Afghanistan earthquake kills over 800: Taliban appeal for international aid

More than 800 people died and thousands were injured after a magnitude 6 earthquake in Afghanistan. The Taliban have appealed for international aid, while the UN and several other countries are beginning to send in relief supplies and medical equipment.

On Tuesday, the Taliban appealed to the international community for help in dealing with the scale of the damage caused by a magnitude 6 earthquake, which has left over 800 people dead and 2,700 injured.

"This is a tragedy. Many of the injured require urgent medical assistance and ongoing treatment," an Afghan Ministry of Health spokesman told the Efe news agency. In addition to the injuries caused by the earthquake, some people are suffering from infections, malnutrition in these hard-to-reach regions and mental health problems.

The UN has already released an initial five million dollars from its global emergency response fund. Most Western countries prefer to organize their assistance through the UN, fearing that the funds will not reach the population. The Taliban regime has been isolated on the international scene since its return to power in the summer of 2021 and the numerous liberticidal decisions it has taken since then, in the name of an ultra-rigorist interpretation of Islam and aimed particularly at women.

The UK has already pledged £1 million to the UN and the Red Cross, while the European Union has assured us that its humanitarian aid and civil protection teams (ECHO department) are already on the ground.

For its part, India has sent a thousand tents and 15 tonnes of food aid to Kabul. New Delhi has promised further shipments in the coming days, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar confirmed on social networks.

China, for its part, declared its willingness to cooperate “according to Afghanistan's needs and its own capabilities”. Iran offered medical supplies, while the United States offered its condolences to the Central Asian country from which it had withdrawn militarily in 2021.