UK Pledges New Aid to Afghanistan Refugees

UK Pledges New Aid to Afghanistan Refugees

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Britain pledged an extra US$21 million in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan in addition to US$35 million already committed to assist aid efforts in the region, the British government announced Friday.

International Development Secretary Clare Short told a media briefing at the Ministry of Defense Friday that aid workers are facing a "race against time" to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, adding that current humanitarian efforts need to be doubled to avoid a "catastrophe."

Short said food was still being delivered and distributed in Afghanistan, but the priority was to step up the operation.

"We are racing against time to truck massive quantities of food and other emergency supplies into the country before the snows make large-scale trucking hazardous," she said.

"The priority now is to get sufficient supplies in to feed the hungry and lay down stocks to survive through the winter," she said.

She also criticized the Taliban for making humanitarian efforts difficult even before the terror attacks of 11 September, and 4.5 million Afghan refugees had already fled to neighboring countries.