ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: Deputy humanitarian coordinator for Afghan refugees and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) director in Islamabad said on Saturday that six million people in Afghanistan need urgent humanitarian assistance.

“They (Afghans) face a very uncertain and uneven frightening future as only a few have crossed international borders because those borders largely remain closed,” he told a joint press conference, where WFP and Unicef representatives also spoke.

He said many people deeper inside Afghanistan could not get out. They are most vulnerable people, those who face greater risk under the circumstances, he said. They are suffering from hunger but they are also suffering from fear and exposure. In some cases, they are in areas where there is breakdown of law and order, he said.

He said the ability of the UN to continue work in Afghanistan was rapidly deteriorating with the decline of law and order in some urban centres.

“We are receiving reports from various sources almost daily, about UN and aid offices being taken over, items seized, looting and staff beaten in Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar, Kunduz and parts of the north,” he said.

He said the number of national staff able to work was decreasing among the UN agencies and some NGOs.

The operational capacity is lessening, he said and added that under the circumstances, the UN believed that delivering humanitarian assistance was becoming difficult.

“If the situation continues to deteriorate, opportunities for aid are expected to further diminish,” he said.

He said, on Wednesday again, armed elements broke into a UN office in Kabul, beat up the guard and drove away with three vehicles.

The UN Mine Action Programme has ascertained that it has also lost 80 vehicles.

In addition, this week, all UN offices and some NGOs and IOM office in Kunduz have been looted and occupied, he said.

The UN agencies fear that there will be further looting and occupation of their premises.

He said the governor of Northern region of Mazar was trying to keep the situation under control and was attempting to protect aid agencies offices and had assures the return of looted equipment.

This is clearly a positive and welcome step, however, the situation in the city is also very volatile at the moment with increased fighting being reported close to the city, he said.

He the electricity supply to Kandahar had been terminated due to the bombing and water supply had further deteriorated.

A very large number of Kandaharis are on the move to Chaman border or other rural areas.

He said that all UN offices in Jalalabad, however, were being used by the respective UN agencies.

In Herat, where communications are still possible, the situation seems to be less affected, he said.

The UN official said rural areas around the country were also more secure, including paths of the north where the need was very great.—APP