Posted on 27 June 2022
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Afghanistan's mountainous Central Region impacting Paktika and Khost provinces, immediately killing more than 1,000 and leaving thousands more homeless and injured. Delivering aid has been made more difficult because the quake struck areas already suffering the effects of heavy rain, causing rockfalls and mudslides that wiped out villages perched precariously on mountain slopes. Communications have also been hit with mobile phone towers and power lines toppled.
The Taliban administration has called on international governments to roll back sanctions and lift a freeze on central bank assets following the earthquake. While humanitarian aid does continue to flow to Afghanistan, funds needed for longer-term development were halted when the Taliban seized control of the country in August 2021 as foreign forces withdrew.