UN food aid at risk in Afghanistan

The Taleban authorities in Afghanistan have said they can not guarantee the safety of a UN food airlift into the central town of Bamian, which is held by a faction in the anti-Taliban alliance.

The airlift was suspended last week when Taliban jets bombed the area, including the airport used by UN planes.

Taleban and UN representatives who met in the southern town of Kandahar on Saturday reportedly failed to reach agreement on an end to the bombing.

Correspondents say up to six-hundred-thousand people face serious food shortages in central Afghanistan this winter.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service