First cargo trucks depart Afghanistan for Europe: official

KABUL — The first cargo trucks carrying commercial products from Afghanistan’s capital Kabul to Europe departed on Monday, an official confirmed.

The seven-truck convoy, loaded with 100 tons of products including dried fruit, carpets, saffron and handicrafts, departed for Europe from Kabul on Monday, Mohammad Abdullah Bilall, director of Kabul Customs Office, told reporters.

The shipment will pass through Central Asian countries via Hairatan port city, along Afghanistan-Uzbekistan border, the official noted.

For ordinary Afghan citizens, the shipment of Afghan commercial products via land is a rare piece of good news in a land-locked country critically affected by draught, conflict, and high food prices.