District governors and officials in Afghanistan are increasingly falling victim to insurgent attacks in the war-ravaged nation, highlighting the challenges they face as they strive to represent Kabul in contested areas.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com
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A Taliban raid on the Khawaja Omari district headquarters' compound in central Ghazni province earlier this month killed at least seven people, including Ali Shams Dost — the district governor.
The incident underscored the threats local government representatives face in Afghanistan's contested districts which, according to recent US government data, account for 30 percent of all of the conflict-stricken nation's 407 districts. Insurgent outfits like the Taliban are said to exercise full control over 57 districts, some 14 percent of the total, and the government in Kabul controls just 56 percent of them.
The threat level has increased against local government officials in these districts, since the Taliban have boosted their attacks in a bid to expand their clout in Afghanistan. "The Taliban carry out attacks almost every day to take control of my district but they have failed so far," Nasruddin Saadi, district governor of Dasht-e Archi in northern Kunduz, told DW, stating that he had to move the district headquarters to Kunduz city as the situation has deteriorated in recent months.
"The Taliban are not more than one kilometer away from the city. We are still within the range of the enemy's AK47 rifles," he added.
A dangerous job
Saadi, like many other Afghan local officials, is aware of the risks that come with his job. The young local resident of Kunduz was only appointed as Kabul's top representative for Dasht-e Archi after the former district governor — Saadi's own father — was killed in an explosion. "I have decided not to just be a district governor but also a soldier of my country since my father's killing," he said.
A district governor is a civil servant of the Afghan government who is typically supposed to deal with civilian matters. For Saadi and many other Afghan district governors, this position comes with a completely different job description. "I normally get three to four hours of sleep at night. I spend the rest of the time joining patrols, checking on security forces and trying to keep militants out of the district's central area," Saadi explained.
"Everyday, there is a chance that I might get killed, but the love for my country keeps me going," he said.
Given the grave hazards of this job, the Afghan government has not been able to find representatives for 40 districts. One reason for the dearth of applicants is the limited support Afghan district governors get from Kabul.
"Since it is a civilian post, the district governors do not need military training. Instead, we give them short one to three-day courses, informing them about the situation of the district, laws and policies," Munira Yousufzada, the head of public relations at the Independent Directorate of Local Governance, told DW.
Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
Seventeen years after the US invasion of Afghanistan, the war-torn country remains in the grip of Islamist violence. A string of deadly attacks in the last year suggests militants are stronger than ever.
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Fragile security
Repeated attacks in Afghanistan in 2018 and 2019 have killed and wounded hundreds of innocent Afghans, and shown the world the fragile and worsening state of security in the conflict-stricken country. The incidents have plunged war-weary Afghan citizens into a state of despair and highlighted the limitations faced by the government in Kabul in ensuring public security.
Image: Reuters/M. Ismail
A long series of attacks
The violent incidents have made Afghanistan once again a staple of international headlines. Outfits like the Taliban and the "Islamic State" (IS) have claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Afghan government is under heavy pressure to restore security and take back territory controlled by a number of insurgent groups, including the Taliban and IS.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Hossaini
Spring offensive
In 2018, the Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive, dismissing an offer of peace talks by President Ashraf Ghani. The militants, fighting to restore their version of strict Islamic law to Afghanistan, said their campaign was a response to a more aggressive US military strategy adopted in 2017, which aims to force the militants into peace talks.
Image: Reuters
Trump's Afghanistan policy
US President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan in 2017, vowing to deploy more troops to train and advise Afghan security forces. Trump also pledged to support Afghan troops in their war against the Taliban and maintain US presence in the country for as long as there was a need for it. In 2019, he reversed course and promised a troop pullout.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/B. Smialowski
Afghan peace process
Despite President Ghani's offer in February 2018 for peace talks "without preconditions," the Taliban had until 2019 shown no interest, dismissing the peace overtures as a "conspiracy."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Shirzad
Pakistani support
Pakistan has been under pressure from Kabul and Washington to stop offering safe havens to militants blamed for attacks in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies and insists that its influence over the insurgents has been exaggerated. Kabul and Islamabad regularly trade accusations of harboring the other country's militants and the harsh language has underscored the strains between them.
