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Turkish aid arrives in Kurdistan Region following earthquake

After at least 400 people were killed and nearly 7,000 people were hurt in a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit the Iran-Iraqi Kurdistan border yesterday, Turkey has pushed aside its anger over the Kurdish independence efforts and stepped in to help.
People walk past a damaged building following an earthquake in the town of Darbandikhan, near the city of Sulaimaniyah, in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Iraq November 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed - RC1AE3732600

Setting aside its wrath over Iraqi Kurdistan’s ill-fated referendum on independence, Turkey was the first foreign country to respond with aid for thousands of victims of a massive earthquake that struck near Iraq’s border with Iran on Sunday.

A military cargo plane carrying medical supplies, doctors and a search-and-rescue team arrived in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah today, and an aid convoy of 50 trucks crossed through the Habur border gate. 

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