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CNN —Unseasonal rainfall has lashed Pakistan and Afghanistan over the past few days, killing more than 100 people across the neighboring countries, authorities said. In Afghanistan, heavy rain and floods in 23 provinces killed 66 people and wounded 36 others, according to preliminary reports from Mullah Janan Sayeq, a spokesman for the Ministry of Disaster Management. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan said Tuesday that the heavy rains and floods have affected more than 1,200 families and damaged almost 1,000 houses, according to a statement on X. Houses submerged after heavy rains flood Nowshera district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on April 16, 2024. The heavy downpours are unusual for the region at this time of the year, as Pakistan typically experiences the monsoon season from June through September.

Persons: Mullah Janan Sayeq, Sayeq, Muhammad Sajjad, Abdul Majeed, – Organizations: CNN, Ministry of Disaster Management, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Getty, Pakistan Locations: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Peshawar, Herat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, AFP, Balochistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Almost 100,000 children in Afghanistan are in dire need of support, three months after earthquakes devastated the country's west, the U.N. children’s agency said Monday. The majority of those dead in the quakes in Zinda Jan and Injil districts were women and children, and 21,000 homes were destroyed, UNICEF said in a statement. “The atmosphere in these villages is thick with suffering even 100 days after the earthquakes in western Afghanistan when families lost absolutely everything," said Fran Equiza, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan. Schools and health centers, which children depend upon, are damaged beyond repair, or destroyed completely,” he added. Daniel Timme, head of communications for UNICEF in Afghanistan, said schools, homes, health facilities and water systems were destroyed.

Persons: Fran Equiza, Equiza, ” Equiza, Daniel Timme, It’s, Timme, Riazat Butt Organizations: UNICEF, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Afghanistan, Herat, Islamabad

☆ A part of Afghanistan not known for seismic activity was struck by an 'unprecedented' number of big earthquakes this week and no one knows when they'll end, an expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Western Afghanistan has been struck by four major earthquakes in just over a week. About 1,300 people were killed by the initial 6.3 magnitude earthquake on October 7. A fourth major earthquake struck the region on October 11. Buildings and infrastructure tend to be vulnerable in regions that aren't prone to earthquakes, Barnhart said. AdvertisementAdvertisement"I've been looking through statistics and I haven't found instances of this except for cases in volcanically active regions or in aftershock sequences of much bigger earthquakes," Barnhart said.

Persons: —, William Barnhart, there's, Barnhart, it's Organizations: US Geological Survey, Service, The New York Times, —, US, Survey, Program, Earthquakes Locations: Afghanistan, Herat City, Herat Province, Herat, Buildings

☆ ICC Cricket World Cup: Afghanistan stuns England in one of the biggest ever sporting upsets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The pantheon of great sporting upsets gained another monument on Sunday as Afghanistan roundly defeated England by 69 runs at the ICC Cricket World Cup in Delhi, India. It was an upset of immense proportions – Afghanistan had only ever won one World Cup match in its entire history while England is the defending world champion, still basking in the glow of a golden era that has bestowed mythical status on much of its team. But England sputtered from the very start as some loose bowling allowed Afghanistan to build an impressive platform, putting on more than 100 runs without losing a wicket. Defeating England following the earthquake added another dimension to Afghanistan’s historic victory, one which captain Rashid Khan hoped will give Afghans a “little bit of smile on their faces,” he said, per ESPN Cricinfo. After already losing to New Zealand, this shock defeat leaves England in real danger of crashing out the World Cup in the group stages, giving Saturday’s game against South Africa even more importance.

Persons: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Ali Khil, Harry Brook’s, Afghanistan's, Alikhil, Money Sharma, Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan, ” Organizations: CNN, England, ICC Cricket, Getty, Sky Sports, ESPN, New, South, New Zealand Locations: Afghanistan, Delhi, India, England, Herat, New Zealand, South Africa

Standing on top of a mound of sand, he locates his home – or rather, what little is left of it. “Obviously our current situation is visible.”He reveals that the deadly earthquake which struck Afghanistan on October 7 had taken more than his family home away from him. “The situation in Afghanistan was already extremely dire,” said Mawlawi Mutiul Haq Khales of the Afghan Red Crescent Society. Her seven children were killed in the earthquake. “I was sitting at home when the earthquake struck… and I dragged my children out of the house,” Rana said.

Persons: CNN — Zaher, ”, Ebrahim Noroozi, Mawlawi Mutiul Haq, Stephanie Sinclair, “, Fatima, …, Rana, ” Rana, ” Siddig Ibrahim, ” Ibrahim, Shah Bibi’s Organizations: CNN, “ Boys, Global, Red Crescent Society, “, UN, International, UNICEF Afghanistan’s, Field Locations: Afghanistan, Herat, It’s, Herat province, “ Afghanistan

☆ Another quake strikes western Afghanistan; official says more homes destroyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A general view of the quake-hit area in the district of Zinda Jan, in Herat, Afghanistan October 10, 2023. There were no details on casualties so far, disaster management spokesman Janan Sayeeq told Reuters, but provincial officials said hundreds of homes had been destroyed. Hemmed in by mountains, Afghanistan has a history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan. Herat province borders Iran, which said it would send humanitarian aid. The United Nation's humanitarian office has also announced $5 million worth of assistance.

