9

 

Badakhshan Province

Badakhshān   بدخشان   Province of Afghanistan
Administration		Provincial government
-	Provincial seat	Fayzabad
-	Governor	Munshi Abdul Majid
Population
-	2006 [[^[1]|estimate]]	823,000 (13th of 32)
-	1979 census	497,000
-	2008 population density	19.8 per km²
-	Ethnic groups	Tajik Uzbek Kyrgyz
-	Languages	Persian (Dari)
Geography
-	Total area	44,059 km² (5th of 31)
-	Water area	0 km²
-	Time zone	UTC+4:30
Subdivisions
-	Districts	29
Divisions prior to 2005 realignment
Infrastructure
-	Airports	6
Identifiers
-	ISO 3166-2 code	AF-BDS

Badakhshan (Persian: بدخشان - Badakhshān) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, consisting of 29 districts. It is located in the north-east of the country, between the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya. It is part of the Badakhshan region.

Geography

Badakshan is primarily bordered by Tajikistan to the north and east. A slim sliver of the province, called the Wakhan Corridor, also extends above northern Pakistan's Chitral and the disputed Northern Areas of Jammu and Kashmir to a border with China. The province has a total area of 44,059 km², most of which is occupied by the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges.

Badakhshan was a stopover on the ancient Silk Road trading path, and China has shown great interest in the province after the fall of the Taliban, helping to reconstruct roads and infrastructure in the province, probably with an interest in the province's mineral wealth.

History

Badakhshan's name was given by the Sassanids and derives from the word badaxš (an official Sassanian title). The suffix of the name, -ān, means the region belonged to someone with the title badaxš (analogous to Azerbaijan, Isfahan, Tehran, etc).^[2]

Badakhshan was the only province not occupied by the Taliban during their drive to control the country. Burhanuddin Rabbani, a Badakhshan native, and Ahmad Shah Massoud were the last remnants of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance during the peak of Taliban control in 2000 and 2001, and they used the province as their base of operations. The province was about to fall to the Taliban when the American invasion allowed the Northern Alliance to reclaim control of the country with the aid of American military air power and assistance.

The current Governor of the province is Munshi Abdul Majid. Previously, it was Sayed Amin Tareq.

Economics

Despite massive mineral reserves, Badakhshan is one of the most destitute areas in the world. Opium poppy growing is the only real source of income in the province and Badakhshan has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world, due to the complete lack of health infrastructure, inaccessible locations, and bitter winters of the province.

Since ancient times, Badakhshan was the world's only source of lapis lazuli.^[3] Most recent mining activity has focused on lapis lazuli, with the proceeds from the lapis mines being used to fund Northern Alliance troops, and before that, anti-Soviet Mujahideen fighters. Recent geological surveys have indicated the location of other gemstone deposits, in particular rubies and emeralds.[1] Exploitation of this mineral wealth could be key to the region's prosperity. [2]

Capital City

Fayzabad, the capital of Badakhshan sits on the Kokcha River and has an approximate population of 15,000. The chief commercial and administrative center of NE Afghanistan and the Pamir region, Fayzabad also has rice and flour mills. In winter the city is sometimes isolated by deep snow. In 1979 it was a focus of Afghan guerrillas attempting to repel the Soviet invasion. Fayzabad was taken by Soviet forces in 1980 and became a major Soviet garrison town.

Demographics

The population of the province is estimated at 823,000 people^[4]. Majority of them are Tajiks. There is also the Tajik sub-group, the Pamiri people, with small Uzbek and Kyrgyz minorities. The residents of the province are largely Sunni but a small volume of Ismaili Muslims are also in the area.

Historical population estimates for Badakhshan Province are as follows

• 2006: 823,000 (World Gazetteer)
• 2004: 725,700 (Central Statistics Office)
• 2000: 923,144 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
• 1998: 924,747 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
• 1997: 663,700 (Central Statistics Office)
• 1991: 615,156 (ProMIS UNIDATA)
• 1990: 554,374 (USAID)
• 1979: 497,798 (Central Statistics Office)

Districts of Badakhshan

District map of Badakhshan Province

 

Districts of Badakhshan Province
District	Map #	Capital	Population	Area	Notes
Arghanj Khwa	6		12,000		Created in 2005 within Fayzabad District
Argo	6	Wadaht	45,000		Created in 2005 within Fayzabad District
Baharak	7	Baharak	14,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Darayim	6		65,000		Created in 2005 within Fayzabad District
Darwaz	1		21,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Darwazi Bala	1		11,000		Created in 2005 within Darwaz District
Fayzabad	6	Fayzabad	46,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Ishkashim	8	Ishkashim	11,000
Jurm	10	Jurm	3,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Khash	10	Shahran	48,000
Khwahan	2	Khwahan	14,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Kishim	9	Kishim	63,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Kohistan	7		12,000		Created in 2005 within Baharak District
Kuf Ab	2		16,000		Created in 2005 within Khwahan District
Kuran wa Munjan	11	Kuran wa Munjan	8,000
Ragh	4	Ragh	37,000
Shahri Buzurg	5	Shahri Buzurg	42,000
Shighnan	3		24,000
Shiki	6		26,000
Shuhada	7		31,000
Tagab	6		22,000
Tishkan	9		23,000		Created in 2005 from Kishim District
Wakhan	13		13,000
Warduj	7		17,000
Yaftali Sufla	6		39,000
Yamgan	7		20,000
Yawan	4		27,000
Zebak	12	Zebak	7,000

Notable people from Badakhshan

• Burhanuddin Rabbani - leader of the Jamiat-e Islami political party and former president of Afghanistan
• Tahir Badakhshi - political activist
• Latif Pedram - political activist and candidate for Afghanistan's presidency

Badghis   بادغیس   Province of Afghanistan
Image:Badghis districts.jpg_N_63_45_E_type:Country(21000) 35°0 Image:Badghis districts.jpg′N, 63°45′E]
Administration		Government
-	Provincial seat	Qala i Naw
-	Governor	Enayatullah Enayat
Population
-	2006 [[^[1]|estimate]]	429,500 (20th of 32)
-	2006 population density	20.9 per km²
-	Ethnic groups	Aimak Tajiks Pashtun Turkmen Uzbeks
-	Languages	Persian (Dari)
Geography
-	Total area	20,591 km² (11th of 31)
-	Water area	0 km²
-	Time zone	UTC+4:30
Subdivisions
-	Districts	7
Districts prior to 2005 realignment
Identifiers
-	ISO 3166-2 code	AF-BDG

Badghis Province

Badghis (Persian: بادغیس) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in northwestern Afghanistan, between the Murghab and Hari rivers, extending as far northward as the edge of the desert of Sarakhs. The province was carved out of portions of Herat and Meymaneh provinces in 1964 and has a total area of 20,591 km².^[2] Its name is from Persian word Bâdkhiz (بادخیز) meaning "where the winds arise" or "home of the winds".

History

The province was one of the last captured by the Taliban in their military offensive previous to the American invasion in 2001. Even after their official takeover of the province, the largely Tajik population of the province never welcomed the Pashtun Taliban. The province was quickly retaken by Northern Alliance forces as the United States initiated hostilities, which was followed by a brutal cleansing of the Pashtun minority in the province.

Various influential warlords have traded control of the province in recent years, including: Abdul Malik, Rashid Dostum, Juma Khan and Ismail Khan. During the fight against the Taliban, the Northern Alliance commanders received military aid from Shia Iran, fearful of the Sunni Taliban. In one notable incident, Malik temporarily switched his allegiances from Dostum, allowing the Taliban to gain control of the province.

Demography

The province has a mixed population of Aimak, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmen, and Pashtuns. It is counted as one of the most underdeveloped of the country's 34 provinces. Qala i Naw, a small town half-way between Sheberghan and Herat serves as the provincial center.

Badghis is home to what some consider the first Persian poet, Hanzala Badghisi.

The current Governor of the province is Enayatullah Enayat.

At the province is a Provincial Reconstruction Team, which is led by Spain.

Districts

 

Districts of Badghis Province
District	Capital	Population	Area^[3]	Notes
Ab Kamari	Sang Atesh	36,300	1,233 km²
Ghormach	Ghormach	34,455	km²	Created in 2004
Jawand		186,000	7,925 km²
Muqur		15,900	695 km²
Murghab	Murghab	63,798	4,708 km²
Qadis	Qadis	55,727	3,202 km²
Qala i Naw	Qala i Naw	88,032	1,061 km²

Economy

A village in Badghis

Agriculture is the main source of people's income and the existence of Murghab and Hari rivers makes the available land suitable for cultivation. The province faced severe drought during the late 1990s and early 2000s, causing tens of thousands of residents to flee to refugee camps outside Herat. The situation has since improved. Badghis is also one of the carpet-making capitals of the country.

Transportation

Badghis Province suffers from a lack of adequate transportation. A single airport exists at the provincial seat--Qala i Naw Airport (QAQN) which is capable of handling light aircraft

Baghlan Province

 

Baghlan بغلان Province of Afghanistan
35°0′N, 68°0′E
Administration		Provincial council
-	Capital	Puli Khumri
Population
-	2006 [[^[1]|estimate]]	779,000 (10th of 32)
-	Population density	36.9 per km²
-	Languages	Persian (Dari)
Geography
-	Total area	21,112 km² (10th of 31)
-	Water area	0 km²
-	Time zone	UTC+4:30
Subdivisions
-	Districts	16
Districts before 2005 realignment
Identifiers
-	ISO 3166-2 code	AF-BGL

Baghlan (Persian: بغلان) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Puli Khumri, but its name comes from the other major town in the province, Baghlan. The ruins of a Zoroastrian fire temple, the Surkh Kotal, are located in Baghlan.

History

The founder of Baghlan were Kushans who called it Bagolango. As a province, Baghlan was created out of the former Qataghan Province in

Districts

The districts of Baghlan are:

Andarab

Baghlan

Baghlani Jadid

Burka

Dahana i Ghuri

Dih Salah

Dushi

Farang wa Gharu

Guzargahi Nur

Khinjan

Khost wa Fereng

Khwaja Hijran

Nahrin

Puli Hisar

Puli Khumri

Tala wa Barfak

8

 

Bamyan Province

 

 

Bamyan بامیان
Capital  • Coordinates	Bamyan  • 34.75° N 67.25° E
Population (2006)  • Density	387,300^[1]  • 27.3/km²
Area	14,175 km²
Time zone	GMT +4:30
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari and Hazaragi varieties)

Bamyan Province (Persian: بامیان) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the centre of the country. Its capital is also called Bamyan. Bamyan is the largest town in the Hazarajat region of Afghanistan, and is the cultural capital of the Hazara ethnic group that predominates in the area.

In antiquity, central Afghanistan was strategically placed to thrive from the Silk Road caravans which criss-crossed the region trading between the Roman Empire, China, Central and South Asia. Bamyan was a stopping off point for many travellers. It was here where elements of Greek, Persian and Buddhist art were combined into a unique classical style, known as Greco-Buddhist art.

History

Bamyan was the site of an early Buddhist monastery from which Bamyan takes its name < Sanskrit varmayana, "coloured.". Many statues of Buddha are carved into the sides of cliffs facing Bamyan city. The two most prominent of these statues were standing Buddhas, now known as the Buddhas of Bamyan, measuring 55 and 37 meters high respectively, that were the largest examples of standing Buddha carvings in the world (see also:[1]). They were probably erected in the 4th or 5th century C.E. They were cultural landmarks for many years and are listed among UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. In March 2001 the Taliban government decreed that the statues were idolatrous and ordered them to be demolished with anti-aircraft artillery and explosives.

The Buddhist remains at Bamyan were included on the 2008 World Monuments Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund. It is hoped that the listing will put continued national and international attention on the site as a whole (including, but not limited to, the statues) in order to ensure its long-term preservation, and to make certain that future restoration efforts maintain the authenticity of the site and that proper preservation practices are followed.

Band-e Amir lakes in Bamyan.

Bamyan is also known for its natural beauty. The Band-e Amir lakes in western Bamyan province continue to be a tourist destination for Afghans.

A popular route through the mountains of Bamyan

Bamyan is currently the base of operations for the New Zealand peace keeping force, a Provincial Reconstruction Team codenamed Task Group Crib, which is part of the network of Provincial Reconstruction Teams throughout Afghanistan. It is recognised as one of the safest provinces in the country which has allowed for much concerntration on civil rebuilding

There are currently 122 New Zealand Defence Force personnel in Bamyan. To date they have helped with reconstruction work including building bridges and schools as well as maintaining security in the region.

