Death Toll from Northern Afghanistan Earthquake Rises To 27, Says Taliban

The organisation said that, based on data it has gathered in exile, the Taliban are also to blame for the collapse of independent media in Afghanistan.

Nai called on the international community to prevent Taliban representatives, whom it described as responsible for the highest level of violence against journalists in the country’s history, from travelling freely abroad.

It urged all countries that have signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to deny Taliban officials entry to their territories.

According to the statement, Taliban leaders and representatives currently travel freely across many countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa, despite several being listed under United Nations sanctions.

Journalist Mujeeb Khalwatgar said Afghan reporters face serious security threats and fear for their lives under Taliban rule.

In July, Nai said Afghanistan’s media are experiencing the worst period in their history, accusing the Taliban of systematically restricting press freedom and dismantling all previous achievements in the field.

DABS said transmission lines supplying electricity from the two countries were damaged during the quake, and technical teams have been deployed to restore the connection.

The company reported that power supply has been affected in Kabul, Baghlan, Parwan, Panjshir, Kapisa, Logar, Paktia, Ghazni, and Maidan Wardak provinces.

Afghanistan relies heavily on imported energy due to limited domestic production. More than 75 per cent of the country’s electricity is imported from neighbouring countries, primarily Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for the Health Ministry, said efforts are underway to transfer the wounded from affected areas to nearby hospitals and health centres.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that the earthquake caused significant human and material losses in the provinces of Balkh, Samangan, and Baghlan. He did not provide further details but said relevant departments were working to assist affected residents.

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defence said the Kabul–Mazar-e-Sharif highway, which had been blocked by a landslide in the Tashqurghan area following the quake, has now been reopened to traffic.

According to the sources, several militants were killed during the clash, and the bodies of two were recovered by Pakistani troops.

The sources said one of the slain fighters was identified as Qasim Khan, a resident of Gayan district in Afghanistan’s Paktika province. An Afghan national identity card was reportedly found in his possession.

Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused members of the Afghan Taliban of fighting alongside anti-government militants in Pakistan, a claim the Taliban have consistently denied.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s border regions, particularly Waziristan, have seen frequent attacks on Pakistani forces. Islamabad usually blames Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for the assaults, saying many of the attackers cross the border from Afghanistan.

The Taliban have not commented on the latest incident.

Speaking at a meeting in Kabul on Sunday, Agha said: “Our weakness in the face of Pakistan’s air attacks was because we do not have access to the necessary technology.” He claimed, however, that in ground battles, “the Pakistanis were defeated.”

The minister emphasised the importance of modern science and technology for defending what he called the Taliban’s sovereignty. He also alleged that during recent border clashes, Pakistani soldiers “fled their positions.”

Last month, following Pakistan’s airstrikes on Kabul and Paktika, Taliban and Pakistani forces engaged in deadly border fighting. The Taliban claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed, while Islamabad said it had eliminated more than 200 Taliban fighters.

Mediated by Qatar and Turkiye, defence ministers from both sides later signed a peace agreement in Doha.

Agha previously said that the absence of modern scientific knowledge had allowed the United States to dominate Afghanistan’s airspace. He argued that only through modern education could Afghanistan counter foreign drone patrols.

In his latest remarks, Agha urged the country’s youth to “work harder to acquire modern knowledge and technology.”

His comments come despite the Taliban’s ongoing ban on education for girls beyond grade six, now in place for more than four years. The Taliban have also revised Afghanistan’s school curriculum, removing large sections of modern subjects deemed contrary to their ideology and increasing the focus on religious studies.