4.9 magnitude earthquake, Nurhak, Kahramanmaraş

[Anthea]

Depressingly, there have been another 5 mini earthquakes since my last post

Hoping for better news soon

[Anthea]

The most recent earthquake in Turkey:

4.2 magnitude quake Gürün, Sivas, Turkey
UTC time: Tuesday, March 07, 2023 14:18 PM
GMT: Tuesday, 7 March 2023 at 14:18 GMT

Recently, a large number of of earthquakes have taken place in Tajikistan, so perhaps this has helped to relieve the pressure in Turkey

[Anthea]

Sadly, the earthquakes have not stopped

4.3 magnitude quake 13 km from Sincik, Adıyaman
UTC time: Thursday, March 09, 2023 18:55 PM
GMT: Thursday, 9 March 2023 at 18:55 GMT

4.1 magnitude quake 13 km from Sincik, Adıyaman
UTC time: Thursday, March 09, 2023 23:34 PM
GMT: Thursday, 9 March 2023 at 23:34 GMT

4.8 magnitude quake 12 km from Hacılar, Kayseri
UTC time: Friday, March 10, 2023 02:28 AM
GMT: Friday, 10 March 2023 at 02:28 GMT

Very disappointing for people in the region

[Anthea]

Every time I think the earthquakes have stopped:

4.3 magnitude quake 7 km from Ceyhan, Adana
UTC time: Saturday, March 11, 2023 19:35 PM
GMT: Saturday, 11 March 2023 at 19:35 GMT

Granted the quakes are further apart but nobody appears to know what will happen next

[Anthea]

5 weeks and 3 new earthquakes within space of an hour

4.7 magnitude earthquake 12 km from Sincik, Adıyaman
UTC time: Monday, March 13, 2023 01:34 AM
GMT: Monday, 13 March 2023 at 01:34 GMT

4.4 magnitude earthquake 12 km from Sincik, Adıyaman
UTC time: Monday, March 13, 2023 02:13 AM
GMT: Monday, 13 March 2023 at 02:13 GMT

4.2 magnitude earthquake 3 km from Aşağı Karafakılı, Hatay
UTC time: Monday, March 13, 2023 02:23 AM
GMT: Monday, 13 March 2023 at 02:23 GMT

I think the 2 quakes in Sincik so close together is frightening

This is being classed as an earthquake:

4.7 magnitude quake in Sincik, Adıyaman

This is being classed as an aftershock:

4.4 magnitude quake in Sincik, Adıyaman

[Anthea]

Most recent quake was in Hatay Monday 13 March 02:23 GMT exactly 5 weeks since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake

Turkey's quake toll tops 48,000

Government races to build container cities

The death toll in Turkey from last month's major earthquakes has risen to 48,448, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Monday, as authorities rush to set up container cities to house for the longer-term those left homeless by the disaster.

The combined death toll including those killed in Syria has climbed to more than 54,000.

Speaking at a news conference in Malatya, one of the provinces hit by the quakes, Soylu said the toll in Turkey included 6,660 foreign nationals, mostly Syrians, adding that authorities were still trying to identify 1,615 victims.

The earthquake and subsequent powerful tremors injured more than 115,000 in Turkey and left millions sheltering in tents or seeking to move to other cities.

President Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes within a year but it will be many months before thousands can leave their tents or container housing, and daily queues for food, and move into permanent housing.

Soylu said the government plans to set up 115,585 containers for as many families in 239 sites across the affected region. He said 23 sites had been established so far and 21,000 containers were set up, with 85,000 people living in them.

He said 433,536 tents had been set up since the earthquake in 354 sites, adding that businesses would be given new temporary workplaces in the next 10 days.

During a visit on Sunday to Hatay, one of the worst-hit regions, Erdogan said Qatar had pledged to send 10,000 containers, which were used during the soccer World Cup at the end of last year.

Soylu said of the 36,257 buildings that collapsed, the rubble of 5,321 had been cleared, while 6,000 of 18,219 buildings slated for immediate demolition had been knocked down and the resulting rubble cleared.

