19 May 2016;
6 militants killed in Afghan Air Force, army raids in Laghman, 22 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/6militants-killed-in-afghan-air-force-army-raids-in-laghman-0136), accessed 8 June 2016;
6 policemen killed in a suspected insider attack in Uruzgan, 21 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/6-policemenkilled-in-a-suspected-insider-attack-in-uruzgan-01015), accessed 31 May 2016;
61 militants in latest air and ground operations of Afghan forces, 25 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/61militants-in-latest-air-and-ground-operations-of-afghan-forces-01065), accessed 31 May 2016;
65 trucks of illegally extracted Lapis Lazuli seized by Afghan forces, 9 June 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/65trucks-of-illegally-extracted-lapis-lazuli-seized-by-afghan-forces-01209), accessed 9 June 2016;7 policemen killed in a suspected insider attack in Kandahar, 12 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/7-policemenkilled-in-a-suspected-insider-attack-in-kandahar-0631), accessed 29 April 2016;
73 Taliban insurgents killed in Afghan, US forces airstrikes in Nuristan, 30 June 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/73taliban-insurgents-killed-in-afghan-us-forces-airstrikes-in-nuristan-01380), accessed 31 August 2016;
Afghan army helicopters pound militants amid ongoing clashes in Nuristan, 24 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/afghan-army-helicopters-pound-militants-amid-ongoing-clashes-in-nuristan-0431) accessed 2 June 2016;
Afghan forces retake control of Darqad district in Takhar, 10 January 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/afghanforces-retake-control-of-darqad-district-in-takhar-1961), accessed 11 August 2016;
Afghan forces retake full control of Khanshin district in Helmand, 27 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
afghan-forces-retake-full-control-of-khanshin-district-in-helmand-0458), accessed 29 April 2016;
Afghan intelligence foil suicide attack by Haqqani network in Laghman, 3 January 2015 (http://www.khaama.
com/afghan-intelligence-foil-suicide-attack-by-haqqani-network-inlaghman-8912), accessed 22 September 2015;

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 189

Afghan MPs warn government for changing TUTAP route from Bamyan to Salang, 4 May 2016 (http://www.
khaama.com/afghan-mps-warn-government-for-changing-tutap-route-from-bamyan-to-salang-0834), accessed
20 May 2016;
Afghanmal appointed Zabul’s new governor, 14 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/afghanzoy-appointedzabuls-new-governor-3735), accessed 29 April 2016;
Army pulled out of Helmand’s Musa Qala District, 20 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/army-pulled-outof-helmands-musa-qala-district-4587), accessed 28 April 2016;
Around 100,000 people internally displaced in Kundoz because of violence, 9 October 2015 (http://www.
khaama.com/around-100000-people-internally-displaced-in-kundoz-because-of-violence-3975), accessed
10 October 2015;
Attack on Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif was planned abroad, 7 January 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
attack-on-indian-consulate-in-mazar-e-sharif-was-planned-abroad-4474), accessed 26 May 2016;
Badghis Taliban execute man in public on adultery charges, 14 January 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/talibanexecute-man-in-public-on-adultery-charges-in-badghis), accessed 25 May 2016;
Bomb blast kills two brothers in Ghazni, 18 November 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/bomb-blast-kills-twobrothers-in-ghazni-4234), accessed 31 May 2016;
Bomb blast kills two school children in Zabul, 30 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/bomb-blast-kills-twochildren-in-zabul-4775), accessed 29 April 2016;
Car bomb goes off in Kabul’s Qarabagh district, 12 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/breaking-newscar-bomb-goes-off-in-kabuls-qarabagh-district-3893), accessed 26 May 2016;
Casualties feared as suicide blast rocks Parwan province, 5 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/casualties-fearedas-suicide-blast-rocks-parwan-province-0548), accessed 3 June 2016;
Deadly clashes erupting between rival Taliban groups in Ghazni, 16 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/severe-clashes-erupting-between-rival-taliban-groups-in-ghazni-3-killed-27-wounded-4582), accessed
31 May 2016;
District Governor killed in Taliban ambush in Ghazni, 22 October 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/district-governorkilled-in-taliban-ambush-in-ghazni-4027), accessed 31 May 2016;
Dozens of policemen under siege of Taliban in Farah’s Bala Buluk District, 14 October 2015 (http://www.khaama.
com/breaking-news-dozens-of-police-under-taliban-siege-in-farahs-bala-buluk-district-3994), accessed
19 May 2016;
Drone strike kills 15 Pakistani militants in Paktika, 11 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/drone-strikekills-15-pakistani-militants-in-paktika-3887), accessed 2 June 2016;
Drone strike kills six Taliban in Paktika’s Gomal District, 18 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/drone-strikekills-six-taliban-in-paktikas-gomal-district-4590), accessed 2 June 2016;
Drone strike leaves 3 Al-Qaeda militants dead in Paktika province, 27 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
drone-strike-leaves-3-al-qaeda-militants-dead-in-paktika-province-0183), accessed 2 June 2016;
Eight more provinces will receive governors, 20 May 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/eight-more-provinces-willreceive-governors-3384), accessed 23 May 2016;
Eight policemen martyred in their security post in Zabul, 19 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/eightpolicemen-martyred-in-their-security-post-in-zabul-3920), accessed 29 April 2016;
Exchange of fire erupts at Pak-Afghan border in Paktika after Pakistan opens gate inside Afghanistan territory,
16 November 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/exchange-of-fire-erupts-at-pak-afghan-border-in-paktika-afterpakistan-builds-gate-inside-afghanistan-4121), accessed 2 June 2016;
Explosion leaves 3 civilians dead in Herat province, 7 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/explosion-leaves-3civilians-dead-in-herat-province-0272), accessed 3 June 2016;
Five ISI agents arrested in Badakhshan, 7 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/isi-agents-arrested-inbadakhshan-4557), accessed 8 June 2016;
Five policemen martyred in Zabul, 7 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/five-policemen-mysteriouslymartyred-in-zabul-3880), accessed 30 April 2016;
Foreigners among 24 terrorists killed in Badakhshan, 18 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/foreignersamong-24-terrorists-killed-in-badakhshan-4585), accessed 8 June 2016;
Former soldier who allegedly martyred five comrades in Zabul arrested, 15 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.
com/former-soldier-who-allegedly-martyred-five-comrades-in-zabul-arrested-3906), accessed 29 April 2016;

190 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Four civilians killed, seven wounded in landmine explosion in Kabul’s Khak-e-Jabar, 19 September 2015 (http://
www.khaama.com/four-civilians-killed-seven-wounded-in-landmine-explosion-in-kabul-3918), accessed
26 May 2016;
Four killed and 41 wounded in Kabul suicide attack, 16 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/breakingnews-explosion-reported-in-paghman-district-of-kabul-3908), accessed 26 May 2016;
Ghazni Appellate Court Chief wounded in Taliban attack, 1 June 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/explosion-andgunfire-reported-near-ghazni-court-01129), accessed 15 August 2016;
Herat Appellate Court Chief shot dead by unknown gunmen, 28 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/herat-chiefprosecutor-shot-dead-by-unknown-gunmen-0780), accessed 2 June 2016;
High Peace Council Samangan chief gunned down, 5 January 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/high-peace-councilssamangan-chief-gunned-down-4453), accessed 5 May 2016;
Horrific video shows Taliban publicly killing woman over adultery, 7 May 2016 (https://www.khaama.com/horrificvideo-shows-taliban-publicly-killing-woman-over-adultery-0865), accessed 11 May 2016;
Horrific video shows Taliban torturing and executing Badghis tribal elder, 28 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/taliban-brutally-torture-tribal-elder-before-executing-him-in-badghis-0199), accessed 25 May 2016;
Humayun Azizi appointed as new governor of Kandahar, 27 April 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/humayun-aziziappointed-as-new-governor-of-kandahar-1040), accessed 30 April 2016;
Illegal armed men block Kabul-Bamyan highway in Parwan, 2 November 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/illegalarmed-men-block-kabul-bamyan-highway-in-parwan-province-4073), accessed 3 June 2016;
Infighting among Taliban leaves 18 dead in Helmand province, 9 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/infightingamong-taliban-leaves-18-dead-in-helmand-province-0885), accessed 31 May 2016;
Insider attack claims lives of 7 policemen in Kandahar province, 24 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/insiderattack-claims-lives-of-7-policemen-in-kandahar-province-0434), accessed 31 May 2016;
Internal clashes leave 40 fighters of Taliban, Daesh killed in Zabul, 8 November 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/40militants-killed-in-internal-clashes-of-taliban-in-zabul-4091), accessed 29 April 2016;
ISIS claims responsibility for the attack on a religious hall in Kabul, 10 October 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/
isis-claims-responsibility-for-the-attack-on-religious-hall-in-kabul-1615), accessed 18 May 2016;
ISIS loyalists suffer casualties after ambushing Afghan forces in Nangarhar, 20 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/isis-loyalists-suffer-casualties-after-ambushing-afghan-forces-in-nangarhar-0393), accessed 7 June 2016;
Kam Air starts direct commercial flights to Bamyan for the first time, 9 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
kam-air-starts-direct-commercial-flights-to-bamyan-for-the-first-time-0288), accessed 20 May 2016;
Laghman clerics urge Taliban to shun violence, accept talks offer, 15 March 2016 (http://archive.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/03/15/laghman-clerics-urge-taliban-shun-violence-accept-talks-offer), accessed 8 June 2016;
Landmine blast kills mother, son in Nimroz, 27 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/landmine-blast-killsmother-son-in-nimroz-3945), accessed 20 April 2016;
Landmine explosion martyrs four policemen in Paktia, 29 October 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/landmineexplosion-martyrs-four-policemen-in-paktia-4056), accessed 30 May 2016;“Marg” Group formed against Taliban and ISIS in northern Afghanistan, 27 January 2015 (http://www.khaama.
com/marg-group-formed-against-taliban-and-isis-in-northern-afghanistan-28074), accessed 10 August 2015;
Military operation ongoing to recapture lost areas in Sar-e-Pol’s Sancharak District, 1 December 2015 (http://
www.khaama.com/nato-reiterates-commitment-to-afghanistan-4373), accessed 5 May 2016;
MoI claims 260 Taliban militants surrendered in Samangan province, 26 July 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
moi-claims-260-taliban-militants-surrendered-in-samangan-province-01575), accessed 31 August 2016;
NDS detain Taliban shadow governor for Laghman province, 4 November 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/ndsdetain-taliban-shadow-governor-for-laghman-province-4078), accessed 3 June 2016;
NDS detains bomb supplier of Haqqani network in Paktia, 22 November 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/ndsdetains-bomb-supplier-of-haqqani-network-in-paktia-4245), accessed 30 May 2016;
NDS prevents suicide attack in Samangan mosque, 7 September 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/nds-preventssuicide-attack-in-samangan-mosque-3878), accessed 5 May 2016;
Nearly 100 Taliban insurgents killed, wounded in ongoing Farah operations, 28 February 2016 (http://www.
khaama.com/nearly-100-taliban-insurgents-killed-wounded-in-ongoing-farah-operations-0191), accessed
19 May 2016;

