Families evicted in Jalalabad's Angurbagh say they hold ownership deeds

Dozens of families in the Angurbagh area of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, say local ا.ا.ا officials have evicted them from their homes and left them without shelter, media reported.

Residents claim they have lived in the area for about four decades and hold legal ownership documents issued by Jalalabad municipality. A video of a woman pleading in tears for help, saying she now lives by the roadside with her young children, has been widely shared on social media. "We have documents and have lived here for 45 years," she said.

According to the report, 39 houses were built on about eight jeribs of land. Qari Mansoor Ahmad Hamza, deputy spokesman for the ا.ا.ا supreme court, said in an audio statement that a court ruling had established the land as private property and that the Nangarhar provincial administration had been ordered to clear it and hand it to the owner.

The Nangarhar media office released a video saying the land had been vacated under the court order. It featured a man named Haji Bahram, who said he was the rightful heir and held a deed, and that his petitions under the previous government had not been acted on.

Media reports said provincial and municipal officials did not respond to questions, and it was not clear whether residents had been given a chance to present their documents in court. Residents asked to be offered alternative shelter.