Biden Says He Authorized Immediate US Response to Türkiye Earthquake

Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Diyarbakir, southeast of Türkiye, 06 February 2023. (EPA)
Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Diyarbakir, southeast of Türkiye, 06 February 2023. (EPA)
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Biden Says He Authorized Immediate US Response to Türkiye Earthquake

Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Diyarbakir, southeast of Türkiye, 06 February 2023. (EPA)
Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Diyarbakir, southeast of Türkiye, 06 February 2023. (EPA)

US President Joe Biden on Monday said his administration has been working closely with Türkiye, authorizing an immediate Washington response to the devastating earthquake there.

The earthquake killed more than 2,200 people and injured thousands more in Türkiye and northwest Syria, flattening apartment blocks and heaping more destruction on Syrian cities already devastated by years of war.

"Our teams are deploying quickly to begin to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and address the needs of those injured and displaced by the earthquake," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.



ISIS Claims Responsibility for Chinese National Killed in Afghanistan

An Afghan man is silhouetted during sunset, at Bangala area in the Chimtal district of Balkh province on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Atif Aryan / AFP)
An Afghan man is silhouetted during sunset, at Bangala area in the Chimtal district of Balkh province on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Atif Aryan / AFP)
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ISIS Claims Responsibility for Chinese National Killed in Afghanistan

An Afghan man is silhouetted during sunset, at Bangala area in the Chimtal district of Balkh province on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Atif Aryan / AFP)
An Afghan man is silhouetted during sunset, at Bangala area in the Chimtal district of Balkh province on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Atif Aryan / AFP)

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the killing of a Chinese national in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province, in a post on its Telegram channel late on Wednesday.
Afghan police in the province had said on Wednesday that a Chinese citizen was murdered and a preliminary investigation had been launched, but it was not clear who was behind the attack, Reuters reported.
ISIS said it had targeted a vehicle carrying the Chinese citizen, which led to his death and damage to his vehicle.
China's foreign ministry said on Thursday it was "deeply shocked" by the attack and had demanded that the Afghan side thoroughly investigate the incident and severely punish the perpetrators.
"We urge the Afghan interim government to take resolute and effective measures to ensure the security of Chinese civil institutions and projects in Afghanistan," ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing.
China was the first country to appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan under the Taliban and has said it wants to boost trade and investment ties.