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 191

Noor: Afghan forces stopped militants to establish strong operational base in Balkh, 9 March 2016 (http://www.
khaama.com/noor-afghan-forces-stopped-militants-to-establish-strong-operational-base-in-balkh-0287),
accessed 31 May 2016;
Noor says Afghan forces confronted ISIS loyalists in Balkh operations, 13 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
noor-says-afghan-forces-confronted-isis-loyalists-in-balkh-operations-0321), accessed 31 May 2016;
Noor says Afghan forces turned Balkh into graveyard of Taliban and ISIS, 16 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/noor-says-afghan-forces-turned-balkh-into-graveyard-of-taliban-and-isis-0961), accessed 31 May 2016;
Noor thanks NATO commander for recent security developments in Afghanistan, 10 May 2016 (http://www.
khaama.com/noor-thanks-nato-commander-for-recent-security-developments-in-afghanistan-0890), accessed
31 May 2016;
Nuristan-Kunar road reopens after military offensive, 28 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/28/
nuristan-kunar-road-reopens-after-military-offensive) accessed 1 June 2016;
Operations led by Ata Mohammad Noor launched in Balkh ahead of Nowruz celebrations, 7 March 2016(http://www.khaama.com/operations-led-by-ata-mohammad-noor-launched-in-balkh-ahead-of-nowruzcelebrations-0266), accessed 31 May 2016;
Over 100 Taliban insurgents killed in Helmand airstrikes, 26 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/over-100taliban-insurgents-killed-in-helmand-airstrikes-0450), accessed 20 April 2016;
Over 50 killed as clashes intensify among top Taliban leaders in Herat, 8 December 2015 (http://www.khaama.
com/over-50-killed-as-clashes-intensify-among-top-taliban-leaders-in-herat-1778), accessed 9 June 2016;
Over 80 Taliban insurgents killed, wounded in Kandahar: 205th Atal Corps, 17 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/over-80-taliban-insurgents-killed-wounded-in-kandahar-205th-atal-corps-0969), accessed 30 May 2016;
Paktika attack widely condemned that left nine killed, 51 wounded, 28 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.
com/nato-british-embassy-in-kabul-strongly-condemn-paktika-suicide-attack-3950), accessed 2 June 2016;
Police prevent terrorist attack in Kapisa, 13 January 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/police-prevent-terroristattack-in-kapisa-4489), accessed 6 June 2016;
Police rescue 17 civilians kidnapped by Taliban in Herat province, 9 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/policerescue-17-civilians-kidnapped-by-taliban-in-herat-province-0586), accessed 2 June 2016;
Policeman kills his 3 comrades in latest insider attack in Laghman, 28 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
policeman-kills-his-3-comrades-in-latest-insider-attack-in-laghman-0778), accessed 3 June 2016;
Policemen and Taliban militants suffer casualties in Balkh clash, 30 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
policemen-and-taliban-militants-suffer-casualties-in-balkh-clash-0485), accessed 31 May 2016;
President Ghani appoints female governor for Daikundi province, 5 June 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/presidentghani-appoints-first-female-governor-for-wardak-province-1167), accessed 11 May 2016;
President Ghani appoints four new provincial governors, 8 October 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/presidentghani-appoints-four-new-provincial-governors-3975), accessed 6 June 2016;
Roadside bomb blast claims two lives in Nimroz, 23 December 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/roadside-bombblast-claims-two-lives-in-nimroz-4417), accessed 20 April 2016;
Security forces fend off Taliban attack on Herat’s Ghoryan District, 21 October 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/
security-forces-fend-off-taliban-attack-on-herats-ghoryan-district-4017), accessed 2 June 2016;
Security forces foil Taliban plan to capture Laghman’s Dawlat Shah District, 17 October 2015 (http://www.khaama.
com/security-forces-foil-taliban-plan-to-capture-laghamans-dawlat-shah-district-4001), accessed 3 June 2016;
Security forces kill 24 Daesh militants in Nangarhar, 12 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/24-daesh-militantskilled-in-nangarhar-4729), accessed 7 June 2016;
Security forces rebuff attack of hundreds of Taliban in Zabul province, 24 December 2015 (http://www.khaama.
com/security-forces-rebuff-attack-on-hundreds-of-taliban-in-zabul-province-4420), accessed 29 April 2016;
Security forces rebuff Taliban attack in Badakhshan’s Baharak district, 3 March 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
security-forces-rebuff-taliban-attack-in-badakhshans-baharak-district-4617), accessed 8 June 2016;
Senior al-Qaeda commander among eight killed in Paktika, 14 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/senioral-qaeda-commander-among-eight-killed-in-paktika-38903), accessed 2 June 2016;
Senior al-Qaeda commander among eight killed in Paktika, 14 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/senioral-qaeda-commander-among-eight-killed-in-paktika-38903), accessed 2 June 2016;
Senior Taliban injured shortly after returning from Pakistan to Logar, 4 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
senior-taliban-injured-shortly-after-returning-from-pakistan-to-logar-0537), accessed 2 June 2016;

192 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Senior Taliban leader among 10 killed in Afghan forces raids in Nuristan, 8 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
senior-taliban-leader-among-10-killed-in-afghan-forces-raids-in-nuristan-0584), accessed 3 June 2016;
Senior Taliban leader killed with his 10 fighters in Farah province, 12 January 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
senior-taliban-leader-killed-with-his-10-fighters-in-farah-province-1978), accessed 18 May 2016;
Several killed in Daesh, Taliban clashes in Paktika, 11 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/80-killed-in-daeshtaliban-clash-in-paktika-4568), accessed 2 June 2016;
Suicide attack rocks capital Kabul, 5 October 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/explosion-and-gunfire-heardcapital-kabul-1602), accessed 23 May 2016;
Suicide blast leaves six killed, nine wounded in Paktika, 8 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/suicide-blastleave-six-killed-nine-wounded-in-paktika-4561-4562), accessed 2 June 2016;
Taliban beheads religious cleric in Uruzgan province, 6 October 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/talibanbeheadsreligious-cleric-in-uruzgan-province-8659), accessed 21 April 2016;
Taliban bomb kill 6 member of a single family in Paktika province, 20 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
taliban-bomb-kill-6-member-of-a-single-family-in-paktika-province-0123), accessed 2 June 2016;
Taliban commander among 7 killed during clash with Afghan police in Zabul, 3 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/taliban-commander-among-7-killed-during-clash-with-afghan-police-in-zabul-0829), accessed 30 May 2016;
Taliban confirm losing 13 fighters in Paktika drone strikes, 13 February 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/talibanconfirm-losing-13-fighters-in-paktika-drone-strikes-4575), accessed 2 June 2016;
Taliban driven out of Badakhshan’s Tagab District, 26 January 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/taliban-drivenout-of-badakhshans-tagab-district-4518), accessed 8 June 2016;
Taliban hang 8 militants for beheading women and child in Zabul, 9 November 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/
taliban-hang-8-militants-for-beheading-women-and-child-in-zabul-1683), accessed 29 April 2016;
Taliban infighting left five killed in Zabul, 30 August 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/taliban-infighting-left-fivekilled-in-zabul-3846), accessed 20 April 2016;
Taliban kill 17 passengers after kidnapping around 185 in Kunduz, 31 May 2016 (https://www.khaama.com/
taliban-kill-17-passengers-after-kidnapping-around-185-in-kunduz-01124), accessed 2 June 2016;
Taliban militants capture Jani Khel district in of Paktia, 27 August 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/talibanmilitants-capture-jani-khel-district-in-of-paktia-01781), accessed 29 August 2016;
Taliban militants suffer casualties after attacking Kunar security posts, 13 April 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
taliban-militants-suffer-casualties-after-attack-kunar-security-posts-0642), accessed 31 May 2016;
Taliban release most of Ghazni hostages, 20 September 2015 (http://www.khaama.com/taliban-release-mostthe-ghazni-hostages-3929), accessed 31 May 2016;
Taliban shadow governor and military commission chief killed in Uruzgan, 29 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.
com/taliban-shadow-governor-and-military-commission-chief-killed-in-uruzgan-01093), accessed 3 June 2016;
Taliban shadow governor for Kabul’s Deh Sabz district among five killed, 22 November 2015 (http://www.khaama.
com/breaking-news-taliban-shadow-governor-for-kabuls-deh-sabz-district-among-five-killed-4350), accessed
26 May 2016;
Taliban shadow governor Haji Lala killed with his 43 fighter in Kandahar, 2 May 2016 (http://www.khaama.com/
taliban-shadow-governor-haji-lala-killed-with-his-43-fighter-in-kandahar-0817), accessed 30 May 2016;
Taliban suffer heavy casualties as Afghan forces re-open Kunduz-Takhar highway, 23 April 2016 (http://www.
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198 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

