Regional
Nuristan forest fire rages for the 11th day
As firefighters battle a wildfire in Afghanistan’s eastern Nuristan province officials said Thursday that the blaze has been brought under control by about 90 percent.
The fire, which has raged for 11 days, has destroyed about 200 acres of forest.
The cause of the fire has not been ascertained but locals say a clash between residents resulted in fires.
Local officials also said the area where the fire is burning is heavily forested and mostly inaccessible by road, which is preventing them from getting firefighting equipment into the area and slowing down the process.
Nuristan, which borders Pakistan, is covered by mountainous forests and has a rich biodiversity with a domestically unique monsoon climate.
The least populous province in the country, Nuristan, in its entirety, was declared a protected national park in 2020.