International

Aftershock in Afghanistan as quake toll rises to 1,150 dead

Published

4 years ago

June 25, 2022

Afghanistan Earthquake

Tents, food and medical supplies rolled into the mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan where thousands were left homeless or injured by this week’s powerful earthquake, which state media said killed 1,150 people. A new aftershock Friday took five more lives and deepened the misery

Among the dead from Wednesday’s magnitude 6 quake are 121 children, but that figure is expected to climb, said Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan. He said close to 70 children were injured.

Overstretched aid agencies said the disaster underscored the need for the international community to rethink its financial cutoff of Afghanistan since Taliban insurgents seized the country 10 months ago. That policy, halting billions in development aid and freezing vital reserves, has helped push the economy into collapse and plunge Afghanistan deeper into humanitarian crises and near-famine.

The quake struck a remote, deeply impoverished region of small towns and villages tucked among rough mountains near the Pakistani border, collapsing stone and mud-brick homes and in some cases killing entire families. Nearly 3,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged in Paktika and Khost provinces, state media reported.

The effort to help the victims has been slowed both by geography and by Afghanistan’s decimated infrastructure.

Rutted roads through the mountains, already slow to drive on, were made worse by quake damage and rain. The International Red Cross has five hospitals in the region, but damage to the roads made it difficult for those in the worse-hit areas to reach them, said Lucien Christen, a Red Cross spokesman in Afghanistan.

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Some of the injured had to be taken to a hospital in Ghazni, more than80 miles away that the Red Cross has kept running by paying salaries to staff over the past months, he said. Many health facilities around the country have shut down, unable to pay personnel or obtain supplies.

“It shows if you don’t have [a] functional health system, people cannot access basic services they need, especially in these sorts of times,” Christen said.

On Friday, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department reported a new, 4.2 magnitude quake. Afghanistan’s state-run Bakhtar News Agency said five people were killed and 11 injured in Gayan, a district of Paktika province that is one of the areas worst hit in Wednesday’s quake.

Bakhtar’s Taliban director Abdul Wahid Rayan said Friday the death toll from Wednesday had risen to 1,150 people, with at least 1,600 people injured. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has put the death toll at 770 people. It’s not clear how death toll counts are being reached, given the access difficulties. Either toll would make the quake Afghanistan’s deadliest in two decades.

At Urgun, the main city in Paktika province, U.N. World Health Organization medical supplies were unloaded at the main hospital. In quake-hit villages, UNICEF delivered blankets, basic supplies and tarps for the homeless to use as tents. Aid groups said they feared cholera could break out after damage to water and hygiene systems.

In main villages of Gayan District, residents crowded around trucks delivering aid, an Associated Press team saw Friday. People who had spent the past two nights sleeping outdoors in the rain erected tents in the yards of their wrecked houses. For more than 24 hours after the quake, many had been on their own, digging through the rubble by hand in search of survivors.

Still, help was slow to filter across the area. In one tiny hamlet seen by the AP, all 20 houses were flattened, and residents were still taking refuge in nearby forests.

Trucks of food and other necessities arrived from Pakistan, and planes full of humanitarian aid landed from Iran, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. But it was not clear how long it would take to reach devastated villages. Other countries sending aid have taken pains to make clear it would not go through the Taliban — reflecting the widespread reluctance to deal with Afghanistan’s new rulers.

Aid groups said that while they are rushing to help the quake victims, keeping Afghanistan just above catastrophe through humanitarian programs is not sustainable. Some urged the world to end or find ways around the financial cutoff that has wrecked the economy.

“We are basically letting 25 million Afghan people to starve, to die, not to be able to earn their own living if we keep on with this financial blockade,” said Rossella Miccio, president of the aid organization Emergency, which operates a network of health-care facilities and surgical centers across Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s economy had been reliant on international donor support even before the Taliban takeover last August as the U.S. and its NATO allies were withdrawing their forces, ending a 20-year war.

World governments halted billions in development aid and froze billions more in Afghanistan’s currency reserves, refusing to recognize the Taliban government and demanding they allow a more inclusive rule and respect human rights. The former insurgents have resisted the pressure, imposing restrictions on the freedoms of women and girls, recalling their first time in power in the late 1990s.

The cutoff yanked the supports out from under the economy. Now nearly half the population of 38 million cannot meet their basic food needs because of poverty. Most civil servants, including doctors, nurses and teachers, have not been paid for months, and salaries remain sporadic.

Many aid groups have left the country. U.N. agencies and other remaining organizations have kept Afghanistan away from the brink of starvation with a humanitarian program that has fed millions and kept the medical system alive.

But with international donors lagging, U.N. agencies face a $3 billion funding shortfall this year.

International sanctions on Afghan banks make it difficult to send funds into the country. Some aid groups have to carry in large bags of cash to pay local staff in an expensive process that incurs fees along the way for transport and security.

The International Rescue Agency’s vice president for Asia, Adnan Junaid, said the international community must set a roadmap to resume development and release Afghanistan’s frozen reserves.

“Only a bold strategy that addresses the causes of this crisis will put an end to the spiral of misery being faced by its population,” Junaid said.

LA TIMES

Related Topics:Afghanistan Aftershock quake

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International

Israeli Fire Kills Three UN Peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon

Published

2 days ago

March 31, 2026

Trends Admin

Ghanaian UN Peacekeepers Hit by Missile Attack in Lebanon as Iran‑Linked War Escalates

Israeli Fire Kills Three UN Peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon

Three United Nations peacekeepers have been killed in southern Lebanon, with others seriously injured, as clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants intensify. The fatalities, all members of Indonesia’s UNIFIL contingent, mark one of the deadliest attacks on peacekeepers in recent years.

