First Convoy With Russian Humanitarian Aid To Arrive In Afghanistan On December 9

The first convoy (30 trucks) with Russian humanitarian aid will pass via the Nizhny Panj checkpoint to Afghanistan. According to Abdurakhim Radjabov, the Tajik First Deputy Emergencies Minister, repairs of the aforementioned checkpoint carried out by experts of the Russian and Tajik Emergencies Ministries, have entered the final stage. According to him, it is envisaged that a pontoon bridge will be built near the Nizhny Panj checkpoint in the near future. The German government is to fund the construction. Radjabov also reported that a helicopter detachment of the Russian Emergencies Ministry was being formed in the town of Kulyab. The detachment's scope of responsibility will include delivering humanitarian aid to Kabul. According to the press service of the Russian Frontier Service in Tajikistan, a 20-truck convoy with 150 tons of flour provided by the UN World Food Programme will leave Dushanbe in the direction of the "Nizhny Panj - River Port" checkpoint. The destination of the freight is the town of Kunduz. Another 14 vehicles with more than 100 tons of flour, beds, mattresses, baby food, tea and sunflower oil will also pass via the "Nizhny Panj - River Port" checkpoint to the Northern regions of Afghanistan. The Russian border guards will let the freights pass in daylight.