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UN appeals for $140 million to assist quake-hit Afghan communities
The UN’s four-month emergency response plan, valued at $139.6 million, aims to deliver urgent food, shelter, medical care, and other relief to around 457,000 people before winter sets in.
The United Nations has launched an emergency appeal for nearly $140 million to support hundreds of thousands of people affected by the powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on August 31.
The 6.0 magnitude quake and subsequent aftershocks killed over 2,200 people and left more than 3,600 injured, according to Afghan authorities. Entire villages in the mountainous provinces of Kunar, Laghman, and Nangarhar have been devastated, with more than 6,700 homes damaged or destroyed.
Humanitarian access remains a major challenge. The UN says it has so far reached only 49 of the 411 affected villages because of damaged roads and rugged terrain, with some communities accessible only by helicopter.
The UN’s four-month emergency response plan, valued at $139.6 million, aims to deliver urgent food, shelter, medical care, and other relief to around 457,000 people before winter sets in.
“This is a moment where the international community must dig deep and show solidarity with a population that has already endured so much suffering,” said Indrika Ratwatte, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan.
He warned that assistance efforts are in a “race against time” as cold weather approaches.
Local authorities and aid agencies have already launched relief operations, but overstretched health facilities and damaged infrastructure are limiting the response. The UN says the appeal, which runs until the end of the year, will allow aid groups to expand operations, particularly in high-altitude areas most at risk from the coming winter.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that security risks in Central Asia and developments in Afghanistan are among the primary concerns for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The CSTO is a regional military alliance that includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Speaking in Moscow during a meeting with CSTO Secretary-General Taalatbek Masadykov, Lavrov described the region’s security challenges as “central” to the organization’s agenda.
“The problems that are currently among the central ones for the CSTO are new challenges and threats. I am referring to the situation in the Central Asian region of collective security, as well as everything related to what is happening in Afghanistan,” he said.
He praised Masadykov as “one of the leading experts” on Central Asian security, noting that his experience could enhance coordination and increase the effectiveness of allied actions.
Similar to NATO, the CSTO considers an attack on one member state as an attack on all.
Countries in the region have always expressed concern about security threats from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed these concerns and assured that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against another country.
The Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan has announced that the leader of the Islamic Emirate has approved the establishment of a faculty dedicated to “Prophetic Medicine.”
According to the ministry, this new faculty will play a vital role in advancing medical sciences and training skilled healthcare professionals across the country.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, Noorullah Noori, has announced that the long-delayed demarcation and renovation of border markers along the Afghanistan–Iran frontier will officially begin in the near future.
According to a statement from the ministry, Noori made the remarks during a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Ali-Reza Bikdeli.
He assured the Iranian side that the Islamic Emirate is fully committed to accelerating the process and resolving any challenges that may arise during implementation.
In a separate statement, the Iranian Embassy in Kabul said Bikdeli underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation on border issues, describing it as a key factor in strengthening and expanding overall relations between the two countries.
Officials from both sides agreed nearly three months ago to resume the border-marker renovation project, which had remained stalled for the past seven years.
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