Support us by contributing to StratNewsGlobal on the following UPI ID
ultramodern@hdfcbank
Strategic affairs is our game, South Asia and beyond our playground. Put together by an experienced team led by Nitin A. Gokhale. Our focus is on strategic affairs, foreign policy and international relations, with higher quality reportage, analysis and commentary with new tie-ups across the South Asian region.
You can support our endeavours. Visit us at www.stratnewsglobal.com and follow us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
र 500 per month
र 1000 per month
र 5000 per year
र 10000 per year
Donate an amount of your choice
र 500 per month
Donate र 500 per month
र 1000 per month
Donate र 1000 per month
र 5000 per year
Donate र 5,000 per year
र 10000 per year
Donate र 10,000 per year
Donate an amount of your choice
Donate an amount of your choice
US Congress Reconvenes With One-Month Deadline To Avert Shutdown
The U.S. Congress reconvenes on Tuesday with under a month to fulfil one of its key duties—funding federal agencies and preventing a partial government shutdown—an obligation it has repeatedly struggled with in recent years.
The chamber’s bitter partisan divides have hardened in the first year of President Donald Trump’s new administration, which has angered Democratic lawmakers by deciding not to spend some money previously approved under bipartisan deals, as well as the July passage of a tax-cut bill that nonpartisan analysts said could cause more than 10 million low-income Americans to lose healthcare coverage.
Lawmakers’ work on agreeing on the roughly $1.8 trillion in discretionary spending in the $7 trillion federal budget will be further complicated by expected fights over the release of information related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a former friend of Trump’s, and the administration’s surge of federal agents and National Guard into the capital.
There have been 14 partial government shutdowns since 1981, most of which lasted only a day or two. The most recent stretched over 34 days in December 2018 into January 2019 during Trump’s first term.
Shutdown Concerns
Trump’s Republicans hold a 219-212 majority in the House of Representatives and a 53-47 edge in the Senate, though that chamber’s rules require 60 votes to pass most bills, meaning that seven Democrats’ support would be needed to pass a funding bill. A preemptive blame game started this summer over which party would be faulted if Congress fails and a partial government shutdown occurs.
In the lead-up to Republicans’ approving Trump’s request for a $9 billion cut to foreign aid and public media, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a July letter that the majority should not expect Democrats to “act as business as usual” in the bipartisan appropriations process due to the party cutting back on funding already approved by Congress.
Schumer faced howls of outrage from some in his party in March after providing the votes for a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, arguing at the time that allowing a government shutdown would have been more damaging.
The Democrats’ full strategy this time around has not yet been defined, but the Democratic leaders have requested a meeting with their Republican counterparts to discuss the deadline. Some Democrats want assurances from Republicans not to unilaterally cut funding if more requests are made by the administration.
“I hope that the process will continue in a bipartisan way as we move toward the September deadline,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a floor speech.
Democrats Leverage Funding Deadline
Some Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are betting that the conservatives would be blamed and that the funding deadline should be used as leverage.
“In September, the Republicans are going to need to get a budget through to keep the government open and to do that, they are going to need some Democratic votes,” Warren said at a rally in Nebraska in August. Referring to the sweeping tax-cut bill, she added, “You want my vote — and I hope the votes of the rest of these Democrats – then by golly, you can restore healthcare for 10 million Americans!”
The U.S. federal debt is $37.25 trillion, according to the Treasury Department. It has continued to grow under Republican and Democratic administrations as the U.S. Congress continues to authorise the federal government to spend more money than it takes in.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Brazil Supreme Court Concludes Bolsonaro Trial Under Trump’s Scrutiny
The landmark trial of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro reached its decisive stage on Tuesday, as the Supreme Court commenced hearing closing arguments in the case that accuses the 70-year-old right-wing leader of masterminding a conspiracy to cling to power after his defeat in the 2022 reelection contest.
The final stretch of the trial, expected to conclude by September 12, will unfold under the glare of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has vowed to keep track of the case he denounced as a “witch hunt” against his Brazilian ally.
