More than 180 people were murdered in flooding in Afghanistan this month, the Taliban reported on Thursday, pleading with the international community for assistance.
In recent weeks, flooding in central and eastern Afghan regions has caused extensive destruction, destroying thousands of homes and escalating the country’s economic and humanitarian problems.
At a news conference, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan can’t manage the floods alone. We want the world, international organizations, and Islamic countries to help us.”
Mujahid reported that 182 people had died and 250 had been injured due to flooding this month. Thousands of animals had been slaughtered, and more than 3,100 homes had been entirely demolished.
This year, Afghanistan has had a number of severe weather events, including a drought and an earthquake that claimed more than 1,000 lives in June. Since the Taliban gained control of the country a year ago, the country has been largely shut off from the global financial system.
Aid workers reported seeing extensive damage in the Khoshi district of central Logar province as a result of the recent heavy floods, including fields of crops converted to mud and mounds of dead animals.
According to the U.N. children’s agency, floods in the area had affected almost 20,000 people, and 20 people, including at least six children, had died and two more were missing.
After visiting the area, Anne Kindrachuk, the central region chief for UNICEF Afghanistan, remarked, “People lost everything…they lost everything overnight.”
There are three tent communities or camps, but the residents don’t know what will happen next or how they will survive this winter after their livelihoods were destroyed, she added.
