Page 7 - Afghanistan

Afghanistan quake destroys 5,230 homes; 362 villages still unreachable

An initial United Nations assessment of the impact of Afghanistan's recent deadly earthquake found 5,230 homes destroyed and 672 damaged in 49 villages but the UN hasn't been able to get to the vast majority of the remote villages. Shannon O'Hara, the coordination chief for the UN humanitarian office in Afghanistan, said Monday that damaged roads in the country's rugged and mountainous east where the 6.0 magnitude quake struck have made it extremely difficult to assess the impact in the 441 affected villages. A series of aftershocks ranging from 5.2 to 5.6 in magnitude added to the difficulties, she said. The earthquake struck on August 31, killing at least 2,200 people, and that figure could rise as more bodies are recovered. The United Nations estimates the quake has affected up to 500,000 people, more than half of them children and some of them Afghans forcibly returned from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran. As an example of the difficulties the UN team has faced, O'Hara said it

WHO urges Taliban to let female aid workers help quake-hit Afghan women

After a deadly earthquake killed 2,200 in eastern Afghanistan, the WHO said women need female doctors, but Taliban rules stop female aid workers from travelling freely

Afghan foreign minister Muttaqi's India visit postponed over UN sanctions

A planned visit to India by Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi this month has been called off in view of an existing travel ban he faces under UN Security Council sanctions, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. The visit was postponed after he could not get a waiver for the trip, they said. If the visit had taken place, then it would have been the first ministerial visit from Kabul to India after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. The UN Security Council had slapped sanctions against all the leading Taliban leaders and they need to secure a waiver for foreign travels. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, when asked at his weekly media briefing about reports of Muttaqi's proposed visit to India, did not give a direct reply. "As you are aware, we have longstanding ties with the people of Afghanistan. India continues to support the aspirations and developmental needs of the Afghan people," he said. "We continue to have engage

Afghanistan hit by series of earthquakes in 24 hrs, latest of magnitude 4.5

This came after two earthquakes of magnitudes 5.8 and 4.1 struck the region in the late hours of Thursday, as per the NCS

Death toll from Afghan quake jumps to over 2,200 as aid agencies seek funds

Hundreds more bodies have been recovered from houses in mountain villages destroyed by a major earthquake in Afghanistan early this week, pushing the death toll to over 2,200, a Taliban government spokesman said Thursday. The shallow, 6.0-magnitude quake struck the mountainous and remote eastern part of the country late Sunday, leveling villages and trapping people under rubble. Most of the casualties have been in Kunar province, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep river valleys separated by high mountains. Some 98% percent of the buildings in the province were damaged or destroyed, according to an assessment issued Thursday by the Islamic Relief charity. Aid agencies said they were sorely in need of staff and supplies to tend to the region's survivors. Muhammad Israel said the quake unleashed a landslide that buried his home, livestock, and belongings in Kunar. All the rocks came down from the mountain," he said. I barely got my children out of ther

Earthquake of 6.2 magnitude jolts southeastern region of Afghanistan

The tremor, at a depth of 10 km (six miles), followed the earlier quakes that flattened villages in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake strikes Afghanistan again, WFP sends emergency aid

Earlier, an earthquake struck Afghanistan late Wednesday night at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks

Rescuers race to find Afghan quake survivors as death toll crosses 1,400

The United Nations warned of an exponential rise in casualties from a major earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, as the Taliban said the death toll passed 1,400 on Tuesday, with more than 3,000 people injured. The figures provided by Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid were just for the province of Kunar. Sunday night's powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck several provinces, causing extensive damage. It flattened villages and trapped people under the rubble of homes constructed mostly of mud bricks and wood that were unable to withstand the shock. Rough terrain is hampering rescue and relief efforts, forcing Taliban authorities to air-drop dozens of commandos to evacuate the injured from places where helicopters cannot land. Aid agency Save the Children said one of its teams walked for over 12 miles (19 kilometers) to reach villages cut off by rock falls, carrying medical equipment on their backs with the help of community members. An aftershock of 5.2 magnitude clos

Afghanistan earthquake death toll rises to 1,400, thousands injured

The death toll from a strong earthquake in Afghanistan's east rose to 900, with 3,000 people injured, an official said Tuesday as rescue teams scoured the area for survivors. The 6.0 magnitude quake struck late Sunday night in a mountainous region, flattening villages and leaving people trapped under rubble for hours. The injured are being evacuated, so these figures may change significantly, Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority, told The Associated Press. The earthquake caused landslides in some areas, blocking roads, but they have been reopened, and the remaining roads will be reopened to allow access to areas that were difficult to reach.

