Kandahar Province Explained

Kandahar
Native Name Lang:ps
Settlement Type:Province
Nickname:Loy kandahar
Coordinates:31°N 65.5°W
Coor Pinpoint:Capital
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Afghanistan
Established Date:300 BC
Seat Type:Capital
Seat:Kandahar
Leader Title:Governor
Leader Name:Mullah Shirin Akhund[1]
Leader Title1:Deputy Governor
Leader Name1:Maulvi Hayatullah Mubarak[2]
Governing Body:Ulema Council[3]
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:54844
Population Footnotes:[4]
Population Total:1,431,876
Population As Of:2021
Population Density Km2:auto
Blank Name Sec1:Main languages
Blank Info Sec1:Pashto
Timezone1:Afghanistan Time
Utc Offset1:+4:30
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:38xx
Area Code:AF-KAN
Government Type:Province

Kandahār (Pushto; Pashto: {{nq|کندهار; Kandahār, {{nq|قندهار; Qandahār) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southern part of the country, sharing a border with Pakistan, to the south. It is surrounded by Helmand in the west, Uruzgan in the north and Zabul Province in the east. Its capital is the city of Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city, which is located on the Arghandab River. The greater region surrounding the province is called Loy Kandahar. The Emir of Afghanistan sends orders to Kabul from Kandahar making it the de facto capital of Afghanistan, although the main government body operates in Kabul. All meetings with the Emir take place in Kandahar, meetings excluding the Emir are in Kabul.

The province contains about 18 districts, over 1,000 villages, and approximately 1,431,876 people (the 6th most populous province), which is mostly tribal and a rural society. The main inhabitants of Kandahar province are the ethnic Pashtuns. They are followed by the Baloch people, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmens and Hazaras.

Etymology

There is speculation revolving around the origin of the name "Kandahar". The name Kandahar (Sanskrit: कंधार) is believed to be linguistically corrupted form of a word Gandhāra (Sanskrit: गंधार), which was used between 2000-1700 BCE.[5] It is also believed to have started as one of many cities named after the Hellenistic conqueror Alexander the Great throughout his vast (mainly ex-Achaemenid) empire, its present form deriving from the Pashto rendering of Arabic Iskandariya = Ancient Alexandria (in Arachosia).[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.[7]

History

Excavations of prehistoric sites by archaeologists such as Louis Dupree and others suggest that the region around Kandahar is one of the oldest human settlements known so far.

The area was called Arachosia and was a frequent target for conquest because of its strategic location in Asia, which connects Southern, Central and Southwest Asia. It was part of the Medes territory before falling to the Achaemenids. In 330 BC it was invaded by Alexander the Great and became part of the Seleucid Empire following his death. The city then became a center of trade.[8]

Later Kandahar came under the influence of the Indian emperor Ashoka, who erected a pillar there with a bilingual inscription in Greek and Aramaic. The territory was ruled by the Zunbils before Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate arrived in the 7th century.

The Arabs advanced through Sistan and conquered Sindh early in the eighth century. Elsewhere however their incursions were no more than temporary, and it was not until the rise of the Saffarid dynasty in the ninth century that the frontiers of Islam effectively reached Ghazni and Kabul. Even then a Hindu dynasty the Hindushahis, held Gandhara and eastern borders.

From the tenth century onwards, as Persian language and culture continued to spread into Afghanistan, the focus of power shifted to Ghazni, where a Turkic dynasty (from the Samanid city of Bokhara) proceeded to create an empire of their own. The greatest of the Ghaznavids was Mahmud, who ruled between 998 and 1030. He expelled the Hindus from Ghandhara.[9]

Mahmud of Ghazni made the area part of the Ghaznavids in the 10th century, who were replaced by the Ghurids. After the destructions caused by Genghis Khan in the 13th century, the Timurids established rule and began rebuilding cities. From about 1383 until his death in 1407, Kandahar was governed by Pir Muhammad, a grandson of Timur.

In the early 16th century, Kandahar briefly fell to Babur. From then on the province was controlled by the Shia Safavids, as their easternmost territories. They regularly had wars with the Sunni Mughals, who ruled Kandahar as a short-lived subah (imperial province) from the 1638 conquest until its loss in 1648 to one of the Safavids' rivals.

Starting in 1709, Mir Wais Hotak rebelled against the Safavids and established the Hotaki dynasty, which became a powerful empire. In 1729, Nader Shah declared war on the Ghilzai rulers. By 1738, the last Hotaki ruler Shah Hussain was defeated in what is now Old Kandahar.

Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founding father of Afghanistan, gained control of the province in 1747 and made the city of Kandahar the capital of his new Afghan Empire. In the 1770s, the capital of the empire was transferred to Kabul. Ahmad Shah Durrani's mausoleum is located in the center of the city.

British-led Indian 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.

20th century

In the mid-20th century until 1979, Kandahar city was a major stop on a popular road to India used by hippies.

In December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. This led to a war that lasted for years, between the Soviets and a rebellion by local guerrila groups, known as the Mujahideen.[10] The groups were usually made up of fellow members of local tribes, and were led by a chief who inherited the title.[11]

In 1985, a major guerilla commander, Esmatullah Muslim, joined the forces of the pro-Soviet Afghan government in Kandahar. A leading official of Afghanistan's Communist Party, Hayat Khan, was killed by guerrilas in the province August 1985.[12] The Soviets carpet-bombed the province's southern districts in 1986.[13] Kandahar city became "mostly ruins".[14] Guerilla plans for taking the unoccupied city were thwarted when the Soviet and Afghan government forces returned there in 1988.[15] The Soviets eventually withdrew from the country.[16]

In the early 1990s, the province's governor was Gul Agha Shirzai. The province under his reign was described as anarchic.[17]

The Taliban began in Kandahar in 1994, when Mullah Omar (previously an ally of Mujahideen warlord Rais Abdul Wahid) started an Islamist movement against misrule by the Mujadhideen.[18] [19] He would become Taliban's Supreme Leader.[20] The Taliban would take over almost all of Afghanistan. Under a version of Sharia law, they oppressed women heavily,[21] although there were some minor moves towards equality in 2000.[22] In 1997, due to international pressure, they began a campaign to rid the province of opium and heroin production, but the campaign failed.[23]

21st century

2000s

In October 2001, as a response to the September 11 attacks, the United States and NATO (aided by the Northern Alliance[24]) invaded Afghanistan to depose the Taliban. This began the War on Terror. Initially, it was an air war, and included the bombing of multiple targets near Kandahar city's airport. On the 20th, the war's first ground operation began with a U.S. commando raid near the airport, which the Taliban claimed was unsuccessful.[25] [26]

In December, Kandahar city fell to the invading forces, marking the end of Taliban government at that point. Mullah Omar's presidential palace was bombed by U.S. forces, later being rebuilt and used as a complex for U.S. Special Forces. Omar went into hiding, and pledged to keep fighting against the invasion. In a deal with the U.S., the surrendering Taliban agreed to give up their in the province.[27] Two of the commanders who fought in Kandahar prior to the surrender were Gul Agha Shirzai, who became the province's governor again, and Hamid Karzai, who became the president of Afghanistan.[28]

Kandahar city became a base of U.S. army forces (at Kandahar Airfield),[29] new construction efforts,[30] and was the site of an assassination attempt on Hamid Karzai.

In the following years, a new Taliban insurgency fought against the U.S. and NATO, mostly in Kandahar and Helmand Province.[31] [32] At the same time, the U.S. was searching for Osama bin Laden. Arrested terrorists or suspected terrorists were sent from the Kandahar detention center to the Guantanamo Bay naval base.[33] Afghans detained by Canadian troops were handed over to Afghan's intelligence police, the National Directorate of Security, who (without Canadian knowledge) tortured the detainees during interrogation in jail.[34] Despite a new focus on gender equality, a dysfunctional legal system allowed for the continuing sale of child brides in the province. This was especially common in its northeastern area, which was discovered to be a Taliban stronghold.[35] By 2004, U.S. and Afghan forces had started a guerrila war against them.

There was a surge in Taliban attacks in May 2006,[36] which caused an influx of villagers across the province to leave their homes for bigger cities.[37] Also that month, a top Taliban commander, Mullah Dadullah, was arrested.[38] In June, a car bomb almost killed the provincial governor. Meanwhile, the U.S. started transferring authority over the province to NATO, which the Taliban used as an opportunity to move in west of Kandahar city, likely to threaten it.[39] The U.S. and NATO started Operation Medusa in September, which reportedly killed, captured, and expelled hundreds of insurgents.[40] [41] However, plenty of civilian property was destroyed. A reconstruction effort began, named Operation Baaz Tsuka.

In 2009, the U.S. started planning for a new anti-Taliban operation in the province, building a presence around Kandahar city. Their Stryker Brigade was sent to the district of Spinboldak, on the Pakistan border, to shut down Taliban infiltration routes.

