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Qatar sends aid to Afghanistan after earthquake

STORY: A plane carrying mainly with food aid and some medical supplies weighing around 13 tonnes left Al Udeid Air Base and was expected to land at Khost Airport in Afghanistan later in the day.

Qatar is expected to send additional humanitarian flights next week.

About 2,000 people were injured and 10,000 homes partially or entirely destroyed in Wednesday's (June 22) earthquake and five others were killed in an aftershock on Friday (June 24).

The epicenter of the earthquake was in a region of arid mountains dotted with small settlements that was often the scene of clashes during Afghanistan's decades of war.

Poor communications and only very basic roads have hampered relief efforts in a country grappling with a humanitarian crisis that deteriorated sharply after the Taliban took over last August as U.S.-led international forces withdrew.

The disaster is a major test for the hard line Islamist rulers, who have been largely isolated and shunned by many because of concerns over human rights and cut off from much direct international assistance because of sanctions.