UNHCR Closes Centres Amid Taliban Curbs
Afghanistan Quake Death Toll Tops 2,164
Kabul/Geneva: The humanitarian response to the devastating Afghanistan earthquake disaster continued today, though essential services have been curtailed due to reinforced Taliban restrictions on women working with the United Nations, according to the global body. The UN reported that these measures have severely impacted life-saving assistance for hundreds of thousands of people.
Arafat Jamal, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) Representative to Afghanistan, stated, “All of us at the United Nations are suffering from a reinforcement of the ban on females working with us…We are simply unable to operate without females.” This came a day after agencies highlighted the de facto authorities’ restrictions, which have disrupted critical operations. On Sunday, September 8, 2025, de facto Afghan security forces barred national female staff members and contractors of the UN from entering the global body’s compounds in Kabul, as noted in a statement by the UN Mission in the country, UNAMA, on Thursday, September 11.
In response to these restrictions, UNHCR temporarily closed its cash and support centres for vulnerable Afghans on September 9, affecting operations both at the border and in regions seeing significant returns from Iran, Pakistan, and elsewhere since the start of the year. The registration process, which includes biometric data collection, screening, and interviews, relies heavily on Afghan female workers, with Jamal emphasising that “more than one in two returnees are women.” He clarified, “This was an operational decision…It is not a decision taken to punish anyone or to make a statement, but it simply demonstrates that we cannot work without female workers in certain circumstances.”
UNHCR reported that since the beginning of 2025, approximately 2.6 million Afghans have returned from neighbouring countries, “many not by choice.” Jamal highlighted a surge in returns, with nearly 100,000 people crossing back from Pakistan in the first week of September alone, placing immense strain on the country’s and the agency’s capacities.
1,172 Children Dead in Afghan Earthquake
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) echoed these concerns, noting that Afghanistan continues to grapple with the aftermath of the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Kunar and Nangarhar provinces on August 31, followed by multiple severe aftershocks. UNICEF Country Representative in Afghanistan, Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, reported that at least 1,172 children have died, accounting for more than half of the total death toll of over 2,164. Additionally, at least 3,428 people have been injured, and 6,700 homes have been destroyed or severely damaged.
Briefing journalists in Geneva via videolink, Dr. Oyewale shared his observations from a visit to Machkandol in Nangarhar, where he met young victims, including three girls and a boy, rescued from the emergency. “For the girls, it was even more sobering; they were lost; they had lost their families, their homes had been destroyed,” he said. “The family livestock have died. And for these young girls and this young boy, the future is completely bleak.” He described the affected provinces as mountainous and remote, with a three-and-a-half-hour drive to reach the area, including 40 minutes on paved roads and the remainder on rough mountain dirt roads marked by turns, oncoming traffic, and falling rocks.
Humanitarians warned that the earthquake had exacerbated Afghanistan’s existing acute challenges. Dr. Oyewale stressed, “Behind these numbers are children left standing alone in the rubble and families torn apart in the blink of an eye… UNICEF is literally going the extra mile and doing whatever it takes to reach these children and families with the support they need.”
– global bihari bureau
