Officials from the National Disaster Management Authority under Taliban control say that part of Chehelston Mountain in the seventh district of Kabul city is in an alarming condition, and a number of families living around it may be relocated to safe areas.

Mohammad Yousuf Hammad, spokesman for this department, said on Saturday, September 19, that according to preliminary assessments, about 300 houses on the slope and around the mountain face the risk of landslides and rockfalls.

He added that cracks have appeared near the Chehelston Minaret, and if rainfall continues, the risk of landslides could increase.

Akhtar Mohammad, the head of the prevention and risk reduction department of the authority in Kabul, cited untechnical excavation and stone extraction as factors weakening the mountain slope, saying these activities have reduced the mountain’s stability.

It is worth noting that Chehelston is one of the old areas of Kabul, and a number of homes have been built on the mountain slope and around it.