Kabul/Islamabad, Aug 30 (EFE).- The first delivery of international aid to Afghanistan since the Taliban retook power in the country arrived Monday via Pakistan.

The World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office said the delivery would cover the "basic health needs of over 200K people and provide 3,500 surgical procedures and treat 6,500 trauma patients."

The aid was flown into the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan by Pakistan International Airlines.

It was the first of three scheduled PIA flights in the coming days.

"Humanitarian agencies such as WHO have faced enormous challenges in sending life-saving supplies to Afghanistan in recent weeks due to security and logistics constraints. The support of the Pakistani people has been timely and life-saving," said regional WHO director Ahmed Al-Mandhari.

Mansoor Ahmad Khan, the Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan, said in a tweet that the route between Pakistan and Afghanistan would act as a humanitarian corridor for international aid.

Pakistan has become an increasingly strategic player in the delivery of aid and the evacuation of foreigners and Afghan nationals in the wake of the Taliban takeover.EFE

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