by Charlotte Greenfield
KABUL, June 25 (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban administration on Saturday called on the international community to lift sanctions on the country and lift the freeze on central bank assets in the wake of the earthquake which killed more than 1,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes on Wednesday.
The 6.1 magnitude earthquake that hit the east of the country damaged or destroyed 10,000 homes and injured around 2,000 people, straining the country’s already fragile health system.
It poses a major test for the Taliban, which seized power last August when US-led international forces withdrew after two decades of war.
“The Islamic Emirate calls on the world to give Afghans their most basic right, which is their right to life, by lifting sanctions, unfreezing our assets and also providing assistance,” Abdul Qahar Balkhi told Reuters. , spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
While humanitarian aid continues to flow into Afghanistan, funds needed for the country’s longer-term development were frozen during the takeover of the Taliban, whose administration the international community does not officially recognize.
Billions of dollars in Afghan central bank reserves remain frozen overseas and sanctions are hampering the banking sector as the West pushes for human rights concessions.
Western governments are particularly concerned about the rights of women and girls to work and study under the Taliban regime.
(French version Benjamin Mallet)