The New Zealand Police are also working in the region to help train the Afghan National Police (ANP). In July 2006 three Afghan women signed to join the ANP in Bamyan, the first time women have joined a police force in Afghanistan.

Politics

The current governor of the province is Habiba Sarabi, Afghanistan's first female governor. She was appointed in 2005.

Districts

• Bamyan (Capital - 61,863)
• Kahmard (17,643)
• Panjab (47,099)
• Sayghan (18,001)
• Shibar (25,177)
• Waras (81,787)
• Yakawlang (65,573)

Daykundi Province

Daykundi دایکندی
Capital  • Coordinates	Nili  • 33.75° N 66.25° E
Population (2006)  • Density	399,600^[1]  • 49.4/km²
Area	8088^[2] km²
Time zone	GMT +4:30
Main language(s)	Persian (Hazaragi and Dari dialects) Pashto

Daykundi /Persian: دایکندی, also spelt Daikondi, Dāykondī or Daikundi) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It was established on March 28, 2004. The region had previously been an isolated district of Uruzgan province.

It is located about 310 kilometres from Kabul and 160 kilometres from Tarin Kowt.

Daykundi's capital is Nili. Daykundi is mostly populated by Hazaras. 7 out of 8 districts of Daykundi province are Hazara populated areas. During past eras the Hazaras of Daykundi fought with each other. It is reported that in these conflicts approximately 70,000 people were killed.

Daykundi province is famous for having the best quality almonds, which are distributed all over Afghanistan.

Districts

Pre-2005 Districts of Daykundi.

• Ashtarlai
• Kajran
• Khedir
• Kiti
• Miramor
• Nili
• Sangi Takht
• Shahristan
• Gizab (re-annexed by Orūzgān Province in 2006)

 

 

 

Farah Province

Farah فراه
Capital  • Coordinates	Farah  • 32.5° N 63.5° E
Population (2006)  • Density	438,000^[1]  • 9.0/km²
Area	48,471 km²
Time zone	GMT +4:30
Main language(s)	Persian Pashto

Farah (Persian: فراه) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the west of the country. Its capital is Farah. Farah is a spacious and sparsely populated province that lies on the Iranian border.

Geographically the province is approximately 18,000 square miles, making it (comparatively) more than twice the size of Maryland, or half the size of South Korea. The province is bounded on the north by Herat, on the northeast by Ghor, the southeast by Helmand, the south by Nimroz, and on the west by Iran. It is the fourth largest province in Afghanistan.

The province is home to a great many ruined castles including the "Castle of the Infidel" just south of Farah City.

Culture

The people of Farah have a reputation for being very courageous and hard working and being interested in land and money, the latter mainly due to the deprivation Farah has been historically subjected to.

Farah is associated with such diverse phenomena as dried meat, bigamy (among the less educated ones) and large families (families typically have a minimum of four children). Ethnically, Farah Province has a Pashtun majority. There is a [[Tajik or better to say for this uique case Fars]] belt around the capital city (Yazdi in Farah: people from Yazd in Iran migrated to Farah and called a small part of the capital Yazdi). Specially people who are shiite muslims and Fars (the afghan term tadjik is not correct in this case) are genuine persian by descent. There are also a couple of areas where Aimaks predominate.

The culture of Farah is patriarchal, where the tribal leaders, almost always men, are highly respected. Family pride is strongly valued and family members are taught to respect it and ensure that it is maintained at all times.

The tomb of Syed Mohammed Jaunpuri (who claimed to be the Mahdi) is in Farah and is visited every year by many people from all around the world, especially Pakistan and India.

 

Security Situation

Map of Farah Province

Despite having a majority-Pashtun population, Farah has not seen much fighting since the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, and is peaceful, relative to many parts of the country. However, mountainous Eastern Farah has seen at least one US offensive against Taliban forces. In February 2005, the Taliban killed an aid worker in northern Farah and there was a failed Taliban assassination attempt on the governor. Due to its proximity to the restive Helmand and Uruzgan provinces, Farah has experienced problems with roaming insurgent gangs moving through the province and occupying parts of the province for brief periods of time [1]. Incidents of this type have increased as Taliban fighters face heavy pressure from ISAF offensives in the south.

American and NATO troops jointly run a Provincial Reconstruction Team base out of Farah. The American soldiers at the base were, until October 2006 when ISAF Stage 4 started, the only ones in the country that were under ISAF authority.

Farah Province roads have seen massive improvement since May 2005 and are still being improved to date April 2006. The education system has been greatly improved and a great number of illegal weapons have been collected and destroyed in the province as testimony to the Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Districts

Districts of Farah.

• Anar Dara
• Bakwa
• Bala Buluk
• Farah
• Gulistan
• Khaki Safed
• Lash wa Juwayn
• Qala i Kah
• Pur Chaman
• Pusht Rod

 

Faryab province

 

Faryab فارياب
Capital  • Coordinates	Maymana  • 36° N 65° E
Population (2006)  • Density	858,600^[1]  • 42.3/km²
Area	20,293 km²
Time zone	GMT +4:30
Main language(s)	Uzbek Turkmen Persian (Dari)

Faryab (Persian: فارياب) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Maymana.

History

Faryab is a Persian word meaning "lands irrigated by diversion of river water".^[2] The modern province is named after a town that was founded by the Sassanids and later destroyed by the invading Mongols in 1220.^[2]

[edit] Political and Economic Situation

Primarily ethnically Uzbek and Turkmen, Faryab province has been one of the more peaceful areas in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban after the U.S. invasion of 2001. Recent development projects in the province have focused on expanding the agricultural potential of the province, in particular the re-forestation of areas of the province that were denuded in the recent past.

Government

The Governor of the province is Amer Latif.

Districts

Districts of Faryab.

• Almar
• Andkhoy
• Bilchiragh
• Dawlat Abad
• Gurziwan
• Khani Chahar Bagh
• Khwaja Sabz Posh
• Kohistan
• Maymana
• Pashtun Kot
• Qaramqol
• Qaysar
• Qurghan

7

 

Ghazni Province

Ghazni غزنى
Capital  • Coordinates	Ghazni  • 33.5° N 68° E
Population (2002)  • Density	931,000  • ?/km²
Area	22,915 km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari and Hazaragi dialects) Pashto

Ghazni (Persian: غزنى) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the east of the country. Its capital is Ghazni City. The province lies on the important Kabul to Kandahar road, and has historically functioned as an important trade center between those two major cities.

History

Buddhism and Indian Influence

Ghazni was a thriving Buddhist center before and during the 7th Century AD.

“

The two other great Buddhist centers , Fondukistan and Tepe-e-sardar (Ghazni) in its later phase are a very different matter and display another phase of influences coming from India from the seventh to eighth century . The representations show themes from Mahayana iconography and even in the case of the latter site assume Tantric aspects which had already established themselves in the large Indian monasteries like Nalanda.^[1]

”

In 683 AD, Arab armies brought Islam to the area and attempted to conquer the capital of Ghazni but the local tribes fiercely resisted. Its resistance was so famed that Yaqub Saffari (840-879) from Zaranj made an example of Ghazni when he ranged the vast region conquering in the name of Islam. The city was completely destroyed by the Saffarids in 869.^[2] A substantial portion of the local population including Hindus and Buddhists were converted to Islam by Mahmud of Ghazni

“

'The region had previously been conquered by Mahumad of Ghazni and the population converted to Islam .^[3]

”

The minaret of Ghazni, built by Bahram Shah during the Ghaznavid Empire.

After the rebuilding of the city by Yaqub’s brother, it became the dazzling capital of the Ghaznavid Empire from 994 to 1160, encompassing much of northern India, Persia and Central Asia. Many iconoclastic campaigns were launched from Ghazni into India. The Ghaznavids took Islam to India and returned with fabulous riches taken from both prince and temple god. Contemporary visitors and residents at Ghazni write with wonder of the ornateness of the buildings, the great libraries, the sumptuousness of the court ceremonies and of the wealth of precious objects owned by Ghazni’s citizens.

Attack by Mahomed Ghory

Ferishta records attacks by Mahomed Ghoory .

“

'at the same time most of the infidels who inhabited the mountains between Ghizny and the Indus were also converted , some by force and others by persuasion ^[4]

”

It's capital was razed in 1151 by the Ghorid Alauddin. It again flourished but only to be permanently devastated, this time in 1221 by Genghis Khan and his Mongol armies.

Ghazni is also famous for its minarets built on a stellar plan. They date from the middle of the twelfth century and are the surviving element of the mosque of Bahramshah. Their sides are decorated with geometric patterns. Upper sections of the minarets have been damaged or destroyed.

The most important mausoleum located in Ghazni is that of Sultan Mahmud's. Others include the tombs of poets and scientists, for example Al Biruni and Sanayee.

The only ruins in Old Ghazni retaining a semblance of architectural form are two towers, about 43 m (140 ft) high and some 365 m (1,200 ft) apart. According to inscriptions, the towers were constructed by Mahmud of Ghazni and his son.

In the 1960s a 15-meter female Buddha was discovered lying on its back and surrounded by empty pillars that once held rows of smaller male Buddhas. Parts of the female Buddha have been stolen. In the 1980s a mud brick shelter was created to protect the sculpture, but the wood supports were stolen for firewood and the shelter partially collapsed.

During the First Anglo-Afghan War, the Ghazni's capital city was stormed and taken over by the British forces on July 23, 1839 in the Battle of Ghazni. The Afghan Civil War and the continued conflict between the Taliban and the Afghan Northern Alliance during the 1990s put the relics of Ghazni in jeopardy. The Taliban placed Fazl Uddin in charge of protecting the artifacts.

Ghazni’s strategic position, both economically and militarily, assured its revival, albeit without its dazzling former grandeur. Through the centuries the city figures prominently as the all important key to the possession of Kabul.

Some Sikhs and Hindus also live in Ghazni province. During the Taliban regime they fled the country, but with the current administration they have returned to Ghazni city.

Since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, there has been a Provincial reconstruction base and a Nato forces base. These western forces are hunting Taliban militants and al-Qaida, who are still active in the area causing deaths to Afghan government employees and local civilian population of the province as well.

Political and Security Situation

Like many southern Afghan provinces, Ghazni has a precarious security situation caused by Taliban terrorists, who are reported to control most of the rural areas outside of the capital, and are heavily involved in attacks on provincial schools and government infrastructure. The province has avoided the outright warfare seen in other areas of Afghanistan such as Helmand Province and Kandahar Province, but that is due more to political expediency and the tactical plans of the NATO ISAF force than the existence of a stable security situation in the province. Ex-Governor Taj Mohammad was killed by terrorists in 2006 after being appointed police chief of the province with a mandate to quell the power of the Taliban. On the same day there was an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the governor at the time, Sher Alam Ibrahimi. There is an American Provincial Reconstruction Team base located in Ghazni City.

In late April of 2007, news agencies reported that Taliban fighters had taken control of Giro District in the province. The Taliban reportedly killed the district administrator, chief of police (who had been on the job for only one month) and three police officers. The Taliban withdrew from the district center one day later.

In July 2007, 23 South Korean volunteers were kidnapped in the Ghazni province by the Taliban. Two of them were killed and their bodies were dumped in various places. As of August 1st, security force was planned to be deployed to secure the release of those kidnapped.

Natural Disasters

In recent years, Ghazni has been beset by droughts, heavy snow, and flooding, all at different times. During the periods of drought, many parts of the province, especially Ghazni City, saw heavy building in the flood plains of the province's rivers. Flooding caused by heavy rain and snow in recent years have taken heavy tolls in property in lives in these newly constructed areas

Government

The current Governor of the province is Sher Khostai.

Demographics and geography

Ghazni is made up of 19 districts (district capitals are given in parentheses). Note: this is the old district map.

Districts of Ghazni.

District name	District Center	Ethnical data(%) ^[5]
Ab Band	Haji Khel	100% Pashtun
Ajristan	Sangar	97% Pashtun, 3% Hazara
Andar	Miray	100% Pashtun
Dih Yak	Ramak	89% Hazara, 11% Pashtun
Gelan	Janda	100% Pashtun
Ghazni city	Ghazni	50% Tajik, 25% Pashtun, 20% Hazara and 5 % Hindu
Giro	Pana	100% Pashtun
Jaghori	Sange-e-Masha	100% Hazara
Khugiani	Khugiani	99.9% Pashtun, 0.1% Hazara, Tajik and Uzbek
Khwaja Umari	Kwaja Umari	20% Pashtun, 35% Tajik and 45% Hazara
Malistan	Malistan	100% Hazara
Muqur	Muqur	99% Pashtun, 1% Hazara and Tajik
Nawa	Nawa	100% Pashtun
Nawur	Du Abi	100% Hazara
Qarabagh	Qarabagh	55% Pashtun, 45% Hazara
Rashidan	Rashidan	96% Pashtun, 4% Hazara
Waghaz	Waghaz	Mostly Pashtun
Zana Khan	Dado	100% Pashtun

Malistan, Jaghuri, Nawur, parts of Qarabagh, Dih Yak and Jaghatu are part of the Hazara area known as the Hazarajat.