He said the collapsed buildings and those slated for immediate demolition made up only 25% of the work, while other heavily damaged buildings that need to be demolished and cleared make up 75%.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-ea ... 023-03-13/

[Anthea]

Just when I thought quakes had stopped

4.6 magnitude earthquake Afşin, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 06:47 AM
GMT: Tuesday, 14 March 2023 at 06:47 GMT

4.6 mag quake Çağlayancerit, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 14:49 PM
GMT: Tuesday, 14 March 2023 at 02:49 GMT

[Anthea]

UN slams delays in aid for Syria

The panel acknowledges that the UN, among other parties, is to blame for the delays in bringing critical relief to disaster-stricken Syrians

The United Nations and other parties are to blame for delays in bringing humanitarian relief to Syrians following last month's devastating earthquakes, as per an UN-appointed commission of investigation.

The charges, which were made public on Monday, add to a rising chorus of condemnation of the global agency for its participation in the immediate aftermath of last month's earthquakes in Syria, which killed approximately 6,000 people.

It is worth noting that several Western countries mobilized rapidly to send aid and rescue workers to Turkey but excluded Syria and neglected it following the devastating earthquake

Among the parties the UN pointed out was the Syrian government although it was the Turkish-backed, rebranded Al-Nusra Front (Al-Qaeda in Syria), Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) terrorist organization that was holding up aid meant for Syria and sent in the wake of the devastating earthquake, as per a UN spokesperson.

As a matter of fact, Damascus expressed its readiness and willingness to send aid to the country's north, which is held by various armed groups and terrorist organizations, knowing that the North is largely under the control of the terrorist HTS group.

The independent three-member panel set up to investigate and record all violations of international law since March 2011 in Syria admitted that the actors failed to permit life-saving help via any accessible channel, particularly for rescue teams during the critical first week.

On his account, the Chair of the Commission Paulo Pinheiro said, “Though there were many acts of heroism amid the suffering, we also witnessed a wholesale failure by the international community, including the United Nations, to rapidly direct life-saving support to Syrians in the most dire need.”

The statement added that halting hostilities failed, thus impeding life-saving relief through any accessible path, leaving Syrians feeling "abandoned and neglected by those supposed to protect them, in the most desperate of circumstances."

“Many voices are rightly calling for an investigation and for accountability,” it stressed.

The UN believes that five million people in Syria's earthquake-affected region require basic shelter and non-food assistance.

In its report, the UN failed to mention the Israeli airstrikes on the country amid the ongoing dire situation, including hitting Aleppo Airport which was welcoming planes loaded with relief aid.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ke-victims

[Anthea]

Ptice of rental properties skyrocket-

ISTANBUL, Turkey - The price of rent in Istanbul has skyrocketed in the weeks following the devastating earthquakes which claimed the lives of tens of thousands and displaced millions more in parts of southern and eastern Turkey

According to real estate agents, house rent currently ranges from 30,000 (around $1,500) to 40,000 Turkish lira as a large number of people affected by the quake have relocated to Istanbul and many residents of the metropolitan Turkish city moved to better quality estates fearing possible tremors.

"Since the earthquake happened, people who live in old buildings in Istanbul have been trying to move to new places," Seymus Aslan, a real estate agent in Istanbul told Rudaw on Monday. "But since there are not too many new buildings, people face difficulties finding new places."

The Turkish government in July 2022 decreed that rent prices do not have to exceed more than 25 percent. This decision was originally made to take effect until June 2023. Despite the decree, prices have gone up beyond the limit set by the government.

An estimated 16 million people registered with the government live in Istanbul, in addition to four more million unregistered people. Up to 70 percent of the buildings in Istanbul are reported to have been built before the year 2000.

A destructive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Kurdish city of Kahramanmaras in Turkey on February 6, with its impact also ripping through neighboring Syria. Several other quakes and frequent aftershocks have continued to shake the region.

More than half a million people have been evacuated from quake-hit provinces, according to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency.

Adana, Adiyaman (Semsur), Diyarbakir (Amed), Gaziantep (Dilok), Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa (Riha), and Elazig provinces in the southeast were affected by the tremors.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to construct nearly 200,000 permanent houses in the 11 quake-stricken provinces within a year.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/14032023

[Anthea]

35 anniversary Halabja genocide

5.1 magnitude earthquake Ḩalabja Sulaymānīyah
UTC time: Thursday, March 16, 2023 18:32 PM
GMT: Thursday, 16 March 2023 at 18:32 GMT

Click Image to Enlarge:

5.1-mag quake hits Halabja province

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake occurred in Halabja province near Kurdistan Region’s border with Iran, according to a seismological centre. It was felt in most parts of the Region but no casualties or material damage has been reported

The quake, whose depth was 10 kilometres, took place 17 kilometres northeast of Halabja city as well as 76 kilometres southwest of the Kurdish city of Sanandaj in western Iran (Rojhelat Kurdistani), according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.

Amir Jabri, spokesperson for Iraq’s seismology department, told Rudaw that the quake was felt in the Kurdistan Region, excluding Duhok province, and Kirkuk province. He added that Halabja was the epicentre of the tremor.

A large number of people in Halabja have come out of their houses, according to a Rudaw reporter on the ground.

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Transportation and Communications said the depth of the quake was 43 kilometres.

After two strong earthquakes last month in southeastern Turkey killed over 48,000 people in Turkey, the area has been rocked by frequent aftershocks and new earthquakes, sparking alarm among people who are afraid to return to their homes and are living in the streets or in tents. The quake also killed thousands of people in Syria.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/160320233

[Anthea]

Still not safe for people to return home

4.3 magnitude quake Göksun, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Friday, March 17, 2023 01:41 AM
GMT: Friday, 17 March 2023 at 01:41 GMT

I think the ancient Gods of Kurdistan are trying to separate Kurdish lands from Turkey, as Kurdish leaders have FAILED to give Kurds a free Kurdistan

Was it merely a coincidence that Halabja had a 5.1 magnitude earthquake on the 35 anniversary of the Halabja genocide reminding Kurds of the horrors they have endured

[Anthea]

US Votes To Kill Syrian Civilians

US Lawmakers Unanimously Vote To Kill Syrian Civilians With Sanctions Following Earthquake

The vote is a prime example of how the US congress is willing to back the government's illegal occupation of Syrian territory and military involvement in a conflict that they themselves were never even consulted on.

At a time when the divisions between red and blue appear to be full-spectrum, House Democrats and Republicans managed to come together on an issue which they all can agree on, sanctioning Syria. Despite the devastating earthquake that has killed upwards of 50,000 people in Turkiye and Syria, Washington has decided to continue persecuting Syrian civilians under the guise of protecting them.

US lawmakers approved house resolution 132, which urges the White House to uphold its hardline sanctions against Damascus, by a vote of 414-2. Interestingly, the only two that voted against the resolution were Republican house members, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, with not a single Democrat casting their vote to help save Syria from sanctions that have contributed to causing a humanitarian crisis, according to UN experts.

The US military, with the help of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), currently occupies a third of Syrian territory against international law. In order to intervene militarily in a foreign country the US is supposed to consult congress first for approval, yet this never happened and instead, they have managed to uphold their illegal occupation of Syrian lands under the guise of fighting Daesh.

At the current time, the US government withholds over ninety percent of Syria’s natural resources and its most fertile agricultural lands. In late February, 34 tankers filled with stolen Syrian oil were reportedly transferred over the border to Iraq by the US, at a time when the Syrian State lacks the energy required to maintain electricity at hospitals.

The United Nations has repeatedly sounded the alarm about the US’ Caesar Act sanctions and how they have contributed to the current humanitarian catastrophe inside the war-torn nation. However, not a single member of US congress from the Democratic Party has bothered to utter a word about these sanctions, despite the fact that they were first imposed by former US President Donald Trump.

Trump’s sanctions were designed to above all prevent reconstruction in war-torn Syria, yet, even during the Trump administration, when Democratic Party politicians would criticize the Republican Presidents' every move, no criticism was uttered. The self-described progressives of the Democratic Party, including the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, proclaim to take an anti-war position but fail abysmally on the question of sanctions.

For days after the devastating earthquake that took place in southern Turkiye and northern Syria, Western media pretended - for the most part - that US sanctions did not prevent humanitarian aid from reaching those in need.

