Turkiye's 'goodness train' reaches Afghanistan in time of need
The train, carrying 750 tonnes of vital aid for the Afghan population, arrived in the northwestern Herat province.
The train traversed 4,168 kilometres and took 12 days to get to Afghanistan.
A special charity train carrying 750 tons of emergency goods from Turkiye to Afghanistan has reached its destination in the northwestern Herat province.
The train was received on Monday in a ceremony by Turkiye's Ambassador Cihad Erginay and acting Afghan government officials, according to the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).
The aid will be distributed in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan, the state agency tweeted.
The train left the Turkish capital Ankara late last month and traversed 4,168 kilometres (3,590 miles) via Iran and Turkmenistan to reach Afghanistan.
At least 11 humanitarian groups from Turkiye, under the umbrella of the state-run Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), are supplying humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
READ MORE: Turkiye sends 750 tonnes of aid to Afghanistan on 'charity train'
Acute hunger
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 head Kerem Kinik also visited Afghanistan last week and held high-level meetings to discuss the distribution of humanitarian aid among Afghans.
Afghanistan's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called on Ankara to help it grow its international trade, so that it’s not so dependent on foreign aid, while meeting with the Turkish Red Crescent.
Aid groups describe Afghanistan’s plight as one of the world’s most rapidly growing humanitarian crises.
According to the 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 Secretary-General 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.
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