Taliban Defence Chief’s Remarks Cannot Hide Militant Havens In Afghanistan, Says Pakistan

Otunbayeva, who also headed the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), met with Taliban refugee minister Abdul Kabir in Kabul for a farewell meeting. Kabir thanked her for her efforts during her tenure and praised the UN’s work in the country.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees said the meeting was held to mark the end of her assignment. According to the ministry, Otunbayeva reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to humanitarian aid, noting that 25 UN teams have been deployed to quake-hit areas and will begin distributing relief once assessments are complete.

The UN Security Council has announced that Otunbayeva’s mandate ends in September. She will deliver her final report at a council session on Afghanistan this month, where a civil society representative and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights are also expected to speak.

During her meeting with Kabir, Otunbayeva highlighted a $23 million project to address migration challenges in northern Afghanistan, with a second phase planned for Nimroz and Farah provinces.

Kabir reiterated that the Taliban have formed a committee to coordinate relief for earthquake victims and called for closer cooperation between international agencies and Taliban authorities. He also said his ministry has drafted a strategy to address the root causes of migration, pending technical review.

International organisations, however, continue to deliver aid through humanitarian partners rather than directly through the Taliban, citing sanctions and concerns about misuse. Reports have indicated that the Taliban have diverted or seized portions of humanitarian assistance.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Otunbayeva as his special representative in September 2022. She previously served as president of Kyrgyzstan from 2010 to 2011 and held several terms as the country’s foreign minister.

Residents of Nurgal district said that many people are still buried beneath collapsed homes. An elderly man told the Guardian that People have lost their homes and don’t even have utensils to cook with. They also need more doctors; medical and rescue teams are very few, and people are still under the rubble.

According to Taliban authorities, the earthquake killed more than 2,200 people. In Nurgal alone, over 1,000 people died and more than 5,700 homes were destroyed.

Survivors in quake-hit villages say they still lack food, tents and medical care because of difficult terrain and shrinking international aid.

Another woman, who said she lost more than 30 relatives, added that she lost her husband, sons and grandchildren. "All I have left is a piece of cloth. I don’t even have money to buy a single paracetamol tablet,” she added.

Aid agencies say women face particular barriers to treatment in conservative Kunar, where many cannot seek help from male health workers. International organisations also cite access challenges and a sharp drop in funding, much of it linked to foreign donors cutting support over the Taliban’s restrictions on women.

Since February 2025, 422 health centres across Afghanistan have closed due to funding cuts, including 80 in the east, 15 in Kunar and 29 in Nangarhar, leaving survivors more vulnerable.

the Norwegian Refugee Council said in a statement that the situation on the ground is critical, and entire quake-hit areas need urgent assistance. Funding shortages have limited the speed and scale of the humanitarian response.

The group said some families in Kunar are living in overcrowded tents sheltering up to 100 women and children, without clean water or sanitation.

The International Organization for Migration said budget cuts have reduced its presence in affected areas, with most aid being sent from Kabul, causing delays and higher costs.

The World Health Organization and other agencies have deployed mobile teams and ambulances, but access to remote villages remains nearly impossible.

The UN humanitarian coordination office said 25 inter-agency teams have reached some districts, though access remains restricted and poor weather has slowed relief. The UN has allocated $10 million in emergency funding, but aid officials warn it will cover only a fraction of the needs.

The organisation stated that Afghan Christian refugees have received official notices indicating they could be deported to Afghanistan at any moment.

The ICC noted that its findings suggest that while US authorities show empathy towards Afghan Christian refugees, they have been unwilling to provide firm guarantees or substantial assistance. According to the statement, US officials have directed Afghan Christian refugees to pursue their cases through standard immigration channels.

The religious organisation raised its concerns following a report published last week by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The USCIRF, also based in the US, stated in its report that the Taliban continues to suppress and target religious minorities in Afghanistan.

Vicky Hartzler, Chair of the USCIRF, said: “If forced to return to Afghanistan, all Afghans, including religious minorities, are at severe risk of persecution.”

The ICC highlighted that Afghan Christians are primarily first-generation converts from Islam, who, if identified, face extremely severe penalties. The Taliban, driven by its ideological stance, considers conversion from Islam to be “apostasy,” which carries heavy punishments, including execution.

The ICC also noted that with the suspension of the US refugee admissions programme following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the intake of religious groups facing persecution has been halted. The organisation’s statement explained that prior to the suspension, ethnic and religious minorities at risk of persecution could apply for refugee status. However, with the programme’s suspension, some refugees previously approved for entry into the US have been transferred to camps abroad.

The USCIRF has called for the reinstatement of Temporary Protected Status for Afghan refugees. Asif Mahmood, Vice-Chair of the USCIRF, stated: “By prioritizing vulnerable Afghan religious minorities, the administration and Congress signal their commitment to freedom of religion or belief.”

Doctors told Afghanistan International that psychological stress and fear triggered by the quakes are disrupting women’s hormonal systems, causing a reduction in breast milk production. They said mothers need urgent psychological as well as physical support.

“In the past few days, many mothers have come to the clinic saying their milk has dried up,” a female doctor in Kunar said. “This is natural because fear and stress change women’s hormones.”

She added that clinics face severe shortages of equipment and staff. “We have very limited facilities. There are no programmes for psychological support. We have no female psychologists, only a few midwives and nurses. This is a major challenge for us.”

Medical sources said some districts in Kunar have very few female doctors and almost no female psychologists to help traumatised women.

A psychologist, using the pseudonym Mohammad, warned that the lack of mental health support poses serious risks to the lives of women and children. He urged international aid groups and health organisations to launch programmes providing psychological assistance.

Residents of Kunar said the earthquake destroyed homes and left deep psychological scars. They appealed to the Taliban and international organisations to provide targeted medical and mental health support for survivors to protect mothers and children.

The earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan have killed 2,205 people and injured more than 3,640, according to Taliban figures.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimates that nearly 84,000 people in Afghanistan have been directly or indirectly affected by the disaster.

The organisation reported that 98 percent of homes in quake-hit areas were either completely destroyed or severely damaged.

Taliban officials said the quake in Kunar province has killed 2,205 people and injured more than 3,640.

The Red Cross and the Afghan Red Crescent described the humanitarian situation in the affected areas as “extremely fragile and deteriorating,” warning of severe shortages of food, medicine and shelter.

Indrika Ratwatte, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, told Agence France-Presse the earthquake could affect hundreds of thousands of people.

Local rescue workers, operating with limited resources, are still trying to pull survivors from the rubble of collapsed homes, reports said. Landslides, rockfalls and blocked roads have left many villages cut off.

Alongside widespread destruction, poor weather and declining international aid are making the emergency response even harder.

Aid groups and humanitarian experts said the disaster should serve as a wake-up call to the international community.

An official from the Norwegian Refugee Council said Afghanistan cannot face such a catastrophe alone and urged the world to provide broad and sustained support.