Afghanistan earthquake exacerbates escalating humanitarian crises

GHAYAN, Afghanistan – Since the 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Afghanistan early Wednesday, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring 1,500 more, aid agencies eager to help the victims have flocked – and so has the Taliban.

In the remote Gayan district of Paktika province – one of the areas worst affected by the quake – helicopters evacuated the seriously injured while shipping food, blankets and Taliban officials. The deputy army chief, Haji Maleh Khan, is a friend of one of them. On a short visit to Gayan, which included stopping at the local mosque to pray for the victims, he made it clear that helping those in need was the duty of the “Islamic Emirate”. The earthquake also represents an opportunity for the Taliban to begin to restore a long-tarnished reputation.

Our leaders instructed our military to help these people, and our response was swift. “In the past two days, we have operated 56 flights from Kabul,” said a friend.

Taliban elements stand in front of a Black Hawk helicopter that landed in the city of Jayan, Afghanistan, on June 24.

GHAYAN, Afghanistan – Since the 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Afghanistan early Wednesday, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring 1,500 more, aid agencies eager to help the victims have flocked – and so has the Taliban.

In the remote Gayan district of Paktika province – one of the areas worst affected by the quake – helicopters evacuated the seriously injured while shipping food, blankets and Taliban officials. The deputy army chief, Haji Maleh Khan, is a friend of one of them. On a short visit to Gayan, which included stopping at the local mosque to pray for the victims, he made it clear that helping those in need was the duty of the “Islamic Emirate”. The earthquake also represents an opportunity for the Taliban to begin to restore a long-tarnished reputation.

Our leaders instructed our military to help these people, and our response was swift. “In the past two days, we have operated 56 flights from Kabul,” said a friend.

Aid workers examine damage to Ghayan, Afghanistan, on June 24. People stand next to newly dug graves of victims of the earthquake in Jayan, Afghanistan, on June 24.

One of the people who made this response possible was the Black Hawk’s pilot, Major Abdul Rashid. He studied in Alabama and speaks English in a red Tide voice. He said he doesn’t care about his new bosses much, and he knows they need him too. Rashad, like many others, was trained by the Americans. But he kept his job under new management. He refused to answer whether he chose to stay in Afghanistan or not. He said he was happy to work.

“This mission is similar to the response I was working on to help flood victims in Kandahar a few years ago,” he said of the earthquake relief effort. “The only difference is that I’m not worried now about being shot.”

Workers with the Afghan Red Crescent Society distribute food in Ghayan, Afghanistan, on June 24.

Although the Taliban are keen to coordinate earthquake relief efforts, the group’s access is limited. Cash-strapped Afghanistan has entered a severe economic crisis, in part due to Western sanctions. Billions of dollars in Afghan funds are still frozen, crippling the banking system. The United Nations estimates that nearly all Afghans – 97 percent – will live below the poverty line this year.

This is a disaster response problem. The United Nations estimates that at least $15 million is needed for the eastern provinces of Paktika and Khost. Funds, like tents, are collected quickly. But the aftershocks are continuing and the fear is rife.

“The public sector in Afghanistan is almost completely dependent on foreign aid, but since August this money has run out,” said Samira Syed-ur-Rahman of the International Rescue Committee. The biggest impact will be on government hospitals and clinics. They have no money to pay employees, they lack equipment and medicine, and they face massive brain drain. The health sector is collapsing and it cannot handle a disaster of this magnitude.”

Children survey ongoing relief efforts in Jayan, Afghanistan, on June 24.

More than 1,000 people have been transferred to hospitals in Afghan cities such as Kabul or Gardez, which is a regional hub. Although these clinics remain the best option for the quake-affected Afghans, they can quickly become the death penalty if medical supplies and doctors are not available.

Daoud Zakmi, a 35-year-old man from Jayan, said several members of his extended family were taken to hospital. He sat in front of his house, a pile of rubble, his face stern and motionless. He was the husband and father of an 8-year-old boy, Naseeb Rahman. Now, it is not.

“I wasn’t home when the earthquake struck but I got a call from a neighbor shortly after,” he said. Having felt only slight tremors in the neighboring Oregon, where he worked, he could not imagine the extent of the devastation he had left in the house, a two-hour drive away on a rocky mountain road.

Daoud Zakmi, 35, lost his wife and son in the earthquake, in Ghayan, Afghanistan, on June 24.

“I arrived in the early morning hours and saw my house destroyed,” he recalls. “My neighbors told me to sit down, and then they told me that my son and my wife were both dead.” He got up and wiped his face with a thin shawl around his shoulders. The words are hard to find. “I don’t know what to do. He was my only child. The two were my family.”

The Taliban and each earthquake victim promised him about $1,000 for every death in the family. He said it would help financially, for which he is grateful. He will eventually need to build a new home.

Al-Zakhmi, still sitting near his home, said Afghanistan had suffered enough. Don’t complain. It’s the simple truth. His wife and son have since been buried, but the transition will be difficult. “I no longer have hope for the future,” he said.

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