Trump used the case as his main argument to impose sweeping 50% tariffs on many Brazilian imports, sanctioned Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the judge overseeing the proceedings, and took away the visas of most of his colleagues.
Bolsonaro has consistently maintained his innocence, even as he relinquished any hope of being acquitted by the Supreme Court, as he told Reuters in a July interview.
“They want to convict me,” he said.
Inspection Order Issued
On Saturday, Justice Moraes ordered inspections of all vehicles leaving Bolsonaro’s residence and enhanced monitoring of the surrounding area to prevent any escape.
Moraes has become a commanding symbol of the strengths and weaknesses of the institutions Bolsonaro has long attacked. While his supporters see him as a courageous defender of a young democracy, right-wing critics view his actions as politically motivated persecution.
“He is taking on a leading role” in ensuring that crimes against democracy are punished, said Senator Eliziane Gama, a centre-left politician.
As with many high-profile cases before Brazil’s Supreme Court, the trial will be broadcast live, drawing millions of Brazilians to their TVs and phones to witness another dramatic chapter in the country’s deeply polarised political saga.
The final stretch of the trial caps a years-long investigation into the causes and context of the 2023 invasion and defacing of Brazil’s most iconic civic landmarks, such as the Congress and the Supreme Court, by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters who were protesting his electoral defeat.
The trial could draw fresh demonstrations, too. On Sunday, dozens of people demonstrated their support for Bolsonaro in front of his home in Brasilia, and other protests are scheduled for the coming days.
Having Bolsonaro, a former Army captain, and several of his allies, including high-ranking military officials, as defendants could also mark a historic reckoning for a country that has never held its armed forces accountable for leading a violent and corrupt dictatorship from 1964 to 1985.
While the court could impose sentences totalling more than 40 years, Brazilian law typically allows convicted felons to be released well before serving their full terms.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Modi And Visiting Singapore PM Wong To Deepen Cooperation, Investment
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is on his first official visit to India since taking over the top job in May last year. His visit also marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Prime Ministers Modi and Wong are expected to review current areas of cooperation and explore new opportunities in trade, finance, digital technology, and regional security. Incidentally, Modi was in Singapore last year when the two sides inked a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Wong is expected to brief Modi on how he sees developments in his neighbourhood, the role of ASEAN, China and of course the civil war in Myanmar. Their discussions could also touch on how US President Trump is taking apart the established trade regime.
Singapore is a crucial partner of India in southeast Asia, and therefore a critical element in the Act East policy enunciated by Prime Minister Modi in 2014, during his first term. It marked a step forward from the UPA government’s Look East policy that had economic ties at the base.
The Act East policy seeks to deepen and broaden those relations by bringing in strategic, security, connectivity and cultural ties into the mix. The push is for proactive engagement at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels with the special emphasis on connectivity through India’s northeast.
Given its strategic location and trade flows, India sees Singapore as a useful sounding board on the region and regular official visits by both sides have helped build political connections and economic linkages.
It helps that at $34 billion, bilateral trade makes Singapore India’s 6th largest trading partner. The island is also the top source of foreign direct investment into India in 2024-25, contributing nearly $ 15 billion.
Singapore has linked its digital interbank funds transfer service to India’s UPI, allowing cross-border real-time payments between the two countries.
Among Wong’s other engagements in India is a round table with Indian industry leaders to boost investment and economic collaboration.
The two countries have shared interests in maintaining peace, stability, and connectivity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Burkina Faso Criminalises LGBTQ Practices
Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament has passed a new law criminalising actions seen as promoting LGBTQ practices, introducing prison terms, fines, and other penalties for those found guilty, the country’s justice minister announced.
The Persons and Family Code law, making Burkina Faso the latest in a series of African countries to criminalise lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activity, also tightens rules on nationality and stateless people.
Legislation Passed Unanimously
The military that took over Burkina Faso in a 2022 coup has grown increasingly intolerant of dissent amid worsening Islamist militant violence in the West African country.
The legislation was passed unanimously by the unelected, 71-member transitional parliament on Monday and is awaiting the signature of military junta leader Ibrahim Traore.