Balkh Province

 

Balkh بلخ
Capital  • Coordinates	Mazar-e Sharif  • 36.5° N 67.5° E
Population (2006)  • Density	1,096,100^[1]  • 70.46/km²
Area	17,249 km²
Time zone	GMT +4:30
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari)

Districts of Balkh.

Balkh (Persian: بلخ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Mazar-e Sharif. Tajiks make up the majority of the province, followed by Uzbeks as the second largest group. The current governor of Balkh is Ustad Atta Mohammed Noor.

Districts

The districts of Balkh are:

• Balkh
• Chahar Bolak
• Chahar Kint
• Chimtal
• Dawlatabad
• Dihdadi
• Kaldar
• Khulm
• Kishindih
• Marmul
• Mazari Sharif
• Nahri Shahi
• Sholgara
• Shortepa
• Zari

• Balkh

Ghor Province

Ghor غور
Capital  • Coordinates	Chaghcharan  • 34° N 65° E
Population (2002)  • Density	485,000 [1]  • 13.29/km²
Area	36,479 km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari)

Ghor, also spelled Ghowr or Ghur (Persian: غور), is today one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in central Afghanistan, towards the north-west. The capital of Ghor is Chaghcharan.

History

Ghor, which was part of Persia for many centuries in the past, was one of the regions which participated in the Persian Cultural Revival after the Arab invasion of Persia.

Islam

“

' The region had previously been conquered by Mahmud of Ghazni, and the population converted to Islam. ^[1]

”

Attack by Ghazny

“

'In the following year AH 401 (AD 1010), Mahmood led his army towards Ghoor. The native prince of the country, Mahomed, of the Afghan tribe of Soor (the same race which gave birth to the dynasty that eventually succeeded in subverting the family of Sebüktigin), occupied an entrinched camp with 10000 men. Mahmood was repulsed in repeated assults which he made from morning till noon. Finding that the troops of Ghoor defended their entrenchments with such obstinacy, he caused his army to retreat in apparent confusion, in order to allure the enemy out of his fortified position. The Ghoorians, deceived by the stratagem, pursued the army of Ghizny; when the king, facing about, attacked and defeated them with great slaughter. Mahommed Soor, being made prisoner was brought to the king, but having taken poison, which he always kept under his ring, he died in a few hours; his country was annexed to the dominions of Ghizny. The author of the Towareekh Yumny affirms, that neither the sovereigns of Ghoor nor its inhabitants were Mahomedans till after this victory; whilst the author of the Tubkat-Nasiry, and Fukhr -ood -Deen Moobarik Shah Lody, the latter of whom wrote a history of the Kings of Ghoor in verse, both affirm, that they were converted many years before, even so early as the time of Ally^[2]

”

Ghor was also the centre of the Ghurid dynasty in the 12th and 13th century. The remains of their capital Firuzkuh, including UNESCO World Heritage site the Minaret of Jam, are located in the province.

“

'The rise to power of the Ghurids at Ghur , a small isolated area located in the mountain fastness between the ghaznavid empire and the Seljukids , was an unusual and unexpected development . The area was so remote that till the 11th century , it had remained a pagan enclave surrounded by Muslim principalities . It was converted to Islam in the early part of the 12th century after Mahmud raided it , and left teachers to instruct the Ghurids in the pricipts of Islam . Even then it is believed that paganism , ie . a variety of Mahayana Buddhism persisted in the area till the end of the century .^[3]

”

In the 19th century, American adventurer Josiah Harlan claimed the title Prince of Ghor for himself and his descendants in perpetuity, in exchange for military aid during local factional fighting. As a result, American actor Scott Reiniger is (only theoretically) the current Prince.^[4]

On June 17, 2004, hundreds of troops of Abdul Salaam Khan, who had rejected the Afghan government's plan to disarm regional militias, attacked Chaghcharan and took over the city in an afternoon-long siege. Eighteen people were killed or wounded in the fighting and province governor Mohammed Ibrahim fled. Three days later the Afghan government announced that it would not retake Chaghcharan. However, Khan and Ibrahim began negotiations soon after, but reached no agreements. Khan's troops left Chaghcharan on June 23, a day ahead of the arrival of an Afghan National Army battalion, led by Lieutenant-General Aminullah Paktiyanai, arrived with the support of about twenty U.S. soldiers.

In his 2004 travel book, The Places in Between, Rory Stewart travels by foot from Herat to Kabul and on his way, he provides a riveting portrait of Ghor Province as well as much historical information about the region.

Population

The population of Ghor was, and is even today, predominately Tajik.^[5]

Geography & Weather

Ghor occupies the end of the Hindu Kush mountains. Ghor is 2,500m above sea level and heavy snowfalls often block many of its rugged passes from November to April. It is also a drought-prone area in the summer.

Districts

Districts of Ghor.

• Chaghcharan (Capital)
• Charsada
• Dawlat Yar
• Du Layna
• Lal Wa Sarjangal
• Pasaband
• Saghar
• Shahrak
• Taywara
• Tulak

Politics

The current Governor of the province is Baz Mohammad Ahmadi. A Lithuanian contingent of the ISAF force is stationed in the province.

6

 

Helmand Province

 

Helmand هلمند
Capital  • Coordinates	Lashkar Gah  •  31.0° N 64.0° E
Population (?)  • Density	745,000 [2]  • /km²
Area	58,584 km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Pashto

Helmand (Pashto: هلمند) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the south-west of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation.

The population is 745,000 and the surface area is 58,584 square kilometres. The population is largely Pashtun, with Baloch Brahui and Tajik^[1] minorities who are primarily resident in laskargah .

Helmand is the world's largest opium-producing region, responsible for 42% of the world's supply.[3] This is more than the whole of Myanmar, which is the second largest producing nation after Afghanistan.

The current governor is Gulab Mangal (since March 2008).

USAID programmes

Helmand was the center of a U.S. development program in the 1960s - it was even nicknamed "little America". The program laid out tree-lined streets in Lashkar Gah, built a network of irrigation canals and constructed a large hydroelectric dam. The program was abandoned when the communists seized power in 1978.

More recently the American USAID program has contributed to a counter-narcotics initiative called the Alternative Livelihoods Program (ALP) in the province. It pays communities to work to improve their environment and economic infrastructure as an alternative to Opium poppy farming. The project undertakes drainage and canal rehabilitation projects. In 2005 and 2006 there have been problems in getting promised finance to communities and this is a source of considerable tension between the farmers and the Coalition forces.

] Current military situation

A view of Sangin Valley in Helmand province - 2007.

It was announced on January 27, 2006 in the British Parliament that a NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) would be replacing the US troops in the province as part of Operation Herrick. The British 16th Air Assault Brigade would be the core of the force in Helmand Province. British bases are located in the towns of Sangin, Lashkar Gah and Gerishk.

As of Summer 2006, Helmand was one of the districts involved in Operation Mountain Thrust, a combined NATO-Afghan mission targeted at Taliban fighters in the south of the country. In July 2006, this offensive mission essentially stalled in Helmand as NATO, primarily British, and Afghan troops were forced to take increasingly defensive positions under heavy insurgent pressure. In response, British troop levels in the province were increased, and new encampments were established in Sangin and Gerishk. Fighting has been particularly heavy in the towns of Sangin, Naway, Nawsad and Garmser. There are reports that the Taliban see Helmand province as a key testing area for their ability to take and hold Afghan territory from NATO and Afghan National Army troops ^[2]. Commanders on the ground have described the situation as the most brutal conflict the British army has been involved in since the Korean war.

In Autumn 2006, British troops started to reach "cessation of hostilities" agreements with local Taliban forces around the district centres where they had been stationed earlier in the summer ^[3]. Under the terms of the agreement, both sets of forces will withdraw from the conflict zone. This agreement from the British forces implies that the strategy of holding key bases in the district, as requested by Hamid Karzai, is essentially untenable with the current levels of British troop deployment. The agreement is also a setback for Taliban fighters, who were desperate to consolidate their gains in the province, but are under heavy pressure from various NATO offensives.

News reports identified the insurgents involved in the fighting as a mix of Taliban fighters and warring tribal groups, primarily the Ishakzai and Alikozai, who are heavily involved in the province's lucrative opium trade ^[4].

Fighting continued throughout the winter, with British and allied troops taking a more pro-active stance against the Taliban. Several operations were launched including the more recent Operation Silicone at the start of spring. On May 12, 2007, Mullah Dadullah, one of the Taliban's top commanders, along with 11 of his men were killed by NATO and Afghan forces in Helmand.

On May 8, 2007, between 21 and 40 civilians were killed by U.S. air strikes in Heratyan village, Sangin District.^[5]

] Border with Pakistan

Helmand has a southern border with the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Many domestic and international observers have criticized Pakistan's efforts towards securing the border against Taliban insurgents, who are reported to use Balochistan as a training and staging area.^{[citation needed]} Some reports cite the political alliance of Pakistan's military government with Balochistan's pro-Taliban Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam party as the reason for Pakistan's reluctance to commit to greater security measures.^{[citation needed]}

Cities

·        Lashkar Gah

·        Sangin

Districts

 

Districts of Helmand.

·        Baghran

·        Dishu

·        Garmsir

·        Gerishk

·        Kajaki

·        Khanashin

·        Lashkargah (district)

·        Musa Qala

·        Nad Ali

·        Nawa-I-Barakzayi

·        Nawzad

·        Sangin

·        Washir

Herat Province

Herat هرات
Capital  • Coordinates	Herat  • 34.0° N 62.0° E
Population (2002)  • Density	1,182,000  • /km²
Area	54,778 km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Persian

Herat (Persian: هرات) is one the 34 Provinces of Afghanistan; together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of the country. Its primary city and administrative capital is also named Herat.

Overview

The province was one of the first major battlegrounds in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and remained an active area of guerrilla warfare throughout, with local military commander and mujahideen Ismail Khan leading resistance to Soviet rule from 1979 until the Soviet withdrawal in 1989 (see the article on the city of Herat for further details). When the Soviets withdrew, Ismail Khan became the governor of the province, a position he remained until the Taliban took control of the province in 1995. Following the ousting of the Taliban in 2001 by the US and coalition forces as well as the Afghan Northern Alliance, Khan once again became governor of Herat. (See U.S. invasion of Afghanistan).

The province was ruled more or less autocratically by Khan, despite some attempts by the interim central government (headed by Hamid Karzai) to weaken the power of local strongmen. Khan's rule has engendered some controversy, though Herat has remained largely free of the violence that has plagued some other regions of post-Taliban Afghanistan.

In March 2003, the Endowment and Islamic Affairs Department of the provincial government began steps to restrict what it saw as un-Islamic vices, on March 1, 2003 banning the sale and public screening of movies and the performance of music in public, and on March 5, 2003 banning the viewing of movies entirely, as well as the possession and sale of satellite dishes.

Map of Herat Province

Radio Free Afghanistan (an extension of the United States' Radio Free Europe program) reported negatively on these steps, noting that the restrictions were very similar to those that had been in place under the Taliban, and portraying them as a step backwards for the province. Khan reacted angrily to these reports, as well as some citing human rights violations in the province, branding the Radio Free Afghanistan reporters (who were Afghanis) "traitors". On March 19, 2003, Ahmad Behzad, one of Radio Free Afghanistan's reporters for the story, was allegedly beaten and detained on Khan's orders. On March 21 Khan issued a threatening statement, saying "those Afghans from our city, through BBC and Radio Azadi, harm the dignity of our people... I would like to tell them that just like those who served the Russians and benefited from them, they too will meet the same end."

The Friday Mosque in the city of Herat.

A verbal war of words followed, with local journalists protesting angrily at what they read as a threat to use violence against dissenting journalists. President Karzai issued several statements largely siding with the journalists and expressing concern at the situation. This culminated in Khan ordering Behzad to leave the province permanently, despite his being a native of the city of Herat. Journalists responded with a cessation of news reporting in protest, beginning on March 24 (joined by the US's Radio Free Afghanistan, the UK's BBC service, Iran's Dari service, and a number of publishers of local newspapers and weekly news magazines). On March 28, Behzad met with President Karzai, who again expressed his support for the journalists and concern that the situation was affecting reconstruction in Herat and damaging the transitional government.

