143 aid trucks arrive in quake-affected opposition NW Syria – UN
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – On Friday, the UN announced 143 trucks loading humanitarian aid have accessed northwest Syria since Feb. 9 up to Feb. 16 through Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salameh border crossings with Turkey.
Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, told reporters in Geneva, “The movements continue today. They continue over the weekend and will continue every day for as long as the needs are there.”
Laerke noted that the delivering aid takes place through Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salameh border crossings, stressing that they are waiting for a third crossing “al-Rai” to be opened as it was agreed up on.
Laerke stressed that no trucks have crossed to the opposition-held areas in northwest Syria so far through al-Rai.
“That doesn’t mean that it is not going to come, but it is a bit further away from the hub and the U.N. monitoring mechanism that is inspecting all of the aid that is coming through,” he said.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to allow United Nations aid deliveries to opposition-held areas in northwest Syria through two border crossings with Turkey for three months, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Feb. 13.
Guterres welcomed, in a press release, the presidential decision of opening Bab al-Salameh and al-Rai border crossings in the north of Aleppo Governorate for humanitarian aid.
Many countries from all over the world sent aid to the earthquake-affected people in Syria through outlets and borders despite impediments to the aid arrival due to dominant parties.
On Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Syria and Turkey, killing more than 41.000 and injuring many more, in addition to destroying thousands of buildings.