Kapisa Province
Kapisa
کاپیسا | |
---|---|
UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Time) | |
Postal code | 12xx |
ISO 3166 code | AF-KAP |
Main languages | Dari Pashto |
Kapisa (Dari/Pashto: کاپيسا) is the smallest of Afghanistan's thirty-four provinces and is located in the north-east of the country. It has an estimated population of 496,840 people [2] and an area of 1,842 km2 (711 sq mi), making it the most densely populated province apart from Kabul Province.[3] It borders Panjshir Province to the north, Laghman Province to the east, Kabul Province to the south and Parwan Province to the west. Mahmud-i-Raqi is the provincial capital, while the most populous city and district of Kapisa is Nijrab.
History
The earliest references to Kapisa appear in the writings of fifth century BCE Indian scholar
Archeological discoveries in 1939 confirmed that the city of Kapisa was an emporium for Kapiśayana wine, bringing to light numerous glass flasks, fish-shaped wine jars, and drinking cups typical of the wine trade of the era.[9] The grapes (Kapiśayani Draksha) and wine (Kapiśayani Madhu) of the area are referred to in several works of ancient Indian literature.[10] The epic Mahabharata also mentions the common practice of slavery in the city.[11]
Based on the account of the Chinese pilgrim
Xuanzang notes the Shen breed of horses from the area, and also notes the production of many types of cereals and fruits, as well as a scented root called Yu-kin.Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and the Mauryan Empire
The Kapisa province territory fell to the Maurya Empire, which was led by Chandragupta Maurya. The Mauryas promoted both Buddhism and Hinduism to the region which was entirely Hindu for all its history till then, and were planning to capture more territory of Central Asia when they decimated local Greco-Bactrian forces and the chief general of Alexander Seleucus. Seleucus is said to have reached a peace treaty with Chandragupta by giving his daughter in marriage, control of the territory south of the Hindu Kush to the Mauryas and 500 elephants.
Alexander took these away from the Aryans and established settlements of his own, but lasted only a decade before Seleucus Nicator gave them to Sandrocottus (Chandragupta), upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange 500 elephants.[13]
— Strabo, 64 BCE – 24 CE
Some time after, as he was going to war with the generals of Alexander, a wild elephant of great bulk presented itself before him of its own accord, and, as if tamed down to gentleness, took him on its back, and became his guide in the war, and conspicuous in fields of battle. Sandrocottus, having thus acquired a throne, was in possession of India, when Seleucus was laying the foundations of his future greatness; who, after making a league with him, and settling his affairs in the east, proceeded to join in the war against Antigonus. As soon as the forces, therefore, of all the confederates were united, a battle was fought, in which Antigonus was slain, and his son Demetrius put to flight.[14]
Having consolidated power in the northwest, Chandragupta pushed east towards the
Recent history
Just like the rest of
Prior to 2012, French forces were complemented by U.S. forces through
By August 2008 the French mission was facing serious challenges. A shocking ambush in Surobi, the district of Kabul Province they were responsible for patrolling, killed 10 French troops.[19] The Surobi massacre spurred a larger debate in France about the war.[citation needed] After taking over from the U.S., which exercised partial control over the province for several years beforehand, the French continued to follow the U.S.-led approach of sending troops through an area to kill or chase away militants.[citation needed] Like the American military, the French never developed a solid plan for consolidating their victories and building on successes – which left many areas of Kapisa in a constant tug-of-war between the French and the insurgents.[citation needed][20]
In early 2009, French forces embarked on a significant campaign which aimed to retake an eastern
In late 2009, the province saw an influx of ISAF forces as the French elevated their presence from a Battalion-strength Task Force under Task Force Korrigan (Groupement tactique interarmes de Kapisa) to a Brigade-strength Task Force under Task Force Lafayette (Brigade La Fayette). At the same time, the Kapisa PRT, formerly the Parwan-Kapisa PRT, relocated from Bagram Airbase to FOB Morales-Frazier, focusing exclusively on operations in the Kapisa Province for the following three years.
