Devastating ripple effects

It's heartbreaking to see how a distant war can cut off life-saving aid to the most vulnerable. The logistics of compassion shouldn't be this fragile.

Strait of Hormuz closure chokes trade and aid for Afghanistan

KABUL: When landlocked Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan started fighting late last year and their border crossings closed, Afghans turned to their western neighbor, Iran, for an alternate to Pakistan’s major shipping hub of Karachi. They rerouted shipments through Iran’s port of Bandar Abbas, but not for long. The port lies on the Strait of Hormuz, where war has stranded hundreds of ships and thousands of their crew. Meanwhile, thousands of Afghanistan-bound containers were stuck in Pakistan. For Afghan businesses and aid groups, losing both trade routes has been devastating.

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