KABUL, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities have completed and handed over 108 newly built houses in western Farah province to refugee families who had recently returned to the country, providing critical shelter amid a massive wave of repatriation, the official Bakhtar News Agency reported on Sunday.

The housing units, constructed at 550,000 U.S. dollars with financial support from an international organization, were formally transferred to beneficiaries, said the report. Officials described the shelters as essential for families who have returned home after years of displacement.

In just the past three days, nearly 14,000 Afghan refugees have crossed back into their homeland, with the majority entering through the Torkham border crossing in eastern Nangarhar province and others via Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar and additional points, it said.

The housing project in Farah is part of the Afghan government's broader initiative to distribute land and construct residences for returnees across the country.

Over the past year, nearly 3 million Afghans have returned from neighboring Iran and Pakistan, as both countries intensify efforts to repatriate undocumented foreign nationals. ■