AP
November 8
planeload of humanitarian aid provided by UNICEF landed Thursday in the border city of
Termez intended for Afghanistan, but border guards insisted the bridge across the Afghan frontier won't be opened
until the Taliban are forced out of Mazar-e-Sharif.
|
|
The UNICEF plane, flying from Copenhagen, Denmark, brought 44 tons of milk powder, biscuits and medicine for Afghani children. It was the fourth aid plane to fly to Termez. Uzbekistan and the United Nations agreed last month on passage of humanitarian aid through this Central Asian nation, a key ally of the U.S.-led coalition against terrorism. All aid is being stockpiled in Termez, waiting for Uzbek barges to start deliveries across the Amu Darya River next week, UNICEF said. |
But the bridge, which spans Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, will remain closed until Mazar-e-Sharif, the nearest Afghan city on the other side of the river, is freed from Taliban control, border guards said.