The U.N. says 155 children are among those killed in what was the deadliest earthquake to hit the impoverished country in two decades. News of a meeting between Taliban government officials and U.S. officials was confirmed by Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad, who said the Afghan delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi. He said the officials will meet in Doha, Qatar with the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and officials from the U.S. Treasury Department to discuss Afghanistan’s economic and banking sectors. Even before the Taliban takeover last year, Afghanistan’s economy had been deeply reliant on foreign aid. Overstretched aid agencies said the earthquake underscored the need for the international community to rethink its financial cut-off of Afghanistan since Taliban insurgents seized the country.

Source: thestar June 30, 2022 05:30 UTC