Pashtun Valley: Oruzgan Province of Afghanistan

Oruzgan is one of the thirty-four provinces of

Afghanistan

. It is in the center of the country, though the area is culturally and tribally linked to Kandahar in the south. Its capital is Tarin Kowt. On March 28, 2004, the new Daykundi province 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, Gizab District was taken back from Daykundi and re-annexed to Oruzgan, becoming Oruzgan's sixth district.

Geography;

Oruzgan province is located in the southern region of the country having borders with Zabul and Kandahar to the south, Helmand to the southwest, Daykundi to the north and Ghazni to the east. The province covers an area of 12640 km2. Nearly three quarters of the province (72%) is mountainous or semi mountainous terrain while a little more than one-fifth (21%) of the area is made up of flat land.

Recent developments;

In June, 2002, a wedding party in Oruzgan was bombed by the United States Air Force, with 30 or more killed.

In the wake of the fall of the Taliban—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 August 2006, NATO assumed authority for Oruzgan from the United States-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 2006, insurgents in Oruzgan were targeted by a NATO-Afghan military offensive called Operation Mountain Thrust.