The French military's growing frustration with their inability to make progress[according to whom?] resulted in tensions with the Afghans they were meant to support. These tensions stemmed in large part from the challenge of the overall ISAF missions to build support for the legitimate government of Afghanistan with the realities of the dysfunctional local government within Kapisa. The provincial governor, Ghulam Qawis Abubaker, was widely viewed as corrupt and was accused by contractors and district officials of funding insurgent elements in order to keep Kapisa unstable enough to keep PRT dollars coming into the province at higher levels, which in turn would widen the corruption problem. In 2010, the governor himself would be removed and charged by ISAF with corruption, though the Karzai administration would later refuse to prosecute the case.[23] U.S. forces, including the PRT, also believed the Governor himself was responsible for the killing of the Panjsher PRT Commander in May 2009 (believing the Kapisa PRT commander to be the true objective) and of escalating attacks in northern Kapsia in Fall 2009 aimed at both PRT and French convoys as the counterinsurgency effort during this period shifted to Tagab and Alasay.[24]
For much of the period leading up to this, the French forces, ISAF, and the U.S. PRT differed in strategies for dealing with the problem and whom to deal with among the Afghan population, eventually seeking out district-level shura approaches to fund projects at the community level and alleviate the concerns villagers had with existing projects and bypassing the provincial leadership.[25] This strategy continued to gain support across the coalition elements as provincial officials were being arrested[26] for having ties to the insurgency.[27]
When a bombing in central district of Nijrab killed four French soldiers in June 2012,[28][29] within France the bombing resonated deeply: while President Hollande had before indicated that he might keep some French troops in the country to help with the training mission, he later announced a full withdrawal by July. France being the fifth largest contributor to NATO's ISAF coalition, with nearly 3,300 soldiers, began its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in July and completed it by the end of the 2012. Kapisa transitioned to Afghan government control in third of the five-phase transfers. Withdrawing French troops by the end of 2012 had been one of President Hollande's election pledges. The date meant that French forces left the country two years before the main scheduled NATO withdrawal.[30]
The early French withdrawal had led some to speculate that Kapisa will become a security vacuum just outside Kabul. This would be no small matter: the "ring of steel" that surrounds Afghanistan's capital has been broken
A transition ceremony for Kapisa Province was held July 4, 2012, formalizing the symbolic transfer of responsibility of the province from ISAF to Afghan authorities as part of the transition process in the province launched May 13, 2012; the Afghan security forces began to take the lead since autumn 2011. However the insurgency still remained active in Tagab and Alasay districts.[33]
Some clashes have been reported in the province since the
Geography
Kapisa province is located 80 km (50 mi) northeast of
Politics and security
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The districts of Kohistan, Mahmud Raqi, and Kohband districts, all of which are Jamiat-i Islami and almost all Tajik, were targeted zones of interest for the insurgency. Because they are close enough to Kabul, the militants count attacks there as attacks in Kabul. Whilst the districts of Tagab, Alasay and Nijrab are Hizb-i Islami Gulbuddin supporters and are a mixture of Pashtuns, Tajiks and Pashai. The importance of Kapisa comes as it lies along the approach to the Panjshir River valley and most of the major Jamiat figures have managed to secure wealth and power in the post-2001 Afghanistan, while most of the HiG figures have not. As a result, most of the violence in the area is not actually "Taliban" as we would normally consider it, but HiG fighters (and in a lot of cases petty thugs) calling themselves Taliban.
In July 2007 Abdul Sattar Murad, was removed from office by President Hamid Karzai, and his replacement was Ghulam Qawis Abubaker. The ostensible reason for Murad's removal was 'ineffective governance', but it was widely believed by press sources that Murad was removed because of critical comments he made in a Newsweek interview regarding the central government's ineffectiveness in remote areas of the province.[38][39]
Insurgent activity in the province increased in 2006 and 2007. Southern areas of the province, in particular the
On January 19, 2009, coalition military forces led a raid near the village of Inzeri in the
On 17 November 2009, Taliban insurgents fired rockets on a bazaar in Tagab district where French forces were meeting with tribal elders, killing 10 Afghan civilians and wounding 28.[42]
Kapisa is seen as an important piece of property in the war against insurgency in the country, the province has been called "the gateway to Kabul", it is viewed as an important area even as small as it is. A densely packed, multiethnic enclave in steep valleys surrounded by tall mountains. It has unique ethnicities like the Pashai and Parachi, unique Pashtuns like the Safi, and many Tajik dominated areas.
Kapisa has been the site of several failed attempts at counterinsurgency since 2005. There have been at least two special operations sweeps through the area, and at least three major Coalition efforts to clear and hold territory. The province of Kapisa is an area that constitutes an invisible boundary between a zone to the west and north where the population is Tajik, and generally hostile to the Taliban, and the steep-sided valleys to the south-east dominated by the Pashtun and Pashai people, where there is a lot of rebel activity. This ethnic split lies at the heart of the Kapisa insurrection. Mahmud-i-Raqi, capital of Kapisa Province is Tajik dominated, where there are more fighters who fought with Massoud than there are Taliban sympathizers. Their staunch anti-Taliban stance is not the norm in this province – especially in the Tagab or Alasay districts. The Province a complex political and ethnic arena, where there is a lot of ambiguity towards foreign troops. Kapisa represents an allegory of the fractured and elusive Afghanistan.
