China-aided food supplies transported to Afghan provinces: official

KABUL -- Afghanistan's caretaker government began to deliver the China-aided humanitarian food supplies on Saturday to at least 10 provinces of the country's 34 provinces, an official said Saturday.

The supplies including 440 tons of rice will be shipped by 20 trucks to 10 most vulnerable provinces, Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesman for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, told Xinhua here.

He also said that other shipments of the China-aided humanitarian food supplies will be transported to other provinces in the coming days.

Haqqani said that Afghanistan had received several batches of humanitarian supplies donated by China, and that the ministry was sending the material aid to the vulnerable people in the country's 34 provinces. He expressed gratitude to China for the humanitarian assistance.

Recently, thousands of needy people in several Afghan provinces received China-aided relief items. In Faryab province, 1,100 destitute people who were surveyed and registered by officials from the provincial directorate of refugees and repatriation received the assistance packages in Maimana, the capital of northern Faryab province, on Jan. 10, head of the directorate Saifuddin Jahadi told Xinhua.

The non-food packages included blankets, winter jackets and washing soaps, he said.

"I appreciate China's help so much. The winter assistance has solved a lot of our problems in these cold and difficult days. The Chinese people has been a good neighbor and friend for long," local resident Attiqullah told Xinhua after receiving a package.

In Kunduz province, about 300 people received similar assistance packages on Jan. 10, according to Matihullah Rohani, head of the provincial directorate of culture and information.

Since Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August 2021, the impoverished country has suffered economic woes.

China has recently sent batches of humanitarian assistance including foodstuff, COVID-19 vaccines and winter clothes to the Central Asian country.