6th 'charity train' sets off for Afghanistan from Turkish capital

ANKARA

Three special “charity trains” left for Afghanistan from Türkiye’s capital city on Wednesday with roughly 1,500 tons of aid in tow.

“The 6th charity train voyage is on its way to Afghanistan,” the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) announced on Twitter.

Ten humanitarian groups from Turkiye came together to organize the endeavor, preceded by five similar initiatives to assist the people of the food-strapped country in need of emergency aid.

When the sixth voyage arrives in Afghanistan, a total of 1.25 million Afghans will have received aid carried by the trains, 17 in total, AFAD added.

On Jan. 27, two trains with 47 wagons carrying 750 tons of aid left Ankara and reached Afghanistan on Feb. 7.

The second train initiative carried 45 wagons with 921 tons of emergency aid to Afghanistan on Feb. 23 after a 12-day voyage.

With 900 more tons of goods, the third train reached the Afghan city of Herat on March 14, having left Ankara on Feb. 25.

On Mar. 30, the fourth train departed Ankara with 1,478 tons of aid and reached Afghanistan on April 18.

The fifth train set off for Afghanistan on July 4 and reached it on July 16.

According to the UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA), half of Afghanistan's population now faces acute hunger, children are out of education, and over 9 million people are uprooted.

* Writing by Sevilay Beki from Istanbul