KABUL, Nov 22: The United Nations and other aid agencies operating in Afghanistan are struggling to respond in the face of growing lawlessness which is hampering relief efforts in a desperately poor country.

“Insecurity remains a major hurdle for the distribution of humanitarian aid,” said UN spokesman Eric Falt.

“Our truck drivers are not armed and they are at the mercy of whoever is armed. In a case like that, there is nothing we can do.

“Of course we do rely at the same time on the local authorities to ensure the protection of humanitarian assistance and the protection of these routes,” he said.

On Wednesday, the United Nations announced that all its offices and those of various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had been looted in two of Afghanistan’s largest cities, Mazar-i-Sharif in the north and Jalalabad in the east.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, which fell to Northern Alliance forces two weeks ago, the UN’s entire fleet of vehicles and all its office and communications equipment were stolen.

Similar looting emptied UN and NGO offices in Jalalabad, which is under the control of Pakhtoon warlords, while armed gunmen raided the offices of the UN demining agency in the eastern city of Gardez, beating up staff and stealing two vehicles.—AFP