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130 insurgents eliminated in Uruzgan offensive, 22 May 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/05/22/130insurgents-eliminated-uruzgan-offensive), accessed 21 April 2016;14 rebels, 3 police killed in clash near Lashkargah, 8 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/08/14rebels-3-police-killed-clash-near-lashkargah), accessed 30 May 2016;14 rebels dead, attack on Alasai district repulsed, 9 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/09/14rebels-dead-attack-alasai-district-repulsed), accessed 6 June 2016;14 rebels eliminated in Ghor clash, 5 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/05/14-rebelseliminated-ghor-clash), accessed 31 May 2016;14 rebels killed in clash with police in Uruzgan, 28 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/12/28/14rebels-killed-clash-police-uruzgan), accessed 22 April 2016;
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en/2015/12/29/17-taliban-killed-power-supply-snapped-faryab-fighting), accessed 18 May 2016;18 detained on land grab charges, 9 November 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/09/18-detainedland-grab-charges-logar), accessed 2 June 2016;18 Pakistani militants eliminated in Paktia drone strike, 3 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/02/03/18-pakistani-militants-eliminated-paktia-drone-strike), accessed 30 May 2016;
2 Afghans dead, 7 hurt in Iranian police fire, 12 February 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/03/10/2afghans-dead-7-hurt-iranian-police-fire), accessed 6 April 2016;
2 civilians dead, 6 wounded in Paktika explosion, 14 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/14/2civilians-dead-6-wounded-paktika-explosion), accessed 2 June 2016;
2 civilians killed, 15 wounded in Faryab blast, 19 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/19/2civilians-killed-15-wounded-faryab-blast), accessed 18 May 2016;
2 commanders among 8 Taliban killed in Ghazni clash, 11 June 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/06/11/2commanders-among-8-taliban-killed-ghazni-clash), accessed 15 August 2016;

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 199

2 court officials wounded, their driver killed in Logar, 18 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/18/2-court-officials-wounded-their-driver-killed-logar), accessed 1 June 2016;
2 dead, 17 wounded in Nangarhar suicide bombing, 2 July 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/07/02/2dead-17-wounded-nangarhar-suicide-bombing), accessed 31 August 2016;
2 dead in attack on Jawzjan check post, 6 January 2014 (http://medijungle.com/en/2014/01/06/2-dead-attackjawzjan-check-post), accessed 5 November 2014;
2 illegal gunmen killed in clash with Jawzjan uprising forces, 17 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/03/17/2-illegal-gunmen-killed-clash-jawzjan-uprising-forces), accessed 10 May 2016;
2 kidnapped policemen found dead in Farah, 26 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/12/26/2kidnapped-policemen-found-dead-farah), accessed 19 May 2016;
2 killed, 3 injured as bomb hits vehicle carrying labourers, 4 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/04/2-killed-3-injured-bomb-hits-vehicle-carrying-labourers), accessed 21 April 2016;
2 militants, police driver killed in Faryab clash, 29 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/29/2militants-police-driver-killed-faryab-clash), accessed 10 May 2016;
2 notorious Taliban commanders eliminated, 14 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/14/2notorious-taliban-commanders-eliminated), accessed 6 June 2016;
2 of 8 abducted people found dead in Farah, 2 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/02/2-8abducted-people-found-dead-farah), accessed 19 May 2016;
2 policemen, civilian injured in Pul-i Alam bombing, 1 February 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/01/2policemen-civilian-injured-pul-i-alam-bombing), accessed 31 May 2016;
2 radio workers shot injured in Baghlan, 4 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/04/2-radioworkers-shot-injured-baghlan), accessed 6 June 2016;
2 schoolchildren dead in Logar roadside bombing, 10 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/10/2schoolchildren-dead-logar-roadside-bombing), accessed 31 May 2016;
2 Taliban commanders eliminated in Wardak firefights, 7 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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2 uprising commanders killed, 6 robbers arrested, 30 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/12/30/2uprising-commanders-killed-6-robbers-arrested), accessed 11 May 2016;
2 wounded in rocket strike on Bagram airfield, police chief, 6 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/05/06/2-wounded-rocket-strike-bagram-airfield-police-chief), accessed 3 June 2016;
20 Taliban eliminated in Kajaki fighting, ANA claims, 17 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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20 Taliban militants killed in Faryab, Ghor clashes,15 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/15/20taliban-militants-killed-faryab-ghor-clashes), accessed 20 May 2016;
200 schoolchildren fall unconscious after Nimroz gas attack, 17 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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22 Taliban militants killed in Wardak, Uruzgan: MoI, 2 June 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/06/02/22taliban-militants-killed-wardak-uruzgan-moi), accessed 21 April 2016;
23 militants killed, 27 injured in Kapisa offensive, 30 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/30/23militants-killed-27-injured-kapisa-offensive), accessed 6 June 2016;24 rebels dead in Uruzgan, Kandahar security operations, 15 February 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/03/10/24-rebels-dead-uruzgan-kandahar-security-operations), accessed 21 April 2016;
24 Taliban militants killed in Kapisa & Ghazni clashes, 23 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/23/24taliban-militants-killed-kapisa-ghazni-clashes), accessed 6 June 2016;
25 border police killed in clashes with IS in east, 5 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/05/25border-police-killed-clashes-east?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter), accessed 7 October 2015,
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200 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

26 rebels eliminated in Badakhshan airstrikes, 9 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/09/26rebels-eliminated-badakhshan-airstrikes), accessed 30 August 2016;
275 teachers being distributed land plots in Khost, 10 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/10/275-teachers-being-distributed-land-plots-khost), accessed 25 May 2016;277 detained in Kabul over various crime, 11 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/11/277-detainedkabul-over-various-crimes), accessed 10 June 2016;
28 insurgents eliminated in Shah Walikot operation, 28 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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28 more Taliban eliminated in Dostum-led Faryab offensive, 29 february 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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3 ALP personnel among 23 killed in Deh Yak battle, 8 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/08/3alp-personnel-among-23-killed-deh-yak-battle), accessed 31 May 2016;
3 ANA soldiers killed, 18 wounded in Balkh suicide attack, 8 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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3 ANA soldiers among 13 dead in Takhar gun battles, 21 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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3 children killed, 15 injured in Baghlan blast, 1 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/12/01/3children-killed-15-injured-baghlan-blast), accessed 6 June 2016;
3 civilians among 6 shot to death in Jawzjan clashes, 19 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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3 civilians shot dead in Zabul, 16 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/16/3-civilians-shot-deadzabul), accessed 29 April 2016;
3 foreign rebels blown up by own explosives in Badakhshan, 25 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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3 NDS officials, district attorney killed, 11 June 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/06/11/3-ndsofficialsdistrict-attorney-killed), accessed 6 April 2016;
3 policemen dead in Faryab, Badakhshan attacks, 7 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/07/3policemen-dead-faryab-badakhshan-attacks), accessed 18 May 2016;
3 policemen killed in insider attack in Ghazni, 7 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/07/3-policemenkilled-insider-attack-ghazni), accessed 15 August 2016;
3 policement, an insurgent killed in Samangan, 8 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/08/3policemen-insurgent-killed-samangan), accessed 6 May 2016;
3 rebels, 2 ANA soldiers dead in Nimroz offensive, 12 February 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/03/10/3rebels-2-ana-soldiers-dead-nimroz-offensive), accessed 6 April 2016;
3 security personnel killed by Taliban in Badghis attacks, 29 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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3 sportsmen injured in Jalalabad blast, 28 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/28/3-sportsmeninjured-jalalabad-blast), accessed 31 August 2016;
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30 killed as clashes in Helmand continue, 18 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/18/30-killedclashes-helmand-continue), accessed 2 May 2016;
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30 villages cleared of insurgents in Ghazni: officials, 30 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/30/30villages-cleared-insurgents-ghazni-officials), accessed 15 August 2016;

