Ayaz Gul VOA News October 12, 2023 ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s Taliban have blocked earthquake-related relief assistance from Pakistan over a controversial social media post by the country’s prime minister amid an already strained bilateral relationship, VOA learned Thursday from highly placed official sources. A senior Taliban official, speaking on condition of anonymity while not being authorized
Ayaz Gul VOA News October 12, 2023 ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s Taliban government Thursday lowered the death toll from a series of recent earthquakes that struck western districts to about 1,000, revising the previous figure of more than 2,000 fatalities. The Afghan Public Health Ministry posted the latest toll on X, formerly Twitter, saying around 2,400 people
The Guardian (UK): The Intercontinental Hotel, Afghanistan’s first luxury hotel, opened in 1969. It was built in a time that feels much further away than the year suggests. Afghanistan was at war for more than 40 years. Rulers came and went, and every one of them was here, at the Intercontinental. Its former luxury has
Khaama: Flydubai is resuming flights between Kabul and the United Arab Emirates, as confirmed by the Afghanistan Consulate General in Dubai. This decision comes after a two-year suspension of these flights and marks a significant development in air travel between the two destinations. Currently, two local airlines, Ariana Airlines and Kam Air, are the primary
Akmal Dawi VOA News October 10, 2023 The number of people killed by Saturday’s 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan has surpassed 2,400 as search and rescue teams extracted more bodies from the ruins of hundreds of destroyed houses, according to local officials. “Martyrs are still under the rubble,” said Matiul Haq Khalis, president of the Afghan
Khaama: The United Nations Coordination Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has stated that in the earthquake on Saturday, 1,294 people were killed and 688 others were injured in the Zenda Jan district of Herat province. OCHA reports that there are currently 485 individuals missing, comprising 191 men and 294 women. According to OCHA’s report, six
Ayaz Gul VOA News October 9, 2023 ISLAMABAD — The Taliban government and aid groups in western Afghanistan said Monday that rescue efforts were ongoing to find and recover survivors trapped under rubble, two days after a powerful earthquake and multiple aftershocks killed hundreds of people and injured many more. The 6.3 magnitude quake hit the
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi October 9, 2023 Aid workers have reached some earthquake-stricken areas of western Afghanistan and started distributing emergency food supplies to those affected as rescue efforts continued after a series of powerful earthquakes caused widespread destruction and reportedly killed more than 2,000 people in the quake-prone mountainous country’s worst natural disaster in years.
Michael Hughes: Islamabad introduced trade restrictions targeting a frail Afghan economy because – apparently – threatening to send 1.7 refugees to Afghanistan wasn’t enough of a message to send the Taliban in one week. On the surface they appear more disruptive than anything, but the measures could be the opening salvo of a one-sided trade
Khaama: The report mentions that Afghanistan’s economy remains fragile, with two-thirds of Afghan families facing livelihood challenges. According to experts, the publication of this economic report and Afghanistan’s fragile economy harm foreign traders and investors looking to invest in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan, the international community has not formally acknowledged the