ShareBy Khaled Al-Abdulhadi
KUWAIT: Kuwait has sent two more military planes carrying 80 tons of relief, medical and food supplies to Turkey in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck the country on Monday. This was the second air bridge mission by the Kuwait Air Force which was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) at its headquarters in Abdullah Al-Mubarak air base on Thursday.
The fresh Kuwaiti aid comes at the behest of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah, who had instructed creating an air bridge to dispatch humanitarian and relief aid to Turkey's quake-affected people, said the Ministry of Defense in a statement.
Kuwait on Monday sent two military planes carrying rescuers and eight tons of relief supplies to quake-hit areas in Turkey on the same day the powerful earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, leaving thousands of people dead or injured.
KUWAIT: The second air bridge mission by the Kuwait Air Force in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) at its headquarters in Abdullah Al-Mubarak air base on Thursday. – Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat
Kuwait's relief aid is being sent to Turkey as part of cooperation and coordination among the Kuwaiti military, ministries of defense, foreign affairs and health, Kuwait Red Crescent Society and charities, the ministry said.
The commander of the Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, Brigadier General Pilot Abdulaziz Al-Loughani, and a number of senior air force commanders flagged off relief flights along with volunteers from the Kuwait Red Crescent Society.
Abdulaziz Al-Loughani said: "This morning, two Kuwaiti Air Force planes departed, heading to the friendly Republic of Turkey. These flights are considered the second of the air bridge missions dedicated to transporting emergency needs and relief materials, as an embodiment of the spirit of brotherhood and joint cooperation between the two friendly countries."
"These flights come in cooperation and coordination between the Kuwaiti Army, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society. It is worth noting that the two planes sent on Thursday were loaded with approximately 80 tons of relief material as well as food and medical supplies," Brigadier General Al-Loughani said.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Community Development has approved applications from 30 charities and agencies to contribute to a nationwide campaign to raise donations for quake-affected people in Turkey. The Social Affairs Ministry has asked the Ministry of Defense to help secure a plane to transport the emergency aid to Turkey, the Ministry spokesperson Ahmad Al-Enezi said in a press statement Tuesday. Al-Enezi added that the minister Mai Al-Baghli ordered full cooperation and integration with relevant government agencies to accelerate the aid dispatching.