Khan backed down, claiming to have always supported journalistic freedom, and chalking the entire incident up to a misunderstanding. He released a statement saying, "the recent event that occurred was the result of a misunderstanding, and I hope it will not happen again. We are not against any Afghan or foreign journalist, and the reporters can be assured of their safety in our town, and can report on life in this country any way they wish." Behzad returned to Herat on April 3, 2003, and the local media resumed publishing.

The current governor of the province (as of January 2007) is Sayed Hussain Anwari, a former Minister of Agriculture and governor of Kabul Province.

] Districts

Districts of Herat.

• Adraskan District
• Chishti sharif District
• Farsi District
• Ghoryan District
• Gulran District
• Guzara District
• Injil District
• Karukh District
• Kohsan District
• Kushk District
• Kushki Kuhna District
• Obe District
• Pashtun Zarghun (formerly Foshanj) District
• Shindand (formerly Sabzwar) District
• Zinda Jan District

• Herat (city)

5

 

 

Jowzjan province

Jowzjan جوزجان
Capital  • Coordinates	Sheberghan  • 36.75° N 66.00° E
Population (2002)  • Density	441,000  • /km²
Area	11,798 km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Uzbeki Persian (Dari)

Jowzjān or Jōzjān (Persian: جوزجان) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Sheberghan.

On May 28, 2007, a clash between protestors and police in Sheberghan resulted in the death of six protestors, extensive property damage to government buildings and injuries to over thirty protestors and policemen.[1] The fatal protest was part of a power clash between the northern general and politician Rashid Dostum and other politicians in the province, particularly the Governor Joma Khan Hamdard who is widely unliked among local population and MP Ahmad Khan, who had just survived an assassination attempt a few days previous that he blamed on Dostum.

Politics

The current Governor of the province is Joma Khan Hamdard.

Districts

Districts of Jowzjan.

• Aqcha District
• Darzab District
• Fayzabad District
• Khamyab District
• Khwaja du koh District
• Mardyan District
• Mingajik District
• Qarqin District
• Shibirghan District

Notable people

• Abu Ubaid al-Juzjani, the famous pupil of Avicenna, was from

 

• Kabul Province

Kabul کابل
Capital  • Coordinates	Kabul  • 34.00° N 69.00° E
Population (2006)  • Density	3,138,100 ^[1]  • 703.3/km²
Area	4,462 km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari)^[2] Pashto

Kābul (Persian: کابل), situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul City, which is also the nation's capital and is situated at an elevation of about 1800m (5,900 ft) above sea level, making it one of the highest capital cities in the world. In the early 13th century, Kabul was considered one of the most educated and beautiful places in the world. It has since been demolished in heavy wars and strong political movements as well as invasions of foreign powers. It's also one of the country's most cosmopolitan area and is the center of government. The current governor of Kabul province is Haji Din Mohammad.

Geography

Kabul City in 2007

Kabul is located between Latitude 34-31' North and Longitude 69-12' East at an altitude of 1800 m (6000 feet) above sea level, which makes it one of the world's highest capital cities. Kabul is strategically situated in a valley surrounded by high mountains at crossroads of north-south and east-west trade routes. One million year ago the Kabul region was surrounded from south-east between Lowgar and Paghman Mountains; Charikar in the north and the Ningai Ghar mountains in the west. This region formed an icy sea. In the Silurian time, at the end of ice era, the icebergs are melted gradually and the territory of this region was poured by water under heavy raining. Some deep wells in the region of today's Poli Charkhi in the east part of city are the evidence of that time. Kabul is surrounded by Koh-e Paghman Mountain from the east, Koh-e Qrough Mountain from the south-west, Koh-e Shirdarwaza Mountain from the north-east. Kabul has only one river which is called Kabul River. Kabul River rises at the Paghman Mountain toward South Pass about 70 km (45 miles) west of Kabul. It flows in an easterly direction, past Kabul, and through Jalalabad city, and then on to Dakka where it enters Pakistani territory and finally runs into the Indus at Attock.

The climate within region of Kabul is considered to be arid to semi-arid steppe. Because of the very low amounts of precipitation, especially from May to November, Kabul can be very dry and dusty. Extreme temperature changes occur from night to day, season to season, and from place to place. The chief characteristic of Afghanistan's climate is a blue cloudless sky with over 300 days of sunshine yearly. Even during the winter, skies usually remain clear between snowfalls, which are on average 15 to 30cm annually. The daily temperature in winter is -15 to -20 degrees Celsius (°C), and in summer +15 to +30°C. The coldest month of the year is January when the average temperature is -12°C, and the hottest month is July when the average is 25°C. The maximum temperature has been recorded as +36.9°C in July and the minimum as -21.7°C in February.

History

Kabul's history dates back more than 5,000 years. It was once the center of Zoroastrianism [1] and subsequently also a home for thousands of Buddhists and Hindus. The Arabs tried to conquer the area in the 7th century, but they were defeated by the Hindu Shahi's of Kabul. The area was conquered by Mahmud Ghaznavid in 1002, when the Hindu Shahi King Jay Pala committed suicide. It was overshadowed by Ghazni and Herat until Babur made it his capital in 1504. It remained under Moghul rule until its capture in 1738 by Nader Shah of Persia followed by Ahmad Shah Durrani. It succeeded Kandahar as Afghanistan's capital in 1776.

During the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1839, the British army took over Kabul. In 1842, the withdrawing British troops were ambushed and almost annihilated after the Afghans had promised them safe conduct; in retaliation another British force partly burned Kabul. The British again occupied the city in 1879, after their resident staff were massacred there. On December 23, 1979, Soviet armed forces landed at Kabul International Airport to help bolster a Communist government.

Kabul became the Soviet command center for approximately 10 years during their stay in Afghanistan. In February 1989, Soviet forces withdrew from the city after they were defeated by the Afghan Mujahideens. In spring of 1992 the government of Mohammad Najibullah collapsed, Kabul fell into the hands of Mujahideen forces. Destruction of the city increased as the coalition of the parties broke into rival warring factions, and much of Kabul was damaged. In 1996 the Taliban took over the city and started a new strict Islamic Sharia law which included Islamic schools, government, clothing, food, and recruitment to Al Qaeda, impacting the Afghan people's daily life. Some people happier with the strict Islamic laws, while some were unhappy.

On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center was hit by Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda group. On November 12, 2001, American military forces finally took over Kabul City, the Taliban forces fled by then. Kabul was under a new regime, and re-construction of new buildings, schools, and universities slowly began.

Politics

Kabul has been long known for its politics and different warlords. It was under the control of many political groups and warlords when Mohammad Najibullah's government collapsed. Kabul city was in the hands of many political groups who fought for power until it was taken over by the Taliban in 1996 and its politics was changed. Kabul's politics become more aligned with the Islamic regime and new laws were introduced by the Taliban. There was only one leader for Afghanistan Mullah Omar, the head of Taliban who ran Kabul's political party until the US invaded on October 7, 2001. New laws and humanities came in effect to enable Kabul to recover from the destruction caused by the Taliban. Loya Jirga took place to solve the current political problems and situations in Kabul and introduce new laws. Kabul citizens have been given the right to vote.

Inside the Parliament House in Kabul.

After being re-scheduled twice, Afghanistan's presidential elections were held on October 9, 2004. Over 8 million Afghans voted in the elections. The Joint Electoral Management Body of Afghanistan certified the elections on November 3rd, and declared Hamid Karzai, the interim President, the winner with 55.4% of the vote. Karzai's strongest opponent, Yunis Qanooni, received 16.3% of the vote. The elections were not without controversy; allegations of fraud and ballot stuffing were brought up by many of the presidential candidates including Yunis Qanooni. Many felt that Hamid Karzai had an unfair advantage over the other candidates as he had access to financial and logistical resources that many of the other candidates did not have. A panel of international experts was set up to investigate the matter. The panel did find evidence of voting irregularities, however, they said that it was not enough to affect the outcome of the elections. Some people claimed that they were forced to vote for the current president and some claim that they were paid to do so.

With help from the United States and the United Nations, Afghanistan adopted its new constitution, establishing the country as an Islamic Republic, in early January 2004. According to the constitution, the Afghan government consists of a powerful and popularly elected President, two Vice Presidents, and a National Assembly consisting of two houses: the House of People (Wolesi Jirga), and the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga). There is also an independent Judiciary branch consisting of the Supreme Court (Stera Mahkama), High Courts and Appeal Courts. The President appoints the members of the Supreme Court with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga. Assembly elections were planned for late 2005.

Economy

Most of Kabul's economy depended on its tourists in the 1960s and 1970s. Kabul had textile, cotton production, and carpet production industries, but most of its economy came through tourism which it lost during its destruction. Kabul's produces include: natural gas, cotton, wool, carpets, agriculture, and some small production companies. Kabul has trade partnerships with the UK, France, Germany, USA, India, South Korea, Turkmenistan, Kenya, Russia, Pakistan, China, Iran. Kabul's economy was influenced by the American power and has increased by almost 3500% after being down for 25 years. A new currency was introduced to Afghans which helped the economy. New business was in the new regime. Many American industries were interested in the new Kabul and many new companies have since then opened their branches in Kabul. The Kabul City Centre Mall was built and has nearly 100 shops. [2] The economy is in a boom level and is increasing dramatically. Home costs are going up as well as wages of employees. The cost of living has increased dramatically which is a problem for the non-educated Afghans, who cannot support themselves. The UN also helps Afghans in need of help by providing aid, food and school materials for schools. Many international aid organizations are contributing to the Afghanistan economy.

Demographics

Kabul province is made up of 15 districts.

The ethnic Tajiks^[2] make up the largest percentage of the population of the province, while there are other important minorities like Pashtuns Hazaras, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Balochis, Sikhs and Hindus that are found mainly in the capital city.

About 85% of the population is Sunnite while 14% include Shi'ites. Sikhism and Hinduism form the remaining 1%. See the diagram at the bottom for detailed information on each District. Data was cllected by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

District	Headquarters	Population^[3][4]	Ethnic composition^[5]
Bagrami	Bagrami	85,000	80% Pashtuns, 20% Tajiks
Chahar Asyab	Qalai Naeem	32,500	Pashtun, Tajik and few Hazara.
Deh Sabz	Tarakhel	47,900	70% Pashtuns, 30% Tajiks
Farza	Dehnawe Farza	19,100	Mixture of Tajiks and Pashtuns
Guldara	Guldara	20,300	50% Tajiks, 50% Pashtuns
Istalif	Istalif	29,800	Mix of Tajik, Pashtun and Hazara
Kabul (capital)	Kabul (capital)	2,536,300	45% Tajiks, 25% Pashtuns, 25% Hazaras, 2% Uzbek, 1% Balochi, 1% Turkmen, 1% others^[6]
Kalakan	Kalakan	26,900	90% Tajiks, 10% Pashtuns
Khaki Jabbar	Khak-i Jabbar	75,000	95% Pashtuns, 5% Tajiks
Mir Bacha Kot	Mir Bacha Kot	46,300	90% Tajiks, 10% Pashtuns
Mussahi	Mussahi	30,000	90% Pashtuns, 10% Tajiks
Paghman	Paghman	150,000	70% Pashtuns, 30% Tajiks
Qarabagh	Qara Bagh	67,700	60% Tajiks, 40% Pashtuns
Shakardara	Shakar Dara	72,900	90% Tajiks, 10% Pashtuns
Surobi	Surobi	150,000	90% Pashtuns, and the rest are Pashais

Transportation

City bus in Kabul in 2005.

Transportation in Kabul is improving as the numbers of new vehicles and experienced drivers are increasing. There is public transportation service in the Kabul vicinity, but many roads are in disrepair. Drivers are also impeded by the large number of cyclists. More vehicles are seen in the city because people are purchasing cars. Taxi cabs are found everywhere in the city, also in most of the districts of Kabul.

Kabul's Milli Bus (National Bus) system, which has about 800 buses, provides service to the city and nearby areas. There are several new highways in the province, and the government has scheduled to rebuild most of the smaller roads. Funding for the roads comes from current drivers who must pay toll charges for driving on highways and major roads. The money is collected by the government through issuing motorists monthly, quarterly or annual inspection certificates that are affixed to the windshield of their vehicles.