2010s

In 2010, Kandahar was considered the most dangerous province in the country.[42] It had a lack of government workers, which caused an influx of insurgents.[43] Four of its 17 districts were under Taliban control. Health services and education were "virtually absent" outside of certain towns. In March, a major provincial official, Abdul Majeed Babai, was shot and killed. In the spring, the U.S. experienced fighting before their operation could start.[44] They attempted to attain the military backing of two influential leaders in the region, the warlord Haji Ghani and tribal leader Haji Lala, but only Ghani was receptive.[45] Later, there were two notable incidents of U.S. soldiers massacring Afghan civilians in Maiwand District and Panjwai District.[46] [47]

The U.S. and NATO's combat mission in Afghanistan formally ended in 2014. By 2015, The Guardian wrote Kandahar city was considered "largely secure by Afghan standards". It had gained an extensive police force and blast walls, and commercial and domestic flights had restarted there. However, that year, the U.S. pulled funding from various development programs in the region, and there were fears it could lead to a strengthened Taliban; the Afghan national security forces were "strained" in the absence of international troops.[48]

In 2018, Afghanistan's election commission delayed elections in Kandahar after two senior provincial officials (its police commander and intelligence agency commander) were killed in a Taliban-claimed shooting. The vote eventually took place, peacefully.[49] [50]

2020s

In 2021, as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, a Taliban offensive started taking over Afghanistan.[51] On May 1, the U.S. withdrew from Kandahar, and the Taliban started taking nearby districts to Kandahar city.[52] The fighting displaced 150,000 people living nearby. They took the city on August 12.[53] Following this, women and girls in the province were banned from multiple institutions.[54] In 2023, the office of the Taliban's spokesman was moved from Kabul to Kandahar.

Politics and governance

Yousaf Wafa is the current governor of the province.[55] His predecessor was Rohullah Khanzada. In early 2003, Hamid Karzai transferred Sherzai from Kandahar to Jalalabad as Governor of Nangarhar Province. Sherzai was replaced by Yousef Pashtun in Kandahar.

In 2005, when Karzai won the first Afghan Presidential Elections, he appointed Yousef Pashtun as the Minister of Urban Development. After Pashtun, Asadullah Khalid governed the province until the appointment of Rahmatullah Raufi in August 2008.[56] Raufi was replaced by Toryalai Wesa in December 2008.

Demographics

According to the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA), the total population of the province was estimated at 1,431,876. Pashtuns make up the majority in province. There are also communities of Baloch people, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Hazaras and others.[57] The main language spoken throughout the province is Pashto.[58] Dari and Balochi is also understood by some, especially in the city of Kandahar where learning of Dari as a second language is promoted in public schools.[59]

Tribes

The main tribes in the province are as follows:[60]

District information

In 1914 Kandahar was divided into the following districts:[61]

  1. Kariajat (includes the suburbs of Kandahar and the Arghandab Valley)
  2. Mahalajat (Old Kandahar and surroundings)
  3. Daman
  4. Tirin
  5. Derawat
  6. Dahla
  7. Deh-i Buchi
  8. Khakrez
  9. Kushk-i Nakhud
  10. Maiwand
  11. Nish
  12. Ghorak
  13. Kalat-i Ghilzai
  14. Arghastan
  15. Tarnak
  16. Mizan
  17. Maruf
  18. Kadanai (named after the Kadanai river that flows through it)
  19. Shorawak

Today the province is divided into the following administrative divisions:

Districts of Kandahar Province
DistrictCapitalPopulationArea
in km2
Pop.
density
Number of villages and ethnic groups
70,016 606 116 79 villages. Pashtun
38,928 3,728 10 Pashtun[62]
39,193 4,179 9 Pashtun.[63]
10,895 1,742 6 Pashtun[64]
Kandahar 632,601 114 5,539 Predominantly Pashtun, few Baloch, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek.
25,774 1,738 15 Pashtun[65]
37,333 3,335 11 Pashtun[66]
66,297 2,963 22 160 villages. 95% Pashtun and 5% other.[67]
17,006 803 21 Pashtun[68]
15,146 1,110 14 Pashtun.[69] Used to belong to Uruzgan Province.
98,448 5,841 17 Pashtun
10,097 13,470 1 Baloch and Pashtun
49,025 3,345 15 Pashtun
13,020 4,153 3 Pashtun and Baloch
113,727 2,963 38 Pashtun
Takhta-pul 14,349 2,926 5 Pashtun
96,987 745,1 130 Pashtun
50,752 617 82 Pashtun
Kandahar1,399,59454,8452698.7% Pashtuns, 0.9% Balochi, 0.1% Tajiks, 0.1% Hazaras, 0.1% Uzbeks, 0.2% others.

