Military plane comes off Kabul runway

A UAE military plane delivering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan skids off a runway while trying to land in bad weather.

KABUL // A UAE military plane delivering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan skidded off a runway while trying to land in bad weather. The C130 plane was attempting to set down on a Kabul airstrip yesterday when it left the tarmac and sustained minor damage, according to the WAM news agency. No one was injured in the incident. The plane was carrying a relief consignment as part of the UAE's humanitarian aid package to the people of Afghanistan.

For the past five years, the UAE has provided assistance to the country. The Government has spent significant sums on reconstruction and there have also been donations from citizens and local aid organisations. More than US$30 million (Dh110.2m) has been dedicated by the Government to reconstruction efforts, with private citizens and the UAE Red Crescent giving a combined US$41m (Dh150.6m) to local projects.

UAE troops and humanitarian assistance teams have helped build six clinics that have treated more than 35,000 Afghan patients and have erected a large hospital with an annual capacity to treat more than 7,000 patients. *WAM with National files