Articles were published, most prominently one in the Washington Post, arguing that the sanctions would not prevent aid from reaching victims of the earthquake and that it was instead the fault of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Yet, days later, the US government all but admitted that the sanctions do prevent aid transfer, temporarily providing exemptions to them for 180 days in order to allow the flow of aid. Damascus officially appealed to the EU for help, despite the great animosity between the two sides, with the West still continuing to shun suffering Syrians.

The biggest providers of humanitarian aid to those suffering the results of the earthquake in government-held Syrian territory have been the UAE, Algeria, Iran, and Russia.

At this time, Syria’s government is beginning to regain the recognition of regional governments, with the UAE having already normalized relations. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also visited Oman recently to attend high-level meetings.

Egypt and Jordan have both sent representatives to Damascus in the past months, with Algiers and Abu Dhabi ignoring the possible complications with sanctions in order to provide the help that Syria needs to deal with the aftermath of the horrifying earthquakes. There is additionally some talk of an initiative from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to normalize ties.

Despite many Arab governments realizing that now is not the time to attack the Syrian government and is perhaps an opportunity to move forward, the US and its Western allies are refusing to budge.

In 1999, former UN official Denis Halliday claimed that between 1 million and 1.5 million Iraqis had died due to the economic sanctions that the US government had placed upon Baghdad, following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. Other estimates recorded the deaths of 500,000 children, due to the sanctions, which deceased US official Madeleine Albright had said was “worth it” when questioned on the issue.

In the case of the sanctions against Iraq, the US argued that these sanctions were necessary and defended the humanitarian catastrophe they caused, whilst the Western media largely ignored the devastation of the sadistic sanctions.

Now in the case of Syria, although they are receiving some help from allies that manage to keep the nation from collapsing, the spread of unnecessary treatable diseases and lack of food, humanitarian aid, clean water, electricity, and needed medical care, all make Syria’s condition a living hell.

On the one hand, even if the sanctions are meant to target Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad solely, it is an impossible task and will always end up targeting the people of the afflicted country

On the other hand, it is not correct for a foreign nation to determine who rules a country that has nothing to do with them

In addition to the vote on US sanctions policy, a bi-partisan effort to end US military involvement inside Syria was recently quashed by pro-war hawks in Washington’s congress. Although the resolution, sponsored by Republican representative Matt Gaetz and supported by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, did manage to receive 47 republican votes and 56 from Democrats, it was ultimately a failure.

The effort was designed to force congressional oversight on the continuation of US military operations inside Syria. What this vote did was show that the US congress was willing to back the government's illegal occupation of Syrian territory and military involvement in a conflict that they themselves were never even consulted on.

In both the Republican and Democratic parties, there are wings that espouse anti-war beliefs, however, the popular demand for an end to the US involvement in Syria didn’t seem to be enough to make the majority of congress budge.

Ultimately, US sanctions and military intervention are proving to be a losing strategy regionally. Washington no longer maintains its dominant role as the regional hegemon and is hanging onto a strategy which can be characterized as being led by sadism.

There are no actual long-term benefits to the measures against Syria for the United States itself, only temporary band-aids to be placed upon wounds inflicted upon US regional standing.

The question will now be, going forward, will Washington recognize where it is going wrong and swallow its pride in order to maintain somewhat of a leading role regionally, or will it simply fall with its ego and go down swinging?

https://english.almayadeen.net/articles ... lians-with

[Anthea]

Very worrying that so many of the quakes are in Kahramanmaraş

4.3 magnitude quake Göksun, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Friday, March 17, 2023 01:41 AM
GMT: Friday, 17 March 2023 at 01:41 GMT

4.4 magnitude quake Göksun, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Saturday, March 18, 2023 05:14 AM
GMT: Saturday, 18 March 2023 at 05:14 GMT

4.3 magnitude quake Göksun, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Saturday, March 18, 2023 09:25 AM
GMT: Saturday, 18 March 2023 at 09:25 GMT

4.3 magnitude quake Göksun, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Sunday, March 19, 2023 12:54 PM
GMT: Sunday, 19 March 2023 at 12:54 GMT

There is no way of knowing when these quakes will stop and none of the so-called experts seem to have any idea what will happen next

[Anthea]

Militants prevent aid convoys

The Syrian Red Crescent states that its convoy has been waiting for 12 days on the outskirts of Idlib and was not allowed to enter, due to the armed groups' refusal of all mediation

The Syrian Red Crescent reported today that the armed groups that control Idlib are preventing relief aid convoys from entering the area.

