The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) on Saturday delivered nearly 2,000 packages of food to employees of Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital.
A ceremony was held Saturday at the airport that was attended by Turkey's Ambassador to Kabul Cihad Erginay, the airport's director, Abdul Hadi Hamdan, the interim Taliban administration deputy transport ministers and officials from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Turkish Red Crescent's Kabul office.
Speaking at the ceremony, Erginay said to date Turkey has distributed some 5,000 tons of humanitarian aid across Afghanistan.
The aid materials were carried by four "kindness trains" sent from Turkey under the coordination of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) as directed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he added.
Adding that Turkish institutions will continue to help the people of Afghanistan, Erginay said: "It is also important that this aid is delivered here, because Kabul International Airport is a center that connects Afghanistan with the world."
Airport director Hamdan thanked Turkey and its institutions for their continued aid.
The first "kindness train" carrying humanitarian aid arrived in Afghanistan on Feb. 7 while the fourth, carrying 1,478 tons of aid, arrived on April 18, and is still being delivered in 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
Aid groups describe Afghanistan's plight as one of the world's most rapidly growing humanitarian crises. According to the United Nations, half the population now faces acute hunger, over 9 million people have been displaced and millions of children are out of school.
Previously, the U.N. and its partners launched a $4.4 billion funding appeal to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan in 2022. U.N. 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.
The Turkish government has taken a pragmatic approach to the events in Afghanistan, including the emergence of the Taliban after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces. Underlining that new realities have emerged in the country, Ankara said it would move forward accordingly while keeping communication with all relevant leaders open.
NATO member Turkey maintained its embassy in Afghanistan after Western countries withdrew following the Taliban takeover and have urged those countries to step up engagement. At the same time, it said it will only work fully with the Taliban if they form a more inclusive administration.
Also, Turkey has been working with Qatar to maintain operations at Kabul international airport, while holding talks to operate that airport and others if its security conditions are met.
Kabul's only airport was trashed in August when tens of thousands of people rushed to evacuate on any available flight as the United States wrapped up its withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.
While the facility is open, with some domestic and international flights operating, it still needs a significant upgrade for major foreign airlines to resume full service.
