GAYAN DISTRICT, Afghanistan —
Afghanistan's Taliban
rulers pledged on Saturday they would not interfere with international efforts
to distribute aid to tens of thousands of people affected by this week's deadly
earthquake.
اضافة اعلان
Even before Wednesday's quake the country was in the grip of
a humanitarian crisis, with aid flows and financial assistance severely
curtailed since the Taliban's return to power.
The 5.9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east
along the border with Pakistan, as people slept, killing over 1,000 and leaving
thousands more homeless.
Aid organizations have complained in the past that Taliban
authorities have tried to divert aid to areas and people that supported their
hardline insurgency — or even seized goods to distribute themselves and claim
the credit.
But Khan Mohammad Ahmad, a senior official in hard-hit
Paktika province, said international organizations helping relief efforts would
not be interfered with.
"Whether it is WFP,
UNICEF or any other organization,
... the international community or the UN, ... they will do the distribution by
themselves," said Khan.
"The responsible people from the Islamic emirate are
here, ... our members will be always with them (to help)," he added,
referring to the Taliban's new name for Afghanistan.
The disaster poses a huge logistical challenge for the
government, which has isolated itself from much of the world by introducing
hardline rule that subjugates women and girls.
But the international community has been quick to respond to
the latest disaster to befall the country and aid is starting to flow —
although not always where it is needed most.
'Courage and resilience'
The country's health minister, who toured Gayan district
Saturday, said people were deeply traumatized by the quake and reluctant to
return to their homes
"The whole community is badly affected, mentally and
psychologically," Qalandar Ebad told AFP.
"I think now the situation is critical. ... Society is
totally damaged here."
But
Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN's top official in Afghanistan,
praised Afghans for their resilience and courage after touring the area
Saturday.
"What signs of resolve in face of this adversity — I
would say endless adversity," he told AFP.
"Endless difficulties, endless tragedy, and yet these
people are so gracious, so strong. And they are willing to overcome, and they
are coming together as a community and as a society."
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 hamlets perched precariously on mountain
slopes.
Communications have also been hit with mobile phone towers
and power lines toppled.
Officials say nearly 10,000 houses were destroyed, an
alarming number in an area where the average household size is more than 20
people.
Even before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan's emergency
response teams were stretched to deal with the natural disasters that
frequently strike the country.
But with only a handful of airworthy planes and helicopters
left since they returned to power, their response to the latest catastrophe is
further limited.
Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in
the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian
tectonic plates.
Afghanistan's deadliest recent
earthquake killed 5,000 in
1998 in the northeastern provinces of Takhar and Badakhshan.
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