Kabul (ICRC) – Emergency aid is starting to get through to over 2,000 Pakistani and Afghan families (about 14,000 people) in the Shegal district of Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan, who have been displaced by the armed conflict in Bajaur Agency, in Pakistan.

The emergency relief supplies are being distributed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and include basic food items, blankets, plastic sheets, kitchenware and soap.

The food parcels are expected to meet needs for up to three weeks, after which another distribution could take place, if required.

"Working with volunteers from the Afghan Red Crescent Society, we have carried out an initial needs assessment in Shegal and we hope to reach an average of 500 families per day," said Patrick Schwaerzler, head of the ICRC’s sub-delegation in Jalalabad.

"Most of these families are made up of women and children.

We are trying to help the most vulnerable people cope with this situation." Distribution of the first round of emergency aid will probably continue until Wednesday.

The ICRC has been in Afghanistan since 1987, protecting and assisting the victims of armed conflict.

The organization provides emergency assistance to people who have been displaced and who are living without shelter due to armed conflict and to those severely affected by natural disasters.

Aid is distributed in cooperation with the Afghan Red Crescent Society.

For further information, please contact:
Graziella Leite Piccolo, ICRC Kabul, tel: +93 700 282 719

See also ICRC media contacts

This article on www.icrc.org