Helmand (Pashto /
PersianPersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is widely spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and to some extent in Iraq and Bahrain, and has a status of official language in the first three countries under different names...
:
هلمند) is one of the 34
provinces of AfghanistanThe Provinces of Afghanistan are the primary administrative divisions of Afghanistan.There are currently thirty-four provinces in the country, with two having been added in 2004...
. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The
Helmand RiverThe Helmand River is the longest river in Afghanistan and the primarily watershed for the endorheic Sistan Basin....
flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation.
Helmand is the world's largest
opiumOpium is a narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating the immature seed pods of opium poppies . It contains up to 12% morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade...
-producing region, responsible for 42% of the world's total production. This is more than the whole of Burma, which is the second largest producing nation after Afghanistan.
The Helmand valley region, to include
SistanSīstān is a border region in eastern Iran and southwestern Afghanistan . Sistan derives its name from 'Sakastan', which Sistan was once the westernmost part of. The Sakas that were once native to Sistan were driven to the Punjab during the Arsacid era...
in Iran, is mentioned by name in the
AvestaThe Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.-Etymology:The etymology of the term Avesta itself is uncertain, but a derivation from Middle Persian meaning "praise", is a frequently noted possibility.-Age of the texts:The texts of the...
(
Fargard 1:13) as
Haetumant, one of the early centers of the
ZoroastrianA Zoroastrian is an adherent to Zoroastrianism, the first monotheistic religion that is based on the teachings and philosophies of Zoroaster....
faith, in pre-Islamic Persian times.
Helmand (Pashto /
PersianPersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is widely spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and to some extent in Iraq and Bahrain, and has a status of official language in the first three countries under different names...
:
هلمند) is one of the 34
provinces of AfghanistanThe Provinces of Afghanistan are the primary administrative divisions of Afghanistan.There are currently thirty-four provinces in the country, with two having been added in 2004...
. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The
Helmand RiverThe Helmand River is the longest river in Afghanistan and the primarily watershed for the endorheic Sistan Basin....
flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation.
Helmand is the world's largest
opiumOpium is a narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating the immature seed pods of opium poppies . It contains up to 12% morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade...
-producing region, responsible for 42% of the world's total production. This is more than the whole of Burma, which is the second largest producing nation after Afghanistan.
The Helmand valley region, to include
SistanSīstān is a border region in eastern Iran and southwestern Afghanistan . Sistan derives its name from 'Sakastan', which Sistan was once the westernmost part of. The Sakas that were once native to Sistan were driven to the Punjab during the Arsacid era...
in Iran, is mentioned by name in the
AvestaThe Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.-Etymology:The etymology of the term Avesta itself is uncertain, but a derivation from Middle Persian meaning "praise", is a frequently noted possibility.-Age of the texts:The texts of the...
(
Fargard 1:13) as
Haetumant, one of the early centers of the
ZoroastrianA Zoroastrian is an adherent to Zoroastrianism, the first monotheistic religion that is based on the teachings and philosophies of Zoroaster....
faith, in pre-Islamic Persian times. However, owing to the preponderance of non-Zoroastrians (Brahmans and Buddhists), the Helmand and Kabul regions were also known as "White India" in those days. Some Vedic scholars also believe the Helmand valley corresponds to the
SarasvatiThe Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata...
area mentioned in the
Rig Veda as the homeland for the
Indo-Aryan migrationModels of the Indo-Aryan migration discuss scenarios of prehistoric migrations of the early Indo-Aryans to their historically attested areas of settlement in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent and from there further across all of North India...
s into India, ca. 1500 BC.
The current governor is
Mohammad Golab MangalMohammad Golab Mangal is an Afghan politician, who has held a number of governorships over provinces since the 2001 invasion. He is said to be "one of the most accomplished governors to have served Afghanistan since 2001"...
(since March 2008).
Much of the fighting between
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
and Taliban forces is taking place in this province.
