EU allocates €300M for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - The EU has allocated €300 million ($348.2 million) for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, the president of the European Commission said Wednesday.

"We stand by the people of Afghanistan. Today’s EU humanitarian flight to Kabul brought critical aid. More will come," Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter.

Separately, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic announced that the EU Humanitarian Air Bridge delivered more than 32 tons of life-saving cargo to Afghanistan.

"This EU-funded plane enables our partners @UNICEF & @WHO deliver critical aid to Afghans affected by conflict & cholera outbreak," Lenarcic said, adding that the EU "remains committed" to helping the Afghan people.

Earlier this month, the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund released $45 million to help prevent Afghanistan’s health-care system from collapse.

It came as WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus completed a high-level mission to Kabul, where he met senior leadership of the Taliban, who have taken power in the war-torn country.

In a statement, he said Afghanistan’s health system is on the brink of collapse, and “unless urgent action is taken, the country faces an imminent humanitarian catastrophe.”