UN Alarmed By Islamic State Logo On Food Parcels

The UN World Food Program (WFP) has expressed alarm over images appearently showing its food parcels being handed out in Syria bearing the logo of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

Images circulating on social media show food being distributed from cardboard boxes with "Islamic State in Syria" labels pasted over the WFP logo.

The pictures seem to be from the town of Deir Haf.

The UN agency's emergency regional coordinator, Muhannad Hadi, condemned on February 3 "this manipulation of desperately needed food aid."

WFP supplies are distributed across Syria by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, whose warehouses were raided by IS militants in September.

The organization said the cardboard boxes seen in the images may have originated there.

An estimated 10.8 million are in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters