Amusement park opens in war-torn Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Spinning teacups, carousels, bumper cars and even a mouse that could be a Minnie look-alike. But this is not a Disney attraction - far from it.
Welcome to City Park, a fairground in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
Since its October opening, Afghanistan's first amusement park has attracted tens of thousands of visitors. City Park is a welcome respite for a country whose people have suffered three decades of war.
"It's very nice, everything is very beautiful, the carousel horse ride is nice," said one 6-year-old girl, Sadaf, who just had her face painted like a mouse.
Inside City Park visitors can get a break from the Kabul they are used to: one protected by concrete blast walls, guarded intersections and seemingly random checkpoints.
"The park is a place for entertainment, and there is not much of that in Afghanistan," said Almas Qaseemi, the park's deputy general manager.
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Amusement park opens in war-torn Afghanistan