Trucks are used to transport goods from one district to another, or to other cities of the country. The Afghan government, with the help of foreign companies or organizations, have begun work on many of Kabul's roads. Auto companies like Honda, Toyota, Ford Motor Company, and Chevrolet have also been reintroduced in Kabul.

Education

Female students chat outside Kabul Medical University.

Kabul is Afghanistan's center for education. People from all the provinces of the country come to Kabul for education. There are many schools and universities that have opened doors for men and women. In the 1970s, about 55% of Kabul's population was educated without materials or proper learning resources to get a proper education. Most of the young children are sent to work by their parents to support their living costs. The education rate has declined dramatically during the last 20 years. Most of the schools in Kabul were set as battle points during the wars and have been demolished.

Kabul's education level is going up now by the help of many international organizations, and more people are being sent back to schools to get a degree. The value of education is being reintroduced in the communities, and they are encouraged to send their children to schools for a better education and a better life. Most of the people of Afghanistan, who took refuge in Pakistan, Iran and India, have returned to Kabul with their degrees and been able to obtain better jobs. Most of them are contributing their knowledge to the community by opening new courses and institutes. According to UNICEF, Kabul's education level is in a boom now and is getting better and better.

List of Universities in Kabul

·        American University of Afghanistan

·        Kabul University

·        Polytechnical University of Kabul

·        National Military Academy of Afghanistan

·        Kabul Medical University

Sports

Teens playing soccer at Ghazi Stadium.

Kabul is the center of annual Buzkashi and Soccer tournaments, where teams from all over Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan participate. Sports is a daily routine for employees in Afghanistan, when they all join each other in tournaments and matches, specially soccer games. Afghanistan's Soccer Team also participated in many Asian Soccer Leagues. Many Afghans who were living as refugees in Pakistan and India returned back to their country, and they brought the game of cricket with them. Afghanistan now has national Cricket Team that plays internationally. They play mostly against Pakistani and Hindi Teams as well as some Arab nations in the Middle East.

There are Boxing, Taekwondo, Volleyball, and Kung fu teams in Kabul, which participate in tournaments locally and go on tours to other Asian countries. One of the oldest and most popular stadiums in Kabul is Ghazi Stadium, where tournaments, concerts, and national celebrations take place, however the city has lost most of the stadiums it previously had. Ghazi Stadium is currently going through a reconstruction programme whereby a new design and a new system will be established for the stadium. There is also another new stadium under construction near Kabul City. Schools and universities encourage participation in team sports, and there is a group of Afghans are being trained in Kabul for the next Olympic Games.

·        Kabulistan

Kabul Golf Club

4

 

Kandahar Province

Kandahar کندھار
Capital  • Coordinates	Kandahar  • 31.0° N 65.5° E
Population (2002)  • Density	886,000  • ?/km²
Area	54,022 km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Pashto

Kandahar or Qandahar (Pashto: کندھار, Persian: قندهار) is one of the largest of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in southern Afghanistan, between Helmand, Oruzgan and Zabul provinces. Its capital is the city of Kandahar, which is located on the Arghandab River. The province has a population of nearly 890,000, with over 300,000 living in its capital city. The main inhabitants of Kandahar province are the Pashtuns.

Name

There is speculation about the origin of the name "Kandahar". It is believed that "Kandahar" may derive its name from Gandhara ^[1], an ancient kingdom along the modern Kashmir and Afghanistan border^[2], and former satrapy of the Persian Empire.^[3][4] It is suggested that people of Gandhara migrated south to Arachosia and transferred the name with them.^[5] Alternatively, it is also believed that Kandahar bears Alexander's name from the Arabic and Persian rendering of "Alexander", which derives from Iskandariya for Alexandria.^[6] A temple to the deified Alexander as well as an inscription in Greek and Aramaic by the emperor Ashoka, who lived a few decades later, have been discovered in the old citadel

History

For a more comprehensive history of the Kandahar Province, see the Kandahar City.

Kandahar, the city and province, dates back to the time of the Mahabharata, which dates back to 3,120BC Indo-Aryan era. Kandahar City was founded in the 4th century BC by Alexander of Macedon^{[citation needed]}, near the ancient city of Mundigak.^{[citation needed]} The city has been a frequent target for conquest because of its strategic location in Asia, which connects Southern, Central and Southwest Asia. It was part of the Persian Achaemenid empire before the Greek invasion in 330 B.C. It came under the influence of the Indian emperor Ashoka who erected a pillar there with a bilingual inscription in Greek and Aramaic.^[8]

The army of the Indus entering Kandahar City during the first Anglo-Afghan war in 1839.

Under the Abbasids and later Turkic invaders, Kandahar converted to Islam. Kandahar would go on to be conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century, Turkic Ghaznavids in the 10th century, and Genghis Khan in the 13th century. Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of Afghanistan, gained control of the city and province in 1747 and made it the capital of his new Afghan Kingdom. In the 1770s, the capital was transferred to Kabul. Ahmad Shah Durrani's mausoleum is located somewhere in the center of the city.^[9]

British-Indians forces occupied the province during the First Anglo-Afghan War from 1832 to 1842. They also occupied the city during the Second Anglo-Afghan War from 1878 to 1880. It remained peaceful for about 100 years until the late 1970s.

During the Soviet occupation of 1979 to 1989, Kandahar province witnessed many fighting between Soviet and local Mujahideen rebels. After the Soviet withdrawal the city fell to Gul Agha Sherzai, who became a powerful warlord and controlled the province.

At the end of 1994, the Taliban emerged from the area and set out to conquer the rest of the country. Since the removal of the Taliban in late 2001, Kandahar again came under the control of Gul Agha Sherzai. He was replaced in 2003 by Yousef Pashtun followed by Asadullah Khalid taking the post in 2005. The province is currently occupied by NATO forces, mostly by Canadians.

Government and administration

Gul Agha Sherzai was Governor of the province before and after the Taliban regime, until early 2004, when mounting criticism of his efforts led President Hamid Karzai to remove him from the post. For the last 250 years, mostly Pashtuns have been ruling Afghanistan. History shows that many Afghan rulers were from Kandahar, such as Ahmad Shah Durrani, Abdur Rahman Khan, Nadir Khan, Zahir Shah, Hamid Karzai, etc. Kandahar province is made up of 17 districts, and each district has its own Chief. The current Governor of the Kandahar Province is Asadullah Khalid.

The following is a list of the Districts of Kandahar Province:

Districts of Kandahar.

·        Arghandab

·        Arghistan

·        Daman

·        Ghorak

·        Kandahar (capital)

·        Khakrez

·        Maruf

·        Maywand

·        Miyannasheen

·        Naish

·        Panjwai

·        Reg

·        Shah Wali Kot

·        Shorabak

·        Spin Boldak

·        Zhari

Economy

Kandahar had well-irrigated gardens and orchards and was famous for its grapes, melons, and pomegranates, but these were made inaccessible by land mines or destroyed outright in the conflict between the Soviets and the mujahideen, Islamic guerrilla fighters during the Soviet occupation. The city is of significant strategic importance in the region due to the major airport built in the early 1970s with development funding from the United States. The main source of trade is to Pakistan, Iran, and the United States. Kandahar is an agricultural state.

Transportation

Kandahar International Airport

Kandahar International Airport serves the population of southern Afghanistan, especially the Kandahar region, as a method of traveling to other domestic cities by air or to a number of nearby countries. The airport was built in the 1960s with US financial and technical assistance under the United States Agency for International Development program. Kandahar International Airport has been used by the NATO forces to deliver troops and humanitarian supplies since late 2001. The airport was severely damaged during the Soviet attacks on the city during 1979-89 and again during the US raids in late 2001. Repairs and upgrades also occurred during that period; the airport re-opened for civilian use in late 2006.^[10]

Kandahar province has bus services to major towns or village headquarters. It's capital, Kandahar, has a public bus system that take commuters on daily routes to many destinations throughout the city. Besides the buses, there are yellow and white taxicabs that provides transportation service inside the city as well as throughout the province. Other traditional methods of ground transportation are also used. Private vehicles are on the rise in Kandahar, with large show rooms selling new or second hand vehicles imported from the United Arab Emirate. More people are buying new cars as the roads and highways are being improved.

Education

Efforts to improve education in Afghanistan are severely hampered without books, which are in short supply. Lack of funding and political will has led to only small gains since the fall of the Taliban. Education has moved somewhat upward in the rest of the country, but southern states, like Kandahar, have seen slow to no progress because of the continued fighting and instability of the region. In 2006 alone, almost 150 educational institutes have closed in Kandahar province alone, according to the education ministry. Regionally more than 50 schools have been attacked this year. Over 60,000 students cannot attend school because of the risk of attack.^[11]

Kandahar University is the largest college or university in the province. In partnership with the Asia Foundation, the Kandahar University conducted a pilot project that provided female high school graduates with a four-month refresher course to prepare for the college entrance examination. Kandahar University, for example, currently has an enrollment of six women and 1,094 men.^[12] All of the 24 women who sat for the exam passed and have been admitted to universities to study medicine, engineering, economics, law, and agriculture. The university is only one of two universities in Kandahar that serve all of southern Afghanistan. The conditions in the university are extremely poor, with no water, limited power, and a closed library. The structures of the University are very weak and unsafe. The university is far behind the universities of the North because of the violence, the two universities in southern Afghanistan also receive very limited funding.

 

Kapisa Province

Kapisa کاپیسا
Capital  • Coordinates	Mahmud-i-Raqi  • 35.0° N 69.7° E
Population (2002)  • Density	360,000  • 195/km²
Area	1,842 km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari)

Kapiśa (=Kapisha) (Persian: کاپيسا) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Mahmud-i-Raqi, and other districts include Kohistan, Nigrab and Tagab. The population of Kapiśa is estimated to be 360,000, although there has never been an official figure. The area of the province is 1,842 km².

Politics and Security

An elemntary school in Kapisa with ANP police helping with preparation for a medical civic action program.

The Governor of the Province, Abdul Sattar Murad, was removed from office in July 2007 by President Hamid Karzai, and a replacement has not yet been named. The ostensible reason for Murad's removal was 'ineffective governance', but it was widely believed by press sources that Murad was removed because of critical comments he made in a Newsweek interview regarding the central government's ineffectiveness in remote areas of the province [6] [7].

2006 and 2007 have seen increased insurgent activity in the province. Southern areas of the province, in particular the Tagab district, have been the site of repeated clashes between U.S./Afghan forces and insurgent groups [8].

Districts

Districts of Kapisa.

·        Alasay District

·        Hesa Duwum Kohistan District

·        Koh Band District

·        Kohistan Hesa Awal District

·        Mahmud Raqi District

·        Nijrab District

·        Tagab District

Economy

Agriculture is the most general and usual means of sustenance. Trades are made between the people in an ancient way of exchanging commodities on trade days (once a week) called Mila, which means "party" but is interpreted as a large gathering of people, having fun together with trade.

Amenities

There is one hospital in the province. There was once a large textile company, which was destroyed during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; and one cinema, which was also destroyed. Recently a university named Al Biruni University was established, with programs in engineering, medicine, law and literature. The number of girls schools has been very limited, but it is increasing through the cooperation of Charity NGOs.

Khost Province

Khost خوست
Capital  • Coordinates	Khost  • 33.4° N 69.9° E
Population (2002)  • Density	~300,000  • /km²
Area	4,152 km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Pashto

Khost (Pashto: خوست) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the east of the country. Its capital is the town also called Khost. Khost province used to be part of Paktia province in the past.

The province is mountainous and borders Pakistan on the east. Khost was the first city to be liberated from communist rule during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

In 1986, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) built a training complex and storage facility for Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in Khost province, it was subsequently utilized by Osama bin Laden to train Al-Qaeda volunteers.^{[citation needed]} This site continued in operation until it was ordered to be bombed by President Bill Clinton in August of 1998.^{[citation needed]}

Politics

The current Governor of the Province is Arsala Jamal. In August 2007, he narrowly escaped a suicide car bomb attack in Khost City that killed several of his bodyguards.[1] The August attack was the fourth suicide attack Jamal has faced in his tenure in the volatile province. [2]

Districts

Districts of Khost.

• Bak District
• Gurbuz District
• Jaji Maydan District
• Khost (Matun) District
• Mando Zayi District
• Musa Khel District
• Nadir Shah Kot District
• Qalandar District
• Sabari District
• Shamal District
• Spera District
• Tani District
• Tere Zayi District

 

 

Kunar Province

Kunar کنر
Capital  • Coordinates	Asadabad.  • 35.0° N 71.2° E
Population (~)  • Density	• ?/km²
Area	~ km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Pashto

A view of Kunar

Kunar (Pashto: کُنَر) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country and on the border with Pakistan. Its capital is Asadabad.

