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Death toll likely to climb following deadly 6.1 earthquake in Afghanistan
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s acting Prime Minister Hasan Akhund chaired an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning following the deadly 6.1 magnitude earthquake that hit eastern Khost in the early hours of the morning.
By mid-morning Wednesday officials had confirmed almost 300 people had been killed and a further 600 injured in Paktika and Khost provinces.
It was decided at the emergency meeting that affected families of those killed be given cash assistance and that the wounded need urgent treatment. Authorities were also instructed to use ground and air transport to deliver food, clothing, medicine and other essential items to those affected.
Pakistan said early Wednesday that it stands in solidarity with Afghans. The ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement the “government and people of Pakistan extend deepest condolences and sympathies over the loss of precious lives and damage to property caused by the tragic earthquake in Paktika province of Afghanistan and its adjoining areas, and torrential floods in various provinces across the country.”
Pakistan also said its “authorities and institutions are working to extend required assistance to Afghanistan in coordination with their relevant institutions.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif meanwhile tweeted that he is “deeply grieved to learn about earthquake in Afghanistan, resulting in loss of innocent lives. People in Pakistan share the grief & sorrow of their Afghan brethren. Relevant authorities working to support Afghanistan in this time of need.”
The European Union’s special envoy for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson also responded early Wednesday and said: “The EU is monitoring the situation and stands ready to coordinate and provide EU emergency assistance to people and communities affected.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) meanwhile said search and rescue operations are ongoing and are being led by the IEA authorities.
“The UN and humanitarian partners have been requested to support the de facto disaster management authority in assessing and responding to immediate needs,” UNOCHA tweeted.
According to them, inter-agency assessment teams have already been deployed to a number of affected areas and that the UN and humanitarian country team in Afghanistan expresses deep sympathy to all people affected by this disaster.
IEA spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has meanwhile confirmed that in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, personnel from regional units have reached areas worst affected by the earthquake and are transporting the injured to hospitals.
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Tajik foreign minister urges international community to help Afghanistan address its challenges
Tajikistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sirodjiddin Mukhriddin, has called on the international community to step up assistance for Afghanistan as the country continues to face challenges.
Speaking at a press conference, Mukhriddin said Tajikistan and Afghanistan maintain active coordination between their law enforcement agencies to prevent security incidents along their shared border. He noted that this cooperation remains essential, as the frequency of armed attacks and criminal activity in border regions has increased in recent months.
He said that Afghan authorities had assured Tajikistan they would take necessary measures to stop further incidents and would conduct thorough investigations into any violations.
Mukhriddin emphasized that Tajikistan supports constructive international engagement aimed at improving Afghanistan’s socio-economic conditions. He highlighted that Tajikistan has provided more than 6,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including food and essential supplies delivered in 2025 to assist communities affected by devastating earthquakes.
The minister also pointed to growing economic cooperation between the two neighbors. Tajikistan has reopened border markets and continues to supply electricity to Afghanistan.
Tajikistan and Afghanistan share a border of more than 1,300 kilometers—over 1,100 km of which consists of waterways and about 190 km of land boundaries.
Meanwhile, Zafar Samad Director of the Drug Control Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, has said that last year, 17 incidents of clashes happened with drug smugglers along the border with Afghanistan. As a result, two Tajik forces and 10 Afghan nationals have been killed, he added.
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Baradar: Afghanistan is not an easy target, but a ‘bitter tree’
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, warned during a graduation ceremony for soldiers of the Ministry of National Defense that the Islamic Emirate will respond decisively to anyone with ill intentions toward Afghanistan.
He said the country is “not an easy target, but a bitter tree that has made the throats of empires bitter and newborns can never digest.”
Baradar also announced that in the coming days, the Islamic Emirate will introduce tax exemptions of one to five years for domestic and foreign investors, based on the level of investment in new sectors. He also said that the process of distribution of land to manufacturers will be accelerated.
Baradar called on countries to engage in political and economic relations according to the values and principles of the Islamic Emirate, emphasizing that energy and resources spent on conflict would be better used to support one another and strengthen common interests.
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Fourteen former Afghan government forces killed in last three months of 2025: UNAMA
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in its latest report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, stated that 14 members of the former Afghan government forces were killed in the last three months of 2025.
The report noted that during this period, there were 28 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and at least seven cases of torture and ill-treatment targeting officials and personnel of the former Afghan government.
According to the report, some of the officials and forces who had recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan were among those subjected to extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and detentions.
The report also highlighted restrictions on women’s work and movement, executions and flogging of individuals, and disruptions to internet and telecommunications services.
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