UN officials said today all their offices and those of other aid agencies in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad had been looted, while a convoy of food trucks was robbed by unidentified gunmen.
"We have learned that all UN and NGO (non-governmental organisation) offices have been fully or partially looted in Jalalabad," UN spokesman Mr Eric Falt told reporters in Kabul.
The extent of the looting, which included the theft of radios, motorbikes and office equipment, was uncovered by a UN team sent to the city.
UN offices in other Afghan towns have also been ransacked, especially in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where Mr Falt said UN agencies had all their vehicles stolen.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said a convoy of five trucks carrying 200 tonnes of relief supplies had been held-up by armed men on Monday while en route from the Spin Boldak border town in southern Afghanistan to the western city of Herat.
It said the trucks were hijacked by "unidentified bandits" who distribution the 185 tonnes of food taken to local residents.
The worsening security situation on the ground in Afghanistan - highlighted by the murder of four journalists on Monday - has seriously hampered the efforts of humanitarian groups to ship enough relief supplies into the country before the onset of winter.
Mr Mike Sackett, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, held talks with Northern Alliance interior ministry officials in Kabul this week. Mr Sackett said he received assurances that steps would be taken to guarantee the safety of UN staff operating in the country.
AFP