Orūzgān Province

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Orūzgān اروزگان

Capital • Coordinates	Tarin Kowt • 32.6267° N 65.8734° E
Population (2006) • Density	~400,000 • /km²
Area	22,696 km²
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main language(s)	Pashto

Orūzgān (Pashto: ؤروزگان, 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 it 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 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.

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. ISAF operates a Provincial Reconstruction Team PRT, in Tarin Kowt, under Dutch authority as of August 2006.

From January 2002 through March 2006, the province was governed by Jan Mohammed Khan, a corrupt, illiterate 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"), a former Taliban official who has reconciled with the Government of Afghanistan, to replace Khan. Munib is a Pashtun from Paktia Province who is educated and has strong administrative skills.

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. Also in Summer 2006, insurgents in Oruzgan were targeted by a NATO-Afghan military offensive called Operation Mountain Thrust. The Taliban continued to be active in Oruzgan continued through 2006, as the Dutch troops limited their movements to small areas around their bases in Tarin Kowt and Dihrawud towns. Oruzgan's opium poppy crop reached record levels in 2006, as no significant eradication efforts were carried out.