Islamabad: The UN World Food Programme today expressed concern over a rise in the looting of humanitarian food supplies in northwestern Pakistan, saying it was hurting the poor.

Some 900 tons of edible oil and wheat were looted in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP), which borders Afghanistan, in three incidents in the last month, it said in a statement.

The UN agency said that it was "greatly concerned over rapidly increasing losses of humanitarian food aid destined for the undernourished population" of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Landlocked Afghanistan depends on Pakistan for its supplies from overseas.

Suspected Taliban-linked militants in Pakistan have burnt several oil tankers carrying fuel for coalition forces based in Afghanistan and attacked goods trucks in the past.

"In three different incidents over 900 tons of wheat and edible oil with a value of approximately one million US dollars were lost to armed assaults in NWFP," the World Food Programme (WFP) statement said.

There has been a surge in violence in the province in recent months blamed on Islamic militants from the Taliban regime who fled across the border following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Pakistani troops have increased operations in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan in a bid to root out Islamist militants.

"The deteriorating security situation in NWFP is hampering WFP s ability to provide much needed food assistance for the poor in Pakistan and Afghanistan," Wolfgang Herbinger, WFP Country Director in Pakistan said.
Source : PTI