Fines, Jail, Even Deportation
“The law provides for a prison sentence ranging from two to five years and a fine,” Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said on state television on Monday night.
“A person who (engages in) homosexual practices … will appear before a judge and, in the event of a repeat offence, be deported if you are not a Burkinabe national,” he said.
Joining Other Conservative African Nations
The government has framed the law as an effort to modernise family law and clarify nationality rules, but rights advocates are likely to call out the restrictions on LGBTQ practices and limits imposed on legal recourse in nationality cases.
Anti-gay laws are in place in various conservative African countries including Senegal, Uganda and Malawi, though some others, including South Africa, Botswana and Angola, have decriminalised LGBTQ practices or enacted protective measures.
Burkina Faso’s new legislation aligns with a growing trend of crackdowns on LGBTQ relationships across the African continent.
Last year, neighbouring Mali — a close ally of Burkina Faso and also under military rule — passed a law criminalising homosexuality.
Several countries that have taken a tougher stance on LGBTQ rights in recent years have faced strong backlash and international criticism. The World Bank, for instance, suspended funding to Uganda over its harsh anti-LGBTQ legislation.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Putin: Ukraine Joining EU Not An Issue For Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Moscow has never objected to Ukraine becoming a member of the European Union. He added that a consensus could be reached to safeguard the security interests of both Russia and Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump said after his summit with Putin in Alaska last month that he thinks Putin is “tired” of the war in Ukraine but that it remains to be seen if peace can be secured to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
Ukraine and the leaders of Western European powers have said they do not believe Putin is serious about peace in Ukraine, and have warned that if Russia wins the Ukraine war then Putin could attack Europe and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance.
In some of his most dovish remarks since the Alaska summit, Putin, speaking in China, pushed back against those claims, which he cast as “horror stories” and “hysteria” pumped up by incompetent people seeking to cast Russia as an enemy.
Putin said Russia had been forced to act in Ukraine by what he cast as the West’s attempt with the help of NATO to try to absorb the entire post-Soviet space.
“As for Ukraine’s membership of the EU, we have never objected to this,” Putin told Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at talks in China. “As for NATO, this is another issue… Our position here is well known: we consider this unacceptable for ourselves.”
Security Guarantee For Ukraine
A potential security guarantee for Ukraine – backed by the United States and Western European powers – is one of the toughest parts of any future peace settlement, according to diplomats and officials involved in discussions.
Ukraine says that it is not for Russia to decide what Kyiv can or cannot join, while NATO says that Russia can have no veto over membership of the alliance which was formed in 1949 to counter the threat from the Soviet Union.
Putin said that he had discussed Ukraine’s security at his August 15 summit with Trump.
“There are options for ensuring Ukraine’s security in the event of an end to the conflict,” Putin said. “And it seems to me that there is an opportunity to find consensus here.”
Russia, Putin said, was ready to cooperate with the United States at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest nuclear plant. Russia took control of it in March 2022, shortly after its invasion of Ukraine.
“We can cooperate with American partners at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” Putin said, adding that the issue had been discussed indirectly with Washington and that he was even prepared to work with Ukraine at the plant.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Xi Welcomes Putin And Kim In Beijing Ahead Of Military Parade, Signaling Defiance To West
Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Beijing on Tuesday, bringing the three together for the first time. The meeting was seen as a display of unity among nations sidelined by the West over their roles in the ongoing war in Europe.
Xi hosted Vladimir Putin for talks at the Great Hall of the People and then at his personal residence, calling him his “old friend”.
A few hours later, Kim Jong Un’s armoured train was spotted by a witness arriving in the Chinese capital. North Korean state media confirmed Kim’s arrival, showing his daughter Kim Ju Ae accompanying him.
Ju Ae, whom South Korean intelligence consider her father’s most likely successor, is making her international debut after years of being seen next to Kim at major domestic events.
The Trio
Xi, Putin and Kim are set to take centre stage at a massive military parade on Wednesday, where the Chinese president will flaunt his vision for a new global order as U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies strain Western alliances.
