Taliban’s Defence Ministry Buries Over 300 Victims of Herat Earthquake

The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center announced that this earthquake occurred 50 kilometres northwest of the Herat city.

This earthquake jolted the region two days after the deadly Herat earthquake on Saturday.

The death toll from powerful earthquakes has crossed 2,000, a senior Taliban leader said, adding the number might rise further in one of the deadliest quakes to hit the country in two decades.

The magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit 40km (24 miles) northwest of the city of Herat at about 11am on Saturday (06:30 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Strong aftershocks were felt in the neighbouring Badghis and Farah provinces.

At least a dozen teams have been scrambled to help with rescue efforts, including from the military and non-profit organisations like the Red Crescent.

The United Nations migration agency has deployed four ambulances with doctors and psychosocial support counsellors to the regional hospital. The World Health Organisation unit in Afghanistan said that it dispatched 12 ambulances to Zenda Jan to shift wounded people to hospitals.

Doctors Without Borders set up five medical tents at Herat Regional Hospital to accommodate up to 80 patients.

In June 2022, a powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, flattening stone and mud-brick homes. It was Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake in two decades, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring about 1,500.

His statement has been published following physical attacks and demonstrations against Afghan immigrants in Iran.

Afghans make up the majority of foreign citizens in Iran, who mainly live in the country as immigrants.

On X social media platform, the Iranian government published Jahromi's speech on Sunday.

He said that with each change of governance in Afghanistan, a large number of Afghans migrated to neighbouring countries.

He stated that in recent months, the government has started and accelerated the process of identifying and deporting illegal foreign nationals.

Recently, Iran and Pakistan, the two countries with the highest number of Afghan immigrants, announced that they will deport illegal immigrants from the country.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration have asked all countries to stop the forced deportation of Afghans.

On Saturday, Alexandra Mastavaja, on X social platform asked the Taliban to immediately release her husband from prison.

Morteza Behboudi arrived in Kabul in January 2023 to report on the situation in Afghanistan, and the Taliban arrested him two days later.

Reporters Without Borders had previously said that the Taliban arrested Behboudi on the suspicion of "espionage", but they did not provide any evidence to prove the accusation.

His detention has faced widespread reactions during the past months. Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders had repeatedly called for his immediate and unconditional release.

These UN agencies in a statement on Saturday, stressed that the return of Afghans should be dignified and voluntary.

Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey have recently increased the deportation of illegal Afghan refugees and migrants. During the past few months, thousands of Afghan refugees have been forcibly deported from these countries.

UNHCR and IOM asked Pakistan to suspend the deportation of migrants.

According to these two UN agencies, Afghans could face imminent risks if they are forced to return to Afghanistan.

The interim government of Pakistan recently approved the plan to deport more than 1.73 million Afghan refugees. According to the Pakistani authorities, these immigrants will be gradually deported.

However, UNHCR and IOM said that Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian crisis with several human rights challenges, especially for women and girls, and the forced deportation of Afghans will have serious consequences.

At the same time, these institutions have announced that they are ready to provide support for a mechanism to register and manage Afghans, including those who need international support.

The joint statement of both orginsations stated that the forced return of Afghans could lead to severe human rights violations.

In recent days, the Taliban and a large number of Afghan political figures in exile have asked Pakistan to stop the forced deportation of Afghans.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 shook northwest Afghanistan, including Herat, on Saturday.

Nisar Ahmad Elias, Taliban’s spokesperson for the governor of Herat, said that the earthquake on Saturday left "huge human and financial losses" and so far, dozens of wounded have been transferred to the Herat regional hospital.

He added that the earthquake started around 11AM and shook Herat city and the districts of the province. He added that the group is fully prepared to assist those affected by the earthquake.

Earlier, the Iranian Embassy in Kabul declared its readiness to receive and channel international aid to the earthquake victims in Herat, in line with humanitarian cooperation.

The exact number of casualties and damage caused by the earthquake has not yet been published. However, some social media users have published pictures of the Herat Grand Mosque and some residential houses, which show that a part of one of the mosque's minarets has suffered damages and its tiles have fallen.

Pictures published of residential houses show that the brick walls have collapsed and in one of these pictures, a taxi is under the rubble.

On Saturday, several earthquakes shook western Afghanistan, according to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude of the first and largest was 6.3.

According to the report, some of the aftershocks of the earthquake had magnitudes of 5.5, 4.7 and 5.9, the last of which occurred 35 kilometres northwest of Herat city.

The German Geological Centre has announced the first earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2.

Pictures received by Afghanistan International show that the residents of Herat of Afghanistan and Mashhad of Iran [capital of Khorasan Razavi province of Iran which is in the border with Herat] gathered in the streets after the earthquake.

Images show crowds of people who have left their homes and escaped to the streets.