UN says refugees might be used as human shields

War on terrorism: Aid

The international humanitarian operation shifted into a new gear when the European Union, the United Nations and Nato all began planning for an aid effort to reach as many as 7.5 million people inside Afghanistan.

On the ground, aid agencies were preparing to return to territory that had to be abandoned after 11 September to try to restart distribution of food. Officials believe that the retreat of the Taliban will give a boost to the aid effort, although the situation remains fluid with large numbers of refugees on the move.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was particu-larly concerned for about 6,000 people in a Taliban-controlled camp in south-west Afghan-istan. It warned that the civilians might be used as human shields or hostages by Taliban soldiers as Northern Alliance fighters continued to close in on the area, and it appealed to the government of Iran to open the nearby border.

In Brussels, Nato hopes to produce a plan early next week listing options for assistance in the region, after pressure to act from the United States, Britain, Canada and Italy.

Nato's willingness to become involved means it could place its considerable planning capabilities at the disposal of the aid agencies. However, it is also designed to give Nato a role in the campaign against terrorism, something that has so far been absent. Although Nato invoked its mutual defence clause for the first time in its history after the 11 September attacks, its role, so far, has been negligible.

One Nato diplomat said: "We are being prepared for what a number of people see as an inevitable request to provide assistance. Whether these would be small, medium or large-scale operations depends on what those international agencies would be asking for."

Both the UNHCR and the European Commission are working on an assessment of immediate needs.

Inside Afghanistan the picture remains opaque because UN staff have yet to receive formal permission from New York to return there.

Aid agencies are having to try to draw conclusions while thousands of people are on the move. Over the past three days 2,649 people have returned to Afghanistan across the Iranian border. However, as many as 3,000 Afghans may have crossed into north-west Pakistan, arriving near Dendab.

Ron Redmond, the chief spokesman for the UNHCR, said: "Since we do not have people on the ground we do not have a good assessment of what the needs are. But our general assessment is that 7.5 million people inside Afghan-istan are going to need some form of assistance – primarily food and shelter."

In Brussels, Michael Curtis, spokesman for Poul Nielson, the European commissioner for development, said the agencies needed to make a thorough assessment of the humanitarian needs in a rapidly changing situation. He added: "Our main problem is security for getting food into Afghanistan and protecting personnel. The security situation is compounded by the problems of communication in a country where radios were banned by the Taliban."

The UNHCR has already received $57m (£39m) for the first phase of its operation and is seeking a total of $268m (£184m); the European Commission has 8.5m euros (£5.2m) to allocate in its coffers and may try to raise more funds.

Nato's decision to plan for a role in the crisis could be controversial with some of the aid agencies.

The alliance played a significant role in the Kosovo conflict where it helped construct refugee camps swiftly in Macedonia and Albania but some agencies were unhappy about dealing with a participant in the conflict.

However, Mr Redmond said that working with the military "is not unprecedented" and added: "I would imagine that, if some assistance were offered maybe the UNHCR would look at specific requests such as whether we could use a water purification plant or transport for shelter."