Beyond the pomp, analysts are watching whether the trio may signal closer defence relations following a pact signed by Russia and North Korea in June 2024, and a similar alliance between Beijing and Pyongyang, an outcome that may alter the military calculus in the Asia-Pacific region.
It would also be a blow for Trump, who has talked up his close relations with all three leaders and touted his peacemaking credentials as Russia’s three-and-a-half-year war with Ukraine has raged on.
In a thinly veiled swipe at this rival across the Pacific Ocean on Monday, Xi told a summit of more than 20 leaders of non-Western countries: “We must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics.”
Xi also held talks on Monday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, whose country has been targeted by Trump over its purchases of Russian oil seen as helping finance Putin’s war effort.
Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the summit “performative” and accused China and India, the biggest buyers of Russian crude, of being “bad actors” by fuelling Russia’s war.
As Putin and Xi met, Russia’s Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation signed a deal to increase gas supplies and penned an agreement on a new pipeline that could supply China for 30 years.
Alarm Bells
At a time when Trump has set his sights on a Nobel Peace Prize, any new concentration of military power in the East that includes Russia will ring alarm bells for the West.
“Trilateral military exercises between Russia, China and North Korea seem nearly inevitable,” wrote Youngjun Kim, an analyst at the U.S.-based National Bureau of Asian Research, in March, citing how the conflict in Ukraine had pushed Moscow and Pyongyang closer.
“Until a few years ago, China and Russia were important partners in imposing international sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests… (they) are now potential military partners of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea during a crisis on the Korean peninsula,” he added, using the diplomatically isolated country’s official name.
The North Korean leader has supplied more than 15,000 troops to support Putin’s war in Ukraine.
In 2024, he also hosted the Russian leader in Pyongyang – the first summit of its kind in 24 years – in a move widely interpreted as a snub to Xi and an attempt to ease his pariah status by reducing North Korea’s dependence on China.
Putin Insists On ‘Fair Balance In Security’
About 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed fighting for Russia in the Kursk region, according to South Korea’s intelligence agency, which believes Pyongyang is planning another deployment.
Putin also told the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin that a “fair balance in the security sphere” must be restored, shorthand for Russia’s criticism of the eastward expansion of NATO.
For Kim, the parade will mark the largest multilateral diplomatic event he has ever attended, offering the reclusive young leader an opportunity to gain implicit support for his banned nuclear weapons, and expand his diplomatic circle.
Before crossing to China early on Tuesday, Kim visited a missile laboratory.
The visit was geared towards “showing off (North Korea’s) status as a nuclear power” just before “standing alongside Xi and Putin, which is intended to suggest support for North Korea as a nuclear state,” said Hong Min, North Korea analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
At the Beijing railway station, Kim and his daughter were greeted by senior Chinese officials including top-ranked Communist Party official Cai Qi and foreign minister Wang Yi, according to North Korean state media.
Painstaking planning has also gone into China’s “Victory Day” parade, marking 80 years since Japan’s defeat at the end of World War Two, with downtown Beijing paralysed by security measures and traffic controls for weeks.
Alongside the showcase of cutting-edge military hardware in front of an estimated 50,000 spectators, authorities plan to release more than 80,000 “peace doves” during the event.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump Family’s Crypto Token $WLFI Falls On Trading Debut
Digital tokens linked to the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, dropped in value on their trading debut Monday.
The World Liberty tokens, known as $WLFI, were sold to investors after the Trump family and its business partners last year launched the venture, a decentralized finance platform that has also issued a stablecoin.
Investors in the tokens voted in July to make them tradable, paving the way for their sale and purchase – and potentially boosting the value of the president’s holdings of them.
Early investors can sell up to 20% of their holdings, World Liberty has said.
Fails To Capitalise
The tokens initially traded above $0.30 in their Monday debut but later fell in price. They were down about 12% at $0.246 as of 1840 GMT, according to CoinGecko data.
That gave the token a total market capitalisation of just below $7 billion, making WLFI the 31st largest crypto token in circulation, CoinGecko data showed.
