AFGHANISTAN: Afghanistan’s Taliban administration on Saturday called on international governments to roll back sanctions and lift a freeze on central bank assets following the earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands homeless.
The 6.1-magnitude quake that struck the east of the country early on Wednesday destroyed or damaged 10,000 homes and injured about 2,000 people, straining the country’s fragile health system and posing a major test for the ruling Taliban.
“The Islamic Emirate is asking the world to give the Afghans their most basic right, which is their right to life and that is through lifting the sanctions and unfreezing our assets and also giving assistance,” Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi told Agencies in an interview.
On Thursday, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates all said they planned to send aid. Supplies from Pakistan have already crossed the border.
India, which has strained ties with the Taliban, said it had sent 27 tonnes of supplies on two flights to be handed to international aid agencies.
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, has rushed tonnes of supplies and expert staff to support the relief effort, it said.
– ARAB NEWS
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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