2010 Wolesi Jirga elections
Kapisa is allocated four seats in the Wolesi Jirga, Afghanistan's lower house of Parliament, one of which is reserved for female candidates. In the 2010 Wolesi Jirga contest 45,271 votes were cast in the province. Only one incumbent candidate, Mohammad Iqbal Safai was re-elected, coming in second place in the contest. Mirdad Khan Nijrabi came in first place in the contest, Agha Jan come in third, and Tahira Mujadidi, the winning female candidate, came in fourth.[43]
Districts
District | District Center | Population (2022) | Area | Pop. density (2022) | Ethnicity[44] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alasay | 42,780 | 327 | 131 | 60% Pashayi in the upper half of the district and 40% Pashtuns in its lower half. | ||
Hesa Awal Kohistan | 76,925 | 88 | 872 | Tajiks | Created in 2005 within Kohistan District | |
Hesa Duwum Kohistan | 50,885 | 38 | 1,346 | Tajiks | Created in 2005 within Kohistan District | |
Koh Band | 26,572 | 163 | 163 | Pashayi | ||
Mahmud Raqi | Mahmud-i-Raqi | 72,716 | 173 | 422 | 70% Tajiks and 30% Pashtuns | |
Nijrab | Nijrab | 127,013 | 594 | 214 | 80% Tajiks, 14% Pashtuns and 6% Pashayi | |
Tagab |
Tagab | 91,407 | 497 | 184 | 90% Pashtuns and 10% Pashayi | |
Kapisa | 488,298 | 1,908 | 256 | 57.4% Tajiks, 28.5% Pashtuns, 14.1% Pashayi.[note 1] |
- ^ Note: "Predominantely" or "dominated" is interpreted as 99%, "majority" as 70%, "mixed" as 1/(number of ethnicities), "minority" as 30% and "few" or "some" as 1%.
Demographics
As of 2021, the population of the province is around 495,028 people.
Economy
Agriculture is the largest portion of the economy. One particular crop, saffron, has been introduced as a major trade commodity in the province.
Once a week, a trade day (called a
Kapisa is primarily a farming province. Agriculture, livestock, and trade and services account for the majority of commercial activity. Agriculture is a significant source of income for 62% of households. However, commerce and services provide income to 32 percent of rural households, while non-farm-related labor provides income to 35 percent of rural households. Cotton, sesame, tobacco, confection, honey, karakul skin, and sugar sweets appear to be the most common industrial goods produced in this area.
Despite the fact that the number of villages engaged in handcraft production is more than five times that of villages engaged in industries, overall production remains low. Carpets, pottery, and jewelry are three handicrafts that stand out. In the province, 96% of households have access to irrigated land, while 7% of rural households have access to rain-fed land. Wheat, maize, and barley are the most important field crops. Poultry, cattle, oxen, sheep, and goats are the most frequent livestock.[48]
Sport
The province is represented in Afghan domestic cricket tournaments by the Kapisa Province cricket team.
Education
Kapisa is home to Al-Beroni University, named after the Islamic scholar Al-Biruni who was from this region. The University offers programs in Agriculture, Engineering, Islamic Studies, Law, Medicine and Literature and is located in Kohistan district, the university was built by Ahmad Shah Massoud.
The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) fell from 39% in 2005 to 31% in 2011.[49] The overall net enrolment rate (6–13 years of age) fell from 60% in 2005 to 55% in 2011.[49]
In Kapisa Province, the general literacy rate is 39 percent; however, although 53 percent of men are literate, only 23% of women are. 60 percent of youngsters aged six to thirteen are enrolled in school. There were 112,544 pupils enrolled in the 181 elementary, intermediate, and high schools in 2008. Boys made for 66% of students, while boys' schools accounted for 51% of all schools. In the schools, there were 3,657 instructors, with 12 percent of them being female. With one university and a teacher training college, the province also provides a number of higher education options.[50]
Health
The percentage of households with clean drinking water fell from 27% in 2005 to 15% in 2011.[49] The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant fell from 12% in 2005 to 7% in 2011.[49]
In 2008, the Kapisa Province has 24 health clinics and two hospitals with a total capacity of 110 beds. According to data from 2008, the Ministry of Health employs 34 doctors and 154 other health professionals in the province. There are 72 pharmacies in the province. The majority of villages do not have a permanent health worker. Nearly half of the population must travel more than 10 kilometers to reach the nearest health center.[51]
Notable people
- Mir Masjidi Khan
- Baktash Siawash (born 1983), politician
See also
- Provinces of Afghanistan
- Alexandria of the Caucasus
- Kapisa Women's Center
Footnotes
- ^ "په کاپیسا ولایت کې له واش پروژې څخه د افغاني سرې میاشتې ټولنې د رئیس لیدنه! | ARCS". arcs.af.
- ^ a b c "Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2021-22" (PDF). nsia.gov.af. National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA). April 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ "Afghanistan Provinces". Statoids.com. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ Ashtadhyayia Sutra IV.2.99.
- ISBN 978-0-8160-5761-0.
- ^ Sutra IV.2.29.
