Turkiye’s charity train to reach Afghanistan

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkiye’s special charity train carrying 750 tons of emergency goods will reach Afghanistan on Monday.

The train left the Turkish capital Ankara late last month.

At least 11 humanitarian organizations from Turkiye, under the umbrella of the state-run Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), are supplying humanitarian aid to Afghanistan which is facing a food crunch and is in need of emergency medical aid.

The train traversed 4,168 kilometers (3,590 miles) via Iran and Turkmenistan to reach Afghanistan.

Around 12.9 million children in Afghanistan are in need of aid due to extreme weather conditions, according to Turkiye’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

Turkish Red Crescent's President Kerem Kinik also visited Afghanistan last week holding high-level meetings to discuss the distribution of humanitarian aid among Afghans.

Aid agencies describe Afghanistan’s plight as one of the world’s most rapidly growing humanitarian crises.

According to UN, half the population now faces acute hunger, over 9 million people have been displaced, and millions of children are out of school.

Previously, the UN and its partners launched a $4.4 billion funding appeal to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan in 2022.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has also warned that millions of Afghans are on the verge of death, urging the international community to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets and jump-start its banking system.