Floods in southern Afghanistan leave 600 stranded

NATO-led troops used helicopters to evacuate some 600 stranded villagers in southern Afghanistan after their homes were destroyed by widespread flooding, the alliance said Tuesday. Despite poor weather and persistent rainfall, Dutch and American helicopters managed to land and rescue people in the border regions between the southern provinces of Helmand and Uruzgan, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a statement. "In some cases, ISAF had to persuade frightened people to accept being hoisted out of danger," the statement said. The United Nations mission to Afghanistan together with the government have prepared food, tents, tarpaulins and blankets for an estimated 400 affected families, said Aleem Siddique, a UN spokesman. Heavy rains triggered floods in Afghanistan's south and east, destroying homes and fields and killing several people, officials said.