Taliban appeals for help after deadly earthquake

Washington: The deadly 6.1 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday has further worsened humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

The Taliban regime that came to power after throwing out the West-backed government is too crippled to help the suffering.

The regime has appealed for international aid as a senior Taliba official Abdul Qahar Balkhi reportedly said the government was 'financially unable to assist the people to the extent that is needed".

More than 1,000 people have been killed and at least 1,500 injured when the massive earthquake struck about 44 km from the city of Khost. Unknown numbers are buried in the rubble of ruined, often mud-built homes, according to BBC.

The death toll is expected to go up just as information trickling in from remote mountain village which were hit hard by the earthquake that shook places as far as Pakistan and India.

The country's south eastern Paktika province emerged in the aftermath as the worst-hit where the UN is struggling to arrange for shelter and food aid.

Meanwhile, the US State Department said it was ignorant of Taliban's appeal for American assistance, according to Reuters.

Heavy rain and inadequate resources hampered rescue efforts as villages got completely destroyed near the epicentre.

The earthquake presented major challenges to the inept Taliban regime, whose skillset does not include administrative prowess.

A Taliban official said that aid agencies and neighbouring countries were helping.

UN chief , António Guterres said health teams, medical supplies, food and emergency shelters were on the way to the quake zone.