SOUTH ASIA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

2164summer of 1999, refugees from the Taliban offensive in the Shomali plain reportedsummary executions of noncombatants. The number of those killed or detained infighting by the Taliban in 1999 is unknown. In August 1998, the Taliban capturedMazar-i-Sharif. There were reports that as many as 5,000 persons, mostly ethnicHazara civilians, were massacred by the Taliban after the takeover of Mazar-i-Sharif. In September 1998, the Taliban captured Bamiyan; during the fighting anestimated 200 civilians were killed. There were also credible reports of a massacreof 45 civilians in a village near Bamiyan by Taliban commanders in September1998. AI reported that the Taliban massacred 70 Hazara civilians, including children,in Qezelabad, near Mazar-i-Sharif in 1997. There were also reports thatTaliban forces in Faryab province killed some 600 civilians in late 1997.In general independent investigations of alleged killings were hindered by continuingwarfare and the unwillingness of local commanders to allow investigatorsto visit the areas in question (see Section 1.a.). The Taliban denied charges that itsforces massacred or committed atrocities against civilians and claimed that civiliandeaths, if any, resulted from combat.Prior to its summer offensive, the Taliban claimed that the Northern Alliancebombed Shekhar Darra and Gol Darra, killing an unspecified number of civilians.The discovery of mass graves near Shibarghan in the northern part of the countryin 1997 was widely reported. The graves allegedly contained 2,000 corpses, reportedlythose of Taliban forces captured near Mazar-i-Sharif in mid-1997 and executedby Northern Alliance forces (see Section 1.a.).There were reports in 1999 that Masood’s commanders in the northeast were ‘‘taxing’’humanitarian assistance entering Afghanistan from Tajikistan, harassing NGOworkers, obstructing aid convoys, and otherwise hindering the movement of humanitarianaid (see Section 4). There were no reports of such behavior during the year,and, on the contrary, the Masood forces appeared welcoming to NGO’s.Continued warfare also resulted in massive forced displacement of civilians. Overthe course of the year, it is estimated that up to 75,000 persons may have fled thefighting, although a majority of them reportedly have returned to their homes. Anestimated 500,000–750,000 Afghans remain internally displaced following years ofconflict. More than 2.4 million Afghans are living as refugees in Pakistan and Iran.A much larger number over the past 21 years has sought refuge abroad. Womenand children constituted the majority of those in need of humanitarian assistance.Afghanistan is the most heavily mined country in the world, according to U.N.mine-clearing experts. The U.N. estimates that there are 5 to 7 million landminesand over 750,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance throughout the country, sown mainlyduring the Soviet occupation. However, some NGO’s estimate that there may beless than 1 million mines. There have been claims that 162 of 356 districts aremine-affected. The most heavily mined areas are the provinces bordering Iran andPakistan. The landmines and unexploded ordnance cause deaths and injuries, restrictareas available for cultivation, and slow the return of refugees. At the end of1999, according to the NGO Halo Trust, mines covered more than an estimated 420square miles, including over 285 square miles of grazing land; over 100 square milesof agricultural land; almost 25 square miles of roads; 7.5 square miles of residentialarea; and over 2 square miles of irrigation systems and canals. From 1995–97, newmines are believed to have been laid over 90 square miles of land, reportedly mainlyby the Northern Alliance in the western provinces of Badghis and Faryab. Additionalnewly mined areas were reported but not confirmed during the year in theconflict areas north of Kabul. The Northern Alliance reportedly laid these in responseto the Taliban’s summer offensive. Taliban leader Mullah Omar reportedlybanned the use, production, trade, and stockpiling of mines in 1998. Despite thegeneral prohibition on the depiction of living things, the Taliban allowed the visualdepiction of persons in demining educational materials.An estimated 400,000 Afghans have been killed or wounded by landmines. Currentlycasualties caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance are estimated at 10to 12 per day. In some parts of the country, including in Herat and Kandahar, almost90 percent of households are affected by the presence of landmines. An estimated96 percent of civilian mine and unexploded ordnance casualties are male. Approximately53 percent of mine and unexploded ordnance casualties occur in the 18to 40 age group, while 34 percent of the casualties involve children, according to theU.N. Mine Action Center. Landmines and unexploded ordnance resulted in death inapproximately 30 percent of cases and in serious injuries and disability, includingamputation and blindness, in approximately 20 percent of cases.With funding from international donors, the U.N. has organized and trained minedetection and clearance teams, which operate throughout the country. Nearly allareas that have been cleared are in productive use, and approximately 1.5 millionrefugees and internally displaced persons have returned to areas cleared of minesVerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:46 Sep 20, 2001 Jkt 071555 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6621 F:\WORK\COUNTRYR\S71555\71555.034 HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1