Week after Deadly Quake, Caretaker Government’s Army Chief Visits Kunar

DID Press: Fasihuddin Fitrat, Taliban caretaker government’s chief of army staff, traveled to Kunar Province on Saturday, September 6, one week after the devastating earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan. During the visit, he distributed more than 10 million Afghanis in cash assistance among 1,100 earthquake victims.

According to the Taliban caretaker government’s Ministry of Defense, Fitrat inspected the quake-hit areas, met with Kunar governor, local officials, and families of the victims, and oversaw aid distribution.

Recent earthquake in the eastern provinces, particularly in Kunar, caused extensive human and material losses. Official figures from the Taliban’s caretaker government reported at least 2,205 deaths, with thousands more injured or left homeless.

Defense Ministry announced that following the disaster, military units and rescue teams were dispatched to the affected areas for search, recovery, and medical evacuation operations, with hundreds of injured people transported by helicopter to hospitals.

Video footage released by the ministry shows Fitrat speaking with affected families and overseeing relief efforts on the ground.

Notably, in the aftermath of the catastrophic quake, senior Taliban leaders had refrained from visiting Kunar. Even the group’s supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, has so far issued no public statement regarding the tragedy.