 

Ethnic Makeup and Geography

Pashtuns makes up the vast majority of the province and maintain a very strong tribal identity, some even going so far as to identify the province, and the eastern edge of Afghanistan in general, as "Pashtunistan".

Kunar is a tiny and sparsely populated province that is heavily mountainous and forested, being embedded in the Hindu Kush mountain range. As Kunar is populated by mainly Pashtuns, it will be useful to know that local people pronounce the name as Kunar or کونر.

Security Situation

US Soldiers near FOB Naray

During both the Soviet occupation, and the more recent conflicts involving U.S., Afghan and NATO forces, Kunar has been a favoured spot of insurgent groups. Its impenetrable terrain, extensive cave networks and border with the semi-autonomous Pakistani Northwest Frontier Province provides several advantages for militant groups. The province is informally known as "Enemy Central" by American troops.

Like many of the mountainous eastern provinces of Afghanistan, the groups involved in armed conflict vary greatly in strength and purpose. Native Taliban forces mingle with foreign Al-Qaeda fighters, while mujahadeen militias, such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin, continue to operate as they did in the chaotic post-Soviet years. Another strong militia in the region is the Hezbi Islami faction of the late Mulavi Younas Khalis, who had his headquarters in neighbouring Nurestan Province.

Compounding the problems of the province is an extensive criminal trade in smuggled lumber and other natural resources. This criminal activity is often organized along tribal lines, and has led to intense deforestation in some areas.

Kunar Ambush

Kunar Ambush

Part of War on Terrorism

Date	2008
Location	Kunar Province
Result	Allied Victory

Belligerents

 NATO
 European Union
 UN Peacekeepers

Taliban
al-Qaeda

The Kunar Ambush is about a small gun battle between allied forces and Islamic rebel groups. The Combatants were German, Dutch, French and Danish forces fighting under European Union command and British, Canadian, Norwegian and Belgian forces under NATO command and Filipino soldiers under UN command and Taliban and al-Qaeda forces.

Hunt for Bin Laden

Osama bin Laden has often been rumoured to be in the province, or close by. In an intensive military operation in summer 2005, called Operation Red Wing, American forces undertook a massive hunt for bin Laden and other senior Al-Qaeda leaders. While attempting to rescue four stranded Navy SEALS during the operation, 19 American Forces were killed when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down, representing the single biggest loss of American forces since their invasion of the country.

Districts

Districts of Konar.

·        Asadabad

·        Bar Kunar

·        Chapa Dara

·        Chawkay

·        Dangam

·        Dara-I-Pech

·        Ghaziabad

·        Khas Kunar

·        Marawara

·        Narang Wa Badil

·        Nari

·        Nurgal

·        Shaygal Wa Shiltan

·        Sirkanay

·        Wata Pur

Politics

Assadullah Wafa was the former governor of the province (replaced in Aug 2006).

Asadabad hosts both an American Provincial Reconstruction Team office and a UNAMA development office.

Kunduz Province

Kunduz كندز
Capital  • Coordinates	Kunduz  • 36.8° N 68.8° E
Population (2002)  • Density	~820,000  • /km²
Area	8,040 km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Persian Turkmen Uzbek Pashto

Kunduz (Persian: كندوز) is one of the provinces of Afghanistan, centered on the city of Kunduz in Afghanistan, with an area of 8,040 km square, and a population of about 820,000[1].

Districts

• Ali abad District
• Archi District
• Chahar dara District
• Imam Sahib District
• Khan Abad District
• Kunduz District

Qalay-I-Zal District

3

 

Laghman Province

Laghman لغمان
Capital  • Coordinates	Mihtarlam  • 34.66° N 70.20° E
Population (~)  • Density	373,000^[1]  • /km²
Area	3,843^[2] km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Pashai, Pashto,

Laghman : لغمان, Pashto: لغمان) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern portion of Afghanistan, the capital is Mihtarlam. The province is composed of several districts including: Alingar, Alishing, Dawlat Shah, Mihtarlam, and Qarghayi.

History

Illustration of Xuan Zang who traveled to Laghman.

During the invasions of Alexander the Great, the area was formerly known as Lampaka.^[3] In the seventh century, the famous Chinese traveller Xuan Zang, visited the area and reported that "very few" of the inhabitants of Laghman followed Buddhism, ^[4] while some followed Hinduism. ^[5]

After the introduction of Islam into the region, the Ghaznavids, led by Abu Mansur Sebük Tigin, won one of their greatest battles in Laghman against the Hindu Shahis whose ruler, Jayapala, had amassed an army for the battle that numbered 100,000. ^[6] Later, during the Mughal period, Laghman was recognized as a dependent district of Kabul province. ^[7]

Located currently at the Kabul Museum, are Aramaic inscriptions that were found in Laghman which indicated an ancient trade route from India to Palmyra. ^[8] Aramaic was the bureacratic script language of the Achaemenids whose influence had extended toward Laghman. ^[9]

During the Soviet-Afghan war and the battles that followed between the rivaling warlords, many homes and business establishments in the province were destroyed. In addition, the Soviets employed a "barbarism" strategy that targeted and destroyed the agricultural infrastructure of Laghman. ^[10]

As of 2007, there is a ISAF Provincial Reconstruction Team based at Mehtar Lam which is led by the US.

[edit] Politics and Recent Events

The governor of Laghman was Shah Mahmood Safi, until he was replaced by Gulab Mangal. The Taliban narrowly missed killing Mangal in a bomb attack in late 2006 [1].

On June 20, 2005, three Pakistanis were arrested in Laghman for plotting to kill the U.S. Ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad while he was visiting the province for reconstruction efforts. The three men were found with various armaments. [2]

In February of 2006, demonstrations were held in Mihtarlam District against the editors of a Danish newspaper who published caricatures depicting Muhammad. Laghman was the first area of Afghanistan to protest the cartoons. ^[11]

On April 20, 2007, coalition forces killed Gul Haqparast, a top Taliban commander in Laghman who had strong ties with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Governor Gulab Mangal stated that Haqparast's death was "very good for the people of Laghman and for progress in our province."^[12]

On April 24, 2007, six Afghan intelligence officers were killed after a roadside bomb destroyed their vehicle in Laghman. It was also reported that one of the intelligence officers was beheaded

Economy

Spodumene gemstones like these are often found in various areas within Laghman

The Alingar and Alinshing rivers pass through Laghman, as the province is known for its lushness. Laghman has sizable amounts of irrigated land as one can find scores of fruits and vegetables from Laghman in Kabul, notably cucumbers. Other main crops in Laghman include rice, wheat and cotton as many people living in the area are involved in agricultural trade and business.

Laghman also has an array of precious stones and minerals,^[14] as it is well known for being a relatively untapped source of the Tourmaline and Spodumene gemstones which are reported to be in abundance at the northern portions of the province.

Demographics

Pashtuns constitute the main strata of the ethnic groups of Laghman, however Laghman is quite diverse. There are other groups as well, including the Nuristani and a Dardic group known as the Pashai. There are also sizeable numbers of Tajiks as the province is home to a mosaic of Afghanistan's ethnic groups.

In her book, State and Tribe in Nineteenth Century Afghanistan Christine Noelle writes:

“

The southern portion of the Laghman valley was inhabited by Pashtuns and Tajiks, the Pashtuns holding villages on both sides of the Kabul river, whereas the Tajiks were concentrated in the villages of Char Bagh, Haidar Khani, Mandrawar, and Tighari.^[16]

”

Noelle also specifies that Laghman was once dominated by Tajiks,^[17] however during the 15th and 16th century, larger migrations of the Ghilzai Pashtuns into the region increased the diversity of Laghman.

As with the case in many other parts of Afghanistan, the people of Laghman are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim with fluency in Pashto andPersian (Dari) being quite common.

Districts

·        Alingar District

·        Alishing District

·        Dawlat Shah District

·        Mihtarlam District

·        Qarghayi District

 

Lowgar لوگر
Capital  • Coordinates	Pul-i-Alam  • 34.0° N 69.2° E
Population (~)  • Density	292,000  • 75/km²
Area	3,880 km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Pashto Persian (Dari)

Lowgar (Persian: لوگر) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in the central zone, southeast of Kabul, and the geography of the province centers on the large Logar River which enters the province through the west and leaves to the north. Its capital is Pul-i-Alam. Logar has a mix population of pashtuns and Tajiks. Pashtuns could be more than the tajiks but since there has been no census the exact percentage of each ethnic group is still unkown.

But a estimated survey from AIMS has given the following data on ethnic composition of the logar based on its districts. 1. Muhammad Agha Distritc Pashtun 60% Tajik 40% 2. Pul e Alam (Provincial capital ) pashtun, tajik 3. Khushi 65% Tajik 34% Pashtun 1 % Hazara 4. Baraki Barak (there was no data, but it has a tajik/farsiwan majority) 5. Kharwar (mix pashtun and tajik) 6. Charkh (No data , but pashtuns and tajiks/farsiwans could equally make the population) 7. Azra District ( No data, but a clear pashtun majority) For more information www.aims.org.af

Contents

• 1 Name
• 2 History and legend
• 3 Politics
• 4 Geography
• 5 Security situation
• 6 Capital
• 7 Districts
• 8 References
• 9 External links

It is often claimed that Lowgar is actually derived from "Loy-Ghar" which means "big mountain" in Pashto. References to this can be found in old history books such as the Tarikh e Pehsawar and the Gazeteer of Kohat, 19th century.

History and legend

It has been widely held by Pashtun Khattak tribes as well as historians of Pashtuns and Afghania that Logar is the birth place of the Khattak, Afridi, and Orakzai tribesmen. It is believed that the first record about these tribes going back to the 12th and 13th centuries relates to Logar. Further, is has been in record that the Khattak, Afridi, and Orakzai tribes have descended from the same parent tribe. As a proof it can be seen that Logar is close to the Pakistani area of Bannu on the opposite side of the Durand line, and Bannu is known to be the first area settled by the Khattaks.

Politics

Logar is a generally religiously conservative province, although not to the extent of its southern neighbours. The province's political history is a microcosm of Afghanistan's recent turbulent past, with portions of the province controlled by both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance previous to the American invasion of 2001. During Jihad time Baraki Barak, Khushi, Charkh and Pule Alam districts were controlled by Jamiat e Islami. The province also was home to several Al-Qaeda training bases during that time, although the residents of the province were reportedly unfriendly to the foreign fighters. Mohamad Agha district has long been a stronghold of the Hezb-i-Islami political party, which won seats in the 2005 parliamentary election^[1], although the parliamentarians are not officially affiliated with the fugitive leader of Hezb-i-Islami, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Additionally, the Northern Alliance-affiliated Jamiat-i-Islami was in control of the province for several years after the fall of the Taliban government.

The Governor of the province is Abdul Karim Hashimi.

Geography

The main river valley in the Khoshi district of Logar, Afghanistan. Extensive irrigation and canal works, known as karez, provide water for the majority of the agriculture in southeastern Afghanistan.

Logar can be generally described as a relatively flat river valley in the north and central regions, surrounded by rugged mountains to the east, south, and southwest. The district of Azra, in the east, consists almost entirely of mountains, while travel to the Paktia province to the south is limited to the Tera Pass, a 2896m high road that was recently completed as part of the international reconstruction effort in Afghanistan.

Although the government of Afghanistan recognizes the Azra district as being in Logar, many widely-accepted maps include it in the Paktia province to the south.

Security situation

While more stable than some of its neighbouring provinces in the country, Logar sees a constant high level of anti-government activity, primarily in the form of car bombs and rocket attacks on government, military and civil targets. Unlike portions of southwest Afghanistan, poppy production is nearly non-existent, due to terrain and weather conditions. Tribal land disputes are a source of unrest, as is the case across much of the country.^[2]

Capital

Pul-i-Alam, the capital of Logar. The main road running through the city can be seen here. The mountains in the far background are the Azra district and portions of northwest Paktia.

Logar's capital is the city of Pul-i-Alam, located in the district of the same name. It sits on the main road running from Kabul south to Gardez and Khowst province, which borders Pakistan.

Pul-i-Alam has seen a significant amount of reconstruction since the fall of the Taliban. The main road to Kabul was completed in 2006, significantly reducing travel time to the national capital. Additional projects include numerous schools, radio stations, government facilities, and a major Afghan National Police base situated just south of the city.

Like most Afghan cities, there is little municipal planning or services. Electricity is provided by diesel generators, and wells are the primary source of drinking water.

istricts

Districts of Lowgar.

