The Police have not yet determined the cause of the attack. Preliminary investigations at the site revealed several fragments of thick metal, indicating it was caused by some form of artillery since the extent of damage was too minimal to be that of a mortar or a grenade attack. It was also deduced that the round was fired and that an explosive device had not been planted. Parts of the exterior wall were damaged, and there was also a hole in the open ground beyond the wall in the warehouse, which was being used to build toilets.

All employees working in this warehouse were non-UN staff. There are armed and unarmed guards at the site 24 hours a day.

Following that incident, at 9:10 a.m. on the same day, a UN electoral vehicle with two national staff members and one international were proceeding in an easterly direction along the Kandahar Airport Road. The vehicle was leading a two-car convoy, both of which had UN markings. Approximately five kilometres past the Kandahar City Customs Gate and around100 metres from a Government check post, the vehicle passed over a culvert. The culvert was flanked on one side by three 44-gallon drums and on the other by two 44-gallon drums painted red and white and used as traffic control measures. When the vehicle was within one metre of the last drum in the series, an IED in the drum was detonated. The vehicle was thrown back approximately 2-3 metres. It stalled but was restarted after the fourth attempt. No personnel were injured in the blast and both vehicles returned to the UN Compound. The lead vehicle sustained damage to its panels and windscreen.

Upon investigation, the drum could be viewed from up to 1,000 meters away on flat, featureless and treeless ground. Although no firing device was found, it is likely that the IED was detonated via remote control due to its precise initiation.

The plan for phase II is to open 4,600 registration sites across the country. Each of these sites will contain two registration teams - one for women and one for men. As in Phase I, each registration team will have four members: a Team Leader; a Registration Officer; a Photographer and a Lamination Officer. If you multiply the number of estimated registration sites for Phase II (4,600) by the number of staff for the male and female teams (8), you get the total number of staff that the JEMB has to recruit for Phase II: 36,800. This recruitment is being undertaken at the provincial and district level. As we have said before, Phase II is scheduled to begin on 1 May.

Regarding the issue of out-of-country registration for Afghan refugees, we can tell you that memorandums of understanding are being drafted between Afghanistan and the Governments of Iran and Pakistan on how to conduct out-of-country registration and polling for the election. Special provisions for Afghans who return to Afghanistan to take part in the elections are also being established.

As of yesterday, 1,862,689 Afghans had registered to vote. The gender breakdown is 1,310,101 men and 552,588 women or 70 percent to 30 percent. Women have made up one-third of all registrants for the past ten weeks. A breakdown of the figures is available on the side table.

Just to recap, in early March, an intensive programme to upgrade the skills of policemen in the southeast began. The training imparts international standards of policing. The course is part of the Academy's Transition Integration Program (TIP), which is a refresher course for senior police officers. A total of 816 have graduated so far. In two weeks, 600 more police officers and 400 policemen will undergo similar training to upgrade skills and acquire basic training. On 10 March 1,000 police from Balk, Sar-i-Pul, Faryab, Jawjan and Samangan began the same course at the Mazar Police Academy.

In Kandahar City, 175 officers from Kandahar, Hilmand, Uruzgan, Zabul and Nimroz began training last Thursday under the Transition Integration Program. A total of 396 police from the southern area have graduated in two batches from the Kandahar Police Academy. The aim is to train some 3,000 police in the south by June. The TIP is led and funded by the United States and complements training by Germany, the lead nation assisting in the reform of the Afghan police.

The donation of equipment to the MRRD is part of the second phase of a capacity development project, which began in September 2003 and is worth an estimated $500,000. WFP's support to the Ministry of Communication is estimated at $250,000 and aims to assist in establishing communication centers in each of the provincial capitals.

More information is available in a media advisory on the side table.

Although the NSP began in August of 2003, it is now in its most significant phase during which grant payments are being distributed. In the past three months, from the beginning of January to the end of March, some $4.6 million was disbursed for 463 community projects.