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 201

32 militants eliminated in Paktia airstrikes, ANA claims, 3 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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4 civilian injured in Laghman, NDS agent shot dead in Faryab, 1 August 2016 (http://newarchive.pajhwok.com/
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4 civilians dead in Kandahar roadside explosion, 12 August 2016 (http://m.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/12/4civilians-dead-kandahar-roadside-explosion), accessed 25 August 2016;
4 civilians gunned down in Jawzjan, Faryab, 8 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/08/4-civiliansgunned-down-jawzjan-faryab), accessed 10 May 2016;
4 dead, 2 injured in Farah City explosion, 29 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/29/4-dead2-injured-farah-city-explosion), accessed 19 May 2016;
4 Etisalat contractors killed after being kidnapped in Herat, 19 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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4 kidnapped workers of MTN freed: Jawzjan governor, 24 July 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/07/24/4kidnapped-workers-mtn-freed-jawzjan-governor), accessed 31 August 2016;
4 killed, 12 wounded in Nadali suicide attack, 14 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/14/4-killed12-wounded-nadali-suicide-attack), accessed 31 May 2016;
4 killed, 15 wounded in bomb attack on ex-senator, 29 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/29/4killed-15-wounded-bomb-attack-ex-senator), accessed 10 June 2016;
4 policemen among 8 killed in Taliban attack on jail, 14 September 2015 (www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/14/4policemen-among-8-killed-taliban-attack-jail), accessed 15 May 2016;
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4 road engineers injured in Herat shooting, 1 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/01/4-roadengineers-injured-herat-shooting), accessed 2 June 2016;
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400 traders leave Kunduz for security reasons, 8 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/08/400traders-leave-kunduz-security-reasons), accessed 1 June 2016;
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5 civilians, soldier dead as Taliban open fire at car, 15 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/15/5civilians-soldier-dead-taliban-open-fire-car), accessed 31 May 2016;
5 health workers kidnapped in Faryab’s Kohistan district, 25 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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5 including 2 education officials kidnapped in Faryab, 28 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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5 insurgents, a tribal elder killed in Ghazni, 27 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/27/5-insurgentstribal-elder-killed-ghazni), accessed 15 August 2016;
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en/2015/09/13/5-insurgents-killed-after-botched-attack-nimroz-dam), accessed 6 April 2016;

202 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

5 killed, 7 injured in overnight Paktika firefight, 4 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/04/5-killed7-injured-overnight-paktika-firefight), accessed 2 June 2016;
5 of a family shot dead and injured in Khost, 4 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/04/5-familyshot-dead-and-injured-khost), accessed 25 May 2016;
5 persons freed from kidnappers in Farah, 11 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/11/5-personsfreed-kidnappers-farah), accessed 19 May 2016;
5 police wounded as Taliban torch security post in Paktia, 1 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/01/5-police-wounded-taliban-torch-security-post-paktia), accessed 30 May 2016;
5 policemen disappear in Uruzgan, 11 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/11/65-policemendisappear-uruzgan), accessed 21 April 2016;
5 policemen, several rebels killed in Nad Ali fighting, 19 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/19/5policemen-several-rebels-killed-nad-ali-fighting), accessed 29 April 2016;
5 shops, 2 police vehicles destroyed in Logar explosion, 19 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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51 dead, 35 injured in Kandahar airport assault, 9 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/12/09/51dead-35-injured-kandahar-airport-assault), accessed 29 April 2016;
569 criminals detained in one month in Kabul, 12 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/12/569criminals-detained-one-month-kabul), accessed 25 May 2016;57 police confirmed killed in Helmand clashes, 30 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/30/57-policeconfirmed-killed-helmand-clashes), accessed 3 June 2016;
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6 American soldiers killed in Bagram suicide bombing, 21 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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6 border policemen killed in ongoing Paktia clash, 8 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/08/6border-policemen-killed-ongoing-paktia-clash), accessed 30 May 2016;
6 civilians dead, 3 injured in Ghazni roadside bombing, 1 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/01/6-civilians-dead-3-injured-ghazni-roadside-bombing), accessed 31 May 2016;
6 civilians killed, 10 injured in Faryab, Jawzjan blasts, 24 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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6 of a family among 10 dead in Ghazni, Farah bombings, 8 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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6 people wounded in Faryab explosion, 27 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/27/6-peoplewounded-faryab-explosion), accessed 18 May 2016;
6 police, 5 Taliban dead in Farah clashes, 16 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/16/6-police-5taliban-dead-farah-clashes), accessed 19 May 2016;
6 police killed, 12 wounded in Farah clashes, 17 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/17/6police-killed-12-wounded-farah-clashes), accessed 19 May 2016;
6 policemen, 2 insurgents killed in Nimroz clash, 12 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/12/6policemen-2-insurgents-killed-nimroz-clash), accessed 6 April 2016;
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EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 203

6 tribal elders wounded in Khost roadside bombing, 14 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/14/6tribal-elders-wounded-khost-roadside-bombing), accessed 25 May 2016;
6 worshippers wounded when rocket hits Tagab mosque, 17 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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7 children wounded in Faryab mortar shell explosion, 3 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/03/7children-wounded-faryab-mortar-shell-explosion), accessed 18 May 2016;
7 dead in Ghor and Jawzjan clashes, 17 May 2014 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2014/05/17/7-dead-ghorjawzjan-clashes), accessed 5 November 2014;
7 rebels eliminated, Taliban repulsed in Faryab, 1 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/01/7-rebelseliminated-taliban-repulsed-faryab), accessed 20 May 2016;
70 rebels killed in Logar operation, 7 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/07/70-rebelskilled-logar-operation), accessed 31 May 2016;
70 suspected criminals detained in Herat, 27 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/27/70suspected-criminals-detained-herat), accessed 9 June 2016;
78 Baghlan security men rescued from Taliban siege, 18 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/18/78baghlan-security-men-rescued-taliban-siege), accessed 6 June 2016;
8 Afghan soldiers, 4 insurgents dead in battles, 30 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/30/8afghan-soldiers-4-insurgents-dead-battles), accessed 18 May 2016;8 police defect to insurgents in Uruzgan, 7 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/07/8-police-defectinsurgents-uruzgan), accessed 3 June 2016;
8 rebels eliminated in Badghis airstrikes, 17 July 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/07/17/8-rebelseliminated-badghis-airstrikes), accessed 31 August 2016;8 security personnel among 28 killed in Khamab battle, 25 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/10/25/8-security-personnel-among-28-killed-khamab-battle), accessed 11 May 2016;
8 suicide bombers among 14 rebels killed in Kandahar, 12 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/12/8-suicide-bombers-among-14-rebels-killed-kandahar), accessed 29 April 2016;
80 families displaced to Panjshir live in dire conditions, 4 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/10/04/80-families-displaced-panjshir-live-dire-conditions), accessed 9 June 2016;
80 insurgents killed, wounded in Ghazni operation: Governor, 24 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/04/24/80-insurgents-killed-wounded-ghazni-operation-governor), accessed 15 August 2016;
80 insurgents join reconciliation process in Badghis, 19 July 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/07/19/80insurgents-join-reconciliation-process-badghis), accessed 31 August 2016;
9 abducted passengers released, rescue mission intensifies, 22 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/22/9-abducted-passengers-released-rescue-mission-intensifies), accessed 29 April 2016;9 civilians killed, houses plundered in Dostum-led offensive, 2 July 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/07/02/%E2%80%989-civilians-killed-houses-plundered-dostum-led-offensive%E2%80%99), accessed
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9 insurgents, 7 police perish in ongoing Uruzgan firefight, 27 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/03/27/9-insurgents-7-police-perish-ongoing-uruzgan-firefight), accessed 20 April 2016;
9 wounded, two critically, in Balkh bomb attack, 29 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/29/9wounded-two-critically-balkh-bomb-attack), accessed 23 May 2016;
A dozen civilians taken hostage by Taliban in Paktia: Official, 11 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/11/dozen-civilians-taken-hostage-taliban-paktia-official), accessed 30 May 2016;

204 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

A dozen insurgents perish in Khost firefight: Police, 12 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/12/
dozen-insurgents-perish-khost-firefight-police), accessed 25 May 2016;
A dozen Taliban killed in Paktika, Paktia airstrikes, 15 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/15/
dozen-taliban-killed-paktika-paktia-airstrikes), accessed 25 August 2016;
A dozen Taliban, policeman killed in Badghis firefight, 17 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/17/
dozen-taliban-policeman-killed-badghis-firefight), accessed 31 August 2016;
Abducted child killed in Farah; 4 kidnapped in Nimroz, 28 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/28/
abducted-child-killed-farah-4-kidnapped-nimroz), accessed 19 May 2016;
Abducted Halo Trust deminers freed in Herat, 2 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/02/abductedhalo-trust-deminers-freed-herat), accessed 2 June 2016;
Abducted Zabul residents freed in Ghazni, 31 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/31/abductedzabul-residents-freed-ghazni), accessed 29 April 2016;
Abdullah vows to punish killers, rules out compromise, 12 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/12/abdullah-vows-punish-killers-rules-out-compromise), accessed 30 May 2016;
Administrative Units of Kandahar Province, n.d (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/administrativeunits-kandahar-province), accessed 29 April 2016;
Administrative units of Nimroz province, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/administrativeunits-nimroz-province), accessed 20 April 2016;
Afghan forces launch big anti-rebels offensive in Zabul, 11 July 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/07/11/
afghan-forces-launch-big-anti-rebels-offensive-zabul), accessed 20 April 2016;
Afghan soldier accused of shooting a child detained, 20 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/20/
afghan-soldier-accused-shooting-child-detained), accessed 31 May 2016;
Afghan-US forces kill 20 insurgents in Logar, 20 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/20/afghanus-forces-kill-20-insurgents-logar), accessed 31 May 2016;
AIHRC slams lashing of woman, wants perpetrators punished, 10 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/02/10/aihrc-slams-lashing-woman-wants-perpetrators-punished), accessed 18 May 2016;
Alasai, Tagab residents desperate for health facilities, 17 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/12/17/alasai-tagab-residents-desperate-health-facilities), accessed 6 June 2016;
All Balkh polling stations be secured, 24 February 2014 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2014/02/24/all-balkhpolling-stations-besecured), accessed 3 November 2014;
ALP commander held over supplying arms to Taliban, 24 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/24/
alp-commander-held-over-supplying-arms-taliban), accessed 9 June 2016;
ALP forces kidnap Andar women for ransom, 17 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/17/
alp-forces-kidnap-andar-women-ransom), accessed 31 May 2016;
ALP official, 6 civilians injured in Laghman bomb attack, 22 July 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/07/22/
alp-official-6-civilians-injured-laghman-bomb-attack), accessed 29 July 2016;
ALP personnel gun down 3 civilians of a family in Balkh, 28 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/10/28/alp-personnel-gun-down-3-civilians-family-balkh), accessed 23 May 2016;
ANA soldiers accused of killing civilian in Ghazni, 1 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/01/
ana-soldiers-accused-killing-civilian-ghazni), accessed 31 May 2016;
ANA soldiers among 42 dead in clashes: MoD, 5 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/05/anasoldiers-among-42-dead-clashes-mod), accessed 9 June 2016;
ANA soldiers among 6 dead in Farah clashes, 31 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/31/anasoldiers-among-6-dead-farah-clashes), accessed 31 August 2016;
Andar could fall to Taliban, fear officials and residents, 19 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/19/
andar-could-fall-taliban-fear-officials-and-residents), accessed 31 May 2016;
Ander clash leaves 9 dead, 6 wounded, 1 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/01/anderclash-leaves-9-dead-6-wounded), accessed 31 May 2016;
Angoor Ada residents ‘forced’ to get Pakistani ID cards, 24 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/24/
angoor-ada-residents-forced-get-pakistani-id-cards), accessed 2 June 2016;
Anti-Taliban militia leader killed in Faryab suicide attack, 27 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/27/anti-taliban-militia-leader-killed-faryab-suicide-attack), accessed 18 May 2016;