• Azra District
• Baraki Barak District
• Charkh District
• Kharwar District
• Khoshi District
• Mohammad Agha District
• Pul-i-Alam

Nangarhar

 

Nangarhar ننگرهار
Capital  • Coordinates	Jalalabad  • 34.25° N 70.50° E
Population (2002)  • Density	1,089,000  • /km²
Area	7,727 km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Pashto

Nangarhar (Pashto: ننګرهار) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It lies in the east of the country. Its capital is the city of Jalalabad. Its population is more than 2,000,000 and it borders Pakistan.

Contents

• 1 Economy and poppy production
• 2 Geopolitical and military situation
• 3 Politics
• 4 Incident
• 5 Districts
• 6 References
• 7 External links

 Economy and poppy production

Once a major center of opium poppy production in Afghanistan, the province had reportedly decreased its production of poppy by up to 95% in 2005, one of the success stories of the Afghani eradication program. However, the eradication program has often left peasant farmers destitute, and many farmers were reported to have given their children in payment for debts to opium dealers ^[1].

Geopolitical and military situation

Nangarhar shares a border with Pakistan, and the two regions share very close ties, with large amounts of migration either way. Most of the province still uses Pakistani currency rather than Afghan money for commercial transactions. The current Governor of the Province, Gul Agha Sherzai is also reported to have very close ties with the Pakistani secret service, the ISI. In March of 2007, the Shinwar district of Nangarhar was the site of the Shinwar massacre. Poppy cultivation takes place in "Khogyani" "Shinwar" "Chaparhar" and other far districts. The farmers complain about the lack of water and poverty and they bring this as a reason of poppy cultivation.

The poppy is also cultivated in Goshta District, Lalpora,and it border with Pakistan.

Ningarhar people are similar with Peshawar people and have close ties, often travelling back and forth.

The Pakistani government has also constructed a road from Torkham to Jalalabad to ease traffic and encourage trade

Politics

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (April 2008)

The current Governor of the province is Gul Agha Sherzai.

Incident

main article: March 4, 2007 Shooting in Afghanistan

On March 4th, F platoon of the US Marine Corps Special Operations Company responded to a suicide bomber with indiscriminate fire, killing 19 civilians and wounding 50.^[2]

Districts

Districts of Nangarhar.

Nangarhar province is administratively subdivided into 21 districts, these are

Achin Bati Kot Chaparhar Dara-I-Nur Dih Bala Dur Baba Goshta

Hisarak Jalalabad Kama Khogyani Kot Kuz Kunar Lal Pur

Muhmand Dara Nazyan Pachir Wa Agam Rodat Sherzad Shinwar Surkh Rod

 

Nimruz Province

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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2007) Nimruz

 

Nimruz نیمروز
Capital  • Coordinates	Zaranj  • 31.0° N 62.5° E
Population (2002)  • Density	149,000 [1]  • ~/km²
Area	41,005 km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Pashto Balochi Persian (Dari)

Nimruz (Pashto: نیمروز) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the south-west of the country on the borders of Iran and Baluchistan. Nimruz covers 41,000 km² and has a population of 149,000 (2002 estimate). It is the most sparsely populated province in the country. The largest group in the province are the Baloch followed closely by Pashtuns. A substantial part of the province is the desert area of Dashti Margo.

Districts

• Chahar Burjak District
• Chakhansur District
• Kang District
• Khash Rod District
• Zaranj (capital city)

[edit] Towns and villages

• Chakhansur

Chakhansur, Nimroz

Districts of Nimruz.

Nuristan Province

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Nuristan نورستان
Capital  • Coordinates	{{{capital}}}  • 35.25° N 70.75° E
Population (~)  • Density	~  • /km²
Area	~ km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Nuristani
[[Image:{{{subdiv_map}}}|300px|{{{subdiv_title}}}s of Nuristan

Nūristān (Persian: نورستان) (also spelled Nurestan, Nooristan, or Noorestan) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It was formed in 1989 and officially established in 2001 from the northern parts of Laghman Province and Kunar Province.Before 2001 its capital was situated in Laghman province due to Mujahideen control over Nuristan province. The ethnic Nuristanis make up the majority of the population of this province.

Located on the southern slopes of the Hindu Kush mountains in the northeastern part of the country, Nuristan spans the basins of the Alingâr, Pech, Landai Sin, and Kunar rivers. Its capital is Nuristan. It is bordered on the north by Badakhshan Province, on the west by Panjshir Province, on the south by Laghman and Kunar provinces, and on the east by Pakistan.

Contents

• 1 History
• 2 Districts
• 3 Politics
• 4 Security Situation
• 5 Trivia
• 6 References
• 7 See also

 History

Until the 1890s, the region was known as Kafiristan (Persian: Land of the unbelievers) because of its inhabitants: the Nuristani, an ethnically distinctive people (numbering about 60,000) who practiced animism. The region was conquered by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan in 1895-96 and the Nuristani were forcibly converted to Islam. The region was renamed Nuristan, meaning Land of the Enlightened, a reflection of the forced "enlightening" of the pagan Nuristani by the "light-giving" of Islam.

Nuristan is thought to have been a region through which Alexander the Great passed with a detachment of his army. Therefore there is a theory suggesting that the Nuristani people are direct descendants of Alexander, though it is more probable that the European look of many Nuristanis was prominent long before the arrival of the Macedonian army.

Abdul Wakil Khan Nuristani is one of the most prominent figures in Nuristan's history. He fought against the british army and drove them out of the eastern provinces of Afghanistan. His monument stands in Chahrahi Dehmazung in the capital Kabul, Afghanistan. He is burried on the same pleatue where King Amanullah Khan is burried , kabul.

Nuristan was the scene of some of the heaviest guerrilla fighting during the 1979-89 invasion and occupation of Afghanistan by Soviet forces. For a period of time during this era, the eastern area of Nuristan was a semi-autonomous region called the Islamic Revolutionary State of Afghanistan, or Dawlat. It was a Wahhibist Islamic state run by anti-Soviet warlord Maulvi Afzal and was recognized by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The Dawlat dissolved under Taliban rule. [1]

Nuristan is one of the poorest and most remote provinces of Afghanistan. As of Summer 2006, no NGO's operate in Nuristan because of a poor security situation and lack of infrastructure. In response to a publicity campaign by Nuristan's governor, Tamim Nuristani, roads are being built between Nangarej to Mandol and Chapa Dara to Titan Dara [2]. Nuristani is also working on a direct road route to Laghman province, in order to not be so dependent on the road through restive Kunar province to the rest of Afghanistan.

Districts

Districts of Nurestan.

• Bargimatal District
• Doab District
• Kamdesh District
• Mandol District
• Nurgram District
• Paruns District
• Wama District
• Waygal District

 

Politics

The current Governor of the province is Tamim Nuristani.

Security Situation

A U.S. Army Staff Sgt. of the Provincial Reconstruction Team from forward operating base Kalagush, conducts a patrol through the village of Kowtalay in the Nuristan province of Afghanistan

Since Nuristan is the only ethnically homogeneous province in Afghanistan, there are few incidents of inter-ethnic violence. However, there are instances of disputes between inhabitants, some of which continue for decades. Nuristan has suffered from its inaccessibility and lack of infrastructure. The government presence is under-developed, even compared to neighboring provinces. Nuristan's educational sector is weak, with few professional teachers. Illiteracy is high.

The terrain, coupled with its proximity to Pakistan make Nuristan vulnerable to infiltration from anti-government elements who receive support and sanctuary in Pakistan. This does not necessarily mean that the insurgents enjoy the support of Nuristanis.

ANA soldiers

Orūzgān Province

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Oruzgan اروزگان
Capital  • Coordinates	Tarin Kowt  • 32.8° N 66.0° E
Population (2006)  • Density	~400,000  • /km²
Area	22,696 km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Pashto

Orūzgān (Persian and Pashto: اروزگان, also spelt Oruzgan or Uruzgan) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the centre of the country, though the area is considered part of southern Afghanistan and is culturally and tribally linked to Kandahar. Its capital is Tarin Kowt. On March 28, 2004, the new Daykundi was carved out of an area in the north leaving Oruzgan with a majority Pashtun population and Daykundi with a majority of Hazaras. The map at right shows the provincial boundaries that resulted. But in May 2006, the district of Gizab was taken back from Daykundi and re-annexed to Oruzgan, becoming Oruzgan's sixth district. The map at the bottom of this page is inaccurate, as Oruzgan never included Nesh district.

Taliban leader Mullah Omar was born in Singesar village, in Oruzgan province.

Because of security concerns and the Taliban insurgency, no international aid agencies or NGOs have a permanent presence in Oruzgan. NATO's ISAF operates a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), in Tarin Kowt, transferred from US to Dutch authority as of August 2006.

From January 2002 through March 2006, the province was governed by Jan Mohammed Khan, a warlord ally of President Karzai (they are both from the Pashtun Populzai tribe). On March 18, 2006, Karzai appointed Maulavi Abdul Hakim Munib (also spelled "Monib")("Maulavi" is a religious title), a former Taliban official who had reconciled with the Government of Afghanistan, to replace Khan. Munib was a Pashtun from Paktia Province. In September 2007, President Karzai removed Munib, who had become increasingly ineffective, and replaced him as governor with Asadullah Hamdam, a native of nearby Zabul province.

In August 2006, NATO assumed authority for Oruzgan from the US-led coalition, as the Netherlands took command of the PRT from the US as Task Force Uruzgan. There is also an Australian element under the Dutch command.

In the summer of summer 2006, insurgents in Oruzgan were targeted by a NATO-Afghan military offensive called Operation Mountain Thrust.

The 1,400 Dutch and 100 Australians troops in the area have secured the largest population centres in Oruzgan (Dihrawud, Chora, and Tarin Kowt towns) under the "inkspot policy". However, the force's Area of Responsibility includes the entire province, which hasn't been secured. This includes the Gizab district, reportedly one of Oruzgan's most dangerous.

Oruzgan's opium poppy crop reached record levels in 2006 and 2007 according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as no significant eradication efforts were carried out by the Afghan administration or Dutch forces.

From June 15 to June 19, 2007 Dutch and Afghan soldiers defended the the town of Chora against an assault by Taliban combatants. Reports in the Dutch, Australian ^[1]and US press ^{[2][3] [4]} indicated that the battle was one of the largest Taliban offensives of the year in Afghanistan. The fighting resulted in the deaths of a Dutch soldier, 16 Afghan policemen, an unknown number of civilians and a large number of Taliban.

Strange Mountain Formation

At 33 0.0' North, 66 6.0' East, there is a mountain formation that looks like a giant face of a bearded man. It is 18 kilometres long (3 x 6).^[]

Districts

Districts of Oruzgan in 2005.

• Chora District
• Deh Rahwod District
• Gizab District
• Khas Uruzgan District
• Shahidi Hassas District (also called "Caher Cineh")
• Tarin Kowt District

 

Paktia Province

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	Paktia پکتیا
	Capital  • Coordinates		Gardez  • 33.6° N 69.5° E
	Population (2002)  • Density		~415,000  • /km²
	Area		6,432 km²
	Time zone		UTC+4:30
	Main language(s)		Pashto

Paktia (Pashto: پکتيا) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. Its capital is Gardez.

Contents

• 1 History
• 2 Governance
• 3 Security Situation
• 4 Geography
• 5 Important geographical features
• 6 References
• 7 External links

History

Najibullah Ahmadzai, the former president of Afghanistan, was from Paktia province, in particular the Melan Valley area. Paktia used to be a unified province with Khost and Paktika, these three provinces are now referred to as Loya Paktia which means The Greater Paktia. Paktia came to prominence during the 1980's where a significant portion of the leftist communists came from Paktia, some of the more notable of them include: Najibullah Ahmadzai; Mohammad Aslam Watanjar; Shahnawaz Tanai; and Gulabzoy.

Governance

The uncertain security situation and remoteness of the province has led to many provincial Governors being appointed in the short time since the fall of the Taliban. After the assassination of Hakim Taniwal in September 2006, Rahmatullah Rahmat was appointed as provincial Governor.

Paktia has a strong Pashtun tribal identity, and Pashtun nationalists in the province have expressed a desire to reunite the province with Khost Province and Paktika province, forming an ethnic Pashtunistan.

Despite the many problems facing the province, it is one of the more stable in the southeast of the country and there has been a concerted effort to improve the civic infrastructure, giving Paktia a reasonable rate of reconstruction [1]. The first American Provincial Reconstruction Team base was established in Gardez to supply security and reconstruction, and has funded several successful projects.