There are now some 3,800 local development councils that have been elected by community members across the country. Electing these councils is the first step for communities to decide on the type of project their neighborhood needs. Local councils have submitted 1,709 new projects in recent weeks, 600 of which have already been approved. The NSP expects to disburse up to $25 million by July, with the average project costing $11,000. Projects range from building roads and schools to repairing irrigation canals and bridges.

The NSP is managed by the MRRD with support from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) and some 22 local and international NGOs. Funding is provided by the World Bank.

The primary purpose of the workshop is to launch the Urban Land Sector Study and identify critical land issues in Kabul and other urban areas. The Study Team will be comprised of World Bank staff as well as international and legal experts. The Study will be conducted over the next several months and will address various inter-related land sector issues including land markets, property rights, land-use planning, administration regulation, taxation and investment. The objective is to produce policy guidance on these and other important land development issues.

Interested media can attend the opening session between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. There is also a media advisory available on the side table for more details.

UNHCR Spokesperson - Vesna Petkovic

UNHCR staff in Afghanistan and the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation double-check the information and make every possible effort to overcome the obstacles preventing the identified group from returning. The information is sent back to the refugees who can then decide if they want to return.

The first such "facilitated group" return movement this year happened at the beginning of April, when UNHCR assisted 63 families (318 individuals) - who had lived in Karachi for more than ten years - return to Qaisar district, in Faryab province. UNHCR field staff is currently assessing their situation.

The largest "facilitated group" to return to Afghanistan so far arrived on Thursday afternoon, 22 April - 232 families (1,151 individuals) from Naryab, Doaba, Thal and Oblang refugee camps in the North West Frontier Province in Pakistan.

They crossed the border into Khost province and proceeded to Gardez encashment center where they were processed for further destinations in Khost, Paktya and Logar provinces. Almost all of them came back under the FGR programme. In the encashment center in Gardez they received travel allowances and cash assistance as well as food and non-food items allocated specially for "facilitated group" returns to the Southeast.

According to earlier UNHCR findings, families under the FGR programme to Khost and Paktya will be prioritized for shelter beneficiary selection, while families whose final destination is Logar province will be probably considered for other projects within the FGR programme. (Since their claim to land in Nawabad will probably not be recognized by the authorities).

It is important to underline that the movement from NWFP camps was voluntary, followed by many interviews with refugees carried out by UNHCR Pakistan. Refugees in Naryab were informed about the government plans to erect a dam almost two years ago and were aware that they would have to leave the camp in due time.

After having been fully informed about the options to return under the FGR initiative, they made a decision to go back to their country and help re-build Afghanistan. Both FGR movements are of significance because Faryab province, and the Southeast, have been problematic areas for repatriation in the past two years.

The movement is scheduled on Monday, 26 April. At the encashment center in Khost they also received food and non-foods items, they were medically screened by IOM doctors and received mine awareness training. Children were immunized.

According to the latest data, there are about 160,000 internally displaced people remaining in Afghanistan, down from over one million IDPs at the fall of the Taliban regime. UNHCR hopes to be able to help at least 100,000 displaced return to their original places by the end of this year.

Return update: over 100,000

Judging by the number of returnees during the last and current week, the repatriation season is gaining momentum; since the resumption of organized returns in March this year, in less than eight weeks a total of over 100,000 Afghans returned from mostly neighboring countries, Iran and Pakistan, with or without assistance:

As of 20 April 2004, returns from Iran: 43,000; returns from Pakistan: 60,892.

Questions and Answers

Question: You had said before that UNAMA was sending local commanders abroad. Can you give us some details on this?

Senior Media Relations Officer: At the last briefing we said that there are incentives to encourage the commanders to join the process and amongst these incentives being discussed is one for these commanders to be given the opportunity to study in foreign countries. This has not happened yet. And it is not through UNAMA but through the Ministry of Defence, donor countries and the ANBP (Afghanistan New Beginnings Programme).

Question: Following the explosions in Kandahar, have you further limited the movement of staff?

Senior Media Relations Officer: All UN operations in the region have been temporarily suspended. That includes the operating of voter registration sites, which have been temporary closed pending further assessment. The PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) and the Coalition continue to patrol the city and additional Government check points are being set up. Again, these are temporary and will last until the investigation is completed.

