UN Report: Global Isolation of Taliban Turned Moderate Earthquake into Human Tragedy

Kokcha News Agency – UN experts have issued a stark warning in a recent report, stating that the catastrophic toll of the recent earthquake in Afghanistan is a direct consequence of the Taliban’s diplomatic isolation, the reduction of international aid, and the severe social and gender restrictions imposed in the country.

On the night of August 31, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Kunar province, leaving over 3,500 dead, many of whom were women and children. According to a new assessment by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, more than 13,000 buildings within a 50-kilometer radius of the epicenter were either destroyed or severely damaged. In some villages, up to 90% of homes collapsed, leaving thousands of families homeless.

The UN report identified several factors contributing to the high casualties, including poor construction quality—primarily mud and stone houses built without engineering standards—weak disaster management, chronic poverty, and the sharp decline in foreign aid following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. Decades of war and instability have also left the country’s infrastructure highly vulnerable.

Manoucher Shirzi, a senior expert at the UN’s Global Environmental Information Laboratory, stated, “The August 31 earthquake showed that even a moderate event can turn into a human tragedy when weak infrastructure and lack of preparedness leave people defenseless. Afghanistan urgently needs sustained investment in safe construction and disaster risk reduction; otherwise, future earthquakes will repeat this devastation.”

The report particularly highlights the impact of the earthquake and other natural disasters on women and girls. Gender restrictions, including the prohibition of women seeking medical care from male doctors without a male guardian, restrictions on movement, and the ban on women’s medical education, have made it nearly impossible for many women to access urgent care. The severe shortage of female healthcare workers and the restriction on female aid workers have further hampered relief efforts and put more lives at risk.

Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, said, “The recent earthquake clearly demonstrated how natural disasters disproportionately affect women and girls in a constrained society. The systematic exclusion of women from education, employment, and decision-making is not only unjust but also weakens communities’ ability to cope with crises.”

Other factors contributing to the disaster include the timing of the earthquake, which struck at midnight when most residents were asleep, and the shallow depth of the quake. Heavy monsoon rains in the weeks prior had also weakened the ground, further increasing casualties and delaying rescue and relief efforts.

Experts warn that the increasing diplomatic isolation of Afghanistan and the reduction in humanitarian aid have severely limited the country’s capacity to respond to natural disasters, leaving its people more vulnerable than ever.

They called for an urgent review of international aid to ensure that people under sanctioned regimes are not deprived of critical humanitarian and reconstruction support.