Qarabagh District, Ghazni

Not to be confused with Qarabagh District, Kabul.

Coordinates: 33°11′37″N 68°06′07″E / 33.193665°N 68.102002°E

Map of the old district boundaries of Ghazni.

Qarabagh (Qarah Bagh) district is located 56 km to the south west of Ghazni in eastern Afghanistan. The 1,800 km² area is one of the most populated at 109,000; some reports count more than 200,000. There are three ethnic groups - Pashtun about 53%, Sayed about 2% and Hazara about 45%. The landscape varies in different parts of the district - deserts in the southwest, plains in the southeast and mountains in the north. The district is seriously affected by drought, especially farming and animal husbandry. Health and education need serious improvement.

Taliban militiamen are active in the area. Their threats have forced the girls' schools in the district to close. They briefly seized the government headquarters at the district centre in the town of Qarabagh in April 2007. The Taliban also seized the Giro district centre southeast of Qarabagh. In July 2007, the Taliban kidnapped 23 Korean aid workers as their bus was hijacked passing through the district on the road between Kabul and Kandahar. At present, American forces have reestablished a presence, driven the Taliban out, and reopened schools.

Security and politics

The district chief was replaced in 2006 by Zabit Salih Gul after the previous incumbent quit due to frequent threats by the Taliban.[1]

On 22 November 2009 one militant was shot dead in Ali Naizi village in Qarabagh district after an operation by ISAF forces.[2]

Demographics

The two main Hazara groups in the district are Muhammad Khwaja, who tend to live in the center and north of the district, and Chahar-Dasta, who tend to live in the west.[3]

Economy

The area is poor and traditionally one of out-migration to Kabul, Ghazni, Lashkar Gah, and Quetta, as well as to other countries.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Reuter Christoph, Borhan Younus. "The Return of the Taliban in Andar District: Ghazni." Decoding the New Taliban: Insights from the Afghan Field. Ed. Antonio Giustozzi. HURST Publications Ltd. 2009.
  2. ↑ "Operational Update, Nov. 22: Afghan-International Security Forces Kill, Detain Militants in Ghazni, Logar, Kandahar." 22 November 2009. Accessed at: http://www.nato.int/isaf/docu/pressreleases/2009/11/pr091122-xxa.html
  3. ↑ "QARABAGH (Qarabāḡ), a district (woloswāli) of Ghazni Province in Afghanistan." Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition, New York, 1996-.
  4. ↑ "QARABAGH (Qarabāḡ), a district (woloswāli) of Ghazni Province in Afghanistan." Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition, New York, 1996-.

External links