UN Launches Aid Delivery from Jordan to 650,000 Syrians
UN Launches Aid Delivery from Jordan to 650,000 Syrians

The United Nations said it began delivering aid to hundreds of thousands of Syrians through the Jaber-Nassib border crossing with Jordan, which reopened two months ago. In total, “369 trucks carrying 11,200 metric tons of … assistance for over 650,000 people” will be involved in the four-week operation, the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA said, AFP […]

The United Nations said it began delivering aid to hundreds of thousands of Syrians through the Jaber-Nassib border crossing with Jordan, which reopened two months ago.

In total, “369 trucks carrying 11,200 metric tons of … assistance for over 650,000 people” will be involved in the four-week operation, the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA said, AFP reported.

The “exceptional” delivery, which amounts to one-month’s worth of aid, would be carried out by six UN agencies and one international NGO, it added.

“This is a major logistical operation in an effort to mitigate the suffering of the Syrian people,” said Anders Pedersen, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Jordan.

Among the immediate needs of Syrians were food, shelter, water and medical care, according to OCHA.

“We are working closely with our UN partners inside Syria to ensure this assistance reaches those who need it most,” Pedersen added.

Syrian forces retook control of the border crossing from militants in July.

Known as Jaber on the Jordanian side and Nassib in Syria, the border crossing is a key Middle East trade route, and its reopening in October after a three-year closure was seen as a boon for the economies of both countries.