32 Turkish, Saudi trucks carrying aid arrive in Syria

By Cem Genco

HATAY, Turkey

At least 32 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid have arrived in Syria, a leading Turkish aid agency said on Thursday.

Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) and King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, a Saudi agency, sent the supplies including blankets, coats and sweaters to Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces, said Erhan Yemelek, the Syrian coordinator for IHH.

He thanked the Saudi agency for its support.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since March 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

While UN officials say hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, Syrian regime officials say the death toll is closer to 10,000.