The United Nations on Saturday expressed concern at deteriorating security in Afghanistan with looting and attacks on staff undermining operations.
UN spokesman Antonio Donino said law and order was breaking down across the strife-torn country now facing daily US air strikes.
"The United Nations' ability to keep operating is diminishing day by day," said the spokesman, highlighting that there were reduced contacts with UN and aid group offices.
Donino said security fears were worst in the eastern city of Jalalabad, the capital Kabul, the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar in the south, Kunduz in the northeast, the town of Mazar-i-Sharif and other parts of the north.
"We are receiving reports from various sources almost daily about UN and aid offices being taken over, items seized or looted and staff beaten."
Numbers of foreign staff have already been reduced to a minimum and the spokesman said the numbers of Afghans able to work for relief agencies was decreasing because of the threatening situation.
On Wednesday, Donino said, "armed elements broken into the UN office in Kabul, beat up the guard and took three vehicles". He said the UN agency clearing mines in Afghanistan estimated that it had lost 80 vehicles.
UN officials said the worsening security situation made it increasingly difficult to distribute food and other desperately needed supplies in the country.
Donini said there were six million people at risk in Afghanistan. "They are suffering from hunger, but they are also suffering from fear," he said.
The spokesman said that all electricity had now been cut in Kandahar, which has been a particular target of US air strikes started on October 7.
Kandahar is the stronghold of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. Osama bin Laden, the accused mastermind of the September 11 terror attacks on New York and Washington, also has a house there.
The first US ground attacks in Afghanistan late Friday targeted an air base near Kandahar, US defense sources said.
"Under the current circumstances the UN believes that the delivery of humanitarian assistance is increasingly difficult," the spokesman said, predicting it would get worse.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has said that it is "facing serious financial problems" with its Afghanistan emergency operation.
It said that an initial 50 million dollars is needed but that only 12 million dollars in contributions had been received.
It said the money was needed for helping up to 400,000 new refugees, mainly in Pakistan and Iran -- ISLAMABAD (AFP)
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