The Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid received the aid which includes flour, cooking oil, and blankets….reports Asian Lite News
Three planes carrying 36 tons of humanitarian assistance from Russia arrived in Kabul on Thursday, at a time when people in Afghanistan are in dire need of aid, reported local media.
The Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid received the aid which includes flour, cooking oil, and blankets.
The Taliban officials have expressed gratitude to the Russian government for their assistance. They have also called on the other countries to continue providing the Afghan people with relief assistance.
Russia intends to send to Afghanistan a total amount of 108 tons of humanitarian aid from which the first tranche arrived and the other two will soon be dispatched to Afghanistan.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia had said that Moscow will deliver humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
Nebenzia, during the UN Security Council meeting, said that at the moment providing Afghanistan with urgent humanitarian assistance is needed.
Russia to evacuate foreign citizens
Russia will evacuate more than 380 Russian and foreign citizens from Afghanistan, Xinhua reported citing the Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday.
“On behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu organized the evacuation of more than 380 citizens from Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Ukraine, and Afghanistan from Afghan territory,” Xinhua quoted the Russian Defense Ministry’s Zvezda broadcasting service.
UN Migration Agency raised concern over the ongoing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, saying that Afghanistan may fall into “extreme poverty” by mid-2022 if no action is taken immediately to address the simultaneous humanitarian, economic and political crises.
“Afghanistan is a country of almost 40 million people, nearly all of whom may fall into extreme poverty by mid-2022 if no action is taken immediately to address the simultaneous humanitarian, economic and political crises,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said in a statement.
India to deliver food grains, medicines
Underlining that Afghanistan has already seen much bloodshed and violence in recent years and it is in urgent need of assistance, India at the UN Security Council meeting, has said that New Delhi is once again ready to deliver urgent humanitarian aid consisting of food grains and medicines to the people of Afghanistan.
“Over half of Afghanistan’s population is facing a crisis on emergency levels of acute food insecurity, and urgent humanitarian assistance is required to meet the basic food needs of the people,” India’s Ambassador to the UN TS Tirumurti said on Wednesday (local time) during the UNSC meeting on Afghanistan.
Emphasising that India has supported the call of the international community that access to humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan should be direct and without any hindrance, Tirumurti said, humanitarian aid should be non-discriminatory and accessible to all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or political belief.
“The assistance should reach the most vulnerable first, including women, children and minorities,” he said.
The Ambassador called on the international community and countries in the region to come together, rising above partisan interests.
“India is willing to coordinate with other stakeholders to work towards enabling the expeditious provision of much-needed assistance to the people of Afghanistan,” he said.
Highlighting that over the last two decades, India has contributed significantly to the development of Afghanistan, Tirumurti said: “Even as we speak, India continues to grant educational scholarships to thousands of Afghan men and women to continue their education in India.” (ANI)