Several of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, OKX and Bybit, are offering the tokens on their platforms.
Earnings In Millions
Since World Liberty’s launch last year, the Trump family has made around $500 million from the project, according to Reuters calculations based on the company’s terms and conditions, transactions traced by crypto analysis firms, and publicly disclosed deals.
The tokens were not made tradable at their initial sale. Instead, they gave holders the right to vote on some changes to the business, such as its underlying code. Early investors have said the primary draw of $WLFI was the connection to Trump and their expectations that the tokens would grow in value due to his backing.
Why Was It Made Tradable?
Making the tokens tradable allows investors to determine their price, enabling speculation, earning trading fees for exchanges that list them, and likely stoking interest from a wider swath of crypto investors.
World Liberty and Trump’s other crypto businesses have faced criticism from Democratic lawmakers and government ethics experts who say the Trump family’s forays into the cryptocurrency businesses, at the same time as the president reshapes the regulatory framework that governs digital currencies, represent profound conflicts of interest.
The White House has said repeatedly that Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children and that there are no conflicts of interest.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Azerbaijan Claims India Blocked Its SCO Bid Over Pakistan Tilt
Azerbaijan has accused India of pursuing “revenge” against Baku in international platforms, alleging that the hostility stems from Azerbaijan’s close partnership with Pakistan.
The charge came after Baku claimed that New Delhi had blocked its attempt to secure full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Azerbaijani media outlets further claimed that India’s move went against the spirit of “multilateral diplomacy” and linked the obstruction to Azerbaijan’s backing of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, India’s military campaign against terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack.
Azerbaijan’s Pakistan Tilt
During a meeting in Tianjin with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev openly congratulated Islamabad, describing what he considered Pakistan’s victory over India during a recent military clash earlier this year.
He stated that despite India’s actions in multilateral forums, Azerbaijan would continue to uphold what he called the “brotherhood” with Pakistan, as reported by the Turkish daily Daily Sabah.
Aliyev emphasised that the bond between Azerbaijan and Pakistan is deeply entrenched in political, cultural, and strategic ties.
In his talks with Sharif, he also discussed broadening trade and economic cooperation through the Azerbaijani-Pakistani intergovernmental commission, according to the same report.
SCO Bid Foiled ‘Once Again’
Earlier, Azerbaijani television broadcaster AnewZ alleged that India had “once again” moved to block Baku’s SCO membership bid.
“India has once again obstructed Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent consideration of diplomatic ties with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku under Azerbaijan’s wider peace agenda,” the channel reported.
Azerbaijan has consistently voiced support for Pakistan during its confrontations with India. After Operation Sindoor, Baku issued a statement declaring, “The Republic of Azerbaijan expresses its concern regarding the further escalation of tensions between the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”
Over the past few years, Azerbaijan has also strengthened its defence collaboration, trade exchanges, and regional security engagement with Pakistan, underscoring the steady growth of the bilateral partnership.
(With inputs from IBNS)
Xi Presses Pakistan To Enhance Security For Chinese Nationals Working On Key Projects
China‘s President Xi Jinping pressed Pakistan on Tuesday to strengthen security for Chinese nationals, who have faced repeated militant attacks while working on Beijing-funded multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects in the South Asian country.
Pakistan is a showcase for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, but security threats to Chinese workers in the country have become a source of tension between the close allies.
“China supports Pakistan’s fight against terrorism and hopes Pakistan will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions in Pakistan, creating a secure environment for bilateral cooperation,” Xi said at a meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister during a summit of the China-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, according to a readout from Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Xi was hosting more than 20 leaders of non-Western countries in the Chinese port city of Tianjin.
A statement from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said he met Xi but did not mention the security issue.
Sharif’s statement said he reaffirmed a desire to implement the next phase of Belt and Road projects, adding, “This would help both countries build an even stronger Pakistan-China community with a shared future.”
Security Concerns
Pakistan has deployed tens of thousands of army troops, paramilitary units and police to protect Chinese projects and personnel. But Beijing has been pushing a reluctant Islamabad to allow its own security staff to operate in the country.