Persons: Zinda Jan, Ali Khara, Janan Sayeeq, Noor Ahmad Shahab, Shahab, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Mrinmay Dey, Gibran Peshimam, Jacqueline Wong, Simon Cameron, Moore, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Mobile, World Health Organisation, German Research Center, Geosciences, United, Thomson Locations: Zinda, Herat, Afghanistan, Rights KABUL, Pakistan, Iran, Rubat, Turkey, China, Kabul, Bengaluru

☆ Herat, Afghanistan earthquake: Aid group warns devastation 'worse than we imagined'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Herat city in the western Herat province – the third largest in Afghanistan. The world must not look away now.”A badly destroyed house, one of thousands across Herat province in western Afghanistan. UNICEF teams on the ground are calling for more urgent action and aid for families devastated by the latest earthquake. UNICEF“We will make every effort to bring quick relief to those affected,” said Fran Equiza, its representative in Afghanistan. International aid groups have said their ability to respond to calls during major disasters was heavily hampered by the Taliban’s takeover and called for more urgent global aid but only a handful of countries have publicly offered support.

Persons: ”, Thamindri de Silva, de Silva, ” “, ” de Silva, Mark Calder, “, MUHAMMAD BALABULUKI, Stéphane Dujarric, ” Dujarric, António Guterres, UNICEF “, Fran Equiza, Zabihullah Mujahid Organizations: CNN — International, World, CNN, Getty Images UN, UN, UNICEF, Sunday, Bank Locations: Afghanistan, Herat, Herat province –, Kabul, ”, AFP, Washington, Khost, Pakistan, Neighboring China

Deadly earthquake hits Afghanistan Earthquake impact mapPowerful earthquakes struck northwestern Afghanistan on October 8, killing more than 2,400 people, the Taliban administration said, in the deadliest tremors to rock the mountainous country in years. A boy cries as he sits next to debris, in the aftermath of an earthquake in the district of Zinda Jan, in Herat, Afghanistan, October 8, 2023. For example, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 is ten times larger than a magnitude 6 earthquake. Afghanistan’s five highest magnitude earthquakes (7.4 to 7.8 magnitude) have occurred along the Hindu Kush mountain range in the country’s north-east region. A man carries the body of his child, in the aftermath of an earthquake in the district of Zinda Jan, in Herat, Afghanistan October 8, 2023.

Persons: Zinda Jan, Stringer Afghanistan’s, Damage Organizations: U.S . Geological Survey, REUTERS, Stringer Poor, Diplomats, International Committee, World Health Organization, WHO Locations: Afghanistan, Herat, U.S, Turkey, Syria, Zinda, Pakistan, South Asia, Kabul, Herat province

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A senior Taliban delegation was visiting western Afghanistan’s Herat province on Monday in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that killed at least 2,000 people over the weekend and flattened entire villages, a statement said. Aid agencies and nongovernmental groups have appealed for the international community to come forward but only a handful of countries have publicly offered support, including neighboring China and Pakistan. “CARE is deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck the western province of Herat," said Reshma Azmi, the group's deputy director for Afghanistan. "This comes less than seven months after another powerful earthquake hit the country, leaving thousands homeless and displaced.”Azimi was referring to the magnitude 6.5 earthquake in March that struck much of Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. In neighboring Pakistan, the government held a special session to review aid for Afghanistan, including relief teams, food items and medicines, as well as tents and blankets.

Persons: —, Abdul Ghani Baradar, Reshma Azmi, Azimi, “, ”, Thamindri de Silva, Irfanullah Organizations: Taliban, Geological Survey, Aid, CARE USA, CARE International, CARE, Afghan Red Crescent Society Locations: ISLAMABAD, Herat, Kabul, The U.S, Afghanistan, Israel, Gaza, China, Pakistan

☆ Afghan earthquakes kill 2,445, Taliban say, as death toll mounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

More than 2,400 people were killed in earthquakes in Afghanistan, the Taliban administration said on Sunday, in the deadliest tremors to rock the quake-prone mountainous country in years. They were among the world's deadliest quakes this year, after tremors in Turkey and Syria killed an estimated 50,000 in February. Afghan residents sit at a damaged house after earthquake in Sarbuland village of Zendeh Jan, district of Herat province, on October 7, 2023. Diplomats and aid officials say concerns over Taliban restrictions on women and competing global humanitarian crises are causing donors to pull back on financial support. The Islamist government has ordered most Afghan female aid staff not to work, although with exemptions in health and education.