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 205

At least 10 killed in Zabul, Herat incidents, 22 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/22/least-10killed-zabul-herat-incidents), accessed 29 April 2016;
Attack on Parwan wedding party claims 2 lives, 16 September 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/16/
attack-parwan-wedding-party-claims-2-lives), accessed 3 June 2016;
Avalanche in Badakhshan’s Kofab district claims 4 lives, 23 March 2016. (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/23/
avalanche-badakhshan%E2%80%99s-kofab-district-claims-4-lives), accessed 8 June 2016;
Background profile of Badghis province, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/backgroundprofile-badghisprovince), accessed 24 May 2016;
Background Profile of Balkh, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/background-profile-balkh),
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Background profile of Herat Province, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/background-profileherat-province-0), accessed 21 November 2014;
Background Profile of Kandahar Province, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/backgroundprofile-kandahar-province-0), accessed 20 April 2016;
Back Ground Profile of Maidan Wardak, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/backgroundprofile-maidan-wardak), accessed 1 June 2016;
Background profile of Nimroz, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/background-profilenimroz),accessed 20 April 2016;
Background Profile of Nuristan, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/background-profilenuristan), accessed 6 June 2016;
Background profile of Paktika, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/back-ground-profilepaktika), accessed 2 June 2016;
Background profile of Zabul, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/background-profile-zabul),
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Badakhshan floods kill 6, destroy hundreds of homes, 14 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/14/
badakhshan-floods-kill-6-destroy-hundreds-homes), accessed 8 June 2016;
Badghis district falls to Taliban, 10 May 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/05/10/badghis-district-fallstaliban), accessed 13 August 2016;
Badghis residents without basic health facilities, 22 June 2014 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2014/06/22/
badghis-residents-without-basic-health-facilities), accessed 24 May 2016;
Baghlan police incapable to fight against Taliban: police chief, 14 July 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/07/14/baghlan-police-incapable-fight-against-taliban-police-chief), accessed 30 August 2016;
Baghlan residents call for ceasefire as civilians suffer, 11 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/11/
baghlan-residents-call-ceasefire-civilians-suffer), accessed 6 June 2016;
Baghlan residents concerned at insecurity on key Anchorhighway, 27 December 2015 (http://www.elections.
pajhwok.com/en/2015/12/27/baghlan-residents-concerned-insecurity-key-anchorhighway), accessed
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Baghlan residents concerned at insecurity on key highway, 27 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/12/27/baghlan-residents-concerned-insecurity-key-highway), accessed 23 May 2016;
Baghlan residents forced into digging trenches for Taliban, 23 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/01/23/baghlan-residents-forced-digging-trenches-taliban), accessed 6 June 2016;
Baghlan school set alight by unidentified gunmen, 3 July 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/07/03/baghlanschool-set-alight-unidentified-gunmen), accessed 30 August 2016;
Baghlan-i-Markazi district cleared of rebels, 24 May 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/05/24/baghlani-markazi-district-cleared-rebels), accessed 17 August 2015;
Baghlan’s Dahna-i-Ghori district falls to Taliban, 15 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/15/
baghlan%E2%80%99s-dahna-i-ghori-district-falls-taliban), accessed 30 August 2016;
Balcheragh police chief killed during Faryab clash, 16 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/16/
balcheragh-police-chief-killed-during-faryab-clash), accessed 20 May 2016;

206 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Balkh farmers return to poppies after 6 year, 21 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/12/21/
balkh-farmers-return-poppies-after-6-years), accessed 23 May 2016;
Bamyan activists seek justice for Daesh victims, 11 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/11/
bamyan-activists-seek-justice-daesh-victims), accessed 20 May 2016;
Bamyan teachers protest non-payment of salaries, 2 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/02/
bamyan-teachers-protest-non-payment-salaries), accessed 20 May 2016;
Bariz blames security forces for Dahna-i-Ghori’s fall, 15 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/15/
bariz-blames-security-forces-dahna-i-ghori%E2%80%99s-fall), accessed 30 August 2016;
Blast hits Kapisa teachers training centre, 6 injured, 25 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/25/
blast-hits-kapisa-teacher-training-centre-6-injured), accessed 6 June 2016;
Blasts rock Badghis & Zabul; terror groups busted in Kandahar, 26 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/03/26/blasts-rock-badghis-zabul-terror-groups-busted-kandahar), accessed 25 May 2016;
Bomber among 6 killed in Nimroz incidents, 14 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/14/bomberamong-6-killed-nimroz-incidents), accessed 30 May 2016;
Border skirmishes: Kabul, Islamabad trade blame at UN, 22 June 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/06/22/
border-skirmishes-kabul-islamabad-trade-blame-un), accessed 31 August 2016;
Boy rescued, suspected kidnapper detained in Khost raid, 13 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/13/
boy-rescued-suspected-kidnapper-detained-khost-raid), accessed 25 May 2016;
Brief introduction of Uruzgan province, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/briefintroductionuruzgan-province), accessed 21 April 2016;
British troops mobilised to help retake Sangin from Taliban, 22 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/12/22/british-troops-mobilised-help-retake-sangin-taliban), accessed 28 April 2016;
Casualties as clashes enter a second day in Uruzgan, 21 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/21/
casualties-clashes-enter-second-day-uruzgan), accessed 21 April 2016;
Casualties as forces and rebels clash in Kapisa, 25 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/25/
casualties-forces-rebels-clash-kapisa), accessed 6 June 2016;
Casualties as security forces, Taliban clash in Dand-i-Ghori, 1 March 2016 (http://archive.pajhwok.com/
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Casualties as Taliban attacks beaten back in Paktika, 29 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/29/
casualties-taliban-attacks-beaten-back-paktika), accessed 2 June 2016;Child among 3 dead in Faryab explosion, clash, 22 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/22/
child-among-3-dead-faryab-explosion-clash), accessed 18 May 2016;Child killed, uprising leader among 5 injured in Faryab, 21 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/21/
child-killed-uprising-leader-among-5-injured-faryab), accessed 18 May 2016;Child rescued in Khost, 4 abductors detained, 11 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/11/childrescued-khost-4-abductors-detained), accessed 25 May 2016;Children among 15 civilians injured in Maimana explosion, 19 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/19/
children-among-15-civilians-injured-maimana-explosion), acessed 9 June 2016;Children among 4 dead in overnight Khost raid, 9 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/09/
children-among-4-dead-overnight-khost-raid), accessed 29 August 2016;Children among 6 civilians killed in Kunduz, Badghis, 7 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/07/
children-among-6-civilians-killed-kunduz-badghis), accessed 25 May 2016;Children dead in Zabul roadside explosion, 7 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/07/4-childrendead-zabul-roadside-explosion), accessed 30 May 2016;
Civilian deaths blamed on govt’s indifference, 10 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/10/
civilian-deaths-blamed-govt%E2%80%99s-indifference), accessed 20 May 2016;
Civilian killed, intelligence agents among 3 wounded, 10 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/10/
civilian-killed-intelligence-agents-among-3-wounded), accessed 18 May 2016;
Civilians among 22 killed in Ghormach clashes, 17 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/17/
civilians-among-22-killed-ghormach-clashes), accessed 24 May 2016;
Civilians among 3 dead in Logar clearing operation, 28 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/28/
civilian-among-3-dead-logar-clearing-operation), accessed 31 May 2016;

