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Winter threatens more hardship for survivors of Kunar earthquake

For thousands of families the struggle to rebuild their lives now collides with the onset of a bitter winter—threatening to deepen an already severe humanitarian crisis.

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As winter approaches Afghanistan’s eastern mountains, thousands of people displaced by the devastating 31 August 2025 earthquake in Kunar province are bracing for new challenges.

Kochai, a mother of five from Shomash village in Nurgal district, recalls the night the magnitude 6 quake struck.

“It was between ten and 12 o’clock when my uncle’s wife went to bed. I told her not to lock the door—my senses were telling me an earthquake might happen,” she says. Moments later, a loud boom shook the house.

“I grabbed my two small children and rocks started falling from every direction. As soon as we stepped out the door, the room behind us collapsed. I couldn’t do anything.”

She says the loss around her village has left her deeply traumatized. “Many people have died, and my heart feels blackened. I’m afraid to go back.”

The earthquake was one of Afghanistan’s deadliest in a decade, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring over 3,000 across four provinces, including Kunar and Nangarhar. Thousands of survivors now live in temporary camps after their homes were destroyed.

Emergency medical care on the ground

In the days following the disaster, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) delivered medical supplies to hospitals treating the injured. By early September, MSF had set up a 24-hour basic healthcare clinic and a health post in Patan camp in Kunar province. A mobile medical team also began visiting displaced families in Ari Gamba camp in Shomash from mid-October.

MSF teams initially provided trauma care and have since expanded services to outpatient consultations, vaccinations, antenatal and postnatal care, health promotion, and mental health support.

From mid-September to late-October, more than 7,500 people were treated—mostly for diarrhoea, respiratory infections, and skin diseases such as scabies, reflecting harsh camp living conditions.

Psychological toll and rising needs

Patan and Ari Gamba camps are among several temporary settlements sheltering roughly 8,000 people from the hardest-hit areas.

“We are seeing hopelessness among people from the earthquake-affected areas,” says MSF doctor Nahida Noor. “Many lost loved ones, and the sound and destruction of the earthquake remain in their memory.”

MSF provides both individual counselling and psychosocial group sessions, with nearly 250 participants each week.

But mental trauma is only one part of the crisis. With winter nearing, temperatures in the mountainous region will soon drop below freezing. For families living in unheated tents, the cold is already a serious concern.

“Winter is approaching and it will snow,” says Sayed Jalal, displaced in Ari Gamba. “Living in these tents is not possible. When it rained and hailed the other day, our children and women suffered greatly.”

Jalal says all their belongings were buried under rubble. “We were given a few blankets, but they cannot withstand the cold. The tents also cannot resist the cold.”

A race against time before winter

Health workers fear that the falling temperatures will bring a spike in respiratory infections, pneumonia, measles, whooping cough and other seasonal illnesses. The camps have no heating or electricity, and the surrounding terrain makes conditions even harsher.

“More will need to be done to ensure survivors can live safely until a permanent solution is found or until they can return home,” says Dr Esmatullah Esmat, MSF’s medical adviser in Kunar.

For thousands of families like Kochai’s, the struggle to rebuild their lives now collides with the onset of a bitter winter—threatening to deepen an already severe humanitarian crisis.

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No unauthorized group allowed to operate in Afghanistan: IEA spokesman

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The spokesman for the Islamic Emirate Zabihullah Mujahid says no unauthorized individual or group is allowed to operate in Afghanistan or use the country’s territory against other nations. Responding to security concerns raised by the special representatives of China and Pakistan.

Mujahid said Afghanistan’s position on regional security is clear and that its territory will not be used for activities against any other country. He added that any propaganda or concerns raised by certain parties about Afghanistan are their own responsibility and that the internal security problems of other countries are unrelated to the Islamic Emirate.

“Afghanistan enjoys nationwide security. No unauthorized group is allowed to operate here, and Afghan territory is not used against any country. We have taken strict measures to prevent such activities. If some parties spread propaganda or express concerns about Afghanistan, that is their own matter. The reality is that no unauthorized group posing a threat to any country exists or is allowed to operate in Afghanistan,” said Mujahid.

