As it struggles to deal with the deadly earthquake in a mountainous eastern region that has left more than 1,000 people dead and many more injured, Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government has made a request for greater foreign assistance.
The hardline Islamist leadership claimed sanctions imposed by western nations following the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces last year meant it was hindered in its ability to deal with Wednesday’s disaster in Khost and Paktika provinces because the war-torn nation was already beset by an economic crisis.
The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has asked for more foreign aid as it struggles to deal with the terrible earthquake that struck a mountainous eastern region and left more than 1,000 people dead and many more injured.
The hardline Islamist leadership asserted that sanctions imposed by western countries after the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces last year had made it difficult for it to respond to Wednesday’s catastrophe in the provinces of Khost and Paktika because the war-torn country was already experiencing an economic crisis.
The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has asked for more foreign aid as it struggles to deal with the terrible earthquake that struck a mountainous eastern region and left more than 1,000 people dead and many more injured.
“Everyone is involved in relief but the hospital does not have enough facilities,” he said. “It was a horrific scene. There were people who lost all of their family members. Some have lost 10 family members or some people have lost entire families. I have seen a five-year-old child who was the only survivor in his 13-member family. I don’t know how he will survive or if he knows what he has lost.”
Following the Taliban takeover last year, Afghanistan is currently experiencing a serious economic crisis. Concerns about the Taliban’s and foreign organisations’ capacity to act promptly are growing quickly.
Major international organisations continue to operate in Afghanistan, but since the Taliban took control, other organisations and governments 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 that other governments and relief organisations like the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders had vowed to provide.
However, the 5.9-magnitude earthquake, which was initially rated as magnitude 6.1 and was the deadliest to hit the nation in more than 20 years, had resulted in such extensive devastation and suffering that extra assistance was required.
“The government sadly is under sanctions so it is financially unable to assist the people to the extent that is needed,” he said. “The assistance needs to be scaled up to a very large extent because this is a devastating earthquake which hasn’t been experienced in decades.”
António Guterres, the secretary general of the UN, declared that the organisation had “completely mobilised” to assist, and UN officials confirmed the deployment of medical teams as well as supplies of food, medicine, trauma kits, and emergency shelter to the earthquake zone.
“The EU is watching the situation and is ready to coordinate and provide EU emergency support to individuals and impacted communities,” tweeted Tomas Niklasson, the EU’s special representative for Afghanistan.
Pakistan, where authorities reported one fatality from the earthquake, said it will send tents and other emergency supplies across the border.
Doctors Without Borders reported that its teams were in contact with the Taliban government and other organisations about providing support from their bases in Khost and Kabul, the Afghan capital.
MSF Afghanistan stated in a tweet that “we know many of the healthcare facilities are underresourced, and a natural disaster such as this will push the ones in the afflicted area to their limit.”
The British Red Cross stated that its teams were arranging for the delivery of supplies to the area, which is near to Pakistan’s border, including food, medicine, housing, water, and temporary shelter. The calamity, according to Intersos, a non-profit organisation that provides humanitarian relief in Afghanistan, could not have struck at a worse time. According to Intersos, “doctors and nurses will soon be on their way to serve individuals in urgent need of emergency medical treatment.”
For the Taliban, who have essentially isolated the nation as a result of their strict islamist policies, particularly the oppression of women and girls, the calamity presents a formidable challenge.
RELATED: Magnitude 6 earthquake strikes Islamabad and Adjoining Areas
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
RSS