Pakistan border sees 724 humanitarian trucks enter Afghanistan

The United Nations reported on Sunday that over 700 humanitarian aid trucks entered Afghanistan through Pakistan, despite the land border between the two nations being largely shut since October due to recent conflicts. These trucks were transporting "food and other critical humanitarian items," according to Olga Cherevko, a spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan.

Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), expressed gratitude to Pakistan and those involved in maintaining the humanitarian lifeline. He emphasized that 724 trucks of humanitarian cargo had crossed through Torkham, reaching families in urgent need of assistance. The WFP has warned of acute child malnutrition levels reaching critical stages in Afghanistan this year, exacerbated by multiple disasters including deadly earthquakes, climate-related crises, and the return of millions of Afghans from neighboring countries since 2023. This has left nearly 14 million Afghans facing acute hunger, according to WFP data.

The ongoing conflict with Pakistan has severely hampered logistical routes for delivering humanitarian aid, with previous efforts to deliver fortified biscuits destined for Afghan schoolchildren having to be rerouted through Iran after disruptions in Iran itself. These biscuits eventually reached Afghanistan after a lengthy land and sea journey through several countries, including Jordan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.