Afghanistan Mortality Survey 2010 - Measure DHS

After the fall of the communist regime of Najibullah in 1992, the Afghan political parties agreedon a peace and power-sharing agreement known as the Peshawar Accords. The Peshawar Accords createdthe Islamic State of Afghanistan and appointed an interim government for a transitional period. Theresignation of President Najibullah from the Government of Afghanistan also saw the entrance of theMujahideen groups into Kabul. However, between 1992 and 1996 peace was tenuous as Pakistan, Iranand Saudi Arabia sought to exert their influence in gaining a foothold in Afghanistan by funding localmilitias which let to fighting among multiple factions up until the Taliban entered the city in 1996, In thisperiod a number of Afghans were killed, and most of Kabul city was destroyed (Dupree et al, 2011). TheTaliban started shelling Kabul in early 1995, but they were defeated by forces of the Islamic Stategovernment under Ahmad Shah Massoud. For the first time in several months, Kabul civilians becomethe targets of rocket attacks and shelling aimed at residential areas in the city. On September 26, 1996,Massoud ordered a full retreat from Kabul as the Taliban prepared for another major offensive. TheTaliban seized Kabul on September 27, 1996, and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan(Physicians for Human Rights, 1998). In December 2001, after the Taliban government was toppled andthe new Karzai Administration was formed, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) wasestablished by the UN Security Council to help Afghanistan provide basic security.In 2002, the Taliban began to regroup, and meanwhile more coalition troops entered theescalating war in Afghanistan against insurgents. Meanwhile, coalition forces from the North AtlanticTreaty Organization (NATO) assumed control of ISAF in 2003. The re-construction of Afghanistanbegan, funded by the international community and primarily by the United States Agency forInternational Development (USAID) and other US agencies. The European Union, Canada, and India alsoplayed a major role. The Afghan nation has been able to build democratic structures and to make someprogress in key areas, such as health, economy, education, transport, agriculture, and construction. It hasalso modernized the fields of technology and banking. NATO is rebuilding and modernizing the militaryof Afghanistan as well as the Afghan National Police. Between 2002 and 2010, over five million Afghanrefugees returned to their country, bringing with them new skills and capital. Still, Afghanistan remainsone of the poorest countries in the world due to the impact of 30 years of war.1.1.3 EconomySince 2002, the economy of Afghanistan has improved significantly from an infusion ofinternational assistance and investment as well as remittances from expatriates. This improvement is alsoattributed to its growing agricultural production and the end of a four-year drought in most parts of thecountry. Yet, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world anddepends heavily on foreign aid. As of 2010, the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) at current priceswas about US$17 billion; the GDP per capita at current prices was estimated at US$572 in 2010 (IMF,2011).About 36 percent of the country’s population is unemployed and lives below the povertythreshold. There are shortages of housing, clean drinking water, electricity, and employment (WorldBank, 2010). The current administration, along with international donors, has remained committed toimproving access to these basic necessities by prioritizing infrastructure development, education, housing,job creation, medical care, and economic reform. The replacement of opium production in Afghanistan,which probably makes up about one-third of the country’s GDP, is one of several areas to focus on foreconomic development over the long term.The Afghan economy has always been based on agriculture, although only 12 percent of its totalland is arable and less than 6 percent is currently cultivated. The agricultural sector accounts for aboutone-third of the country’s GDP and employs an estimated 80 percent of Afghans (GAIN, 2011). It isdependent on cereal, and primarily wheat cultivation, and other annual crop production which account forIntroduction | 3