World Food Programme Begins Urgent Food Aid for Families Displaced by Afghanistan-Pakistan Clashes

The World Food Programme has begun distributing urgent food aid to more than 20,000 families displaced by clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In the first phase, nutritious biscuits will be provided to meet immediate needs, followed by food or cash assistance for two months to the most vulnerable families. Specialized nutrition products are also earmarked for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers to combat malnutrition. The aid targets displaced families in eight provinces: Nuristan, Kunar and Nangarhar in the east, and Paktia, Khost, Paktika, Zabul and Kandahar in the south.

John Aylieff, head of the World Food Programme in Afghanistan, said Afghans are facing multiple crises, including increased clashes along the Durand Line between Afghanistan and Pakistan, regional tensions, hunger and malnutrition. He noted that one in three Afghans requires urgent food assistance, with 17.4 million people facing severe food insecurity and 3.7 million children needing treatment for malnutrition this year.

The agency warned that closures of trade routes and escalating regional tensions, including conflict in the Middle East, risk driving up prices of basic goods and causing shortages in Afghan markets.

Separately, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, criticized the UN Security Council's renewal of sanctions against 22 officials as a baseless violation of rights and a repetition of a failed policy. He demanded their cancellation, saying the measures have proven ineffective and hinder officials' travel and the country's international relations. The renewed list includes Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and others.