Turkish train with 750 tonnes of aid chugs into Herat

KABUL (Pajhwok): A special charity train carrying 750 tonnes of emergency items from Turkey has chugged into Afghanistan, media reports say.

Senior Afghan officials and Turkish Ambassador Cihad Erginay received the train in western Herat province late on Monday.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) tweeted that the assistance would be distributed to deserving people across Afghanistan.

Under the umbrella of the state-run Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), 11 Turkish groups are delivering humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan

Leaving Ankara in late January, the train covered a distance of 4,168 kilometers via Iran and Turkmenistan before reaching its destination.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quoted as saying that nearly 13 million children in Afghanistan need aid due to extreme weather conditions.

The United Nations says 50 percent of Afghanistan’s population faces acute hunger. More than 9 million people have been displaced and millions of children are out of school.

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