Afghan President We Will Rebuild After Landslide
Afghan President Hamid Karzai pledged Wednesday to rebuild homes of victims displaced in the deadly landslide in Badakhsan province Wednesday, after his government received widespread criticism for its handling of the disaster. Karzai visited people in tents relocated from the destroyed Abay Baryek village and promised aid to victims, including rebuilding lost homes and providing food and water. An estimated 2,100 people lost their lives in landslides over the weekend, after rescue efforts were hampered by a lack of equipment and poor weather. "My minister of rural development will remain here and will build you new shelters, provide you with food and water and won't leave until it is all done," he told hundreds of victims in a dusty open area near the camp, Reuters reports. The Afghan government has received criticism for not sufficiently providing shelter and food to the more than 4,000 displaced villagers and helping recover the remains of hundreds of people buried under the earth. Scuffles have broken out between security forces and needy villagers, hindering aid distribution. Supplies from nearby Tajikistan remain in the provincial capital as local officials wait for improved security measures.