The first shipment of Iran’s humanitarian aid to the flood victims in Afghanistan arrived on Thursday in Balkh province.

Razia Alishondi, the vice president of international affairs of the Red Crescent Society of Iran, has announced that the aid packages have been sent to Afghanistan within the framework of humanitarian cooperation.

Local officials in Balkh province have stated that the plane carrying aid packages, including food, medicine, carpets, blankets and tents, landed at Mazar-e- Sharif airport on Thursday.

This comes after several provinces of Afghanistan, including Baghlan, Ghor and Faryab, have witnessed devastating and deadly floods during the last two weeks. As a result of these floods, in addition to huge financial losses, hundreds of people have been killed and injured.

Local officials in Faryab and Sar-e-Pul say 15 people died, a large part of agricultural land was damaged and dozens of houses were destroyed due to flash floods in these two provinces.

The floods killed five members of a family in Kohistanat district of Sar-e-Pul province. At the same time, in Faryab province, 10 people were killed and 11 others injured, and dozens of houses and more than 50 acres of agricultural land were destroyed, local officials said.

The most damage has been done to the people of Lolash district of Faryab province.

However, local officials said that floods have hampered the flow of UN food aid to remote areas.

Meanwhile, the World Food Program (WFP) says that floods have destroyed roads and bridges in affected areas in Afghanistan, making it difficult to transport food aid.

WFP stated that it has provided food aid to 20,000 victims across Afghanistan so far.

Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) says it has been about a month since T1 fuel [aircraft fuel] has not been imported to Afghanistan. The chamber expressed concern, saying that the Islamic Emirate should resolve this issue and should ask Turkmenistan to allow Afghan traders to import the fuel into the country.

ACCI officials added that the oil purchase contract was signed with Turkmenistan and the money was also transferred, but that country does not allow the oil to enter Afghanistan.

IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, meanwhile, said that they have looked at this problem and want the matter to be addressed through the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

According to ACCI officials, not only Turkmenistan does not allow the entry of aircraft fuel, but they also have problems in transporting food, and they want the IEA to share the issue with Turkmenistan to solve it.