Image: DW/H. Hamraz
Role of the warlords
Apart from the Taliban, Afghan warlords exercise massive influence in the country. Last year, Hizb-i-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar returned to Kabul after a 20-year exile to play an active role in Afghan politics. In September 2016, the Afghan government signed a deal with Hekmatyar in the hope that other warlords and militant groups would seek better ties with Kabul.
Image: Reuters/O.Sobhani
An inefficient government
In the midst of an endless battle for power, President Ghani's approval ratings continue to plummet. Rampant corruption in the Afghan government and a long tug-of-war within the US-brokered national unity government has had a negative impact on the government's efforts to eradicate terrorism.
Image: Reuters/K. Pempel
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No takers for the job
Such training, Saadi said, does not prepare district governors for the danger they face on the ground. Therefore, many candidates, who are hoping to get a job with the Afghan government, avoid districts that face attacks from the Taliban and other insurgent groups. "Sometimes we repeatedly announce district governor posts in Helmand, Kandahar or Zabul but we do not get any applications," Yousufzada said.
Kabul has been finding it difficult to fill district governor posts in the Jorm district in northern Badakhshan as well as in Abkamari in western Badghis, among other areas. However, an increasing number of applicants are pursuing appointments in relatively safe provinces or in areas where they could receive strong local support against the Taliban and other insurgent groups.
"District governors who are not from the area will not be able to work due to insecurity," said Ibn Yamin, who is hoping to get a job in the relatively safe Panjshir province.
The Afghan government will continue to find it difficult to fill vacant government posts in Afghan districts as the Taliban announced their annual spring offensive on April 25. Insurgent groups typically increase attacks on Afghan districts during the warmer months of the year, which could in turn mean more challenges for district governors.
Afghan refugees forced to take a freezing journey back from Iran
Afghan refugees are being forced back to their war-torn homeland from neighboring countries, mostly from Iran. A recent UN report says over 4,000 Afghan refugees were deported from Iran last week alone.
Image: DW/S. Tanha
Returning to an uncertain future
The International Organization of Migration (IOM) has reported that between 19 and 25 November, thousands of undocumented Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan from Iran. The IOM said the mass-migration is being caused by deteriorating protection space in Iran. Here hundreds of Afghan refugees are seen crossing the border at Islam Qala, Herat Province in western Afghanistan.
Image: DW/S. Tanha
A lonely road
According to the IOM, 89 percent of the refugees deported between 19 and 25 November were individuals, out of which the majority were single men. Only seven single female deportees were registered during this time.
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Protecting the old, sick and vulnerable
Afghan migrants are facing harsh winter temperatures. The IOM provided post-arrival assistance to over 750 vulnerable groups from November 19-25. Included were 127 unaccompanied children, 80 people who needed medical assistance, and 15 unaccompanied elderly. According to the UN, last week 90,000 displaced people received humanitarian assistance and winterization support across Afghanistan.
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Mistreatment in Iran?
This man told DW that his legs were beaten with a spiked stick in Iran before he was deported. He said he had proper documents to work in Iran, but was sent back anyway. Mohammad Afkhami Rashidi, an official at the Iranian consulate in Herat, told DW that Iran has "no aggressive policies against Afghan refugees being deported" and only wants to "legally regulate the residence of foreigners."
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Left out in the cold with no way home
This unnamed deportee told DW that he was held at a detention center for 12 days and forced to work and pay for his departure. "It's cold and I am freezing," he said. "In the end I sold my phone and they let me out. Now I am here at the border and I do not even have money to drive to my own province."
Image: DW/S. Tanha
Refugees as political pawns?
Afghan refugees say host countries use them as "political pressure." The UN said in a report that return rates are influenced by a "number of political and security factors" in Afghanistan and neighboring host countries. Iran, Afghanistan and the UN have an agreement saying that returns should be "voluntary, supportive and timely" and that "returnees" should have access to "basic services."
Image: DW/S. Tanha
Coming back to a tough life
The IOM estimates that in 2017, a total of approximately 560,000 Afghans could return from Pakistan and Iran. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a recent report that 900,000 internally displaced people are currently living in camps in inhumane conditions across Afghanistan and around 3.3 million Afghans will need humanitarian assistance next year.