Transport and economy

The Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport is located east of the city of Kandahar. It is for civilian and military use. It serves the population of southern Afghanistan by providing domestic flights to other cities and international flights to Dubai, Pakistan, Iran and other regional countries. The airport was built by the United States in the 1960s under the United States Agency for International Development program. It was later used by Soviet and Afghan forces during the 1980s and again during the 2001–2021 NATO-led war. The airport was upgraded and expanded during the last decade by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

There is currently no rail service but reports indicate that at least one will be built between the city of Kandahar and the border town of Spin Boldak in the south, which will then connect with Pakistan Railways.[70] [71] [72] [73] [74] [75] [76] Ground transport of goods is done by trucks and cars. A number of important roads run through the province and this helps the area's economy. The town of Spin Boldak serves as a major transporting, shipping, and receiving site. It is being developed so that trade with neighboring Pakistan increases.

Kandahar province has bus services to major towns and village headquarters. Its capital, Kandahar, used to have a city bus service that took commuters on daily routes to different destinations throughout the city. There are taxicabs that provide 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 the country, with large showrooms selling new or second-hand vehicles imported from the United Arab Emirates. More people are buying new cars as the roads and highways are being improved.

Kandahar has been known for having well-irrigated gardens and orchards, and was famous for its grapes, melons, and pomegranates. The main source of trade is to Pakistan, Iran and other regional countries. Kandahar is an agricultural area and several of the districts are irrigated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority.[77] The Dahla Dam is located in the province, north of the city of Kandahar. There are approximately 700 greenhouses in the entire province but farmers want the government to build more.[78]

Healthcare

There are a number of hospitals in the province, most of them in the city of Kandahar. They include Aino Mina Hospital, Al Farhad Hospital, Ayoubi Hospital, Mirwais Hospital, Mohmand Hospital,[79] Sial Curative Hospital and Sidal Hospital.

Education

Kandahar University is one of the largest educational institutions in the province. It has over 5,000 students, about 300 of which are female students.[80] In partnership with the Asia Foundation, 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. The university is one of two universities in Kandahar that serve all of southern Afghanistan. The conditions in the university are poor but improving slowly. Kandahar University is far behind many of the other universities in the country because of insecurity and shortage of funding,

There are approximately 377 public and private schools in Kandahar province. The total number of students is 362,000. Of this, 79,000 are female students. Due to insecurity and other issues, many female students drop out before obtaining a diploma.[81] Almost 150 educational institutes were closed in the past, according to the education ministry. Some of the well known public schools in Kandahar are Ahmad Shah Baba High School, Mahmud Tarzi High School, Mirwais Hotak High School, Nazo Ana High School, Shah Mahmud Hotak High School, and Zarghuna Ana High School. Private schools include Afghan Turk High Schools.