USAID programs
thumb
Helmand was the center of a U.S. development program in the 1960s – it was even nicknamed "little America". The program laid out tree-lined streets in Lashkar Gah, built a network of irrigation canals and constructed a large hydroelectric dam. The program was abandoned when the communists seized power in 1978.
More recently the American
USAIDThe United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid...
program has contributed to a counter-narcotics initiative called the Alternative Livelihoods Program (ALP) in the province. It pays communities to work to improve their environment and economic infrastructure as an alternative to
Opium poppyThe Opium Poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the type of poppy from which opium and many refined opiates, including morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine, are extracted. The binomial name means, loosely, the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to its narcotic properties. The seeds are...
farming. The project undertakes
drainageDrainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
and canal rehabilitation projects. In 2005 and 2006 there were problems in getting promised finance to communities and this is a source of considerable tension between the farmers and the Coalition forces.
Current military situation
It was announced on January 27 2006 in the
British ParliamentThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. It alone has parliamentary sovereignty, conferring upon it ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories...
that a
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
International Security Assistance ForceInternational Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security and development mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement.- Overview :...
(ISAF) would be replacing the US troops in the province as part of
Operation HerrickOperation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted since 2002. It consists of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and support to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom...
. The British 16th Air Assault Brigade would be the core of the force in Helmand Province. British bases are located in the towns of
SanginSangin is a town in Helmand province of Afghanistan, with population of approximately 14,000 people. It is located on in the valley of the Helmand River at 888 m altitude, 95 km to the north-east of Lashkar Gah. Sangin is notorious as one of the central locations of the opium trade in the south of...
, Lashkar Gah and
GereshkGereshk is a town in Gerishk District in Helmand province on the Helmand River in central Afghanistan, some 120 km northwest of Kandahar at 817 m altitude. Gereshk is the centre of a rich agricultural region with the Kajakai dam upriver diverting water to the Boghra Irrigation Canal...
.
As of Summer 2006, Helmand was one of the districts involved in
Operation Mountain ThrustOperation Mountain Thrust was a U.S. commanded, Canadian and U.S.-led operation in the Afghanistan campaign, with more than 2,300 U.S., 3,300 British troops, 2,200 Canadian troops, about 3,500 Afghan soldiers and large air support. The operation was the largest offensive since the fall of the...
, a combined NATO-Afghan mission targeted at Taliban fighters in the south of the country. In July 2006, this offensive mission essentially stalled in Helmand as NATO, primarily
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, and Afghan troops were forced to take increasingly defensive positions under heavy insurgent pressure. In response,
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
troop levels in the province were increased, and new encampments were established in
SanginSangin is a town in Helmand province of Afghanistan, with population of approximately 14,000 people. It is located on in the valley of the Helmand River at 888 m altitude, 95 km to the north-east of Lashkar Gah. Sangin is notorious as one of the central locations of the opium trade in the south of...
and
GerishkGereshk is a town in Gerishk District in Helmand province on the Helmand River in central Afghanistan, some 120 km northwest of Kandahar at 817 m altitude. Gereshk is the centre of a rich agricultural region with the Kajakai dam upriver diverting water to the Boghra Irrigation Canal...
. Fighting has been particularly heavy in the towns of
SanginSangin is a town in Helmand province of Afghanistan, with population of approximately 14,000 people. It is located on in the valley of the Helmand River at 888 m altitude, 95 km to the north-east of Lashkar Gah. Sangin is notorious as one of the central locations of the opium trade in the south of...
, Naway,
NawzadNawzad is a small town, the centre of Nawzad District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It is located at at an altitude of 1221 metres ASL.-Conflict:...
and
GarmsirThe village of Garmsir is the center of Garmsir District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It is situated on the East bank of Helmand River on at 714 m altitude and 63 km South-West of Lashkar Gah....
. There are reports that the Taliban see Helmand province as a key testing area for their ability to take and hold Afghan territory from
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
and
Afghan National ArmyThe Afghan National Army is a service branch of the Military of Afghanistan currently being trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the lead in land-based military operations in Afghanistan. Afghanistan's army was established in the 1880s when the nation was ruled by Emir Abdur Rahman...
troops . Commanders on the ground have described the situation as the most brutal conflict the British army has been involved in since the
Korean warThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
.