Security Situation

In September 2006, Governor Hakim Taniwal was killed by a Taliban suicide bomber as he left his office in Gardez [2]. At the time, Taniwal was the highest-ranking post-Taliban official to be killed by insurgent forces in the country.

Paktia is one of the most politically complicated provinces in the country. Militia commanders are a strong presence in the province, and their shifting allegiances and violent tendencies make governance of the region problematic. The province also has the difficult mountainous and cavernous terrain typical of the Hindu Kush range, providing armed groups ample cover from which to conduct guerilla operations.

Immediately after the fall of the Taliban, Paktia was one of the most chaotic regions in the country, as a small civil war broke out between rival militia commanders for control of the province, and Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters gave occupying U.S. troops some of their heaviest losses in the cave complexes south of Gardez [3].

The security situation in Paktia has improved significantly in recent years, though isolated fighting by Taliban militants and persistent tribal conflicts in the eastern part of the province continue to challenge the government. The provincial capital, Gardez, is among the most secure in the southeastern part of the country, owing in part to a large presence by coalition and Afghan security forces.

Districts of Paktia.

Paktia borders the Pakistani-ruled tribal areas of North Waziristan and Kurram. Like most of the traditional Pashtun eastern areas of Afghanistan, the Durand Line that marks the border with Pakistan is "drawn on water", and residents move freely between the two countries.

Major tribes in the province include the Totakhil, Zazi, Mangal, Zadran, Wazir, Ahmadzai, Gurbaz, Niazi and Kurram.

Paktia is made up of 12 districts (District Centers are given in parentheses):

• Ahmadzai District (Ahmadaba)
• Chamkani District
• Dand Wa Patan (Ghondai)
• Gardez District (Gardez, Afghanistan)
• Jani Khel District (Jani Khel)
• Lazha Mangal District (Lazha)
• Sayed Karam District (Seyyed Karam)
• Shwak District (Shwak)
• Tsamkani (Chamkani)
• Zadran District (Waza, Afghanistan)
• Zazi (Ali Khel)
• Zurmat District (Zarmal)

Important Villages of Center Gardez:

• Baladeh
• Kuceen
• Malak khel
• Karmashi
• Koji khel
• Sar e Sang
• Shikhan
• Khtaba
• Shakar khel
• Tera
• Dawlat zai

Paktika Province

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1

 

Paktika پکتیکا
Capital  • Coordinates	Sharan  • 32.5° N 68.8° E
Population (2002)  • Density	~352,000  • /km²
Area	19,482 km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Pashto

Paktika (Pashto: پکتیکا) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the south-east of the country and overwhelmingly conservative Sunni Pashtun people. Its capital is Sharan.

Contents

• 1 Political and military situation
• 2 Politicians
• 3 History
• 4 Geography
• 5 Districts
• 6 Cities
• 7 See also

Political and military situation

As one of the most remote provinces in Afghanistan, and in an area that saw a lot of devastation in previous years, Paktika suffers from a severe lack of critical infrastructure. Reconstruction in the province after the fall of the Taliban has been slow in comparison to that in nearby provinces such as Khost and Zabul, in large part due to the remoteness of the region and repeated attacks on aid workers. 21 November of 2004, members of the Utah and Iowa National Guard helped establish a Provincial Reconstruction Team base in Sharana, capital of the province, to lead the development effort.

While the province hasn't witnessed the outright fighting in the last few years that has affected provinces like Helmand, there is a constant low level of tribal violence accompanied by criminal and Taliban activity. The last serious fighting in the province took place in 2004, amid reports that then-Governor Muhammad Ali Jalali was collaborating with Taliban forces, and that the Taliban had effectively annexed eastern portions of the province. Jalali, and many of his allied officials, were replaced, U.S. Special Forces were dispatched to fight the Taliban while the Pakistan forces fought with the Taliban's allies in neighbouring South Waziristan [1].

On 1 November 2004, a civil affairs convoy was ambushed between Shkin firebase and Orgun-E. U.S. Army Spc. James Kearney, a turret gunner, died of a head shot from a sniper, which initiated the ambush. After countless RPGs, PKM rounds and an IED, two vehicles were destroyed and several injuries were sustained. The Provincial Reconstruction Team base was named Camp Kearney to honor the sacrifice of Spc. James Kearney.^{[citation needed]}

Politicians

The current Governor of the province is Akram Khpalwak. In 2006, a previous Governor of the province, Muhammad Ali Jalali, was killed by Taliban millitants while driving in neighbouring Ghazni Province [2]. In 2004, Ghulabuddin Mangal was appointed Governor of Paktika Province replacing Muhammad Ali Jalali who left the governor's compound as ordered, but only after firing two rockets at it as a goodbye present.

History

Paktika was once part of a greater province Paktia, that has itself now further split into Khost province. The province was the site of many battles during the Soviet occupation of the country and the lawless years that followed.

Geography

Paktika is bordered on the north by Paktia Province and Khost Province on the east, as well as South Waziristan, a Pakistani-administered tribal area. The southern border is shared with Zabul Province, while Ghazni Province is on its western flank.

Like many areas of the country, Paktika has been heavily deforested. This has been one of the causes of devastating flooding in recent years

Districts

Districts of Paktika.

• Barmal District
• Dila District
• Gayan District
• Gomal District
• Mata Khan District
• Nika District
• Omna District
• Sar Hawza District
• Sarobi District
• Sharan District
• Urgun District
• Waza Khwa District (alternate spelling: Wazi Khwa
• Wor Mamay District
• Zarghun Shahr District
• Ziruk District

Panjshir Province

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Panjshir پنجشیر
Capital  • Coordinates	Bazarak  • 35.4° N 70.0° E
Population (?)  • Density	328,620  • /km²
Area	3,610 km²
Time zone
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari)

Panjshir (Persian: پنجشیر, literally "Five Lions", also spelled as Panjsher) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Containing the Panjshir Valley, it was established from the Parwan Province in April 13, 2004. Its population is 328,620, and its area is 3,610 square kilometers. Its capital is the town of Bazarak.

At the province is a NATO-ISAF Provincial Reconstruction Team based which is led by the US.

Districts

Hisa-I-Awali Panjsher District

• Anaba
• Hisa-I-Awali Panjshir
• Hisa-I-Dowom Panjshir
• Rokha
• Shootul

Parwan Province

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Parwān پروان
Capital  • Coordinates	Charikar  • 35.0° N 69.0° E
Population (~)  • Density	~  • /km²
Area	~ km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari)

Parwān (Persian: پروان, also spelled Parvān), once also the name of an ancient town in the Hindu Kush mountains,^[1] is today an administrative province in northern Afghanistan, directly north of Kabul Province. Its capital is Charikar and it is one of the most secure provinces in the country.

Contents

• 1 History
• 2 Districts
• 3 Other notable towns and villages
• 4 References

History

In 329 BC, Alexander the Great founded the settlement of Parwan as his Alexandria of the Caucasus. It was conquered by the Arabs in 792.^[1] In 1221, the town was the site of the battle between the invading Mongols and the Khwarezmian Empire led by Jalal ad-Din, where the Mongols were defeated.^[1] In 1840, Parwan was also the site of a major battle in the First Anglo-Afghan War where the invading British were defeated.^[1] Parwan's modern history began with the construction of a new textile factory in the town of Jabal Saraj in 1937.^[1] Since then, Parwan was involved in the Soviet war in Afghanistan as some of the fiercest fighting took place in the area.^[2] In the 1990s it was the site of heavy resistance against the Taliban. Today at Parwan, an ISAF Provincial Reconstruction Team led by the United States has been active in reconstruction in the province since 2006.

Districts

Districts of Parwan

• Bagram District
• Chaharikar District
• Ghorband District
• Jabul Saraj District
• Kohi Safi District
• Salang District
• Shekh Ali District
• Shinwari District
• Surkhi Parsa District

Other notable towns and villages

• Bagram
• Ghorband
• Golbahar
• Jabal Saraj
• Koh-i-Safi
• Sayed Khel
• Shekh-Ali
• Shenwari
• Surkh-Parsa
• Turkmun

Samangan Province

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Samangan سمنگان
Capital  • Coordinates	Aybak  • 35.9° N 67.9° E
Population (2002)  • Density	378,000 [1]  • /km²
Area	11,262 km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari)

Samangan (Persian: سمنگان) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The province covers 6,425 square miles and has a population of approximately 406,000 people.

Its capital Samangan is known for its ancient ruins including notably the Takht e Rostam. Archaeologists are desperate to work in this province as wars and the Taliban have destroyed many of these artifacts.

A series of earthquakes struck the province on March 3, 2002, causing the loss of thousands of lives and homes.

Nowadays people call the province Samangan, but the capital town of the province is Aybak.

Since November 2007, the governor is Qazi Enayatullah Enayat.

[edit] Districts

• Aybak District
• Dara-i-Suf District
• Hazrati Sultan District
• Khuram Wa Sarbagh District
• Ruyi Du Ab District

Sar-e Pol سر پل
Capital  • Coordinates	Sar-e Pol  • 35.6° N 66.3° E
Population (~)  • Density	~  • ?/km²
Area	~ km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari) Uzbek

Sar-e Pol, also spelled Sari Pul (Persian: سر پل), is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is the city of Sar-e Pol.

[edit] Under the Taliban

Aminullah Amin, the first senior member of the Taliban to be captured, was the former Governor of the Province.^[1][2]

Districts

• Balkhab District
• Kohistanat District
• Sangcharak District
• Sari Pul District
• Sayyad District
• Sozma Qala District

Takhar Province

.

Takhar تخار
Capital  • Coordinates	Taloqan  • 36.7° N 69.8° E
Population (2004)  • Density	810,800  • /km²
Area	12,333 km ² km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Persian (Dari) Uzbek

Takhar (Persian: تخار) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It was established in 1964 when Qataghan Province was divided into three provinces: Baghlan, Kunduz and Takhar. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Taloqan. Its salt mines are one of Afghanistan's major mineral resources.

Districts

• Bangi District
• Chah Ab District
• Chal District
• Darqad District
• Farkhar District
• Ishkamish District
• Kalafgan District
• Khwaja Ghar District
• Rustaq District
• Taluqan District
• Warsaj District
• Yangi Qala District

Districts of Takhar.

Wardak Province

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Wardak وردک
Capital  • Coordinates	Meydan Shahr  • 34.4° N 68.4° E
Population (~)  • Density	413 000  • 46.2/km²
Area	8 938 km²
Time zone	{{{time_zone}}}
Main language(s)	Pashto Persian (Dari)

Wardak (in Pashto ‎وردګ; also spelled: Wardag, Vardag, or Vardak) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the centre of the country. Its capital is Meydan Shahr.

The population, about 70,000, is a mixture of 50% Pashtuns, 40% Hazaras and 10% others.

Districts

• Chaki Wardak
• Day Mirdad
• Jaghatu
• Jalrez
• Hisa-I-Awali Bihsud
• Da Bihsud Markaz
• Maydan Shahr
• Nirkh
• Saydabad

Zabul Province

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Zabul زابل
Capital  • Coordinates	Qalat  • 32.1° N 67.1° E
Population (2004)  • Density	365,920  • ?/km²
Area	17,343 km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Pashto

Zabul (Pashto: زابل) is a historic province of Afghanistan. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963, with Qalat being named the provincial capital. It should not be confused with a new small city Zabol in Irani Afghan border.

Contents

• 1 Political and security situation.
• 2 Geography and population
• 2.1 Districts
• 2.2 Cities
• 3 Transportation
• 4 References
• 5 See also

Political and security situation.

With its sparse population, insecure border with Pakistan and little central authority, Zabul is a fertile ground for insurgents fighting against the current Afghan government, although the province is considered more secure than some of its southern neighbours [1]. The province has especially struggled with retaining NGO's and teachers in the face of Taliban attacks and threats. Until 2006, the only major international presence was an American Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) based in Qalat, when it was joined by a UNAMA branch.

The current governor of the province is Del Bar Jan Arman.

Geography and population

The population of the province was reported to be 365,920 in 2004, and the province covers an area of 6,590 square miles [2].

Districts

• Argahandab District
• Atghar District
• Dey Chopan District
• Mizan District
• Qalat District
• Shahjoy District
• Shamulzayi District
• Shinkay District
• Tarnak Wa Jaldak District

Cities

• Qalat
• Shajuiy

Transportation

In 2006, the province's first airstrip was opened near Qalat, to be operated by the Afghan National Army, but also for use by commercial aviation. Twice weekly service was scheduled by PRT Air between Qalat and Kabul. The airstrip is not paved.