Notable people from Kandahar Province

Royalty and statesmen
Other politics, generals and administration
Culture

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Trofimov. Yaroslav. 2021-08-13. Taliban Seize Kandahar, Prepare to March on Afghan Capital Kabul. en-US. Wall Street Journal. 2023-05-04. 0099-9660.
  2. News: Respect amnesty for ex-officials: Taliban chief. December 30, 2021. pajhwok.com.
  3. News: fa:منبع: رهبر طالبان دستور داده تا شورای علما در کندهار ایجاد شود . https://da.azadiradio.com/a/31648812.html . 28 January 2023 . . . 11 January 2022 . prs . Source: The leader of the Taliban has ordered the creation of a council of scholars in Kandahar. آزادی . رادیو .
  4. Web site: Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2021-22 . April 2021 . nsia.gov.af . National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA) . June 30, 2021.
  5. Book: Singh, Upinder . . 264 . Upinder Singh.
  6. Web site: Alexander the Great: his towns – Alexandria in Arachosia . Livius.org.
  7. Web site: Livius Picture Archive: Shahbazgarhi - Pakistan. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20040630154454/http://www.livius.org/a/pakistan/shahbazgarhi/shahbazgarhi2.html. 2004-06-30.
  8. Web site: Brooke . James . September 23, 2002 . Kandahar Journal; Cradle of Taliban Reverts to Cradle of Commerce . March 18, 2024 . The New York Times.
  9. Afghanistan: a new history By Martin Ewans Edition: 2, illustrated Published by Routledge, 2002 Page 15,
  10. News: Bonner . Arthur . 1986-07-06 . The Slow Motion War in Afghanistan . subscription . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times.
  11. News: Dyck . Jere van . Times . Special To the New York . 1981-12-21 . THE AFGHAN RULERS: FIERCELY TRADITIONAL TRIBES . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  12. News: Ap . 1985-08-19 . AROUND THE WORLD; 2 Afghan Rebel Chiefs Said to Die in Combat . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  13. News: Burns . John F. . 1996-11-03 . Stoning of Afghan Adulterers: Some Go to Take Part, Others Just to Watch . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  14. News: Bonner . Arthur . Times . Special To the New York . 1986-06-01 . AFGHANS' SECOND CITY IS NOW MOSTLY RUINS . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  15. News: Lorch . Donatella . Times . Special To the New York . 1988-09-12 . Afghan Gridlock: Factions Vie for Ancient Crossroad and for Nation's Future . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  16. News: Brooke . James . 2002-09-19 . THREATS AND RESPONSES: THE FUGITIVE; Taliban's Founder Still Eludes Search . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  17. Web site: Maass . Peter . January 6, 2002 . The New York Times . March 18, 2024 . The New York Times.
  18. Web site: April 5, 2023 . Afghanistan's Taliban move spokesman's office to Kandahar . March 17, 2024 . Reuters.
  19. News: Harding . Luke . 2002-02-17 . How Afghans turned against their spiritual chief . 2024-03-18 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  20. Web site: 2007-02-01 . Green Berets cozy in Mullah Omar's compound . 2024-03-18 . NBC News . en.
  21. News: Bonner . Raymond . 1997-11-25 . Taliban Pledge to Rid Afghan Province of Opium Poppies . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  22. News: Crossette . Barbara . 2000-01-23 . Gentle Negotiations Said to Soften Taliban's Rules for Women . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  23. News: Wren . Christopher S. . 2000-09-18 . U.N. Forsakes Effort to Curb Poppy Growth By Afghans . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  24. Web site: Knowlton . Brian . November 30, 2001 . Northern Alliance and Tribes Both Claim Advances : Drive on Kandahar Reported . March 18, 2024 . The New York Times.
  25. News: Pomfret . John . October 20, 2001 . Taliban Says Its Forces Foiled U.S. Commandos . March 18, 2024 . The Washington Post.
  26. Web site: 2024-03-14 . Afghanistan War History, Combatants, Facts, & Timeline Britannica . 2024-03-18 . www.britannica.com . en.
  27. News: Knowlton . Brian . December 7, 2001 . Rumsfeld Rejects PlanTo Allow Mullah Omar 'To Live in Dignity' : Taliban Fighters Agree to Surrender Kandahar . subscription . March 18, 2024 . The New York Times.
  28. Web site: 2024-03-08 . Hamid Karzai Biography, Presidency, & Facts Britannica . 2024-03-18 . www.britannica.com . en.
  29. Web site: Brooke . James . September 12, 2002 . VIGILANCE AND MEMORY: KANDAHAR; Pentagon Tells Troops in Afghanistan: Shape Up and Dress Right . March 18, 2024 . The New York Times.
  30. News: Kaufman . Marc . February 23, 2003 . Young Girls Sold as Brides Desperate Afghan Poor . March 18, 2024 . The Washington Post.
  31. Web site: August 9, 2007 . Bomb kills six Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan . March 18, 2024 . Reuters.
