400 illegal houses razed in Nangahar (Video)

JALALABAD (PAN): Police and army personnel using bulldozers razed dozens of houses built on hundreds of acres of land belonging to a carpet industrial park in eastern Nangarhar province on Monday, an official said. Over the past seven years, houses and other buildings were illegally constructed on nearly 500 acres of land of the park in Surkhrud and Chaparhar districts. On Monday, the structures were demolished by security forces, Nangahar Industrial Parks Planning head, Eng. Zyer Gul told Pajhwok Afghan News. He said the vacated land was being handed over to the Carpet Weavers Association. He said people had illegally built around 400 houses on the land. All the houses were destroyed, he added, citing a presidential decree that announced the establishment of two industrial parks in Nangahar and Faryab provinces seven years ago. PAJHWOK/Babrak Amirzada