Geneva- Armed bandits had stolen food worth 350,000 US dollars in 20 raids in 12 months on aid lorries crossing southern Afghanistan, the UN World Food Programme, WFP, said Friday. It said it was becoming increasingly concerned as the number of attacks were on the rise, threatening the main supply route to the south-east and south-west of the country. There had been eight since April alone.
The lorries were targeted on the "riskiest and most exposed of routes" used to take two thirds of all food aid to some 3.5 million vulnerable people, said a WFP spokeswoman.
It crosses large expanses of desert through Kandahar to Farah from the border crossing point with Pakistan at Spin Buldak.
Drivers were becoming increasingly reluctant to undertake the journey. Efforts so far by the government in Kabul had failed to improve security.