In Autumn 2006, British troops started to reach "cessation of hostilities" agreements with local Taliban forces around the district centres where they had been stationed earlier in the summer . Under the terms of the agreement, both sets of forces will withdraw from the conflict zone. This agreement from the British forces implies that the strategy of holding key bases in the district, as requested by
Hamid KarzaiHamid Karzai is the 12th President of Afghanistan, taking office in December 7, 2004. He became a prominent political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
, is essentially untenable with the current levels of British troop deployment. The agreement is also a setback for Taliban fighters, who were desperate to consolidate their gains in the province, but are under heavy pressure from various NATO offensives.
News reports identified the insurgents involved in the fighting as a mix of Taliban fighters and warring tribal groups who are heavily involved in the province's lucrative opium trade .
Fighting continued throughout the winter, with British and allied troops taking a more pro-active stance against the Taliban. Several operations were launched including the more recent Operation Silicone at the start of spring. On May 12, 2007,
MullahMullah/Mula/Molla is a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word mawla, meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...
Dadullah, one of the Taliban's top commanders, along with 11 of his men were killed by
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
and
AfghanAfghan may refer to:* Someone or something related to Afghanistan, see Demography of Afghanistan* Pashtun people, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and second largest ethnic group in Pakistan; see also Afghan...
forces in Helmand.
In July 2009, 4,000 U.S. Marines pushed into the Helmand River valley in a major offensive to liberate the area from Taliban combatants. The operation, dubbed Operation Khanjar, is the first major push since President Obama's request for 21,000 additional soldiers in
AfghanistanThe Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East...
, targeting the Taliban rebels.
Border with Pakistan
Helmand has a southern border with the
BalochistanBalochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by geographical area, constituting approximately 48% of the total area of Pakistan. At the 1998 census, Balochistan had a population of roughly 6.5 million. Its neighbouring regions are Iran to the west, Afghanistan and the North West Frontier...
province of
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
. Many domestic and international observers have criticized Pakistan's efforts towards securing the border against Taliban insurgents.
Cities
- Lashkar Gah
- Sangin
Sangin is a town in Helmand province of Afghanistan, with population of approximately 14,000 people. It is located on in the valley of the Helmand River at 888 m altitude, 95 km to the north-east of Lashkar Gah. Sangin is notorious as one of the central locations of the opium trade in the south of...
- Musa Qala
Musa Qala is a town and the district center of Musa Qala District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, at and at 1043 m altitude in the valley of Musa Qala River in the central western part of the district. Its population has been reported in the British press to be both 2,000 and 20,000...
Demographics
The population is 1,441,769 and the surface area is 58,584 square kilometres.
PashtunsPashtuns , also called Pathans or ethnic Afghans, are an Eastern Iranian ethno-linguistic group with populations primarily in Afghanistan and in the North-West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan...
are the majority, who are 92% of the population, and there are also
BalochsThe Baloch or Baluch are the majority ethnic inhabitants of the region of Balochistan in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia, including parts of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan....
who are concentrated in the south, as well as smaller minorities of Hazara,
BrahuiThe Brahui people or Brohi people are a Dravidian ethnic group of about 2.2 million people with the majority found in Kalat, Pakistan, but also found in smaller numbers in neighboring Afghanistan, India, and Iran. They are closely linked to the Baloch with whom they have substantially intermingled...
and Tajik, who live mostly in Lashkar Gah.
