The U.N. and its humanitarian partners should be ready to provide assistance to vulnerable Afghans likely to be affected by a planned offensive in the Kandahar province, UPI.com notes. International military forces are slowly shifting their offensive to Kandahar from the nearby Helmand province.
Afghanistan Rights Monitor, an advocacy organization, said the U.N. should make sure it is adequately equipped to respond to a potential humanitarian crisis in the area.
“The people of Kandahar should not be left alone in the hard days and nights of the forthcoming military operation,” said ARM Director Ajmal Samadi. “If conflict would force people out of their homes they should have access to shelter, food, medicine, drinking water and other essential services.”
ARM said the U.N. was not well-prepared during the military offensive in Hemland, which forced several thousands of Afghans to move out of their homes.