- ^ Dr S. Chattopadhyaya 1974: 58; India as Known to Panini, 1953, p. 71, Dr V. S. Aggarwala; Foreign Elements in Ancient Indian Society, 2nd Century BC to 7th Century AD, 1979, p. 86, Dr Uma Prasad Thapliyal.
- ^ See: Notes on Indian coins and Seals, Part IV, E. J. Rapson in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 1905, p 784, (Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland).
- ^ A Grammatical Dictionary of Sanskrit (Vedic): 700 Complete Reviews of the Best Books for ..., 1953, p 118, Dr Peggy Melcher, Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala, Surya Kanta, Jacob Wackernagel, Arthur Anthony Macdonell.
- ^ Cultural History of Ancient India: A Socio-economic and Religio-cultural Survey of Kapisa and ... , 1979, p 29, Jaya Goswami; India as Known to Pāṇini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashṭādhyāyī, 1953, 118, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala
- ^ Mahabharata 2.48.7.; Tribes in the Mahabharata: A Socio-cultural Study, 1987, pp. 94 ,314, Krishna Chandra Mishra - Mahābhārata; Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p. 44, Dr Moti Chandra - India
- ^ Su-kao-seng-chaun, Chapter 2, (no. 1493); Kai-yuan-lu, chapter 7; Publications, 1904, pp. 122–123, published by Oriental Translation Fund (Editors Dr T. W. Rhys Davis, S. W. Bushel, London, Royal Asiatic Society).
- ^ Dupree, Nancy Hatch; Kuhzād, Aḥmad ʻAlī (1972). "An Historical Guide to Kabul - The Name". American International School of Kabul. Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
- ^ Historiarum Philippicarum libri XLIV, XV.4.19
- ISBN 81-208-0372-8. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "US shutting down PRT's in Afghanistan". wadsam.com. 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
- ^ "DVIDS - News - PRT Kapisa works toward legacy of sustainment". Dvidshub.net. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ Allen, Peter (2008-08-19). "10 French soldiers killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ "French troops died after Italy stopped bribing local Taliban, Times reports - AFGHANISTAN". FRANCE 24. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ "In Alasay Valley, the Fight Continues —". Registan.net. 2009-04-09. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ Foust, Joshua (2010-01-28). "Checking Up on Kapisa —". Registan.net. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ "Afghanistan government corruption remains despite President Karzai's pledge to root out graft probes". NY Daily News. Associated Press. 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
- ^ al Habib, Maria (2012-04-01). "U.S. Blames Senior Afghan in Deaths". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
- ^ "Talibanistan". National Geographic. 2011-07-01. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2014-05-07 – via YouTube.
- ^ Foust, Joshua (2010-02-07). "Possibly, Kapisa Insurgent Figure Detained —". Registan.net. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ Rubin, Alissa J. (2010-10-13). "French General Mixes Formula for a Bit of Afghan Calm". The New York Times.
- ^ Miglani, Sanjeev (2012-06-09). "Veiled suicide bomber kills four French soldiers in Afghanistan". Reuters. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ Matlack, Carol (2012-06-09). "France Confirms Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal Plan, AFP Reports". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ "AFP: French minister in Afghanistan after deaths". 2012-06-10. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ Sarwary, Bilal (2012-04-16). "BBC News - Analysis: What Kabul attacks say about Afghan security". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ "What Happens When French Troops Leave Afghanistan? - All News Is Global". Worldcrunch.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-25. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ "How France lost Afghanistan | Need to Know". PBS. 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ Kohzad, Nilly (2021-12-15). "What Does the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan Have to Offer?". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
- ^ "Three killed in gunmen clashes with Taliban in NE Afghanistan". Mehr News Agency. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Heavy losses to Taliban in Kapisa as Afghan resistance counterattacks". Hindustan Times. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Welcome - Program for Culture and Conflict Studies - Naval Postgraduate School" (PDF).
- ^ Ephron, Dan (July 13, 2007). "The Government Cannot Deliver". e-Ariana. Ariana Media. Newsweek. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ "South Asia | Afghan governor removed from post". BBC News. 2007-07-16. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ "Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Rubin, Alissa J. "Taliban Militants Fire Rockets on Crowded Bazaar Northeast of Kabul". Afghanemb-canada.net.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Kapisa | 2010 Wolesi Jirga Elections". 2010.afghanistanelectiondata.org. 2010-11-24. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ Foust, Joshua (31 March 2009). "Ethnic makeup of Kapisa". Fao.org. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ AREU "The Afghan Research Newsletter" Issue 25. April/May 2010
- ^ "Afghanistan's Provinces - Kapisa" (PDF). nps.edu.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
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- ^ "Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Handbook": 132.
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Further reading
External links
Media related to Kapisa Province at Wikimedia Commons
- راپورتاژ امنیتی کاپیسا on YouTube (RTADari, Nov. 28, 2022)