UK Confirms Release of 4 British Nationals From Taliban’s Detention

During a press conference in Kabul, officials of the ministry said that 1,983 houses in 20 villages of Herat were "completely" destroyed.

Once again, the Taliban did not separate the number of dead and injured.

Taliban’s Disaster Management Ministry in a statement also said that 35 national and international search and rescue teams with 1,000 personnel are present at the earthquake-affected sites.

The group added that a delegation representing Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s leader, also went to Herat and promised assistance to the victims of the earthquake.

The Taliban said that the rescue operations are still ongoing.

According to the Taliban, Iranian technical teams have also reached the earthquake-affected areas.

According to the statement, China, Japan, Iran, Pakistan, the European Union, and the World Health Organisation have pledged financial, food, and medical aid to the victims of the earthquake. The Taliban said that Iran and Turkey's aid had already reached Herat.

As per the statement, residents of Khost, Kandahar, Paktia, Nimroz, Nangarhar, Wardak, and Farah provinces have expressed their intention to provide financial contributions, as well as donations of food and non-food items to support Herat.

The Taliban also stated that several charity institutions, businessmen, and several Pakistani personalities have donated about 32.35 million Afs for the victims.

According to the statement, 100 million Afs was also donated by the Taliban Prime Minister's Office. Azizi Foundation has also allocated 300 million Afghanis to help the victims of the earthquake.

According to the ministry’s statement on Monday, these bodies had been taken out from under the rubble.

The Ministry of Defence of the Taliban also announced that a team from this ministry has started surgical and orthopaedic operations of the earthquake victims.

According to reports, at least twelve villages had been destroyed due to the Herat earthquake.

The exact number of victims is not yet known. The Taliban announced the death toll of more than 2,000 people, but later corrected it and said that the total number of dead and wounded reached 2,053.

However, the Taliban ministry has not given the exact number of dead and wounded from the earthquake.

On Saturday, an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude shook the northwest of Afghanistan. Zindajan district of Herat province was the epicentre of this earthquake.

Another earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 on the Richter scale, once again jolted western Afghanistan on Monday morning.

The US Geological Survey reported that the epicentre of the recent earthquake was the village of Qarabagh in the center of Gulran district of Herat province.

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.