Cold, Hunger, And Disease Wreak Havoc In Afghanistan’s ‘Rooftop’ Community January 25, 2021 Share share Print BROUGHIL, Afghanistan -- One of the world’s most isolated communities in northeastern Afghanistan is facing unprecedented hardships because of disease, a harsh winter, grinding poverty, and food shortages. Residents of the Wakhan Corridor say the coronavirus pandemic has considerably increased their problems in the region, which already suffered from isolation and underdevelopment. Wakhan is a narrow strip of territory that includes the Pamir Mountains. The sparsely populated region connects Afghanistan to western China while separating eastern Tajikistan from northwestern Pakistan. Considered the world’s rooftop because of its elevation, the region is so remote that it was hardly touched by the various cycles of war in Afghanistan over the past four decades. Violence never made it to Wakhan. But the problems of the impoverished country are manifold for the region’s estimated 15,000 residents.