Badghis Province of Afghanistan

Badghis is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in northwestern Afghanistan, between the Murghab and Hari rivers, extending as far northward as the edge of the desert of Sarakhs. It includes the Chul formations through which the Turkmen-Afghan boundary runs.The province was carved out of portions of Herat Province and Meymaneh Province in 1964 and has a total area of 20,591 km2.

History;

The name "Badghis" is from the Persian word Badghezz meaning "lap of wind" or "home of the winds". The province was one of the last captured by the Taliban in their military offensive before the American invasion in 2001. Even after their official takeover of the province, the largely Tajik population of the province never welcomed the Pashtun Taliban. The province was quickly retaken by Northern Alliance forces as the United States initiated hostilities, which was followed by a brutal cleansing of the Pashtun minority in the province.

Various influential warlords have traded control of the province in recent years, including: Abdul Malik, Rashid Dostum, Juma Khan and Ismail Khan. During the fight against the Taliban, the Northern Alliance commanders received military aid from Shia Iran, fearful of the Sunni Taliban. In one notable incident, Malik temporarily switched his allegiances from Dostum, allowing the Taliban to gain control of the province.

Geography;

Badghis Province is located in the isolated hills of northwestern Afghanistan and shares its borders with Herat, Ghor, and Faryab provinces as well as Turkmenistan. The province is dominated by the Murghab River in the north and the Hari-Rud River in the south.

Districts;

Ab Kamari

Ghormach

Jawand

Muqur

Murghab

Qadis

Qala i Naw

Capital;

Qala i Naw

Area;

20,591 km2 (7,950.2 sq mi)

Population;

499,393

Main Languages;

Dari Persian

Pashto

Turkmen