【By Observer News, Yuan Jiaqi】
On August 31, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the border area in eastern Afghanistan near Pakistan, with the epicenter located 27 kilometers northeast of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, and a focal depth of 8 kilometers. Due to the shallow focus and mountainous terrain, the region suffered severe damage.
According to reports from the Afghan Red Crescent Society as of September 4, the number of earthquake victims has risen to 2,205, with 3,640 injured. This is the most devastating earthquake in the country in decades. After the earthquake, the Taliban government called on the international community to provide more assistance to support relief efforts.
On September 6, Reuters reported, citing statements from two former U.S. senior officials and one informed source, that nearly a week has passed since the earthquake, yet the United States has not taken the first step to approve emergency aid, and it remains unclear whether the U.S. has plans to provide aid.
These two former U.S. officials came from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which was officially closed on Tuesday this week. They said that as of Friday, the U.S. Department of State had not approved the "Statement of Humanitarian Needs." According to an introduction, this is the first step to authorize U.S. emergency relief. It is usually issued within 24 hours after a major disaster.
Another source, who did not want to reveal their name due to fear of retaliation, also stated that U.S. State Department officials had considered the suggestion of providing disaster relief to Afghanistan. A former official also confirmed that the White House had indeed considered this issue, but ultimately decided not to revoke the policy of "ending aid to Afghanistan."
For many years, the United States was the largest donor of aid to Afghanistan. The U.S. waged a war in Afghanistan that lasted 20 years, ending with a chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2021, and the Taliban regaining control of Kabul.
However, in April this year, the Trump administration almost ended all aid to Afghanistan, amounting to $562 million. The U.S. justified this by citing a report from a U.S. oversight agency, stating that "humanitarian groups receiving U.S. funds paid $10.9 million in taxes, fees, and tariffs to the Taliban."
Over the past week, the U.S. Department of State's South and Central Asia Bureau has only posted one message on the social media platform X: "Sincerely condolences to the people of Afghanistan." When asked if the U.S. would provide emergency aid for the earthquake in Afghanistan, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department only responded, "There is currently no more information to announce."
Another White House official defended this, saying that Trump's move was to ensure that U.S. aid would not fall into the hands of the Taliban regime, "especially considering that the Taliban are still illegally detaining American citizens."
However, the sources pointed out that Washington's delayed response to this deadly earthquake highlights how Trump's drastic cuts in foreign aid and closure of the U.S.'s main foreign aid agencies have caused the U.S. to lose its leadership role in global disaster relief over the past several decades.
On September 5, in the Deh Ghol valley of Saurakel district in Kunar province, Afghanistan, residents affected by the earthquake were receiving relief supplies distributed by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). Visual China
Reuters also mentioned that humanitarian organizations' aid requests have been obstructed.
The report stated that the Trump administration has not responded to the request from the International Rescue Committee (IRC). When the earthquake first occurred in Afghanistan, the organization applied to transport medical supplies worth $105,000 funded by the U.S. to the affected areas.
Kelly Razzouk, vice president of policy and advocacy at IRC, revealed that the supplies included stethoscopes, first aid items, stretchers, and other essential items. However, the IRC needed Washington's permission to transport these devices to Afghanistan.
"These supplies are still stockpiled in warehouses," said Razzouk, who previously served in the National Security Council under the Biden administration. "In my memory, the U.S. has never remained indifferent to such a crisis before."
UN Officials: US Cut Aid, Hinder Relief Efforts
For Afghanistan, external aid has always been a key support for maintaining livelihoods. However, multiple crises are continuously squeezing this "lifeline": On one hand, sanctions against some Afghan leaders have severely hindered banking operations, and the U.S. has frozen billions of dollars in central bank assets; on the other hand, the amount of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has been reduced to $767 million this year, a significant drop from $3.8 billion in 2022.
UN humanitarian officials told Reuters that the U.S. cutting aid has led to a sharp reduction in international relief funding, seriously hindering rescue efforts in the earthquake-stricken areas of Afghanistan. Dozens of clinics in the region have closed, and helicopters used to transport medical teams and supplies to remote villages have been forced to stop operating due to funding cuts earlier this year.
According to UN estimates, half the population of the country needs urgent humanitarian assistance. WHO data shows that in the most affected provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar, 44 clinics serving over 363,000 people have suspended or closed operations this year due to the cutback in U.S. aid.
Kate Carey, deputy head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan, pointed out: "The funding cuts this year have significantly affected the actual implementation of relief operations. The number of our local staff is much less than six months ago."
Sherine Ibrahim, director of the IRC's Afghanistan program, also stated that funding cuts have slowed down the relief efforts for this disaster, and she is deeply concerned about the additional pressure this disaster will bring to Afghanistan's overall humanitarian work.
Tom Fletcher, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, also said that this earthquake in Afghanistan "once again exposed the cost of reducing critical humanitarian resources."
In his statement on Thursday, he noted: "Massive funding cuts have led to the stagnation of basic medical and nutritional services that millions of people rely on; rescue planes, which are the 'only lifeline' for communities in remote areas, have been forced to be grounded; and aid agencies have also had to reduce their operational scope."
On Friday, Stephen Rodriguez, the representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Afghanistan, told journalists, "In addition to casualties, we have also seen basic infrastructure and people's livelihoods destroyed."
He mentioned that although many countries have provided funds, materials, and services, "the current aid is far from meeting the needs."
Multiple Countries Provide Support
Adding to the hardship, on the evening of September 4, another 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, with the epicenter located 36 kilometers southwest of Asadabad, the capital of Kunar province, and a focal depth of 10 kilometers, with noticeable tremors in the capital, Kabul.
Since the earthquake, several countries have quickly extended a helping hand to Afghanistan. The UK announced an emergency fund of £1 million to support families affected by the earthquake, which will be distributed by the United Nations Population Fund and the International Red Cross. The European Commission also stated that it would donate $1.16 million in humanitarian emergency funds, as well as tents, clothing, medical supplies, and other aid materials.
Indian Foreign Minister Sujan Singh stated that India transported 1,000 tents to Kabul, and 15 tons of food aid to the Kunar region, and will provide more relief supplies in the future. Countries such as the UAE, Pakistan, and Iran have also pledged to provide aid.
Among them, China has implemented multiple rounds of aid actions within the past week.
On September 1, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiajun stated that China is closely monitoring the earthquake in the Kunar province of eastern Afghanistan, which has caused significant casualties, and expressed deep condolences to the victims, and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and the injured. We believe that the Afghan people, under the leadership of the Afghan government, will certainly overcome the impact of the disaster and rebuild their homes. China is willing to provide disaster relief assistance within its capacity according to Afghanistan's needs.
On the next day (September 2), acting ambassador of the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan, Bao Xuwei, met with the General Director of the Afghan Disaster Management Department, Alham, and handed over relief funds totaling approximately 350,000 RMB collected by the embassy, Chinese enterprises, and the Chinese Association of Overseas Chinese, hoping to help the disaster-stricken people through the difficulties.
On September 4, Li Ming, spokesperson of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, stated that at the request of the Afghan side, the Chinese government decided to provide 50 million RMB in emergency humanitarian aid for the earthquake in Afghanistan, mainly including tents, blankets, and food, which are urgently needed in the disaster area.
On September 5, Bao Xuwei met with the President of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, Dilawar, and handed over a $200,000 emergency humanitarian cash grant from the Chinese Red Cross to the Afghan Red Crescent Society, to support the Afghan side in carrying out earthquake relief work.
General Director of the Afghan Disaster Management Department, Alham, stated that China was the first country to provide aid to Afghanistan. The Afghan side will remember the friendly sentiments of the Chinese people towards the Afghan people, and will properly use the donated money and disaster relief supplies from China, and put them all into the disaster relief and reconstruction work.
This article is an exclusive article by Observer News, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7546973532522119723/
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