US urged to return foreign reserves of Afghans devastated by earthquake

ISTANBUL (AA) – The devastating earthquake, which has left over 1,100 people dead in Afghanistan, has revived calls for return of Afghan foreign reserves from the US, as the war-torn nation struggles to meet the immediate needs.

Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, led the calls urging Washington to release the frozen assets of Afghanistan which saw the complete withdrawal of US-led foreign forces last August.

A deadly earthquake of 6.1 magnitude has left 1,150 people dead since Tuesday, while over 1,600 others have been wounded in the country’s east.

Some 1,800 houses have collapsed, he added.

According to estimates by the EU commissioner for crisis management, around 270,000 people living in the affected areas will require assistance.

However, the interim Taliban administration has been grappling with empty coffers since its return to power after meltdown of US-backed Kabul administration last August.

While the Taliban have announced an aid package of 1 billion Afghanis (over $11 million) for the victims, the Afghan officials have made appeal for contributions from other nations and international partners.

The announcement comes as Afghanistan faces a deficit of nearly $500 million in the Taliban’s first budget for current fiscal announced in May. The interim government announced to spend around $2.6 billion, whole money to be generated locally, unlike during war days when the Kabul administration mostly ran on foreign aid.

Pakistan, Qatar, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and India have sent emergency aid to the country, while self-ruled Taiwan has pledged to donate $1 million to the victims of the earthquake.

EU commissioner Janez Lenarcic said the group has mobilized an initial €1 million ($1.05 million) in emergency support to Afghanistan.

Beijing-shipped food has arrived in Afghanistan and is being distributed, the country’s Foreign Ministry said.