"Despite the repeated attempts and the long-time waiting (12 days now) of the aid convoys on two crossing points, the convoys haven't been approved to pass through the cross-lines by the controlling parties," the Syrian Red Crescent said.

"The Syrian Arab Crescent reiterates its high readiness and ongoing attempts to reach all affected areas in Syria, particularly the areas with massive needs and hugely impacted by the earthquake," the report read.

At the beginning of the month, the Russian deputy representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, stated that "terrorists affiliated with the terrorist organization "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" are monopolizing the humanitarian aid reaching northern Syria through Turkish territories within the framework of the cross-border delivery mechanism."

A devastating earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck large areas in southern Turkey and northern Syria, at dawn on Monday, February 6, which resulted in the death of more than 50,000 people in the two countries, while the aftershocks of the earthquake reached other countries in the region.

US sanctions on Syria

Several international bodies have warned that the US sanctions imposed on Syria prevent many countries and agencies from sending relief and humanitarian aid to those affected by the earthquake in Syria and called for the lifting of sanctions on Damascus in order to ensure urgent humanitarian aid to the affected people.

Conditions in Syria are even worse, as the country has been hit by years of war backed by the West, and harsh American sanctions make it difficult to get aid into the Arab country.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that around 26 million people have been affected by the earthquake as it launched a flash appeal on Saturday for $42.8 million to cope with immediate and overwhelming health needs.

Sanctions mean that millions of people will continue to live under harsh conditions due to the unavailability of essential public services and major construction efforts.

Conditions in Syria are even worse, as the country has been hit by years of war backed by the West, and harsh American sanctions make it difficult to get aid into the Arab country.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... -from-ente

[Anthea]

Donors pledge €7bln quake aid

Aid groups urge donors to step up their commitment after the United Nations complained about the poor response that nations had for the urgent funding

Donors pledged seven billion euros on Monday to aid Turkey and Syria recover from last month's devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake, although Ankara set the bill for reconstruction at well over 10 times that figure.

A conference hosted in the EU was arranged to generate funds six weeks after the earthquake struck, killing 55,000 people across Turkey and Syria.

Turkish President Recap Tayyip Erdogan informed those gathered in Brussels in the meeting that the damage in his country was estimated to be almost 96 billion euros.

"Regardless of its economic standing, it is impossible for any country to fight a disaster of this scale on its own," he said via video link from Turkey.

The "recovery costs" set by the United Nations to Syria was $14.8 billion.

The seven-billion-euro pledge sent "one main message, that the people affected are not alone," said the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, despite falling short of any expected amount.

"The needs of the survivors are still massive and must be tackled with urgency," she said.

European Commission President started the fundraising by pledging one billion euros for the reconstruction of affected sites in Turkey and sending humanitarian aid to Syria worth 108 million euros.

The aftershocks of the earthquake added to the misery of Turkey and Syria, which contributed to displacing millions and leveling cities.

As a result, aid groups urged donors to step up their commitment after the United Nations complained about the nations' poor response to the urgent funding needed.

Achim Steiner, a senior official at the United Nations Development Program, called the pledges a "major step forward."

"It is very welcome, but in terms of the overall recovery and reconstruction we still have a long way to go," he told AFP.

Syria denounced the conference

Although the conference was meant for sending aid to both Syria and Turkey, the Syrian administration was not even invited to the event

The Foreign Ministry in Damascus said it "deplores" the conference which took place in Brussels as it did not involve Syrian authorities.

It is noteworthy that rescue groups rushed to Turkey while ignoring sanctioned Syria's call for help. Humanitarian organizations faced major hurdles attempting to reach stricken areas in northern Syria, as militants prevented the entry of any convoys.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/mis ... all-vastly