Country: Afghanistan Source: World Food Programme KABUL – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun to rapidly mobilize a large-scale emergency response for communities in Afghanistan impacted by the conflict with Pakistan and is adapting quickly to keep life-saving aid moving despite violence in the region and shipping disruptions. WFP is delivering immediate life-saving food to over 20,000 families displaced by the conflict. Initially, impacted families are receiving fortified biscuits to address urgent food needs. The most vulnerable will then receive two months’ worth of food or cash assistance. WFP will also provide specialized food products for children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women to support their essential nutrition. Despite the dangerous conditions in the area, WFP has resumed operations in most border areas. In addition, assistance to displaced families is going to reach people across eight provinces. Beginning in the east with Nuristan, Kunar and Nangarhar, moving south through Paktya, Khost and Paktika, and continuing into Zabul and Kandahar along Afghanistan’s southern border. “This is crisis upon crisis: after enduring shocks like job losses and earthquakes, families already struggling with hunger—many with malnourished mothers and children—now find themselves on the frontlines of conflict,” said John Aylieff, WFP Country Director in Afghanistan. “We cannot afford to look away: Afghanistan is caught between two conflicts, and any further instability will push millions deeper into hunger while adding strain to a region already on the brink.” The closure of the Afghanistan–Pakistan border since last October and the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East are creating severe challenges for WFP’s emergency response in Afghanistan. WFP is adapting quickly. For example, to sustain delivery of assistance, WFP is working to activate the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, which links Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan