Nangarhar Province

Nangarhar (ننګرهار)
Province
Country	Afghanistan
Capital	Jalalabad
- coordinates	34.25°N 70.50°E / 34.25; 70.50
Area	7,727 km2 (2,983 sq mi)
Population	1,334,000 (2009)
Governor	Gul Agha Shirzai
Timezone	GMT+4:30
Main language	Pashto
Map of Afghanistan with Nangarhar highlighted

Nangarhar (Pashto: ننګرهار Nangarhār) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan in the east of the country. Its capital is the city of Jalalabad. The population of the province is 1,334,000, which consists mainly of ethnic Pashtuns with a sizable community of Arabs and Pashais.

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 Afghan eradication program. However, the eradication program has often left peasant farmers destitute and, in 2006, farmers were reported to have surrendered their children to opium dealers in payment on their debts.

Geopolitical and military situation

Joint ISAF-ANA Commando patrol in the Achin District, in April 2009

Nangarhar shares a border with Pakistan, and the two regions share very close ties, with large amounts of migration in both directions. Most of the province still uses Pakistani currency rather than Afghan money for commercial transactions. The Pakistani government constructed a road from Torkham to Jalalabad to ease traffic and encourage trade.

The United States and the multi-national coalition forces, ISAF, are active in the area. The Shinwar district of Nangarhar was the site of the 2007 Shinwar shootings and the Dih Bala district was the site of the Deh Bala wedding party bombing.

Opium cultivation

The illicit poppy cultivation takes place in Khogiani, Ghanikhil, Chaparhar, and other remote districts. The farmers cite the lack of water and also poverty as the reasons for poppy cultivation. Poppy was also cultivated in Goshta District, Lalpura which borders Pakistan; but now the people just cultivate wheat and other legal crops.^{[citation needed]}

Politics

Governors

Main article: List of governors of Nangarhar

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Incidents

The province was where Osama bin Laden was cornered in the 2001 Tora Bora campaign. He ultimately escaped.

Shinwar shooting

Main article: 2007 Shinwar shooting

On March 4, 2007, F platoon of the US Marine Corps Special Operations Company responded to a suicide bomber.

Dih Bala wedding party bombing

Main article: Deh Bala wedding party bombing

On July 6, 2008 were bombed by the Taliban

Districts

Districts of Nangarhar (district names in Dari)

Nangarhar province is administratively subdivided into 22 districts, these are:

Districts of Nangarhar Province

District	Capital	Population	Area	Notes
Achin		95,468
Bati Kot		71,308
Bihsud		118,934		Created in 2005 within Jalalabad District
Chaparhar		57,339
Dara-I-Nur		28,202
Dih Bala		33,294
Dur Baba		13,479
Goshta		31,130
Hisarak		28,376
Jalalabad		205,423		Sub-divided in 2005
Kama		52,527
Khogyani		111,479
Kot		52,154		Created in 2005 within Rodat District
Kuz Kunar		42,823
Lal Pur		18,997
Momand Dara		42,103
Nazyan		16,328
Pachir Aw Agam		40,141
Rodat		63,357		Sub-divided in 2005
Sherzad		63,232
Shinwar		64,872
Surkh Rod		91,548

Road from Jalalabad to Kabul

Sports

The province is represented in domestic cricket competitions by the Nangarhar province cricket team. National team member Hamid Hasan was born in the province and he currently represents Afghanistan in international cricket.

References

Most of the Afghanistan National Team players belong to Nangarhar Province.

External links

• Map of Nangarhar province (PDF)
• Nangarhar Province - (US) Naval Post-Graduate School
• Nangarhar Provincial Profile, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development
• Nangahar Aerial Pictures