Districts
align=center style="background:#BFD7FF"| Districts of Helmand Province
| District |
Capital |
Population |
Area |
Notes |
| Baghran Baghran is the northernmost district in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Its population, which is 90% Pashtun and 10% Hazara, was estimated at 82,018 in 2002...
|
|
129,947 |
|
|
| Dishu Dishu is a district in the south of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan. Its population, which is 80% Pashtun and 20% Baloch, was estimated at 20,600 in 2002. The district centre is the village of Dishu; most of the settlements in the district are along the Helmand...
|
|
29,005 |
|
|
| Garmsir Garmsir District is located in the southern part of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The district is large, but all the villages are along the Helmand River. The rest is a desert. The population is 74,800 - 99% of them Pashtun and 1% Balouch. The district capital - Garmsir is located in the...
|
|
107,153 |
|
|
| Gerishk Gereshk District , also called Nahri Saraj, takes the name from its principal municipality of Gereshk town in Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan.-Location:...
|
|
166,827 |
|
also known as Nahri Saraj |
| Kajaki Kajaki is a district in the east of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Its population is by a vast majority Pashtun, and stood at 60,700 in 2005. The district centre is the village of Kajaki.-References:*, dated 2002-12-31, accessed 2006-08-03 ....
|
|
119,023 |
|
|
| Khanashin Reg District is situated in the southeastern part of Helmand Province, Afghanistan along the Helmand River on its western bank. The population is 22,400 . The main village is Khanashin....
|
|
17,333 |
|
|
| Lashkargah Lashkar Gah is a district in the east of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, surrounding the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah. Its population is 60% Pashtun and 20% Baluch, with smaller numbers of Uzbeks, Hindus and Hazara; the population was estimated at 85,800 in 2005. All the villages and the...
|
|
201,546 |
|
|
| Musa Qala Musa Qala is a district in the north of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.Its population, which is 100% Pashtun, was 50,300 in 2005. The district centre is the village of Musa Qala; there are 19 other large villages and 200 smaller settlements, mostly along the Musa Qala River.In a drive to stamp out...
|
Musa QalaMusa Qala is a town and the district center of Musa Qala District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, at and at 1043 m altitude in the valley of Musa Qala River in the central western part of the district. Its population has been reported in the British press to be both 2,000 and 20,000...
|
138,896 |
|
|
| Nad Ali Nad Ali is a district in the west of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Its population is approximately 80% Pashtun, 10% Hazara, 5% Tajik and 5% Baluch; the population was 100,500 in 2005. Much of the west of the district is unoccupied desert, with the vast bulk of people living in the east, near the...
|
|
235,590 |
|
|
| Nawa-I-Barakzayi Nawa-I-Barakzayi District is located south to the Lashkargah District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The villages are located along the rivers, where the irrigation is possible. The drought has affected this district also, especially the number of livestock...
|
|
89,814 |
|
|
| Nawzad Nawzad is a district in the north of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Its population, which is 100% Pashtun, was estimated at 51,170 in 2002. The district centre is the village of Nawzad; there are 14 other large villages and over 100 smaller settlements....
|
|
108,258 |
|
|
| Sangin Sangin is a district in the east of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Its population, which is 100% Pashtun, was 50,900 in 2005. The district centre is the town of Sangin.-References:*, dated 2002-12-01, accessed 2006-08-04 .-External links:*...
|
SanginSangin is a town in Helmand province of Afghanistan, with population of approximately 14,000 people. It is located on in the valley of the Helmand River at 888 m altitude, 95 km to the north-east of Lashkar Gah. Sangin is notorious as one of the central locations of the opium trade in the south of...
|
66,901 |
|
|
| Washir Washir is a district in the west of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Its population, which is 100% Pashtun, was 13,300 in 2005. The district centre is the village of Washir. It is under the control of the Taliban....
|
|
31,476 |
|
|
Politicians
- Asadullah Wafa
- Dad Mohammad Khan
Dad Mohammad Khan, locally known as Amir Dado, is a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Afghanistan representing the Helmand province...
- Sher Mohammed Akhundzada
Sher Mohammed Akhundzada is a tribal leader who was the governor of Helmand Province in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2005.- Background :He is from the Akhundzadas family in Helmand who played an important role from the very beginning of the conflict in the southwest...
- Engineer Mohammad Daoud
Engineer Mohammad Daoud was the governor of Helmand province in Afghanistan.Daoud was appointed in December 2005, and replaced in December 2006.-Appointment as Governor of Helmand:...
External links