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| November 15, 2001 | Thursday | Shaba’an 28, 1422 |
Alliance besiege Taliban-occupied refugee camp
ISLAMABAD, Nov 14: The Northern Alliance forces have reportedly surrounded a Taliban-occupied camp for displaced people in southwestern Afghanistan, trapping some 9,000 Afghan civilians, the UNHCR said here on Wednesday.
The UNHCR expressed “extreme fears” that the displaced Afghans in Makaki camp, where there are reportedly armed Taliban fighters among the civilian population, could become human shields or hostages.
The UNHCR staff described the situation on the Afghan side of the border as “volatile.”
Urging restraint, the UNHCR said that the warring parties should show consideration towards the civilians in the camp.
Food and water supplies at the camp are said to be very limited. Aid workers did not report to the camp after hearing reports of the fighting, further heightening the UNHCR’s fears.
The refugee agency has declined to work in the camp as long as the security of the refugees and aid staff was guaranteed .
The refugee agency has expressed similar concerns about other camps inside Afghanistan, including the Taliban camp at Spin Boldak, near the Pakistan border crossing of Chaman in southern Balochistan.
Speaking at a news conference, the UNHCR spokesperson, Yousaf Hassan said that shifting from Jalozai camp in Peshawar was stopped because of security reasons.
A press release issued by the UNHCR said that there were unconfirmed reports of a significant number of Afghan refugees arriving on Tuesday in Mohmand Agency in northwest Pakistan.
Some 3,000 people (500 families) reportedly arrived near Dendab.
Late Tuesday, the Pakistan authorities gave the UNHCR the go-ahead to resume transferring vulnerable Afghans from the Killi Faizo staging site near the Chaman border to Roghani camp further inside Pakistan.
Earlier on Tuesday, the UNHCR had alleged that the frontier corps troops at Chaman had interrupted its operations for shifting of refugees.
According to the UNHCR, the green light came too late in the day to move anyone on Tuesday.
The spokesperson said that shifting of refugees from Killi Faizo to Roghani was started on Wednesday.
The UNHCR said that on Tuesday there were reports of three Taliban troops approaching within 50 metres of Killi Faizo, brandishing rocket- propelled grenade launchers. The troops left the area, but the incident underlines serious security concerns at the site, UNHCR said.
About the situation in Afghanistan, the spokesperson said that the UNHCR offices were vandalized in Kabul. The looters took away everything including 1,900 tents and even the windowpanes, he said.
The spokesperson further said that the UNHCR international staff crossed into Afghanistan on Wednesday.
The UNHCR staff and the international staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross are among the first few international staff going back to Afghanistan since their withdrawal after September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
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