Taliban say flooding kills 150 in Afghanistan's mountainous Nuristan province

KABUL: The Taliban say that 150 people have died in flooding in Afghanistan's mountainous northeastern Nuristan province.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says offered little information Thursday about the deaths a day earlier.

The spokesman for the provincial governor, Mohammad Sayed Mohmand, said water had inundated the village of Terdesh, destroying at least 100 homes.

Mohmand said he had received reports of 60 dead but said the death toll is likely much higher.

Nuristan is a mountainous region and the Taliban control large swaths of the province.

Mohmand said dozens of families fled the flooding to the neighboring Kunar region.

The Nuristan government is appealing to the Taliban to allow rescue teams into their area to offer help, he added. Taliban control or hold sway in roughly half of Afghanistan.

Since the announced withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the country, the insurgent force has swept through dozens of districts.

It's not clear how well equipped the Taliban are to deal with emergencies in areas under their control, which are mostly rural areas.