The major death toll of the 6.0 earthquake made it one of the deadliest in Afghanistan in decades, with tremors felt in surrounding countries including Pakistan.
Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maryam Al-Misnad, led a trip to Afghanistan, the first by an Arab woman minister to the country, to launch the humanitarian air bridge following the deadly earthquake that struck the country.
The visit on Wednesday came as part of Qatar’s humanitarian response to the earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people after hitting eastern Afghanistan on Sunday.
Al-Misnad oversaw the launch of the humanitarian initiative following the directive of Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
“It is a great honour to represent my country in this mission, carrying its message to the world: humanity above all, and that helping others and aiding the distressed is a steadfast commitment that reflects our authentic humanitarian values,” Al-Misnad said on X.
The Qatari aid included advanced medical equipment, a fully equipped field hospital, shelter tents, as well as a search and rescue team from the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) as well as a delegation from the Qatar Fund for Development.
Al-Misnad also met top officials in the country including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Naeem.
One of the deadliest earthquakes
The major death toll of the 6.0 earthquake made it one of the deadliest in Afghanistan in decades, with tremors felt in surrounding countries including Pakistan.
Aftershocks triggered landslides, impeding rescuers’ efforts to reach survivors in remote areas.
The United Nations boosted humanitarian air service flights from Kabul on Wednesday as part of its relief efforts.
Afghanistan has already been grappling with a major humanitarian crisis due to decades of conflict and climate change. Numerous donors have withdrawn their support for the country since the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021.
Donors have provided only $685.8m out of $2.4bn needed to support aid and development programmes in the country this year, according to the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).
The United Kingdom will donate $1.3m to humanitarian organisations to support the earthquake relief efforts whereas South Korea will donate $1m through the UN. The European Union will donate $11m to humanitarian entities, although the funds will be overseen by the UN.
The donations go towards charity or humanitarian organisations as their governments do not recognise the Taliban-run administration.
