War zone refuge

An Afghan wetland just outside the capital of Kabul will soon become a protected sanctuary for hundreds of migratory bird species.

The U.N. has designated the Kol-e-Hashmat Khan marsh a conservation site, where each spring, storks, egrets, flamingos and pelicans stop on their migration from southern India to the Caucasus and Siberia.

It was once a royal hunting ground, but became a human sanctuary with ample water and safe haven for those fleeing the chaos of the Soviet invasion in 1979 and through the perpetual conflicts that have followed.