The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) plans to deliver additional humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan to storage facilities in the Uzbek city of Termez by the end of November, a UNHCR spokesperson told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"Several supply trucks delivering UNHCR humanitarian assistance to Termez are expected in November to meet the needs of Afghanistan, as well as Iran and other Central Asian countries," the spokesperson said. He clarified that basic necessities would be delivered from the UNHCR’s global supply hub in Copenhagen. The humanitarian cargo would be stored in Uzbekistan, at the Termez Cargo logistics center, until it became urgently necessary to be sent to Afghanistan.

"This center is a component of the general infrastructure of the UNHCR’s supply chain for Afghanistan and neighboring countries, thereby reducing the costs and risks associated with the storage of large stockpiles," the spokesperson said.

In mid-October, the UNHCR airlifted 96 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, including basic necessities, for Afghanistan to the Termez Cargo Center. The aid is still stored in the center, since there are already stocks of such assistance in Afghanistan, the agency added.

The Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in September. Amid political turmoil exacerbating exodus of its citizens, a number of countries and organisations expressed readiness to continue providing humanitarian assistance to the nation. The Taliban government has already warned international donors not to link assistance to political issues.

(SAM)