India extends aid to Afghanistan after massive earthquakes kill over 800

On Monday morning, a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.3 on the Richter scale struck Afghanistan, with tremors felt across the region, including parts of Pakistan

Earthquake devastates Afghan villages; kills 800 and injures 2,500

Desperate Afghans clawed through rubble in search of missing loved ones after a strong earthquake killed some 800 people and injured more than 2,500 in eastern Afghanistan, according to figures provided Monday by the Taliban government. The 6.0 magnitude quake late Sunday hit towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangarhar province, causing extensive damage. The quake at 11:47 pm was centred 27 kilometres east-northeast of Jalalabad, the US Geological Survey said. It was just 8 kilometres deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage. Several aftershocks followed. Footage showed rescuers taking injured people on stretchers from collapsed buildings and into helicopters as people frantically dug through rubble with their hands. The Taliban government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said at a press conference Monday that the death toll had risen to at least 800 with more than 2,500 injured. He said most of the casualties were in ...

India offers support to Afghanistan after earthquakes kills over 500

More than 500 people were killed and over 1000 people injured after an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of Monday

6.0 magnitude earthquake hits eastern Afghanistan, at least 600 killed

Taliban government officials have appealed to humanitarian organisations for assistance in rescue operations across remote mountainous regions, many of which can be reached only by air

Earthquake of magnitude 6.0 jolts southeastern Afghanistan near Pak border

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook southeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border late Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake's epicenter was 36 kilometers (22 miles) north or Basawul, Afghanistan, and it had a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), the USGS said. It struck at 11:47 pm local time Sunday, with no damage immediately reported. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on October 7, 2023, along with strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated that at least 4,000 perished. The UN gave a far lower figure of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.

Trump cuts funding for Afghan resettlement programmes, sparks criticism

Congressional statistics show nearly 60,000 Afghans in Afghanistan are still awaiting asylum case reviews, while more than 170,000 remain in the queue for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs)

To Lose a War: How the US slowly lost its way in Afghanistan conflict

A gripping account of two decades in Afghanistan, tracing the Taliban's fall, America's missteps, and the enduring human cost in Jon Lee Anderson's To Lose a War

The Art of War and Peace: From Ethiopia to Ukraine, what's changed, endured

The book contains analytical accounts of the 20-year Afghan War, which ended with ignominious withdrawal of US and Western military forces & with the Taliban gaining control over the entire country

The world nearly beat polio, but missteps and fake records revived it

For the past decade, Sughra Ayaz has travelled door to door in southeastern Pakistan, pleading with parents to allow children to be vaccinated against polio to wipe out the paralytic disease. She hears their demands and fears. Some are practical families need basics like food and water more than vaccines. Amid rampant misinformation and immense pressure for the campaign to succeed, Ayaz said, some managers have instructed workers to falsely mark children as immunised. And the vaccines, which must be kept cold, aren't always stored correctly, she added. The World Health Organisation and partners embarked on their polio campaign in 1988 with the bold goal of eradication a feat seen only once for human diseases, with smallpox in 1980. They came close several times, including in 2021, when just five cases of the natural virus were reported in Pakistan and Afghanistan. But since then, cases rebounded, hitting 99 last year, and officials missed at least six self-imposed eradication ...

Afghanistan inks $10 bn deal to generate 10K MW power across country

Acting Minister of Energy and Water Abdul Latif Mansoor said the deal marked a major achievement for the Islamic Emirate and a vital step toward the country's economic progress

Taliban has suppressed Afghan women's rights, says US SIGAR report

According to the report, the US allocated only around $342 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan in fiscal year 2025, a sharp drop from over $968 million in 2023