Flooded

Nearly 30 people were killed and thousands left homeless when floods broke out in north-western Afghanistan. The banks of two rivers -- the Qaisar and the Sirintagab, in the remote province of Faryab burst and flooded 20,000 hectares of agricultural land, said Mohammed Jawed, spokesman for the anti-Taliban alliance in control of the area. Nearly 2,000 houses have been destroyed, over 5,000 people rendered homeless and 9,000 animals killed. Mohammed added that casualty figures are expected to rise.