Turkish Red Crescent sends aid to Syria's Idlib, Latakia

By Erdal Turkoglu

HATAY, Turkey

Turkish Red Crescent, locally known as Kizilay, has sent 145 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to northern part of Syria over the past month.

The aid foundation delivered dry food, stationery, bread, medicine and clothes to needy people in countrysides of Idlib and Latakia cities.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Hakan Sari, head of border assistance operation, said they had been sending aid to the needy people since 2011, when the civil war started in the country.

“Totally 145 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid have been sent to needy people particularly in Turkmendagi and Jabal al-Akrad regions of Idlib and Latakia countrysides within 30 days, thanks to our foundation and philanthropists,” Sari said.

The aid efforts will continue, he added.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating civil war that began in 2011. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict and millions more displaced, according to the UN.

Turkey currently hosts nearly 3.5 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world.