ISLAMABAD, 25 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - More than 2.5 million Afghan refugees would like to continue living in Pakistan beyond 2005, according to a detailed census report released on Wednesday by Pakistani authorities, in conjunction with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Full report

ANKARA, 24 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has denied claims by the Uzbek authorities that it is harbouring alleged criminals and terrorists.Full report

ISLAMABAD, 23 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Islamabad intends to adhere to a timetable of closures of various Afghan refugee camps and settlements across the country, a government official said on Tuesday, responding to reports that extensions were being considered to allow camp residents time to leave in safety and with dignity.Full report

ANDIJAN, 18 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Three months after a violent government crack down on protests in the southeastern Uzbek city of Andijan, there is a palpable sense of fear on and off the streets, despite less soldiers seen in public and shops and office open as usual. People who witnessed the killing of up to 1,000 mainly unarmed civilians on 13 May in and around the city say they are burning inside but giving up hope of obtaining justice for the dead and injured.Full report

OSH, 16 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Activists believe that more than 1,000 Uzbeks may still be in Kyrgyzstan and in need of assistance after fleeing from a violent government crackdown in the southeastern Uzbek city of Andijan on 13 May. More than 400 Uzbek refugees from Andijan recently left Kyrgyzstan under the protection of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Full report

ANKARA , 10 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - The case of more than a dozen Uzbeks who fled violence in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan in May and are currently being held in custody in southern Kyrgyzstan, now appears to be progressing. Even so, no final decision has yet been made as to their fate by the Kyrgyz authorities.Full report

ISLAMABAD, 8 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Pakistani authorities have announced the closure of over 30 Afghan refugee camps by the end of August, citing security concerns. All are located in Kurram and Bajaur agencies in the western tribal belt of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan. The move is a further step in the continuing policy of camp closures. Full report

ISLAMABAD, 5 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Plans to evict Afghan refugees still living in the Pakistani capital and the adjacent city of Rawalpindi are still being worked out, following a formal announcement of the move earlier this week.Full report

ANKARA, 4 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - The fate of more than a dozen Uzbeks who fled violence in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan in May and are currently being detained in southern Kyrgyzstan remains unclear, pending a decision by the Kyrgyz prosecutor general.Full report

LAHORE, 2 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - In a further effort to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees across Pakistan, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has increased the activities of its mobile repatriation teams for those living in scattered urban and rural areas.Full report

KYRGYZSTAN-UZBEKISTAN: Focus on Andijan asylum seekers

AFGHANISTAN: Interview with rural development minister

AFGHANISTAN: Interview with governor of isolated Nuristan province

PAKISTAN: Focus on a quarter century of UN assistance to Afghan refugees

TAJIKISTAN: Interview with Vladimir Sotirov, head of UN peace-building office in Tajikistan