Khost earthquake: relief and humanitarian aid struggle to arrive

The government is unable to handle another crisis. The crux of the tragedy remains the international community's standoff over sending money to a country in the hands of the Taliban. In Gayan district, the hardest hit, 70 percent of homes have been destroyed; some have also collapsed due to heavy rains. It is difficult to estimate the number of people who may still be trapped under the rubble.

Kabul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Hunger, poverty and the devastation of decades of war were not enough in Afghanistan: yesterday morning the southeastern provinces of Khost and Paktika were hit by a magnitude 6 earthquake. Afghans living in rural villages on the border with Pakistan woke up around 2 a.m. amid total devastation: according to independent assessments in Gayan district, the hardest hit, 70 percent of homes were destroyed. 

The Taliban reported at least 1,000 dead and more than 1,500 wounded. The U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed a lower death toll, but the tally is expected to rise as aid and relief efforts struggle to arrive. 

The current government in Kabul does not seem to be able to handle the situation, and images released so far show people making do with makeshift stretchers, makeshift shelters and mass burials. Some houses, formed mostly of mud bricks, collapsed later due to the rain. Many people are still trapped under the rubble. "Given the unseasonably heavy rains and cold weather, emergency shelters are an immediate priority," Ocha officials said.

The spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan appealed to the international community, but that of aid continues to remain the great crux of the tragedy. After the Taliban recapture and the withdrawal of U.S. forces, the flow of foreign currency ending up in the Afghan state's coffers came to a halt: international aid accounted for nearly 80 percent of the national budget.

The entire country has plunged into poverty, nearly 20 million people-about half the population-now suffer acute hunger, human rights gains have been wiped out. The Taliban, which has put down its rifle to occupy state offices, cannot cope with one humanitarian crisis after another: government positions have been handed over to religious fanatics or ex-combatants, and foreign officials still in the country admit their inability to govern.

"We cannot reach the area. The networks are too weak; we are trying to get updates," Muhammad Ismail Muawiyah, spokesman for the military commandos in Paktika province, told Reuters, referring to mobile phone networks.

Remote and mountainous areas affected by the earthquake are prone to landslides. Even before the "Koranic students" came to power, aid workers were struggling to reach these areas, partly because of decades of guerrilla warfare. The southeastern provinces, strongholds of the Haqqani network-the Taliban's most ruthless and intransigent faction-have been the scene of clashes in the past, and economic development has never come: by necessity, therefore, the population is poor and housing is poorly constructed.

Today South Korea's Foreign Ministry pledged million in humanitarian aid; Pakistan, - which reported 30 casualties - will send a convoy of 8 trucks loaded with medicines, tents and blankets. Qatar has sent one plane and Iran two. The United States and the European Union have expressed their sympathy for the Afghan people on Twitter, but still struggle to deal with the awkwardness of the situation because sending aid would mean collaborating with the Taliban government. The United Nations said it will provide medical assistance but also added that it has no search and rescue capacity in Afghanistan.