GENEVA: The United Nations warned Tuesday that low supplies of food aid were threatening to plunge war-ravaged Afghanistan into a humanitarian disaster once winter arrives.
Since the Taliban swept into power in Afghanistan 10 days ago, the UN's World Food Programme said it had managed to bring 600 metric tonnes of food and 16 new trucks into the country to scale up preparations to assist families through the harsh winter.
But WFP's deputy regional director Anthea Webb told reporters in Geneva that the agency was running out of time to get aid to where it needs to go. Usually at this time of year, WFP would be prepositioning food stocks across the country and distributing it to needy families before they are cut off by heavy snow.
But faced with tight funding levels and soaring needs, it said this year is it facing the threat of running out of wheat flour - its core supply - from October.
"We have only a few short weeks to secure the necessary donor funding and get food in place before mountain passes are blocked by snow," Webb said.
Once the snow sets in, it will be too late to help, she warned.
Any further delay in WFP's preparations could be deadly, Webb cautioned, saying the agency needed $200 million immediately to deliver lifesaving assistance "before it's too late".
"A humanitarian catastrophe awaits the people of Afghanistan this winter unless the global community makes their lives a priority."
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