The first incident occurred on Sunday, March 29, when a projectile exploded near a UNIFIL position in Adchit al-Qusayr, killing one peacekeeper and seriously injuring another. Evidence suggests the projectile may have been fired from an Israeli tank, though investigations are ongoing. The following day, two more Indonesian peacekeepers were killed when a logistics convoy vehicle was destroyed by an explosion of unknown origin near Bani Hayyan, leaving additional personnel injured.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the killings, calling them “grave violations of international humanitarian law” and emphasizing that “no one should ever have to die while serving the cause of peace.” He extended condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

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The incidents have prompted the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session to address the attacks. Several European countries, including France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium, issued a joint statement urging all parties to ensure the safety of UNIFIL personnel in accordance with international law. South Korea and other nations also condemned the attacks, highlighting the critical need to protect peacekeepers in conflict zones.

The deaths come amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which have involved airstrikes, rocket fire, and ground operations along the Israel-Lebanon border. Civilians in southern Lebanon have been severely affected, with thousands displaced and casualties mounting on both sides.

The Indonesian government has called for a transparent investigation into the deaths of its personnel and stressed the importance of accountability. Meanwhile, UNIFIL continues to operate along the Blue Line, though the recent attacks underscore the growing risks faced by peacekeepers in volatile regions.

Israeli Fire Kills Three UN Peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon

International

Nigerian Man Gets 15-Year US Prison Term for $1.5M Romance Scam

Published

2 days ago

March 31, 2026

Trends Admin

Nigerian national Saheed Sunday Owolabi

Nigerian Man Gets 15-Year US Prison Term for $1.5M Romance Scam

A U.S. federal court has sentenced Nigerian national Saheed Sunday Owolabi to 15 years in prison for orchestrating an international wire fraud and money laundering scheme that defrauded victims of over $1.5 million. The sentence follows his conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, highlighting the U.S. government’s crackdown on cross-border cybercrime.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Owolabi was a key figure in a sophisticated online scam in which he posed as a woman to build fake romantic relationships with U.S. victims—a tactic commonly known as a romance scam. Once trust was gained, the victims were persuaded to wire money into accounts controlled by Owolabi, who then laundered the funds to Nigeria.

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Investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed that Owolabi and his co-conspirators also used victim-provided accounts to launder money from other fraudulent operations. In one case, a single victim in the Eastern District of North Carolina lost more than $120,000, with many other victims nationwide affected by the scheme.

U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle described Owolabi as a “cheat” and said the sentence underscores the FBI’s commitment to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling international fraud and money-laundering networks targeting American citizens.

The court proceedings, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad DeVoe, highlighted Owolabi’s role as an organiser in the fraud, using complex money-laundering methods to conceal illicit proceeds. The case is part of broader U.S. enforcement efforts against online fraud, cybercrime, and cross-border financial crimes, particularly schemes leveraging digital platforms to exploit victims.

Authorities say the sentence serves as a strong deterrent to others involved in international scams and demonstrates that sophisticated internet fraud operations will be pursued rigorously, regardless of the perpetrators’ location.

Nigerian Man Gets 15-Year US Prison Term for $1.5M Romance Scam

International

US Warns Iran Against Closing Strait of Hormuz, Cites “Severe Consequences”

Published

2 days ago

March 31, 2026

Trends Admin

Strait of Hormuz Crisis - Iran Threatens to Stop Gulf Oil Shipments

US Warns Iran Against Closing Strait of Hormuz, Cites “Severe Consequences”

Washington, D.C. — The United States has issued a strong warning to Iran over any potential move to shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz following ongoing military operations in the region, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioning that such an action would attract “severe consequences.”

Rubio, speaking amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, stressed that the vital waterway must remain open to global shipping, describing any attempt by Iran to block access as unacceptable and destabilising.

“The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway that must remain open,” Rubio said. “If Iran chooses to close it after military operations conclude, it will face serious consequences. The United States will ensure that freedom of navigation is maintained.”

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes, serving as a gateway for nearly a fifth of global petroleum supplies. Any disruption to its operations could send shockwaves through international energy markets and significantly impact global trade.

Tensions have escalated in recent days following military developments involving the United States and its regional allies, alongside growing concerns over Iran’s response. Analysts say Tehran has previously hinted at the possibility of leveraging the strait as a strategic pressure point during periods of conflict.

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Security experts warn that a closure of the narrow waterway could trigger a broader regional crisis, potentially drawing in global powers and leading to military confrontations at sea. The U.S. Navy, which maintains a strong presence in the region, has historically conducted operations to safeguard commercial shipping routes.

While Iranian officials have not formally announced any decision to block the strait, past rhetoric from Tehran has included threats to disrupt maritime traffic if its national interests are threatened.

In response, U.S. officials reiterated their commitment to maintaining stability and ensuring the uninterrupted flow of commerce. Rubio emphasised that any move to interfere with international shipping lanes would not only affect the United States but also have far-reaching consequences for the global economy.

Observers note that the warning underscores the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz and highlights the fragile security situation in the Gulf region. With tensions still simmering, diplomatic efforts are expected to continue alongside military preparedness.

As the situation unfolds, the international community remains watchful, with many nations urging restraint to avoid further escalation in an already volatile region.