RIYADH: Saudi Arabia sent two aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to Afghanistan Thursday, state media reported, its first such initiative since the Taliban took control of the crisis-stricken country in August.

The kingdom’s state-run King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) sent more than 65 tonnes of aid, including 1,647 food baskets, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

The centre’s supervisor general, Abdullah al-Rabeeah, said the Saudi humanitarian air bridge would see a total of six planes deliver more than 197 tonnes of aid to Afghanistan.

He said aid would also be delivered overland on 200 trucks from neighbouring Pakistan.

The Gulf Arab countries agreed during a summit in Riyadh on Tuesday to “contribute in mobilising international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and to improving their economic conditions”.