Taliban urges US to unfreeze funds to assist Afghanistan after earthquake claims 1,150 lives

The Taliban on Saturday urged the United States to unfreeze Afghanistan’s international funds and carry monetary sanctions to assist the war-ravaged nation cope with its deadliest earthquake but which killed greater than 1000 individuals.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Saturday, whereas chatting with reporters in Kabul, mentioned, “In these testing times, we call on the United States to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets and lift sanctions on Afghan banks so that aid agencies can easily deliver assistance to Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden in February had signed an government order to liberate half the $7 billion in frozen Afghan central financial institution belongings on US soil, splitting the cash between humanitarian help for Afghanistan and to presumably fulfill terrorism-related lawsuits in opposition to the Taliban, Voice of America reported.

The United Nations mentioned humanitarian organizations, in coordination with Taliban authorities, are persevering with to supply help to households in Paktika and Khost, the 2 southeastern Afghan provinces hardest hit by Wednesday’s 5.9 magnitude earthquake.

“There are, however, unconfirmed reports that between 700 and 800 families are living in the open across three of the six worst-affected districts,” a UN assertion on Saturday mentioned.

“Families living in non-damaged and partially damaged buildings have also reportedly resorted to living out in the open out of fear that there may be further tremors,” the assertion added.

DEADLY EARTHQUAKE

According to Taliban officers, the earthquake killed 1,150 individuals, injured about 1,600 and destroyed practically 3,000 properties, with a whole lot extra partially broken. According to UNICEF, at the very least 121 kids had been amongst these killed and the toll is prone to improve.

The destruction hit a few of the poorest and most distant mountainous Afghan areas close to the Pakistan border which lacked the infrastructure to resist calamities of this scale.

The Afghan authorities have ended the seek for survivors and mentioned that the provides of drugs and different essential help had been insufficient.

INDIA SENDS AID

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Friday mentioned that India had despatched a second consignment of reduction help to Kabul to assist the individuals of Afghanistan. The reduction help consists of important objects together with household ridge tents, sleeping baggage, blankets.

Second consignment of India’s earthquake reduction help for the individuals of Afghanistan reaches Kabul. pic.twitter.com/S7nDhi0nX4

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 24, 2022

New Delhi additionally determined to deploy Indian officers on the Indian mission in Kabul on Thursday to ramp up humanitarian efforts.

“In order to closely monitor and coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders for the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and in continuation of our engagement with the Afghan people, an Indian technical team has reached Kabul today and has been deployed in our Embassy there,” mentioned a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday.