UN officials: Afghan quake adds to emergencies in country

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Senior UN officials say the earthquake in Afghanistan has added another emergency facing the country, which is also confronting its worst drought in 30 years and massive poverty. They say Afghanistan also has the highest number of people in the world facing the risk of famine, and that there are increasing human rights violations by its Taliban rulers. U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told the Security Council on Thursday that “dramatic” political and economic shifts since the Taliban took power last August “have brought unrelenting human suffering” to Afghans. Ramiz Alakbarov, the top UN official in Afghanistan, called the quake “another tragic reminder of the myriad dangers” facing Afghans.