His remarks came after Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, and China’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Yu Xiaoyong, held talks on Monday on regional security and the latest developments concerning Afghanistan.

During the meeting, the two envoys discussed threats posed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which Pakistan claims are operating from Afghan territory.

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WFP warns Afghanistan’s child malnutrition crisis deepens as aid cuts put millions at risk

WFP estimates that 3.7 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year unless urgent action is taken.

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The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that Afghanistan is facing a worsening child malnutrition crisis, with funding shortages forcing life-saving nutrition and food programmes to scale back at a time when they are needed most.

According to WFP, child acute malnutrition has reached critical levels in 12 provinces, including Helmand, Kandahar, Baghlan and Logar, with the situation expected to deteriorate through October. The agency said nearly one-third of Afghanistan’s provinces are now experiencing critical levels of child malnutrition—the highest number on record.

WFP estimates that 3.7 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year unless urgent action is taken.

“Feeble cries of malnourished babies haunt the health clinics of Afghanistan as worried mothers—many themselves weakened by hunger—bring their children, desperate for treatment,” said WFP Country Director in Afghanistan John Aylieff. “We are witnessing the next generation waste away in spite of this being harvest time – a time of plenty.  This is not simply heartbreaking—it is unacceptable.”

The agency attributed the worsening situation to a combination of conflict, unemployment, high food prices, reduced humanitarian funding, supply disruptions caused by conflict in the Middle East, and the prolonged closure of the Pakistan border, which limited access to nutrition supplies.

WFP said 142 health centres closed in 2025 due to funding cuts, leaving more than 13,000 children without nutrition treatment, while nearly one million mothers and children missed essential nutrition services for five months this year.

“Afghanistan is already gripped by one of the world’s most severe and unrelenting malnutrition crises, and these staggering numbers could climb even higher. This crisis could eclipse all previous projections and condemn countless more children and mothers to preventable death,” added Aylieff. 

The agency called for an urgent $540 million over the next six months to maintain and expand nutrition programmes, warning that without immediate support, the crisis could claim more lives and reach unprecedented levels.

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Afghan boxer charged over death of British woman found in suitcase in Greece

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Greek authorities have charged a 26-year-old Afghan man over the death of a British charity worker whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens.

The victim, 38-year-old Elisabeth-Jane Ross from Edinburgh, Scotland, had travelled to Greece in late June to carry out volunteer work supporting refugees and vulnerable communities.

She was reported missing after friends and family became concerned when they received unusual text messages from her phone that investigators now believe may have been sent after her death to delay the discovery of the crime.

The accused, Sharif Ahmadzai, is a professional boxer who arrived in Greece as an unaccompanied Afghan refugee, a minor, in 2016. He later married an American aid worker, and together they established a Christian ministry that provided assistance to refugees in Athens. Ross is believed to have known the couple through their humanitarian work.

Greek prosecutors have charged Ahmadzai with murder, robbery and weapons-related offences. According to investigators, CCTV footage allegedly shows him wheeling a large suitcase through Athens before abandoning it in a derelict building in the Kypseli district, where Ross’s body was discovered by a homeless man on July 18.

Authorities also allege he used the victim’s bank cards to withdraw about €10,000 after her death.

Ahmadzai has admitted disposing of Ross’s body and using her bank cards but denies killing her. He claims he found her already dead in the apartment where she had been staying.

Investigators, however, say forensic evidence and CCTV footage contradict key parts of his account. Initial forensic findings suggest Ross may have died from asphyxiation, although further toxicology tests are still pending.

Investigators say Ahmadzai’s wife played a key role in the investigation after becoming suspicious of his behaviour. She reportedly contacted police after tracking his location to Ross’s apartment on the night she disappeared and later handed officers cash and other items she believed may have been linked to the case.

Greek authorities continue to investigate the motive for the killing, with robbery and a possible confrontation among the lines of inquiry. The case has shocked both Greece and the United Kingdom, where Ross is being remembered for her humanitarian work and commitment to helping refugees.

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