Turkish charity train reaches Afghanistan in time of need

A special charity train carrying 750 tons of emergency goods from Turkey to Afghanistan reached its destination on Monday.

The train was received in a ceremony by Turkey’s Ambassador Cihad Erginay and Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials in the northwestern Herat province, according to the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, Reuters reported.

The aid will be distributed in all 34 provinces of the country, the state agency tweeted.

The train left the Turkish capital Ankara late last month.

At least 11 humanitarian groups from Turkey, 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 aid.

The train traversed 4,168 kilometers via Iran and Turkmenistan to reach Afghanistan, Reuters reported.

Around 12.9 million children in Afghanistan are in need of aid due to extreme weather conditions, according to Turkey’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.

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.