Hundreds of people died in an earthquake in southeastern Afghanistan on Wednesday morning, adding to the country’s severe economic and humanitarian crisis. Search and rescue operations are already underway.
The 5.9 magnitude earthquake Most of the damage was caused by the mountainous areas of Khost and Paktika provinces, located in southeastern Afghanistan and on the border with Pakistan.
Afghan media showed pictures of collapsed buildings and victims wrapped in blankets on the ground just hours after the quake. Accurate information from the mountain villages affected by the earthquake is limited.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), approximately 770 people were killed, at least 1,455 people were injured and nearly 1,500 homes were destroyed and damaged. The Taliban estimates the death toll at more than 1,000.
On Wednesday night, the Taliban Ministry of Defense confirmed that 90% of search and rescue operations associated with the earthquake had been completed. However, further tests will be conducted on Thursday to test it and casualties could rise further, OCHA reported.
The supreme leader of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada – who hardly appears in public – called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to “help the Afghan people affected by this huge tragedy and without effort”.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the global agency was “fully mobilized” to help, with the United Nations confirming it had deployed medical and medical teams, food, trauma kits and an emergency shelter in the area. . earthquake area.
President Joe Biden is monitoring developments in Afghanistan and instructed the United States Agency for International Development and other federal government partners to consider ways to help those most affected, States National Security said Advisor on Thursday. Join Jake Sullivan in a statement.
But until that happens, international aid will be limited, given more stringent sanctions imposed on the Taliban government last year after the fall of the US -backed Afghan government.
The Turkish foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the Turkish Red Crescent, which operates in Afghanistan, had sent humanitarian aid to the victims. On Thursday, a Taliban spokesman said aid also came from Qatar, Iran and Pakistan, with flights and trucks carrying items including medicines, tents and tarps.
Making aid under the Taliban
Humanitarian partners continue to assist the affected families in liaising with the de facto authorities in Paktika and Khost provinces, OCHA reported.
According to OCHA, Taliban officials sent five helicopters and more than 45 ambulances to facilitate medical evacuations in Paktika province. The Taliban leadership has allocated 100 million Afghans (about 1.1 million dollars) for aid.
Reuters Reported That poor telecommunication networks and lack of adequate roads are hindering help.
“We cannot go to this area, the networks are very weak, we are [are] “We are trying to get updates,” Mohammed Ismail Muawiya, the Taliban’s top military commander in Paktika province, told Reuters.
Bad weather conditions also hinder transportation, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or IFRC.
“We’re taking a bigger risk than war.”
– Najib Aqa Fahim, former Afghan Minister of State for Disaster Management
Mobile teams have already arrived in the areas affected by the quake, according to Dr Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Special Representative for Afghanistan.
“Of course, as the UN, we do not have the… specific equipment to evacuate people from the rubble. It should be based mainly on effort Actually “The government, which also has some restrictions on this matter,” he said He says.
“We are concerned not only with non-food items and the entry of people into shelters and medical supplies, but also with the prevention of water-borne diseases,” Alakbarov said, adding. that “this could be a very, very unpleasant scenario.”
About $ 15 million in aid is needed to respond to the disaster, Alakbarov said, a number that is likely to rise as information leaks about the situation on the ground.
“Responding to disasters is hard and difficult,” said Najib Aqa Fahim, former Afghan Minister of State for Disaster Management, who questioned the Taliban’s ability to respond in an interview with HuffPost. “The Taliban administration has no experience in responding to disasters. There is no adequate response to the seriousness of what has happened. ”
Fahim said Afghanistan’s disaster response infrastructure was damaged when it was occupied by the Taliban. Unqualified Taliban members have replaced disaster management professionals at the ministerial and provincial levels. The High Commissioner for Disaster Management, who previously served as coordinator between government agencies and international humanitarian organizations, is no longer effective. There is no longer any provincial or district disaster management committee or local council to assist in coordinating and disseminating information.
“There is no coordination, distribution of tasks and clear procedures to respond to such incidents in a timely manner,” Fahim said.
This earthquake only added to many of the problems that hit Afghanistan. The economy is already battling armed conflict and severe drought, and the United States and its allies froze about $ 7 billion in foreign reserves and cut international funding when the Taliban came to power.
“The country has suffered for decades from conflict, the effects of prolonged drought, other climate disasters, severe economic hardship, a disrupted health system and systematic shortages,” IFRC said on Wednesday. . For more global support.
“Therefore, even if the disaster were localized, the scale of the humanitarian needs would be enormous.
“The warehouses and equipment are empty. “The available funds are scarce,” Fahim said.
Fahim said that although some funds were allocated for assistance, their use was taking a long time due to the lack of coordination with the Taliban leadership.
“I believe that greater vulnerability and suffering will follow this vulnerability if international humanitarian organizations do not immediately act to fill this gap,” Fahim said.
Afghanistan is a country at high risk of natural disasters because it has been hit by drought and floods.
“We are faced with a bigger danger than the war,” Fahim said. “We now face additional difficulties in dealing with natural disasters. This concern requires an understanding of the current administration. We need leadership, strategy, experience and funding ”.
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.