KABUL, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Construction of a new residential township was formally inaugurated in eastern Afghanistan's Paktia province on Tuesday to accommodate thousands of former Afghan refugees who returned to their homeland recently, local media reported Wednesday.
Citing officials, the private media outlet Ariana News reported that the township being built on 2,000 acres of land would feature 890 housing units upon completion.
Constructed with the support of Qatar Red Crescent Society and a number of charitable organizations, the township will have all necessities, including school, mosque, market, potable water and healthcare center.
The Afghan interim government has earlier initiated construction of residential townships for returnees in several more provinces such as Kunar, Balkh, Kunduz and Kandahar.
The return of Afghan refugees to their homeland has accelerated since the beginning of this year. In April alone, more than 250,000 Afghan refugees returned home from the neighboring countries.
Nearly 7 million Afghan refugees, most of whom are undocumented migrants, are currently living abroad, with the majority of them in Iran and Pakistan, where the host countries have asked the illegal refugees to return to their homeland. ■
