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Funding cuts hamper Afghanistan’s earthquake response
Humanitarian officials warned Monday that dozens of health clinics have been forced to shut down and critical UN air support was suspended, leaving rescuers struggling to reach remote mountain villages.
Severe funding shortfalls are obstructing relief efforts in eastern Afghanistan, where a powerful earthquake has killed at least 800 people and injured more than 2,800.
Humanitarian officials warned Monday that dozens of health clinics have been forced to shut down and critical UN air support was suspended, leaving rescuers struggling to reach remote mountain villages.
The 6.0-magnitude quake struck shortly before midnight on Sunday in Kunar province, flattening entire communities and overwhelming a fragile health system already weakened by years of conflict, poverty, and natural disasters.
Since the Islamic Emirate took power in 2021, Afghanistan has endured three major deadly earthquakes alongside droughts, floods, and mass deportations of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries.
“The actual delivery of response has been badly hit by the funding cuts this year,” Kate Carey, deputy head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan told Reuters. “The number of people we have on the ground is much less than we would have had six months ago.”
Humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has plummeted, falling to $767 million this year from $3.8 billion in 2022, according to U.N. data. The decline stems from multiple factors: shifting donor priorities amid crises in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan; frustration over Islamic Emirate restrictions on women; and U.S. aid cuts to USAID programs, initiated in January under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The impact has been stark. Forty-four health clinics serving more than 360,000 people in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces have closed this year due to funding shortfalls, according to the World Health Organization.
The World Food Programme’s humanitarian air service, which once provided helicopters to ferry medical teams and supplies into inaccessible areas, was grounded earlier this year because of budget cuts.
The Islamic Emirate meanwhile has appealed for emergency support. So far a few countries including India, Switzerland and the UAE have pledged emergency aid. The UAE also confirmed it would send rescue teams.
Aid groups meanwhile say Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis is being compounded by international isolation. Sanctions on IEA leaders have crippled banking channels, and billions of US dollars in Afghan central bank reserves remain frozen.
Sherine Ibrahim, Afghanistan Director of the International Rescue Committee, told Reuters that the cuts threaten to paralyze relief operations. “Although we have been able to act fast, we are profoundly fearful for the additional strain that this disaster will have on the overall humanitarian response in Afghanistan,” she said.
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Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan boost trade and digital finance ties
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, has met with a high-level Kyrgyz delegation led by Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakhyt Sydykov to discuss expanding bilateral trade and strengthening cooperation in digital financial services.
During the meeting, Hanafi reaffirmed Afghanistan’s readiness to deepen ties with Kyrgyzstan, stressing the importance of developing electronic administration systems and modern banking channels to facilitate trade and financial transactions between the two countries.
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives. He also pointed to potential cooperation in areas such as the printing of securities and the development of electronic payment systems.
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India reaffirms healthcare support to Afghanistan, hands over medicines and vaccines
Indian officials said the support underscores New Delhi’s commitment to helping improve healthcare services and access to life-saving treatment in Afghanistan.
India has reaffirmed its commitment to continued humanitarian assistance and healthcare cooperation with Afghanistan, with a focus on the long-term supply of essential medicines.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda held a productive meeting with Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health, Noor Jalal Jalali. The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in the health sector and addressing the medical needs of the Afghan people.
During the meeting, a symbolic handover of cancer medicines and vaccines was carried out, reflecting India’s ongoing support for Afghanistan’s healthcare system. The ministry also announced that a larger consignment of medicines, vaccines, and a 128-slice CT scanner is being dispatched to Afghanistan as part of India’s humanitarian assistance efforts.
Indian officials said the support underscores New Delhi’s commitment to helping improve healthcare services and access to life-saving treatment in Afghanistan.
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Afghan forces target hideout of suspects linked to cross-border attacks on Chinese nationals
Afghan forces target hideout of suspects linked to cross-border attacks on Chinese nationals
Security sources said that special forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) have targeted a hideout in Badakhshan province linked to suspects involved in attacks against Chinese nationals in neighboring Tajikistan.
According to the sources, the operation was carried out on Tuesday night in Faizabad city, where several individuals suspected of orchestrating cross-border attacks from Badakhshan’s frontier regions were believed to be present. As a result of the operation, one wanted suspect was arrested alive along with weapons and other military equipment.
The sources added that preliminary investigations and initial confessions by the detainee indicate the planning of the attacks was carried out from outside Afghanistan.
This comes as Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on November 27 that three Chinese citizens were killed in an attack in Khatlon province.
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