At least 20 people are dead and scores more injured after an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on November 3, just two months after a deadly and devastating quake rocked the eastern part of the country.
The US Geological Survey said its models indicated that "significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread" around the city of some 523,000 people.
Social media posts displayed videos of what were said to be rescue efforts attempting to help people trapped under ruins following the earthquake. The videos could not immediately be independently verified.
The Taliban-led Public Health Ministry said at least 20 people were killed in the quake, while some 320 more were injured. Taliban authorities said that portions of Balkh and Samangan Provinces appeared to be the worst hit.
An official in Mazar-e Sharif said the Blue Mosque had been damaged in the quake.
A journalist from AFP reported that parts of the 15th century mosque, one of the country's few tourist sites, particularly from one of its minarets, had broken off and lay scattered across the mosque's grounds.
The latest quake follows a magnitude 4.9 temblor that hit Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region on November 1. Casualties and damages from that incident are not yet clear.
In August, a major earthquake killed more than 2,000 people as authorities in the impoverished, war-ravaged nation pleaded with countries to send aid.
Most international aid efforts to the country were disrupted after hard-line Taliban extremists seized power in August 2021.
Deadly earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, with poor construction and infrastructure assets often hampering rescue efforts.
AFP quoted Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey, as saying that since 1900, northeastern Afghanistan has been hit by at least 12 quakes with a magnitude above 7.
The Taliban rulers have remained mostly isolated in the global community.
Russia is the only country that officially recognizes the Taliban as the country’s government, although the rulers have made attempts over the past year to reengage with the rest of the world.
Western nations have accused the Taliban of major human rights violations, especially against girls and women. They have predicated potential diplomatic ties on an improved rights situation.
The Taliban also faces an armed border conflict with much more-powerful Pakistan, with peace negotiations having mainly broken down.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have held talks in Istanbul aimed at securing peace after more than 70 people were killed last month in border clashes.
The recent violence, which also wounded hundreds of people, has been the worst since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
The Taliban has also struggled to battle against domestic terrorist groups and endemic poverty.
