KABUL, Dec. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- The US government has agreed to provide 34 million US dollars to support health services by various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the Afghanistan, officials said here on Monday.

    The grant, aimed at improving health sector in the post-war country, would be distributed to 13 national and international NGOs operating in over 10 Afghan provinces, according to a senior official at the Afghan ministry.

    An agreement on the grant was signed here at the Public Health Ministry Monday between the US International Development Agency (USAID) and the ministry.

    "This grant is very valuable for us, but not sufficient," deputy health minister Ferozudden Feroz said, "so we urge the international community to extend more assistance and help us strengthen our health system."

    Andrew Natsios, USAID representative in Afghanistan, on the occasion assured Afghan officials of his country's long-term commitment to helping Afghanistan's recovery.

    "The United Sates is determined to assist Afghanistan, particularly in the health sector to bring down the rate of mortality in the country," he stressed.

    The aid announced on Monday would be disbursed within a period of 30 months from November 2003, officials said.

    The Unites Stated, which recently announced a new 1.7-billion-dollar aid package to Afghanistan, has been a leading donor to the country since the former ruling Taliban was ousted by a US-led military campaign two years ago. Enditem