“Thanks and appreciation for the president of the Kurdistan Region Kak Nechirvan Barzani...for his quick and kind response by sending two coronavirus testing laboratories to northeastern Syria,” Mazloum Abdi wrote in a tweet.

War-torn Syria especially vulnerable to the pandemic, with limited medical facilities and even fewer places where medical supplies and personnel can enter the country. With thousands of people living in displacement camps, humanitarian groups have warned that an outbreak could have devastating consequences if not quickly contained.

Throughout the war, the border with the Kurdistan Region has been a vital lifeline for people in the area controlled by the SDF.

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