Saudi Arabia sends humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

Saudi Arabia sent two aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to Afghanistan on Thursday, state media reported.

The kingdom’s state-run King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) sent more than 65 tonnes of aid, including 1,647 food baskets, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

The centre’s supervisor general, Abdullah al-Rabeeah, said the Saudi humanitarian air bridge would see a total of six planes deliver more than 197 tonnes of aid to Afghanistan.

He said aid would also be delivered overland on 200 trucks from neighbouring Pakistan.

The Gulf Arab countries agreed during a summit in Riyadh on Tuesday to “contribute in mobilising international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and to improving their economic conditions”.

More than half of Afghanistan’s 38 million people face “acute” food shortages, according to the United Nations, with the winter forcing millions to choose between migration and starvation.

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The previous Taliban government between 1996 and 2001 imposed a very strict interpretation of Islamic law and harsh public punishments.

But, since returning to power in mid-August after overthrowing the US-backed government, the Taliban has tried to show a more moderate face in its quest for international recognition and an end to sanctions.

• Saudi Arabia
• MENA