Persons: Janan Sayeeq, Sayeeq, Danish, Suhail Shaheen, Mohsen Karimi, Naseema Organizations: U.S . Geological Survey, Ministry, Taliban, AFP, Getty, Afp, Diplomats, International Committee Locations: Afghanistan, Herat, U.S, Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan's, Iran, Qatar, Sarbuland, Zendeh Jan, Herat province, Pakistan

☆ Afghan earthquakes kill 2,053, Taliban say, as death toll spikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Janan Sayeeq, spokesman for the Ministry of Disasters, said 2,053 people were killed, 9,240 injured and 1,320 houses damaged or destroyed. More than 200 dead had been brought to various hospitals, said a Herat health department official who identified himself as Dr Danish, adding most of them were women and children. Beds were set up outside the main hospital in Herat to receive a flood of victims, photos on social media showed. It was not immediately clear if the Herat hospital was on that list. "While search and rescue operations remain ongoing, casualties in these areas have not yet been fully identified," it said.

Persons: Janan Sayeeq, Sayeeq, Danish, Suhail Shaheen, Naseema, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Ariba Shahid, Gibran Peshimam, William Mallard, Sanjeev Miglani Organizations: U.S . Geological Survey, Ministry, Diplomats, International Committee, Reuters, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, Herat, U.S, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, Herat province, Kabul, Karachi

CNN —A series of powerful earthquakes struck western Afghanistan on Saturday killing at least 100 people and wounding more than 500 others, according to the UN’s humanitarian office, as the nation reels from another natural disaster at a time of deep economic crisis. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Herat city in the western Herat province – the third largest in Afghanistan. The initial quake was also felt in neighboring provinces of Badghis and Farah and was followed by multiple aftershocks. A deadly quake in March struck northeastern Afghanistan, sending residents fleeing from their homes as it brought down entire buildings and triggered devastating landslides. And a 5.6 magnitude earthquake on January 17, 2022 struck Badghis, another western province near Herat bordering Turkmenistan, killed more than 20 people and reduced hundreds of brick homes to rubble.

Persons: Farah, “, OCHA, Mohsen Karimi Organizations: CNN, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Getty, Bank Locations: Afghanistan, Herat, Herat province –, Badghis, Herat City, AFP, United States, freefall, New Delhi, Khost, Pakistan, Turkmenistan

☆ At least 15 dead in Afghanistan earthquakes, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, Oct 7 (Reuters) - At least 15 people were killed and 40 injured after multiple earthquakes struck western Afghanistan on Saturday, a disaster management official told Reuters. The quake registered a magnitude of 6.3, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, with subsequent quakes striking 35 km (20 miles) northwest of the city of Herat. The casualty figures are based on primary reports from the Zinda Jan district of Herat province, said Mullah Jan Sayeq, spokesperson for Afghanistan's ministry of disaster management. He added that the earthquakes had also shaken the provinces of Farah and Badghis, where there are reports of widespread damage to houses, but no details about casualties there yet. Emergency teams and volunteers are preparing to go Herat and help victims, Erfanullah Sharafzoi, spokesperson for the Afghan Red Crescent said.

Persons: Jan Sayeq, Erfanullah Sharafzoi, Crescent, Naseema, Rishabh, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Giban Peshimam, Edwina Gibbs, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Geological Survey, Afghan, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, U.S, Herat, Herat province, Farah, Badghis, Bengaluru, Kabul

☆ Taliban carry out first public execution since Afghan takeover
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

ISLAMABAD — The Taliban authorities on Wednesday executed an Afghan convicted of killing another man, the first public execution since the former insurgents took over Afghanistan last year, a spokesman said. The execution, carried out with an assault rifle by the victim’s father, took place in western Farah province before hundreds of spectators and many top Taliban officials, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, the top Taliban government spokesman. The executed man, identified as Tajmir from Herat province, was convicted of killing another man five years ago and stealing his motorcycle and mobile phone. Taliban security forces had arrested Tajmir after the victim’s family accused him of the crime, said a statement from Mujahid, the spokesman. During the previous Taliban rule of the country in the late 1990s, the group carried out public executions, floggings and stoning of those convicted of crimes in Taliban courts.

☆ Afghanistan is being overrun by crystal meth
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-07 | by ( Ali Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

The US is leaving behind a flourishing, violent trade in heroin and crystal meth in Afghanistan. HERAT, Afghanistan — For weeks, Afghan police had been staking out a single-family house they believed was being used as a meth lab. Afghanistan's drug trade generates an estimated $35 million a month for the Taliban and drug gangs. A mysterious grassIn 2017, rumors circulated in western Afghanistan that a mysterious form of grass had been found to contain the key ingredient in crystal meth. "So long as this war continues, the drug trade will continue to grow bigger and bigger.

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