Today, Saturday, the Afghan Interior Minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, called on the international community to help after the devastating earthquake that struck the east of the country, noting that US sanctions are hindering many countries from sending aid to the victims.

Haqqani explained - to Al Jazeera - that the government cannot provide what those affected by the earthquake need, stressing that the international community should extend a helping hand.

He added, "The world realized that it could not help those affected because of its extremist position on us, and therefore it should review its position in this regard. If there were channels of communication between us and the world, we would have overcome this crisis easily and smoothly."


claim and losses

Minister Haqqani stressed that the international community should "retreat from its extremist position, and respect the humanitarian slogans it espouses."

He also said that the rescue of those affected by the earthquake has been completed, and "the challenge now is to provide shelter for those who have lost their homes."

In the same context, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Beijing will provide humanitarian aid worth 50 million yuan (7.5 million dollars) to Afghanistan after it was hit by the earthquake.

This ministry stated - in a statement on its website - that the aid will include tents, towels, beds and other items.

The 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook Afghanistan in the early hours of Wednesday morning near the Pakistani border, about 160 km southeast of Kabul, killing 1,155 people and injuring more than 1,600 others.

According to Afghan government officials, more than 2,500 homes were completely destroyed by the earthquake, and hundreds of homes were partially damaged in Paktika province on the border with Pakistan.


Aids and Estimates

Earlier, the information office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations announced that the High Commissioner for Refugees distributed tents, blankets and plastic sheets, and the World Food Program delivered food to about 14,000 people in Paktika, and the World Health Organization provided 10 tons of medical equipment sufficient to perform 5,400 surgeries.

The European Union estimated that 270,000 people living in the earthquake-affected areas needed assistance, and provided an initial emergency assistance of one million euros.

Both Iran and Qatar sent aid to the afflicted, while the United States - which withdrew from Afghanistan in late August after a 20-year war - announced that it was working with its humanitarian partners to send medical teams.

Earthquakes occur frequently in Afghanistan, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies at the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, and these disasters can be particularly devastating due to the low resilience of rural homes.

The most violent earthquake in the modern history of Afghanistan occurred in May 1998, killing 5,000 people in Takhar and Badakhshan provinces (northeast).