KABUL AREA OFFICE WFP's Kabul area office covers the Central Region of Afghanistan: Hazajarat, Kabul City, Ghazni and Paktika, Logar, Paktia and Khost, Kapisan, Parwan, and Wardak. In 2001, WFP's Kabul sub-office distributed some 131,344 metric tonnes of food commodities, mainly wheat. This reached 1,259,888 female beneficiaries and 1,231,394 male beneficiaries. Some 72 percent of WFP's Kabul resources were this year used for emergency operations, of which 39 percent was free food distribution. CITY DISTRIBUTION In mid-December, WFP made a one-off city-wide distribution to cover the food needs of the most vulnerable. Food aid reached around 200,000 households, each of whom received a 50 kilo bag of wheat - enough to last one family a month. Undertaken in collaboration with WFP's non-governmental organisaiton partners, the distribution also involved the employment of some 2,400 Afghan women in the registration process. WOMEN'S BAKIERIES WFP supports 21 women's bakeries in Kabul City with 33,660 beneficiaries. PARTNERS WFP Kabul implements projects with 83 implementing partners; including international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), local NGOs, and UN Agencies. WFP plans to work closely with the new Afghan Interim Administration. LOGISTICS WFP's Kabul warehouse capacity is 15,000 tonnes. Aside from local transporters, donkeys are also hired to deliver food to the most remote areas. A GSM mobile telephone system is currently being installed by WFP in collaboration with Ericsson. This will support the UN at large. Initially the system will support some 200 mobile telephone connections. WFP Kabul will be assigned some 20 connections and the rest will be given to government ministeries and UNOCHA in Kabul while one will be given to the UNSMA office in Kabul. Over the last three months, WFP Kabul has supported other UN agencies in Kabul. One of the main tasks is maintaining the UN common radio network in Kabul, the repeaters and IT support for other UN agencies.	History Afghanistan's capital Kabul has been the centre of sporadic but intense military activity for over two decades, resulting in widespread loss of life, migration and the destruction of housing & infrastructure UNCHS (Habitat) estimates that up to 50 percent of buildings have been destroyed Kabul was at the centre of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, and of the Afghan Communist Government, which ruled from 1989 - 1992 The city subsequently became the seat of the Afghan Mujaheeden Government, until being taken by the Taleban militia in September 1996 Particularly fierce episodes of fighting occurred during a coup attempt in 1990, from 1992 to 1995 during Mujahedeen factional fighting, and in 1996, when the Taliban entered Kabul WFP in Kabul WFP's Kabul area office covers the Central Region of Afghanistan and is divided into Hazajarat, Kabul City, Ghazni and Paktika, Logar, Paktia and Khost, Kapisan, Parwan, and Wardak The total estimated population is 9,727,873 people. Each geographical area is managed by the Agency's international and national programme staff WFP plans to establish sub-offices (under the Kabul Area office management) in Bamyan City to provide year round access to the Hazajarat area, which is normally in-accessible in winter because of snow The other sub-office will be established in Panjab to allow easier access Ghazni, Wardak and Parwan WFP's Afghanistan Country Office, currently located in Islamabad, will soon be moving to Kabul