Afghanistan Flight

We are at a historic moment. As terrorism is set to flight, Afghans must know that we will help them rebuild, and support their efforts to achieve the peace which has been so long denied them. ... [Read More]

Washington HyperFile - East Asia/Pacific Edition

Airlines flight, surplus funds, airlines) (7450) ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Fact Sheet: USAID's Emergency Report on Afghanistan, Sept. 28

-- UNHCR's first airlift of 9,800 plastic sheets is scheduled to arrive in Quetta on the morning of September 29. A second flight from the UNHCR warehouses in Copenhagen will deliver other needed relief supplies this weekend. UNHCR positioned 2,000 tents, 6,000 quilts, 2,000 kitchen sets and 4,000 buckets in Quetta earlier this week. ... [Read More]

Background Notes Archive - Near East and North Africa

U.S. Department of State______________________________________________________ The State Department does not guarantee the authenticity of documents on the Internet. If for legal or other reasons you require the original version of a document in hard copy, please contact the Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public Affairs. Note that State Department information is not copyrighted unless indicated and can be reproduced without consent. Citation of source is appreciated. Permission to reproduce any copyrighted material (including photos or graphics) must be obtained from the original source.______________________________________________________BACKGROUND NOTES: AFGHANISTANPUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRSU.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEJULY 1994Official Name: Islamic State of AfghanistanPROFILEGeographyArea: 648,000 sq. km. (252,000 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Texas. Cities (1993 est.): Capital--Kabul (est. 800,000). Other cit ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Fact Sheet: On Impact of U.N. Sanctions on Afghan People

-- The Sanctions Committee has never denied a request for a humanitarian flight waiver. Shortly after Resolution 1267 went into effect, the non-governmental organization Medecins Sans Frontieres flew over 13 metric tons of medicine into Afghanistan. Flights supporting the evacuation of sick Afghan children to Germany occurred in February and August 2000. The Committee has granted eight other humanitarian flight waivers. In addition, the Committee has also granted waivers for 180 round-trip flights for the purpose of fulfilling religious obligations such as the performance of the Hajj. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Resolution on Afghanistan's Need for Humanitarian Assistance

(1) Afghanistan's neighbors should reopen their borders to allow for the safe passage of refugees, and the international community must be prepared to contribute to the economic costs incurred by the flight of desperate Afghan civilians; ... [Read More]

U.S. Support for Women in Afghanistan and Surrounding Region

The Afghan war against the Soviet Union and the ensuing civil war resulted in the devastation of the country, millions of deaths, and the flight of additional millions of refugees, chiefly to Pakistan and Iran. In the chaos that ensued, the status of women deteriorated sharply. The Taliban came to power in 1996, in part by pledging to restore order to the country. However, the Taliban regime soon began to enforce a series of ultra-conservative laws, many of which repressed the human rights of women, such as:Most women were banned from working outside the home. Girls over eight years of age were denied education.  Access to medical treatment was severely restricted. There was a brutally enforced restrictive dress code.  Women were forbidden from leaving their homes unless accompanied by a male relative. ... [Read More]

Southwest Asia

Law Enforcement Efforts. Law enforcement units engaged in counternarcotics operations include the police, the DNC, the border defense forces known as the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), customs, the navy, the coast guard, and local magistrates. Elements of the BDR, responsible for land border security within a twelve-mile swath inside the country, are widely believed to abet the smuggling of goods, including narcotics, into Bangladesh. Regular police and the BDR are viewed as so corrupt and inept at combating everyday crime that a new "Rapid Action Battalion" (RAB) force was recently set up by the central government. Customs, the navy, the coast guard and the DNC all suffer from under-funding, under-equipping, understaffing and lack of training. Customs officials also lack arrest authority. At ports of entry where customs officials are not stationed with police units, they have no capacity to detain suspected traffickers. Instead, they can only retain the ... [Read More]

Political and Security Situation of Women In Afghanistan

The Afghan war against the Soviet Union and the ensuing civil war resulted in the devastation of the country, millions of deaths, and the flight of additional millions of refugees, chiefly to Pakistan and Iran. In the chaos that ensued, the status of women deteriorated sharply. The Taliban came to power in 1996, in part by pledging to restore order to the country. However, the Taliban regime soon began to enforce a series of ultra-conservative laws, many of which repressed the human rights of women, such as:Most women were banned from working outside the home. Girls over eight years of age were denied education. Access to medical treatment was severely restricted. There was a brutally enforced restrictive dress code. Women were forbidden from leaving their homes unless accompanied by a male relative. ... [Read More]

Afghanistan (04/05)

Education: Approximately 4 million children, of whom some 30% are girls, enrolled in school during 2003. Literacy (2001 est.)--36% (male 51%, female 21%), but real figures may be lower given breakdown of education system and flight of educated Afghans. ...

Afghanistan’s national airline, Ariana, operates domestic and international routes, including flights to New Delhi, Islamabad, Dubai, Moscow, Istanbul, Tehran, and Frankfurt. A private carrier, Kam Air, commenced domestic operations in November 2003. Many sections of Afghanistan’s highway and regional road system are undergoing significant reconstruction. The U.S. (with assistance from Japan) completed building a highway linking Kabul to the southern regional capital, Kandahar. Construction is soon to begin on the next phase of highway reconstruction between Kandahar and the western city of Herat. The Asian Development Bank is nearing completion on a road reconstruction project between Kandahar and Spin Boldak, located at the southeastern border with Pakistan. ... [Read More]