NGOs call for increased delivery of aid

International NGOs have released a statement in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, saying they are seriously worried, because the needs of people inside Afghanistan are "not being met adequately". "We felt it was very important to emphasise the need for more aid needed right now inside Afghanistan," Mona Laczo, spokeswoman for Oxfam, told IRIN on Saturday.

The UN has said six million people in Afghanistan are in desperate need of food, of whom up to 1.5 million might flee in the event of a US-led attack. It recently launched an appeal of US $584 million to help avert a crisis of what it has called "stunning proportions."

"It must be remembered that these potential refugees are currently trapped inside a closed country," the statement, issued and signed by 19 NGOs working in Afghanistan, said. All countries neigbouring Afghanistan have closed their borders in the face of a potentially huge influx of refugees. Pakistan and Iran already each host one of the biggest Afghan refugee communities in the world, and have said they can no longer shoulder the burden.

Laczo said the main concern of the NGOs was to ensure more food could enter Afghanistan despite obstacles. She noted in this respect that of the country's pre-crisis food need only about 15 percent had been met.

Oxfam still has a total of 120 national staff spread through most major areas of Afghanistan, including the capital, Kabul, the western province of Herat, and the northern region. These staff are distributing food in cooperation with WFP, which was forced to suspend its deliveries three weeks ago when all international aid workers left the country and the borders were closed.

The UN had 700 national staff working inside Afghanistan, but says the number of staff it has now is "undetermined", as some may have left their stations in search of safer locations in the event of hostilities. However, last week WFP resumed shipments, and has managed to send in 4,500 mt of food with the hope of scaling up to 52,000 mt per month in order to avert a humanitarian disaster.

Laczo said Oxfam's national staff were still managing to operate to some extent despite a communication blackout on UN operations inside Afghanistan and having been banned from using satellite phones. "Work hasn't stopped inside Afghanistan, but there is an urgent need to get more food in before the winter sets in," she stressed.

"We call on the Taliban to allow us to carry out the deliveries if we are to have a chance to save the lives of innocent Afghans," Laczo said.

The onset of winter will mean that remote areas and major roads will be cut off by snowfall. Oxfam is also continuing to operate health and education clinics, and is starting a birth attendant training programme.

Laczo added that past experience had shown that it would be more effective to assist Afghans in their homes, where there was still some semblance of infrastructure and people were able to support themselves, rather than helping them in camps. She said while camps may meet the needs of new conflict-affected refugees, they would also attract people to the borders with the expectation of help.

Asked about what she thought Afghans would do in the event of military action, Laczo said: "We hope borders will open if and when there is military action [so that] Afghans will be able to cross."