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 Trauma kits and emergency supplies for hospitals, as well as
medicines for treating chronic malnutrition among children are among
priority items, said Rick Brennan, WHO's regional emergency
director, describing the needs as "enormous and growing".
At least one Islamic State suicide bomber killed 85 people,
including 13 U.S. soldiers, outside the gates of Kabul airport in
twin blasts on Thursday evening. [L1N2PY01Q]
"Right now because of security concerns and several other
operational considerations, Kabul airport is not going to be an
option for the next week at least," Brennan, speaking from Cairo,
told a U.N. briefing in Geneva.
"One of the problems we have in Afghanistan right now is there is no
civil aviation authority functioning but we are working with
Pakistan particularly in the context of Mazar-i-Sharif airport.
Because they can work with contacts on the ground that all the
necessary steps to land an aircraft, to land a cargo aircraft, can
be put in place," he said.
[to top of second column] |
 Turkey has not made a final
decision on a Taliban request for support to run
the Kabul airport after foreign forces withdraw
over security concerns and uncertainty in
Afghanistan, President Tayyip Erdogan said on
Friday, adding talks were still underway.
Insurance rates for flying into Afghanistan have
"skyrocketed at prices we have never seen
before", Brennan said.
"So we are trying to jump through that hoop at
the moment and once we have addressed that we
will hopefully be airborne in the next 48 to 72
hours."
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Emma Farge;)
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