The Taliban-led government of Afghanistan has pleaded for more significant foreign assistance as it works to recover from the deadly earthquake that struck a mountainous eastern province and left more than 1,000 people dead and countless others injured.
The hardline Islamist leadership said it was hindered in its ability to cope with Wednesday’s calamity in Khost and Paktika provinces because of sanctions imposed by western nations after the departure of US-led coalition forces last year.
It claimed that the country has been devastated by conflict and is already experiencing an economic crisis.
As reports of fatalities came in from remote mountain locations, the death toll slowly increased. The nation’s supreme commander, Hibatullah Akhundzada, predicted that the number would likely rise on Thursday.
Rockfalls and mudslides brought on by the earthquake complicate rescue attempts in places already feeling the impacts of heavy rain.
On Thursday, those attempts picked back up as volunteers dug with their hands through the debris in search of survivors.
He claimed that everyone is active in relief efforts, but the hospital is underequipped. “The scene was horrifying. Some folks lost every member of their family. Some people have lost their whole families, while others have lost ten or more relatives.
International Assistance To Earthquake
International Assistance
Afghanistan is experiencing a severe economic crisis following the Taliban takeover last year. Concerns about the Taliban’s and foreign organizations’ capacity to act promptly are overgrowing.
Major international organizations continue to operate in Afghanistan. Still, since the Taliban took control, other organizations and countries have scaled back their aid initiatives in a nation where foreign aid made up roughly 80% of the budget.
Senior Taliban spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi stated that the government “respected and welcomed” the assistance other nations and relief organizations like the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders had vowed to provide.
However, the 5.9-magnitude earthquake, initially rated as magnitude 6.1 and the worst to hit the nation in more than 20 years, had resulted in such extensive devastation and suffering that extra assistance was required.
Sadly, due to sanctions, the government cannot provide the people with the necessary financial support, he added. “Since this is a terrible earthquake that hasn’t been experienced in decades, the help needs to be expanded to a very significant amount.”
António Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, declared that the organisation had “completely mobilised” to assist.
UN authorities confirmed the deployment of medical teams and supplies of food, medication, trauma kits, and emergency shelter to the earthquake zone.
“The EU is watching the situation and is ready to coordinate and give EU emergency support to individuals and impacted communities,” tweeted Tomas Niklasson, the EU’s special representative for Afghanistan.
The British Red Cross stated that its teams were arranging for the delivery of supplies to the area near Pakistan’s border, including food, medication, housing, water, and temporary shelter.
According to Inferior, a non-profit organisation that provides humanitarian relief in Afghanistan, the calamity could not have struck at a worse moment. According to Interior, “doctors and nurses will soon be on their way to serve individuals in urgent need of emergency medical treatment.”
In the province of Paktika, an ambulance transports earthquake victims to a hospital.
The calamity presents a formidable challenge for the Taliban. They have essentially isolated the nation due to their strict Islamist policies, notably the oppression of women and girls.
Afghanistan’s emergency response services were already overworked from dealing with the country’s numerous natural catastrophes before the Taliban took control.
However, any rapid reaction to the most recent calamity is further constrained because there are only a few airworthy aircraft and helicopters left since the Taliban retook power.
US Reaction
The United States was “deeply saddened” by the earthquake, the White House said. American forces were instrumental in toppling the first Taliban administration. They were stationed in Afghanistan for 20 years before being withdrawn last year.
According to the national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, “President Biden is keeping an eye on events and has asked US Aid (US Agency for International Development) and other federal government partners to explore US response options to support those most affected.”
According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake on Wednesday occurred at 1.30 a.m. local time (2200 BST) at a depth of six miles (10 km), around 30 miles southwest of Khost.
Three hundred miles from the epicenter in Khost, in Pakistan’s Lahore, people there reported feeling it.
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