Property boom highlights Kabul's wealth gap

[dArKeR]

Houses in the prosperous Wazir Akbar Khan area that two years ago could be rented for as little as US$200 a month now go for up to US$25,000

AFP , KABUL
Wednesday, Nov 12, 2003,Page 5

"Half of Kabul is destroyed and there is a flow of refugees and few houses, so of course the prices go up."

Anayatullah Yadgar, Kabul property agent
Two years after the fall of the Taliban, vast swathes of the Afghan capital are bombed-out testimonies to decades of conflict, but property prices are soaring even as thousands of returning refugees and displaced people wonder how they will survive the winter.

Refugees find shelter in tents and blasted ruins while across town in Kabul's affluent Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood, which emerged from decades of conflict relatively unscathed, rents have soared more than 20-fold.

Kabul fell to anti-Taliban US-backed forces two years ago this Thursday.

Some 2.5 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan since, with a large portion swelling the Afghan capital. Some 1,100 families are living in tents on public land.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2003/11/12/2003075546

Let me guess who the Slum Lords are? The Bush Family Real Estate Group.

[E_Zapata]

1. Okay.......that's nuts......

Housing 'shortage' or not.....

Who the hell is MOVING to these houses? That's a scary thought.....who would live in Kabul who would and could pay $300,000 USD per year for RENT? Wouldn't they BUY the house? And why would they live in KABUL?

[Gin]

2. the workers for Halliburton and the security force protecting the pres....

and..."WE" are footing the bill.

[LittleApple81]

6. I know of somebody that is there as an agricultural consultant

and the US government (so that means us) is paying $5,000 PER ROOM. They could not afford to get a whole house for this person, so he got 4 rooms. A Cool $20,000 a month for half a house. That means $40,000 for the entire house....hmmmmmmm

[emad]

3. Hear they want to rename Kabul as Crawford

?

[dArKeR]

4. Sources close to the WH said 'Enronsville' or 'Layville' were the 2

choices left.

[truthspeaker]

5. so most Afghanis live in abject poverty

and a tiny minority are fabulously rich.

Bush was right! They're adopting American-style democracy!