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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.
Tajik authorities say their border guards clashed with militants who crossed into Tajikistan’s Khatlon region from Afghanistan on Tuesday night.
Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security said in a statement that militants intended to carry out an armed attack on one of the border outposts.
Three militants were killed and two Tajik soldiers died in the clash. From the scene, three firearms—an M-16 rifle and a Kalashnikov assault rifle—three foreign-made pistols equipped with suppressors, ten hand grenades, one night-vision device, explosives, and other military equipment were seized, according to the committee.
This was the third reported attack from Afghanistan into Tajikistan in the past month, with the previous ones targeting Chinese nationals.
The Islamic Emirate previously said it assured Tajikistan it was ready to tighten border security and conduct joint investigations.
Business
Afghanistan’s first aluminum can factory launched in Herat with $120 million investment
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, laid the foundation stone of the “Pamir” aluminum can production company at the industrial parks of Herat on Thursday.
Afghanistan’s first aluminum can manufacturing plant was officially launched on Thursday in Herat province, marking a significant step toward industrial development and economic self-reliance.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, laid the foundation stone of the “Pamir” aluminum can production company at the industrial parks of Herat on Thursday.
According to officials, the Pamir factory is the first of its kind in Afghanistan and is being established with an investment of $120 million. The project will be built on 16 jeribs of land within Herat’s industrial zones.
Once completed, the factory is expected to create employment opportunities for around 1,700 Afghan citizens. Officials say the project will play a key role in boosting domestic production, reducing reliance on imports, and strengthening the national economy.
Authorities described the launch of the project as a clear sign of growing investment in the industrial sector and ongoing efforts to promote economic self-sufficiency in the country.
Latest News
Medvedev: IEA posed less threat to Russia than western-backed groups
He added that such organisations have consistently pursued one objective: “to break apart the multiethnic people of Russia.”
Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has said that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) caused less harm to Russia than Western-backed civic organisations that, he claims, sought to undermine the country’s unity.
In an article published in the Russian journal Rodina, Medvedev wrote that while the IEA had long been designated as a terrorist organisation, its actions did not inflict the same level of damage on Russia as what he described as Western-supported institutions operating under the banner of academic or humanitarian work.
“Let us be honest: the Taliban (IEA) movement, long listed as a terrorist organisation, has caused modern Russia far less damage than all those pseudo-scientific institutions whose aim is to dismantle our country under the guise of aiding the oppressed,” Medvedev stated.
He added that such organisations have consistently pursued one objective: “to break apart the multiethnic people of Russia.”
Medvedev’s remarks come amid a shift in Russia’s official stance toward Afghanistan. In April, Russia’s Supreme Court suspended the ban on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which had previously been included on the country’s list of terrorist organisations.
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