  32. Web site: October 27, 2007 . U.S., Afghan forces kill some 80 insurgents - U.S. . March 18, 2024 . Reuters.
  33. News: Schmitt . Eric . 2002-01-09 . A NATION CHALLENGED: THE DRAGNET; U.S. Forces Pursue Al Qaeda Leaders in Treacherous Terrain . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  34. News: 2007-04-23 . From Canadian custody into cruel hands . 2024-03-18 . The Globe and Mail . en-CA.
  35. Web site: 2004-08-09 . Taliban maintains grip rooted in fear . https://web.archive.org/web/20240318105249/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5648313 . dead . March 18, 2024 . 2024-03-18 . NBC News . en.
  36. Web site: 2006-06-04 . Afghan Car Bomb Kills 3 - CBS News . 2024-03-18 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  37. Web site: Gall . Carlotta . June 11, 2006 . Taliban Surges as U.S. Shifts Some Tasks to NATO . March 17, 2024 . The New York Times.
  38. News: 2006-05-19 . Top Taleban commander 'arrested' . 2024-03-18 . en-GB.
  39. Web site: Gall . Carlotta . October 3, 2006 . After Afghan Battle, a Harder Fight for Peace . March 18, 2024 . The New York Times.
  40. Web site: FRONTLINE/WORLD . Afghanistan - The Other War . Interview with Col. Tom Collins . PBS . 2024-03-18 . www.pbs.org.
  41. News: 2006-09-10 . Bomb attack kills Afghan governor . 2024-03-18 . en-GB.
  42. Web site: Alison . Jane . 2010-04-01 . Most Dangerous, Most Unmerciful . 2020-03-02 . VQR Online.
  43. Web site: Bowman . Tom . June 24, 2010 . In Kandahar, It Will Take A Village To Oust Taliban . March 17, 2024 . NPR.
  44. News: Gall. Carlotta. 2010-03-27. Kandahar, a Battlefield Even Before U.S. Offensive. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-11-22. 0362-4331.
  45. Web site: Bowman . Tom . July 15, 2010 . Progress In Kandahar A Matter Of Whom To Trust . March 17, 2024 . NPR.
  46. Anderson . Jon Lee . 2012-03-11 . Massacre in Kandahar . 2024-03-18 . The New Yorker . en-US . 0028-792X.
  47. News: 2012-03-11 . How it happened: Massacre in Kandahar . 2024-03-18 . BBC News . en-GB.
  48. News: Rasmussen . Sune Engel . 2015-04-24 . Kandahar city power project in jeopardy . 2024-03-18 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  49. Web site: 2018-10-19 . Afghanistan delays vote in Kandahar province after deadly attack . 2024-03-18 . France 24 . en.
  50. News: Constable . Pamela . October 27, 2018 . In Afghanistan's Kandahar province, delayed parliamentary vote tense but peaceful . March 17, 2024 . The Washington Post.
  51. Web site: Amiri . Ali M. Latifi,Abdul Matin . 'War all around': Kandahar residents fear Taliban advance on city . 2024-03-18 . Al Jazeera . en.
  52. Web site: Nossiter . Adam . July 9, 2021 . Taliban Enter Kandahar City and Seize Border Posts . March 17, 2024 . The New York Times.
  53. Web site: 2021-08-13 . Taliban take Kandahar, Herat in major Afghanistan offensive . 2024-03-18 . AP News . en.
  54. Web site: Taliban official letter reinforces bar of female aid staff in southern Kandahar . June 23, 2023 . Reuters.
  55. News: Senior Officials Appointed in Kandahar . January 3, 2021 . 2021-02-18 . TOLOnews.
  56. News: Gloria . Galloway . Security chief concern for new Kandahar governor . The Globe and Mail . 23 August 2008 .
  57. Web site: Kandahar Provincial Overview . Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) . 2021-02-18.
  58. Web site: Name of the Province: Kandahar . Islamic Republic of Afghanistan: President. 2021-02-04.
  59. News: هنریار. ارشاد. 2019-05-26. فارسی زبان‌های قندهار؛ پیشتاز زرگری و رای‌گیری. fa. BBC News فارسی. 2020-07-26.
  60. Web site: Welcome - Program for Culture and Conflict Studies - Naval Postgraduate School. 2021-11-22. www.nps.edu.
  61. Book: Adamec. Ludwig W.. Historical and Political Gazetteer of Afghanistan, Vol. 5: Kandahar and South-Central Afghanistan. Branch. India Army General Staff. 1980. Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt. 978-3-201-01125-9.
  62. Web site: Arghistan District . 2013-06-24.
  63. Web site: Daman District (Updated DDP) . 2013-06-24.
  64. Web site: Ghorak District . 2013-06-24.
  65. Web site: Khakriz District . 2013-06-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130729160449/http://www.mrrd-nabdp.org/attachments/article/126/Khakriz%20DDP%20%20English%20Summary.pdf . 2013-07-29 .
  66. Web site: Maruf District . 2013-06-24.
  67. Web site: Maiwand District . 2013-06-24.
  68. Web site: Mianishin District . 2013-06-24.
  69. Web site: Nish District . 2013-06-24.
  70. Web site: Pakistan to launch train service with Afghanistan. 5 December 2020 .
  71. News: Pakistan plans Chaman-Spin Boldak rail link. 5 December 2020. Shah. S. Muddasir Ali.
  72. News: 2020-12-05. Pakistan to build railway line between Chaman and Spin Boldak | Ariana News. en-US. Ariana News. 2021-11-22.
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