TALIBAN APPEAL FOR INTERNATIONAL AID AFTER DEADLY QUAKE

The Taliban in Afghanistan have appealed for international support, as the country deals with the aftermath of a devastating 6.1 magnitude earthquake. More than one thousand people have died and at least one thousand five hundred said to have been injured, a local official said. Paktika province in the south-east has been the most affected. Meanwhile, the UN is scrambling to provide emergency shelter and food aid. The rescue efforts are being hampered by heavy rain and hail. The deadliest earthquake to strike the country in two decades is a major challenge for the Taliban, the Islamist movement which regained power last year after the Western-backed government collapsed. The earthquake struck about 27 miles from the city of Khost and tremors were felt as far away as Pakistan and India. Also, the number of people stuck under rubble is unknown.