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WHO warns of rising health needs after deadly earthquake in northern Afghanistan
The quake, which hit at 1 a.m. local time, caused extensive damage across Samangan and Balkh provinces, destroying homes, injuring hundreds, and damaging critical health infrastructure.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has mobilized emergency health teams and dispatched life-saving medical supplies to northern Afghanistan following a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck near Mazar-e-Sharif early Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 860 others.
The quake, which hit at 1 a.m. local time, caused extensive damage across Samangan and Balkh provinces, destroying homes, injuring hundreds, and damaging critical health infrastructure.
According to WHO’s first situation report, Samangan recorded 11 deaths and 270 injuries, while Balkh reported 9 deaths and nearly 600 injuries. More than 400 patients were treated in private hospitals for quake-related injuries.
Several health facilities sustained partial damage, including the Balghali Primary Healthcare Clinic in Samangan — supported by WHO — and the Hayatan PHC in Balkh. The Samangan Provincial Hospital laboratory completely collapsed, destroying vital medical equipment and disrupting diagnostic services.
Within hours of the quake, WHO and its partners deployed emergency teams to the hardest-hit areas. Six ambulances from the Balkh Ambulance Department were sent to rescue people trapped under debris and transfer the critically injured to regional hospitals.
To strengthen the response, WHO has supplied four Trauma and Emergency Surgery Kits (TESK) — enough to treat around 200 trauma patients — and one Interagency Emergency Health Kit (IEHK), which can support 10,000 people for up to three months. Additional medical supplies, including pneumonia kits, are being sent from Kabul to Mazar to replenish stockpiles.
“Health teams are working around the clock to provide emergency care, deliver medical supplies, and assess urgent needs,” the WHO said, adding that coordination with the Ministry of Public Health and provincial authorities is ongoing.
A rapid health needs assessment is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, November 4, to determine the full extent of the damage and identify priority gaps in medical support.
The response has been complicated by landslides in the Tange area of Khulm district, which blocked the Balkh–Kabul highway, as well as power outages and limited hospital capacity. Khulm District Hospital, one of the main facilities in the region, is facing severe overcrowding and a shortage of space and resources to handle the influx of injured patients.
WHO said continued international support is urgently required to help hospitals in Balkh, Samangan, and Khulm sustain life-saving operations and ensure access to shelter, clean water, food, and psychosocial support for displaced families.
The organization expressed its “solidarity with the affected families” and reaffirmed its commitment to assist Afghanistan’s health authorities in mounting a rapid and coordinated emergency response.
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Afghanistan summons Pakistani chargé d’affaires over latest airstrikes
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires to Kabul and lodged a strong protest against the violation of Afghan airspace and Pakistani military airstrikes on several Afghan provinces.
The ministry handed the Pakistani diplomat a formal protest note following the attacks on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Wednesday night, which reportedly caused civilian casualties.
The Islamic Emirate strongly condemned the strikes, calling them a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and contrary to Islamic, international, humanitarian and good-neighborly principles.
The ministry also rejected what it called baseless claims that Afghan territory was being used as a source of Pakistan’s recent security incidents.
It said using such claims to justify military action was an attempt to distort facts, mislead public opinion and conceal Pakistan’s internal failures.
The Islamic Emirate further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of avoiding commitments made to regional countries and warned that such actions could further escalate tensions in the region.
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Museum dedicated to preserving ‘Jihadi’ artefacts opens in Kandahar
The museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.
A museum dedicated to preserving what Afghan authorities describe as “Jihadi artefacts” has officially opened in Kandahar, with officials saying more than 100 items have so far been collected for display.
Mufti Mohammad Tahir Ahmad, Director General for the Preservation of Jihadi Artefacts at the Ministry of Information and Culture, attended the inauguration ceremony alongside Qari Ahmadullah Saeed Khosti, Director of Registration for Jihadi Artefacts and Documents.
Mufti Inamullah Samangani, head of the Kandahar Information and Culture Department, and officials from several government departments also attended the ceremony.
According to the official responsible for preserving the artefacts in Kandahar, the museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.
The collection includes weapons that officials say were captured from British, Soviet and US forces, as well as personal belongings and other items associated with people killed during Afghanistan’s conflicts over the past two decades.
Officials said efforts to collect additional artefacts would continue in order to expand the museum’s collection.
The museum is now open to visitors, according to the officials.
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Ariana Afghan Airlines ranks seventh among 45 Central Asian airlines
Ariana Afghan Airlines has ranked seventh among 45 airlines in Central Asia in Skytrax’s 2026 rankings.
Company officials say Ariana Afghan ranked eighth on the list in 2025, but moved up one place this year following improvements in service quality and the expansion of its operations.
According to the officials, in 2026 the airline met criteria including service quality, flight safety, professional cabin crew, and experience in the aviation sector, placing it among the top 10 airlines in Central Asia.
Skytrax is an international organization that evaluates and ranks the quality of services in the aviation industry and airlines, assessing and ranking carriers annually based on specific criteria.
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