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 207

Civilians among 6 dead, 13 wounded in Kandahar & Kapisa, 10 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/05/10/civilians-among-6-dead-13-wounded-kandahar-kapisa), accessed 6 June 2016;
Civilians among 8 killed in Paktika, Ghazni incidents, 2 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/02/
civilians-among-8-killed-paktika-ghazni-incidents), accessed 2 June 2016;
Civilians suffer from fight between illegal armed groups, 24 April 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/04/24/
civilians-suffer-fight-between-illegal-groups), accessed 9 June 2016;Clash ongoing as rebels storm Ghor ALP posts, 30 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/30/
clash-ongoing-rebels-storm-ghor-alp-posts), accessed 31 May 2016;Clashes between insurgent groups still underway in Zabul, 11 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/11/clashes-between-insurgent-groups-still-underway-zabul), accessed 28 April 2016;Clashes erupt in Wardak, Kabul Ghazni highway closed, 16 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/10/16/clashes-erupt-wardak-kabul-ghazni-highway-closed), accessed 31 May 2016;Clashes on, rebels capture border police posts in Paktia, 7 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/07/clashes-rebels-capture-border-police-posts-paktia), accessed 30 May 2016;Clashes Taliban block road near Maidan Shahr, 15 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/15/
clashes-taliban-block-road-near-maidan-shahr), accessed 31 May 2016;
Closure of Nimroz schools deprives many students of education, 16 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/16/closure-nimroz-schools-deprives-many-students-education), accessed 20 April 2016;
Commander among 4 insurgents killed in Kapisa operation, 15 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/02/15/commander-among-4-insurgents-killed-kapisa-operation), accessed 6 June 2016;
Commander among 6 Taliban killed in Faryab clash, 9 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/09/
commander-among-6-taliban-killed-faryab-clash), accessed 18 May 2016;
Commuters in trouble as Taliban roadblock continues, 14 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/14/
commuters-trouble-taliban-roadblock-continues), accessed 30 May 2016;
Dacoits rob Faryab passengers of cash, valuables, 14 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/14/
dacoits-rob-faryab-passengers-cash-valuables), accessed 18 May 2016;
Dadullah besieged in Zabul as Taliban cracks widen, 2 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/02/
dadullah-besieged-zabul-taliban-cracks-widen), accessed 28 April 2016;
Daesh commander among 4 rebels dead in airstrikes, 30 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/30/
daesh-commander-among-4-rebels-dead-airstrikes), accessed 10 June 2016;
Daesh fighters among 54 killed in 24 hours: MoD, 15 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/15/
daesh-fighters-among-54-killed-24-hours-mod), accessed 25 May 2016;
Daikundi explosion leaves 2 civilians dead; Taliban blamed, 23 August 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/08/23/daikundi-explosion-leaves-2-civilians-dead-taliban-blamed), accessed 11 May 2016;
Daikundi governor pledges improved security, 10 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/10/
daikundi-governor-pledges-improved-security), accessed 11 May 2016;
Daikundi military attorney killed in oradside bomb, 30 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/30/
daikundi-military-attorney-killed-roadside-blast), accessed 6 May 2016;
Daikundi province background profile, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/daikundi-provincebackground-profile), accessed 11 May 2016;
Daikundi residents protest against Mubaligh brothers, 31 March 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/03/31/
daikundi-residents-protest-against-mubaligh-brothers), accessed 11 May 2016;
Daikundi security forces professionally improved: officials, 30 March 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/03/30/daikundi-security-forces-professionally-improved-officials), accessed 11 May 2016;
Daikundi security, stability top priority: PC, 31 May 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/05/31/daikundisecurity-stability-top-priority-pc), accessed 11 May 2016;
Death toll from Taliban infighting in Herat climbs to 100, 9 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/09/
death-toll-taliban-infighting-herat-climbs-100), accessed 9 June 2016;
Deh Raud may fall if reinforcements don’t arrive, official warns, 17 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/05/17/deh-raud-may-fall-if-reinforcements-don%E2%80%99t-arrive-official-warns), accessed
3 June 2016;

208 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Despite casualties, Taliban overrun more areas in Faryab, 8 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/10/08/despite-casualties-taliban-overrun-more-areas-faryab), accessed 18 May 2016;
District court registrar gunned down by motorcyclists in Khost, 24 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/04/24/district-court-registrar-gunned-down-motorcyclists-khost), accessed 25 May 2016;
District police chief among 4 wounded in Taliban attack, 17 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/17/district-police-chief-among-4-wounded-taliban-attack), accessed 21 April 2016;
District police chief among 7 dead in Taliban attack, 17 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/17/
district-police-chief-among-7-dead-taliban-attack), accessed 2 June 2016;
Donkey bomb blast leaves 2 injured in Faryab, 31 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/31/donkeybomb-blast-leaves-2-injured-faryab), accessed 31 August 2016;
Dostum arrives in north, vows to teach militants a ‘lesson’, 19 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/19/
dostum-arrives-north-vows-teach-militants-%E2%80%98lesson%E2%80%99), accessed 11 May 2016;
Dozen Taliban eliminated in Maidan Wardak operation, 14 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/02/14/dozen-taliban-eliminated-maidan-wardak-operation), accessed 31 May 2016;
Dozens of insurgents give up violence in Jawzjan, 2 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/02/dozensinsurgents-give-violence-jawzjan), accessed 11 may 2016;
Drone strikes kill 120 militants in Paktia, 29 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/29/drone-strikeskill-120-militants-paktia), accessed 29 August 2016;
Drug smugglers finance rebels in north: Gen. Hameed, 12 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/12/12/drug-smugglers-finance-rebels-north-gen-hameed), accessed 23 May 2016;
Effective security uplift plan drawn, Wardak governor, 8 August 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/08/08/
effective-security-uplift-plans-drawn-wardak-governor), accessed on 5 October 2015;
Ex-jihadi leader killed in clash with Taliban near Aibak, 6 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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fierce-fighting-dand-i-patan-enters-second-day), accessed 30 May 2016;

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 209

Foreign troops come under bomb attack in Bagram, 3 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/03/
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hundreds-development-projects-executed-nimroz), accessed 11 May 2016;

210 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

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EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 211

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kidnapped-passengers-rescued-ghazni), accessed 31 May 2016;

212 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Kidnapped woman found dead in Jawzjan, 6 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/06/
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EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 213

Mineral resources of Daikundi province, 1 February 2014 (http://mines.pajhwok.com/news/mineral-resourcesdaikundi-province), accessed 11 May 2016;
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en/2015/09/24/%E2%80%9Cmy-first-eid-decades-not-sacrifice-animal%E2%80%99?utm_source=dlvr.it),
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NDS arrests 4 Daesh affiliates in Paghman, 26 November 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/26/ndsarrests-4-daesh-affiliates-paghman), accessed 26 May 2016;
NDS operatives seize weapons catches in Bamyan, 10 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/10/
nds-operatives-seize-weapons-catches-bamyan), accessed 20 May 2016;
NDS worker gunned down in Kandahar, 28 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/28/ndsworker-gunned-down-kandahar), accessed 29 April 2016;
Nearly a dozen dead in hours-long SAr-i-Pul clashes, 28 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/28/
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Nearly a dozen killed in separate Ghazni clashes, 14 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/14/
nearly-dozen-killed-separate-ghazni-clashes), accessed 31 May 2016;
Nearly a dozen rebels dead in Qaisar, Ghormach operations, 21 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/10/21/nearly-dozen-rebels-dead-qaisar-ghormach-operations), accessed 18 May 2016;
New Helmand governor vows improved security, 4 June 2015 (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/2015/06/04/
new-helmand-governor-vows-improved-security), accessed 29 April 2016;
New Uruzgan governor vows improved security, 4 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/04/
new-uruzgan-governor-vows-improved-security), accessed 21 April 2016;
Newly created Kunduz districts still under Taliban control, 11 January 2016 (www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/11/
newly-created-kunduz-districts-still-under-taliban-control), accessed 1 June 2016;
Nimroz prosecutor gunned down along with civilian, 15 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/15/
nimroz-prosecutor-gunned-down-along-civilian), accessed 6 April 2016;
No casualties as IED hits NATO convoy in Parwan, 21 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/21/nocasualties-ied-hits-nato-convoy-parwan), accessed 3 June 2016;
No judicial officials in 13 Ghazni districts, 10 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/10/no-judicialofficials-13-ghazni-districts), accessed 15 August 2016;
No school in Khoshamand district of Paktika, 11 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/11/
no-school-khoshamand-district-paktika), accessed 2 June 2016;
Notorious Taliban commander captured, weapons seized in Logar, 11 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/04/11/notorious-taliban-commander-captured-weapons-logar), accessed 2 June 2016;

