Foreign and local climbers have recently scaled Afghanistan’s highest mountain, indicating that some areas of the war-torn country are ready for a revival of international tourism.
An expedition member said the summit of Mount Noshaq, located in the Wakhan Corridor of north eastern Afghanistan, was reached by a team earlier this month.
Anthony Simms of the New York-based Wildlife Conser-vation Society said foreign tourists are already visiting the region – an oasis of peace but which suffers grinding poverty.
Mr Simms said that the Noshaq expedition involved two Australians, including himself, two Afghan climbers and two Afghan support personnel.
The 24,580-foot mountain was first climbed in 1960 by a Japanese team.