Aid convoy 'hijacked' in Iraq

The operation to distribute much needed aid in the Iraqi border town of Safwan was described as a "disaster" today after the convoy was hijacked.

Dr Hilal Al-Sayer, vice-chairman of the Red Crescent, which organised the relief package, said the consignment of food destined for farms north of the Iraqi border had instead been seized soon after leaving Kuwait by "young and healthy" Iraqis.

"That aid didn't get to the farms where the women and children are, our people lost control and young Iraqi men began emptying the trucks," he told BBC News Online.

Describing yesterday's free-for-all, which was broadcast across the globe, he added: "It went to

the well, young and healthy."

Mr Al-Sayer said British troops had advised staff from the Red Crescent, the local equivalent of the Red Cross, to abandon almost all their lorries to the crowd.

"We didn't expect this sort of aggression," he added. "One of our workers phoned me to say that he had been hit on the head as these people threw the boxes from the trucks."

Only two out of the five lorries of aid reached

the farms.

The convoys had been trying to cross into the areas of Iraq occupied by US-led forces for several days but were continually delayed by

security fears.

"The aid was there but not the organisation. We will do better next time," said Mr Al-Sayer.

But he warned that the plan to distribute aid to Basra would be a "different kettle of fish".

As yesterday's convoy arrived in Safwan it was

swarmed by hundreds of Iraqis, who fought over the boxes of food packages inside the lorries.

British soldiers on the scene attempted to keep order but it descended into chaos.

Aid workers eventually gave up efforts to distribute the goods in a controlled manner and the young Iraqi men handed out the aid themselves.

The five trucks were loaded with 45,000 boxes filled with food. More will be heading over the border today.

Iraqis have about five weeks of food left, according to the World Food Programme. About 13 million people - 60% of Iraq's 22 million population - are said to be completely dependent on food handouts.

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