214 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Notorious Taliban commander held in Paktika, 17 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/17/
notorious-taliban-commander-held-paktika), accessed 2 June 2016;
Number of child soldiers in Ghor on the rise, 23 August 2014 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2014/08/23/numberchild-soldiers-ghor-rise), accessed 31 October 2014;
Number of religious schools in Takhar province rises to 246, 18 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/02/18/number-religious-schools-takhar-province-rises-246), accessed 9 June 2016;
Offensive against Taliban launched in Maidan Wardak, 10 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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On their way to Sar-i-Pul, 5 passengers kidnapped in Jawzjan, 9 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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Once again, several schoolgirls poisoned in Takhar, 14 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/14/
once-again-several-schoolgirls-poisoned-takhar), accessed 8 June 2016;
One religious scholars dead in blast, another in shooting, 6 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/06/one-religious-scholars-dead-blast-another-shooting), accessed 11 May 2016;
Operations against militants to continue:Sar-i-Pul governor, 3 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/01/03/operations-against-militants-continue-sar-i-pul-governor), accessed 5 May 2016;
Operation begins secure Kabul-Jalalabad highway, 15 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/15/
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Over 80 insurgents, 11 army personnel killed: MoD, 30 March 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/03/30/
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Over a dozen including soldiers dead in Herat, Farah clashes, 9 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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Over hundred Taliban dead, scores hurt in Khost offensive, 10 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/08/10/over-hundred-taliban-dead-scores-hurt-khost-offensive), accessed 29 August 2016;
Pakistan border guards constructing facilities in Paktia, 10 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/10/pakistan-border-guards-constructing-facilities-paktia), accessed 30 May 2016;
Pakistani forces enter ‘several kilometers’ inside Paktia, 17 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/17/
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pakistani-forces-fire-rockets-dand-i-patan-district), accessed 30 May 2016;
Pakistanis among 47 militants killed in Baghlan, 31 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/31/
pakistanis-among-47-militants-killed-baghlan), accessed 6 June 2016;
Paktia administrative units, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/paktia-administrative-unites),
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Paktika deputy police chief among 4 injured in blast, 23 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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Pashtoonkot district teetering on the verge of collapse, 14 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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Pentagon confirms F-16 hit by small-arms fire in Paktia, 20 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/10/20/pentagon-confirms-f-16-hit-small-arms-fire-paktia), accessed 30 May 2016;
People council’s head for Shindand district gunned down, 6 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/06/
people-council%E2%80%99s-head-shindand-district-gunned-down), accessed 2 June 2016;
Police among 7 dead in Nimroz, Kunduz violence, 1 January 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/03/10/
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Police facing multiple challenges in Helmand: Official, 22 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/22/
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Policeman among 5 wounded in Balkh, Khost explosions, 17 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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policemen-among-3-wounded-khost-explosion), accessed 25 May 2016;
Policemen among 45 killed in Ghor battle, 28 August 2014 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2014/08/28/policemenamong-45-killed-ghor-battle), accessed 31 October 2015;

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 215

Policemen, civilian wounded in Pul-i Alam, 6 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/12/06/
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Policewoman gunned down by motorcyclists in Kandahar, 4 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/04/
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president-ceo-arrive-panjshir-province), accessed 9 June 2016;
Probe launched after couple killed in Special Forces raid, 6 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/06/probe-launched-after-couple-killed-special-forces-raid), accessed 25 May 2016;
Protest, 7 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/node/445698), accessed 20 May 2016;
Protest, 7 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/node/453585), accessed 20 May 2016;
Protest held against ALP, uprising members in Ghazni, 20 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/20/
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Protesters accuse Paktia lawmakers of corruption, 11 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/11/
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Protestors accuse central govt of neglecting Paktia, 9 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/09/
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Ramp up cooperation with security forces, Khostis urged, 7 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/10/07/ramp-cooperation-security-forces-khostis-urged), accessed 25 May 2016;
Rebels block Daikundi, Ghor roads; commodities prices shoot up, 13 August 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/08/13/rebels-block-daikundi-ghor-roads-commodities-prices-shoot), accessed 11 May 2016;
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Rebels’ infiltration into north blocked: Weesa, 22 December 2014 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/03/10/
rebels%E2%80%99-infiltration-north-blocked-weesa), accessed 10 August 2015;
Recent clashes displace hundreds of families in Kapisa, 21 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/21/
recent-clashes-displace-hundreds-families-kapisa), accessed 6 June 2016;
Recognition of southern Helmand province, n.d. (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/recognitionsouthern-helmand-province), accessed 28 April 2016;
Reconciled rebels return to battlefield in Takhar, 21 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/21/
reconciled-rebels-return-battlefield-takhar), accessed 8 June 2016;
Roadside bombings spike worries Herat people, 25 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/25/
roadside-bombings-spike-worries-herat-people), accessed 2 June 2016;
Rocket hits Finca bank building in Parwan, 25 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/25/rockethits-finca-bank-building-parwan), accessed 3 June 2016;
Rocket hits microfinance bank in Charikar, no casualties, 16 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/01/16/rocket-hits-microfinance-bank-charikar-no-casualties), accessed 3 June 2016;
Saleh finds leadership failure behind fall of Kunduz City, 21 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/21/saleh-finds-leadership-failure-behind-fall-kunduz-city), accessed 1 June 2016;
Samangan PC performance unsatisfactory: Residents, 25 May 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/05/25/
samangan-pc-performance-unsatisfactory-residents), accessed 17 August 2015;
Sancharak district on the verge of collapse, officials warn, 27 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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Sangin has not fallen to Taliban, says Helmand governor, 21 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/12/21/sangin-has-not-fallen-taliban-says-helmand-governor), accessed 28 April 2016;
Sarab district’s acting chief gunned down by Taliban, 9 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/09/
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Sar-i-Pul clash leaves 1 civilian dead, 2 policemen hurt, 5 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/05/
sar-i-pul-clash-leaves-1-civilian-dead-2-policemen-hurt), accessed 6 May 2016;
Sar-i-Pul clashes leave 20 dead, 11 wounded, 5 August 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/08/05/sar-i-pulclashes-leave-20-dead-11-wounded), accessed 25 September 2015;

216 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Sar-i-pul fighting goes on since last 24 hours, 25 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/25/
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School rehabilitated after 4 decades in Nimroz, 22 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/22/
school-rehabilitated-after-4-decades-nimroz), accessed 12 May 2016;
School teacher gunned down in Logar, 1 June 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/06/01/school-teachergunned-down-logar), accessed 31 May 2016;
School teachers sit-in a protest in Bamyan, 7 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/node/434458), accessed
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Scores of dead, wounded in Hizb-e-Islami, Taliban clash, 17 June 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/06/17/
scores-dead-wounded-hizb-e-islami-taliban-clash), accessed 7 September 2015;
Scores of rebels perish in clearing operations: MoD, 28 July 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/07/28/
scores-rebels-perish-clearing-operations-mod), accessed 6 April 2016;
Security forces among 9 dead in Jawzjan gunbattles, 16 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/16/
security-forces-among-9-dead-jawzjan-gunbattles), accessed 10 May 2016;
Security forces retake Gorziwan district of Faryab, 10 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/10/
security-forces-retake-gorziwan-district-faryab), accessed 18 May 2016;
Security forces retake some areas in Tagab, kill 9 rebels, 15 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/10/15/security-forces-retake-some-areas-tagab-kill-9-rebels), accessed 6 June 2016;
Security officials among 17 dead in clashes, 28 May 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/05/28/securityofficials-among-17-dead-clashes), accessed 6 April 2016;
Security officials among 30 dead in Ghazni clashes, airstrikes, 20 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/08/20/security-officials-among-30-dead-ghazni-clashes-airstrikes), accessed 25 August 2016;
Security on the nosedive in most parts of Ghazni: Residents, 29 June 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/06/29/security-nosedive-most-parts-ghazni-residents), accessed 15 August 2016;
Security personnel among 13 killed in Ghazni clashes, 1 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/01/
security-personnel-among-13-killed-ghazni-clashes), accessed 25 August 2016;
Security personnel among 19 dead in Kamdish battle, 12 September 2015 (http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/12/security-personnel-among-19-dead-kamdesh-battle), accessed 3 June 2016;
Security personnel among 57 dead in Paktika battles, 9 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/09/09/security-personnel-among-57-dead-paktika-battles), accessed 2 June 2016;
Senior Jawzjan judge freed from Taliban’s captivity, 4 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/04/
senior-jawzjan-judge-freed-taliban%E2%80%99s-captivity), accessed 10 May 2016;
Senior military official killed in Logar bomb attack, 27 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/27/
senior-military-official-killed-logar-bomb-attack), accessed 2 June 2016;
Senior NDS official dead in Khost explosion, 19 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/19/seniornds-official-dead-khost-explosion), accessed 25 May 2016;
Sharp rise in violence against women in Parwan, 2 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/12/02/
sharp-rise-violence-against-women-parwan), accessed 3 June 2016;
Sharp rise in violence agaisnt women in Samangan, 3 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/03/
sharp-rise-violence-against-women-samangan), accessed 6 May 2016;
Some 200 militants killed in southeast offensive, 5 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/05/‘some200-militants-killed-southeast-offensive), accessed 25 May 2016;
Special Forces gun down 2 more civilians during Khost raid, 11 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/11/special-forces-gun-down-2-more-civilians-during-khost-raid), accessed 25 May 2016;
Special people’s representative shot dead in Faryab, 19 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/19/
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Striking Paktia doctors vow to continue strike, 10 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/10/
striking-paktia-doctors-vow-continue-strike), accessed 30 May 2016;
Suicide bomber shot dead in Kabul, NDS, 28 May 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/05/28/suicidebomber-shot-dead-kabul-nds), accessed 10 June 2016;
Suicide bombing leaves 8 injured in Pul-i Alam, 5 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/05/
suicide-bombing-leaves-8-injured-pul-i-alam), accessed 31 May 2016;