Question: Is the UN still in Kandahar?

Senior Media Relations Officer: Yes, we are still there. We have not evacuated. There is limited movement among national and international staff. They go from home to office and back home again, but operations continue, albeit in a limited way.

Question: In terms of the expansion of the voter registration sites to insecure areas, have you thought about other options such as sending national staff to provinces like Uruzgan or places where you have not been able to go?

Senior Media Relations Officer: The areas that we consider insecure are Tirin Kot (Uruzgan), Qalat (Zabul), Sharan (Paktika) and Paroon (Nuristan). If international staff cannot go there because it is insecure, then I don't see why we should send Afghan staff. They are both equally in danger. Assessments are on going and the situation will be addressed by joint efforts, including local security forces, local police forces and the Coalition. We have also been talking about ISAF expansion. However, if an area is insecure we will not hold internationals back and send just nations. No one is expendable.

Question: Can you give us some more information about the incident in Kunduz? Was this the first time something has happened there?

Senior Media Relations Officer: No, I believe there was an incident last year, in 2003. There is no known motive for the attack at the moment. There is an investigation under way. All we know is how it took place but we don't yet know the reason behind it as yet.

Question: You said that there are some commanders who do not want to be disarmed. Can you give us the name of these commanders and which part of the country they are in?

Senior Media Relations Officer: I do not know who these commanders are. We just know that there are some elements that are reticent to give up their arms. Discussions are on going, overtures are being made, incentives are being offered but I do not have any names for you.

Question: There are reports that there was firing at the UNHCR offices in Kandahar. Can you confirm this?

Senior Media Relations Officer: No, the reason that I gave you that update today is to put all of these rumors to rest.

Question: How far does it have to go before you would consider evacuation? How do you assess the situation because it is clearly getting worse?

Senior Media Relations Officer: The situation was brought to the fore last November when our UNHCR colleague was murdered. The situation is one of great concern. What seems to be emerging is that there seems to be very little differentiation between military targets and soft targets. But we have not reached a point where we have considered evacuating. We suspend our operations whenever such incidents take place and when we feel that security has returned, we have resumed our operations. In an ideal world, we would like to be able to continue our operations but should the situation become untenable, then obviously we will have to take appropriate measures to protect our staff, both national and international. At the moment we do not think it has gotten to that stage. We do acknowledge that there is danger out there and we can be targeted. But we do not consider the situation to be at a point where we have to stop our operations. At the moment one of our main objections is to remain sure that this electoral process goes through and that we can all pull together to create a secure environment. Afghans must feel safe to exercise their right to register and to vote, and it must also be safe for our staff to help them to do that.

Question: Are there any measures being taken to address the insecurity? Perhaps something like a public information campaign?

Senior Media Relations Officer: You can always run campaigns. I do not think that the problems we are experiencing comes from the vast majority of the Afghan population. There are, however, elements out there whose main purpose is to destabilize whatever gains have been made over the past two years. The immediate solution to this problem - the solution that we have been calling for over the past 18 months - is an expanded security presence outside of Kabul. And by expanded we mean countrywide ISAF/NATO expansion. The longer-term solution is the development of the Afghan National Army and the Police. This will take time but we have seen effective deployment of these forces in the past few months. One can launch a public information campaign but I think the people who are targets of the campaign will not listen to it. We need forces; that is the bottom line. We need an expanded military presence throughout the country.

Question: Have there been any other incidents such as in Kandahar where the UN has been forced to suspend voter registration?

Senior Media Relations Officer: I believe that the only other time that voter registration was temporarily suspended was after the recent killing of the Minister of Aviation in Heart but this wasn't just voter registration - all UN staff movement was suspended. Registration sites are closing in anticipation of Phase II but sites will also be re-opening. They are not closing down because of security. One phase of the registration process is over and some 4,600 sites are being prepared throughout the country.

Question: The commanders who do not want to be disarmed - can you say at which level are they and from which region?

Senior Media Relations Officer: No, I cannot.