Quakes killed thousands in Afghanistan. Critics say Taliban relief efforts fall short

Children walk past makeshift shelters in front of the Jami Mosque in Herat just two days after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in western Afghanistan on Oct. 15. (Mohsen Karimi /AFP via Getty Images)

A series of devastating earthquakes over the last two weeks in western Afghanistan has resulted in thousands of casualties and left thousands more homeless.

Aid workers on the ground say the Taliban is ill-prepared to deal with such a catastrophe. NPR talked with five aid workers involved in the response; they say recovery has been further hampered by the isolation from international support that resulted when the Taliban took power in 2021 and their decision to ban and remove women staffers from aid organizations.