Will the UK’s aid reach Afghanistan’s earthquake victims?

Britain has announced emergency funding for victims of Afghanistan’s devastating earthquake, pledging that the money will bypass the Taliban administration. The support will instead be delivered through international partners already operating on the ground.

Sunday’s tremor, one of the worst to strike Afghanistan in recent decades, has killed more than 800 people and left at least 2,800 injured. Entire villages were reduced to rubble as rescue workers searched for survivors under collapsed homes.

The country’s disaster response has been hampered by years of declining aid, worsened by U.S.-led funding cuts since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

The British government said it will provide £1 million ($1.35 million), with funds channelled through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Red Cross (IFRC). The aid will be used to deliver urgent healthcare services and distribute emergency supplies in the most affected provinces.

“The UK remains committed to the people of Afghanistan, and this emergency funding will help our partners to deliver critical healthcare and emergency supplies to the most hard-hit,” Foreign Minister David Lammy said.

For Afghanistan, already grappling with economic collapse and limited access to global aid, the earthquake adds yet another layer of hardship.

Relief efforts are now racing against time as survivors await help, with winter approaching in many quake-hit regions.

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