October 13, 2023

• By Frud Bezhan

A frightened Afghan girl and woman receive aid on October 12 while enduring a fierce sandstorm after the earthquake in the Zenda Jan district of Herat Province.

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe for free, click here.

I’m Frud Bezhan, regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Here’s what I’ve been tracking and what I’m keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

Several powerful earthquakes and aftershocks have killed at least 2,400 people and injured thousands more in western Afghanistan, with hundreds of others still missing.

Entire villages have been flattened in the past week in the western province of Herat, in the deadliest temblors to hit Afghanistan in around 25 years.

At least 17,000 people have been affected by the earthquakes on October 7 and October 11, according to the United Nations. Many have lost their homes and been forced to sleep out in the open.

Another earthquake was reported on October 13 in the neighboring province of Badghis. There were no immediate reports of casualties and damage.

The UN children’s agency UNICEF said that 90 percent of those killed in the earthquakes in Herat were children and women. Many men in Zindah Jan district, the epicenter of the first and deadliest tremor, work in neighboring Iran and send remittances to their families.

Foreign aid agencies said they have sent supplies to the region, including food, medical kits, and tents. But some survivors said they have yet to receive any assistance and have been forced to fend for themselves.

“We have no shelter and no food,” Juma Gul, a resident of Zindah Jan, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. “We have nothing left.”

Local charities and volunteers have accused the Taliban of preventing them from independently collecting and distributing aid to survivors of the earthquakes.

Why It’s Important: The earthquakes have exacerbated the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the world’s largest.

An estimated 15 million people — out of a population of around 40 million — are going hungry. Another 6 million are on the verge of starvation, according to the UN.

The World Food Program (WFP) has called the recent earthquakes a “disaster on top of a disaster.” The UN body said it could only afford to support 3 million people due to a “massive shortfall” in international funding.

Aid agencies have appealed for more funds to deal with the fallout from the deadly earthquakes. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in an October 12 statement called for immediate international support.

What’s Next: Many survivors, having lost their homes and possessions, fear the harsh winter months ahead.

“The nights are getting very cold,” Mohammad Aref, a resident of Zindah Jan, told Radio Azadi. “If it continues like this, we will not be able to live in a tent. We need proper shelter.”

Abdul Razzaq, a medical worker in Herat, told Radio Azadi that hunger and disease are spreading in communities affected by the earthquakes.

“People have stomach problems, pneumonia, and sore throats. Some people live in tents. Others don’t even have tents.”

What To Keep An Eye On

The Pakistani authorities have demolished two makeshift settlements housing mostly Afghan refugees and migrants outside the capital, Islamabad.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) said the “illegal settlements” located on government land were bulldozed on October 11.

The settlements were believed to be decades old and consisted of dozens of houses and farms.

Why It’s Important: The demolition of the settlements comes as Islamabad intensifies its crackdown on the estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghan migrants living in the South Asian country.

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry announced on October 3 that “illegal migrants” living without legal status in Pakistan had until November 1 to leave voluntarily or face deportation.

The announcement has triggered “an increase in police abuse against Afghans, including harassment, assault, and arbitrary detention,” according to Human Rights Watch.

In an October 12 statement, the human rights group urged Pakistan to drop its threat to deport Afghans, saying many were “at grave risk of being returned to persecution and other abuse” in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

That’s all from me for now. Don’t forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org.

If you enjoyed this briefing and don’t want to miss the next edition, subscribe for free here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.

• Frud BezhanBezhanF@rferl.org
• Frud Bezhan is the regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the Central Newsroom at RFE/RL. Previously, he was a correspondent and reported from Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Turkey. Prior to joining RFE/RL in 2012, he worked as a freelance journalist in Afghanistan and contributed to several Australian newspapers, including The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.