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 217

Suicide bombing leaves 8 injured in Pul-i Alam, 5 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/05/
suicide-bombing-leaves-8-injured-pul-i-alam), accessed 31 May 2016;
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Takhar mining revenue slumps by 300m afs, 14 February 2014 (http://mines.pajhwok.com/news/takhar-miningrevenue-slumps-300m-afs), accessed 11 August 2016;
Taliban accused of killing a woman on adultery charges, 27 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/27/
taliban-accused-killing-woman-adultery-charges), accessed 10 May 2016;
Taliban ambush leaves 6 police killed in Jawzjan, 4 April 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/04/04/talibanambush-leaves-6-police-killed-jawzjan), accessed 10 May 2016;
Taliban attack ANA copter after emergency landing in Faryab, 24 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/24/taliban-attack-ana-copter-after-emergency-landing-faryab), accessed 18 May 2016;
Taliban attack on Herat’s Shindand district repulsed, 19 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/19/
taliban-attack-herat%E2%80%99s-shindand-district-repulsed), accessed 2 June 2016;
Taliban accused of killing 3 members of a family, 23 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/23/
taliban-accused-killing-3-members-family), accessed 8 June 2016;
Taliban accused of using children as soldiers in Takhar, 19 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/11/19/taliban-accused-using-children-soldiers-takhar), accessed 9 June 2016;
Taliban allow reopening of schools in Helmand, 23 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/23/
taliban-allow-reopening-schools-helmand), accessed 29 April 2016;
Taliban attack Kamal Khan Dam in Nimroz, 15 July 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/07/15/taliban-attackkamal-khan-dam-nimroz), accessed 6 April 2016;
Taliban attack on Dehna Ghori pushed back: Baghlan governor, 10 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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Taliban attack on Kandahar police building ends, 21 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/21/
taliban-attack-kandahar-police-building-ends), accessed 29 April 2016;
Taliban besiege Paktika’s Waza Khwa district, 5 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/05/
taliban-besiege-paktika%E2%80%99s-waza-khwa-district), accessed 2 June 2016;
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Taliban block Taloqan-Darqad road against traffic, 17 August 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/08/17/
taliban-block-taloqan-darqad-road-against-traffic), accessed 30 August 2016;
Taliban can’t reach goals by killing scholars: Ghazni, 7 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/11/07/
taliban-can%E2%80%99t-reach-goals-killing-scholars-ghani), accessed 15 May 2016;
Taliban capture Faryab village after overpowering uprising forces, 22 July 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2016/07/22/taliban-capture-faryab-village-after-overpowering-uprising-forces), accessed 31 August 2016;
Taliban capture Helmand’s Sangin, besiege 150 police, 20 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
en/2015/12/20/taliban-capture-helmands-sangin-besiege-150-police), accessed 28 April 2016;
Taliban capture parts of Takhar’s Darqad district, 21 January 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/01/21/
taliban-capture-parts-takhar%E2%80%99s-darqad-district), accessed 12 August 2016;
Taliban claim capturing 2 Takhar districts, 29 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/29/talibanclaim-capturing-2-takhar-districts), accessed 12 August 2016;
Taliban closing in on 2 Uruzgan districts, 16 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/16/talibanclosing-2-uruzgan-districts), accessed 29 April 2016.
Taliban commander eliminated in Kapisa, 11 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/11/talibancommander-eliminated-kapisa), accessed 6 June 2016;
Taliban conditionally reopen roads in 3 Paktika districts, 24 December 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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Taliban control 95pc of Uruzgan’s Dehrawud: elders, 4 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/04/
taliban-control-95pc-uruzgan%E2%80%99s-dehrawud-elders), accessed 21 April 2016;

218 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Taliban court orders elderly man executed in Jawzjan, 19 October 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/10/19/
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Taliban did not hang IS fighters over beheadings: NDS, 10 November 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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Taliban district chief killed by own guard in Ghor, 10 September 2015 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2015/09/10/
taliban-district-chief-killed-own-guard-ghor), accessed 31 May 2016;
Taliban embark on arson campaign in Kunduz, 3 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/02/03/
taliban-embark-arson-campaign-kunduz), accessed 1 June 2016;
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Taliban execute three persons in Jawzjan, 29 March 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2016/03/29/talibanexecute-three-persons-jawzjan), accessed 10 May 2016;
Taliban flee as Dostum arrives in Jawzjan’s Qush Tapa, 24 February 2016 (http://www.pajhwok.com/
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taliban-recruit-hundreds-children-badakhshan), accessed 9 June 2016;

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EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 221

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Washington Times, Haqqani Network, Pakistan terror group, grows into worst enemy for U.S., 5 June 2014(http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/5/haqqani-network-pakistan-terror-group-grows-intow/?page=all), accessed 4 November 2014.
WFP,
Provincial Profile. Kabul, n.d. (http://www.foodsecurityatlas.org/afg/country/provincial-Profile/Kabul), accessed
30 May 2016;
Provincial Profile. Ghor, n.d. (http://www.foodsecurityatlas.org/afg/country/provincial-Profile/Ghor), accessed
31 May 2016.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 235

World Bank (The), Afghanistan Transport Sector, n.d. (http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/EXTSARREGTOPTRANSPORT/0,,contentMDK:20560890~menuPK:868765~pagePK:34004173~piPK:34003707~theSitePK:579598,00.html), accessed 30 May 2016.
World Justice Procect, Rule of Law Index 2015, n.d. (http://worldjusticeproject.org/sites/default/files/roli_2015_0.
pdf), accessed 10 August 2016.
Wytrykowska M., Afganistan sytuacja ludności cywilnej na terenach kontrolowanych przez Talibów, May 2013 (http://
wikp.udsc.gov.pl/images/Raporty_ekspertow/Afganistan.pdf), accessed 13 June 2016.
Xinhuanet, Death toll of suicide attack in Afghan eastern Ghazni soars to 9, with 13 injured, 1 June 2016 (http://news.
xinhuanet.com/english/2016-06/01/c_135404746.htm), accessed 15 August 2016.
Zaeef, A. S., My Life with the Taliban, Columbia Univesity Press, New York, 2010.

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 237

Annex 2: Terms of Reference
The goal of this report is to provide security-related information relevant for international protection statusdetermination (refugee status and subsidiary protection).
An important goal of this report is to provide details on a regional, provincial or even district level.
The reporting period for incidents and events illustrating the general trends of the conflict, is 1 September 2015
until 31 August 2016.
The content of the report should contain information on the following topics:
General description of the security situation
Introduction
Short history of the conflict(s)Parties to the conflict		State’s armed forces (army, police, intelligence…)
			Components
			
Tasks/roles			
Numbers in total
			Casualties
			
Defecting (as indication of strength/weakness)		
Armed groups (pro-government, opposition…)
			Components			Level of organisation (cf. mentioning Report Afghan Analyst Network)			Numbers in total
			Casualties
			
Defecting (as indication of strength/weakness)		International military forces (transition)

Armed confrontations (trends)
			
As intro to regional chapter
			E.g., fighting tactics, attacks, military operations, guerilla			
Use of weapons
			
Both qualitative and quantitative
Geographical overview of the security situation-	transition to next chapter; demonstrate clear geographical differences between level ofviolence- use of maps
- urban/rural
Impact of violence on state ability to secure Law & Order- Government institutions- Court system- Rural/urban divide
Refugees and returnees

238 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation

Detailed regional description of the security situation
Description that goes into regional details, e.g. per province, district, cities…
Level of detail depending on province but some consistency needed.
By region/province, possibly with separate focus on some contested areas:
First distinction per region: (Cf. UNAMA)—— North—— North East—— West—— Central—— Central Highlands—— South—— South-East
Then per province
Try to define zones within province when describing levels of violence
Some provinces are safer, so need less detail. Other provinces need more detail.
Short description of the province		
Terrain (short); main roads		Urban areas		Population (including numbers); ethnicity (indicative, no real figures, qualitative)		

Map (UNOCHA) with districts, roads and neighbouring provinces

Quantitative data		

Number of incidents		
Number of victims (death and injured)			
Civilians			
Military staff/fighters			Humanitarian organisations
		

Number of population displacements

Direct impacts of violence		Overview of major/significant incidents in the province (chronology, not exhaustive andfor very violent provinces it needs to be specified that no chronology is possible due totoo many incidents)		Frequency of the incidents		Anti-government elements active in the region

EASO Country of Origin Information Report: Afghanistan – Security Situation — 239

		
Weapons and tactics used			
Depending on occurrence of information, refer to chronology
			Insofar as possible: info on type of weapons / tactics: targeted vs indiscriminate			Only effective use of violence, not potential, e.g. cache of weapons found			Examples may relate to:Bombings• Artillery and mortars• Air raids• Massive bombings
Explosives• Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)		- roadside bombs (VOIED, RCIED)		- car and suicide bombs (VBIED, BBIED)• Landmines
Shootings• Direct confrontations/ground battles• Snipers• Death squads and executions
Guerilla attacks/asymmetric warfare/multiple and complex attacks
Surprise attacks/sweeps/raids
Siege
Terre brûlée
Intimidation and threats
Checkpoints/freedom of movement
Kidnappings
Limitations to participation in public life
Forced recruitment
Illegal taxation
Sexual violence as a war strategy
Lootings
Criminal activities related to the conflict (e.g. in case of breakdown of law
and order)		
Targets			
If info available differentiates between, e.g.:
Civilian targets and population
Military targets
Government infrastructure
Humanitarian organisations		Affected areas			
If info available differentiates between, e.g.:
Urban areas and dwellings
Crowded/public places
Markets, shops
Schools
Places of worship and recreation
Hospitals
Cultural property
Roads and transport systems
Roads
Airfields
Stations	Secondary impact of the violence (directly linked to violence; excluding e.g. natural disasters,
corruption, cultural issues, etc.)

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