UN begins distributing aid to families affected by Afghanistan-Pakistan clashes

KABUL (Pajhwok): The World Food Programme (WFP) has begun distributing emergency food assistance to families affected by clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

More than 20,000 families displaced by the conflict are receiving immediate life-saving food assistance, the agency said in a statement.

It said initially, affected families are receiving fortified biscuits to meet urgent food needs. The most vulnerable households will then receive two months of food assistance or cash support.

The statement added WFP would also provide specialised food products for children and pregnant and breastfeeding women to support their essential nutrition.

The statement further said the assistance would reach displaced families in provinces of Nuristan, Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Khost, Paktika, Zabul and Kandahar.

“This is crisis upon crisis: after enduring shocks such as job losses and earthquakes, families already struggling with hunger — many with malnourished mothers and children — now find themselves on the frontlines of conflict,” said John Aylieff, WFP Country Director in Afghanistan.

“We cannot afford to look away. Afghanistan is caught between two conflicts, and any further instability will push millions deeper into hunger while adding strain to a region already on the brink,” he added.

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