Pakistan’s foreign and home ministries and the military did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
China has built power plants and roads and developed the Pakistani Indian Ocean port of Gwadar over the last decade. But much of the planned $60 billion Chinese Belt and Road investment has been put on hold, partly due to security concerns. Both jihadists and separatists have targeted Chinese personnel.
Chinese projects have been hit particularly in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where Gwadar is located, with separatists also stepping up attacks in recent months on Pakistani security forces in the region.
Late last year, a suicide bombing killed two Chinese engineers outside Karachi airport. In March 2024, a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a dam project in northwest Pakistan, killing five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver.
A 2021 bus bombing in the Dasu region, where the dam project is situated, killed 13 people, nine of them Chinese nationals.
Abdul Basit, Senior Associate Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said there had been an improvement in security for Chinese nationals in Pakistan, with no attacks since the airport bombing.
“I think that’s where Xi is emphasising that, yes, no attack on Chinese (nationals) lately, but the overall situation is bad and their projects are not going anywhere,” Basit said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Afghanistan Earthquake Death Toll Rises To 1,124, Says Red Crescent
The Afghan Red Crescent Society said on Tuesday that the death toll from Afghanistan’s earthquake has climbed to 1,124.
At least 3,251 people have been injured and more than 8,000 houses have been destroyed in the disaster, the group said.
Rescuers Rush To Remote Areas
Rescuers in Afghanistan are attempting to reach isolated villages in eastern Kunar on Tuesday, the epicentre of the earthquake, authorities said.
Rescue operations were carried out in four villages in Kunar on Monday after the quake struck, and efforts will now be focused on reaching more remote mountain areas, said Ehsanullah Ehsan, the provincial head of disaster management.
“We cannot accurately predict how many bodies might still be trapped under the rubble,” said Ehsan. “Our effort is to complete these operations as soon as possible and to begin distributing aid to the affected families.”
One of Afghanistan’s worst earthquakes, with a magnitude of 6, struck around midnight local time on Monday, at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), killing 812 people in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar.
Quake Rescues Face Obstacles
Mountainous terrain and inclement weather have hindered rescuers from reaching remote areas along the Pakistani border where the quake flattened mudbrick homes.
Gaining access for vehicles on the narrow mountain roads was the main obstacle for relief work, said Ehsan, adding that machinery was being brought in to clear roads of debris.
On Tuesday, a line of ambulances was on the damaged mountain road trying to reach Kunar villages, as helicopters flew in, bringing aid supplies and taking the injured to hospitals, according to a Reuters witness.
Some of those injured have been transferred to hospitals in Kabul and the adjacent province of Nangarhar, said Ehsan.
Thousands of children were at risk, the United Nations Children’s Fund warned on Tuesday.
UNICEF said it was sending medicines, warm clothing, tents and tarpaulins for shelter, and hygiene items such as soap, detergent, towels, sanitary pads, and water buckets.
“Our response focuses on addressing urgent needs across health, safe water, sanitation, nutrition, child protection, temporary shelter, and psychosocial support to ensure that children and families receive life-saving assistance as quickly as possible,” Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, said in a statement.
Taliban Struggle Amid Crisis
Taliban soldiers were deployed in the area, providing help and security. The disaster has further stretched the war-torn nation’s Taliban administration, already grappling with a sharp drop in foreign aid and deportations of hundreds of thousands of Afghans by neighbouring countries.
“National and international organisations are present in the area, have organised their assistance, and, God willing, aid will be distributed in an orderly manner,” said Ehsan.
Rescue teams and authorities are trying to dispose of animal carcasses quickly so as to minimise the risk of contamination to water resources, a U.N. official said on Monday.
“Damaged roads, ongoing aftershocks, and remote locations of many villages severely impede the delivery of aid,” the World Health Organisation said in a situation update, adding that over 12,000 people had been affected by the quake.
“The pre-earthquake fragility of the health system means local capacity is overwhelmed, creating total dependence on external actors,” said the update.
(With inputs from Reuters)