Aid agencies call for urgent funds in aftermath of deadly Afghan earthquakes; US announces it will provide $US12 million

Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters Aid agencies launched fresh appeals for funds to deal with the fallout of deadly earthquakes in Afghanistan as local authorities called on Thursday for urgent help for thousands of people left homeless in the aftermath of the tremors. Multiple earthquakes struck in the western province of Herat on Saturday and Wednesday, destroying […]
Another quake hits western Afghanistan; official says losses “huge”

Updated: 8:30am, 12th October (AEDT) Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters A strong earthquake rattled Afghanistan’s western province of Herat on Wednesday, forcing authorities to redeploy relief and rescue teams already in the field following a series of deadly quakes on Saturday. There were no details on casualties so far, disaster management spokesman Janan Sayeeq told Reuters, but […]
Rescuers search for survivors days after deadly quakes hit north-west Afghanistan

Herat, Afghanistan Reuters Rescue workers on Monday scrambled to pull out survivors, and the dead, from beneath the rubble two days after the northwestern city of Herat and its surroundings were struck by the deadliest earthquakes to rattle Afghanistan in years. The Taliban administration said at least 2,400 people were killed and many more injured […]
Afghan earthquakes kill 2,445, Taliban say, as deaths mount

Updated: 7:30am, 9th October (AEST) Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters 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. The Saturday quakes in the west of the country hit 35 kilometres north-west of the city of Herat, with […]
Multiple quakes kill at least 16 in western Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters Multiple earthquakes struck western Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 16 people and injuring scores, a health department official said. The quakes hit 35 kilometres north-west of the city of Herat, with one measuring 6.3 magnitude, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. The tremors caused panic in Herat, said resident Naseema. “People […]
Work ban: Shut out of jobs, Afghan women retrain as nurses

With Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers banning women from most jobs, BAHAAR JOYA and EMMA BATHA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, report that some are turning to nursing and midwifery as a way to keep working…
Blast hits western Afghan city of Herat, killing at least six

Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters A blast ripped through a minivan in the western Afghan city of Herat on Saturday, killing at least six people, according to officials. Herat commander Mawlawi Ansari told Reuters that nine people had been injured. The cause of the blast was not clear. A vehicle burns in the street after a blast […]
“The Taliban are here!”: Afghan women fear return to “dark days” amid Taliban sweep

ZEINA KARAM and AHMAD SEIR, of Associated Press, report on the situation facing women in Afghanistan as the Taliban advance…
Taliban seize more Afghan cities, assault on capital Kabul expected

Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters Taliban insurgents have seized Afghanistan’s second- and third-biggest cities, local officials said on Friday, as resistance from government forces crumbled and fears grew that an assault on the capital Kabul could be just days away. A government official confirmed that Kandahar, the economic hub of the south, was under Taliban control as […]
US, British troops to aid Afghan evacuation as Taliban poised to take key cities

Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters The United States and Britain said on Thursday they would send thousands of troops to Afghanistan to protect and help evacuate civilians, as the Taliban stood poised for their two biggest military victories since they began a broad offensive in May. In response to the militants’ swift and violent advances that are […]