Takhar Province

"Takhar" redirects here. For other uses, see Takhar (disambiguation).

Takhār (Persian: تخار) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It was established in 1964 when Qataghan Province was divided into three provinces: Baghlan, Kunduz and Takhar. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Taloqan. Its salt mines are one of Afghanistan's major mineral resources. General Mohammed Daud Daud, the Deputy Minister of the Interior for Counter Narcotics in Afghanistan before he was killed, was a former governor of the Takhar province. The current governor is Abdul Jabbar Taqwa.

Takhar also holds notoriety as the location where Afghan mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated on September 9, 2001 by suspected al-Qaeda agents.

The major ethnic groups in the province are Uzbeks and Tajiks followed by Pashtuns and Hazara, and also has a population of Kuchis whose numbers vary in different seasons. Since the people of Takhar take revange on Pashtuns for the crimes the Taliban (mainly Pashtuns) did to non-Pashtuns, the number of Pashtuns decreases like in some other districts and provinces of northern Afghanistan.

Districts of Takhar.

Districts

Districts of Takhar Province

District	Capital	Population	Area	Notes
Baharak		40,902		Created in 2005 within Taluqan District
Bangi		28,197
Chah Ab		64,151
Chal		24,596
Darqad		25,771
Dashti Qala		35,347		Created in 2005 within Khwaja Ghar District
Farkhar		37,864
Hazar Sumuch		9,774		Created in 2005 within Taluqan District
Ishkamish		51,153
Kalafgan		28,122
Khwaja Baha Wuddin		26,280		Created in 2005 within Yangi Qala District
Khwaja Ghar		44,909		Sub-divided in 2005
Namak Ab		11,563		Created in 2005 within Taluqan District
Rustaq		132,315
Taluqan		194,471		Sub-divided in 2005
Warsaj		33,506
Yangi Qala		39,398		Sub-divided in 2005

Taliban insurgency

In a small incident in July 2008, the Afghans police killed Taliban militia commander Mullah Usman when several armed militants under his command raided a police checkpoint in the Kalafgan district. This was the first time since the fall of Taliban regime in 2001 that the Taliban engaged police in this thusfar relatively peaceful province. Mullah Usman was the most senior Taliban commander in the northeast region of Afghanistan, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry.

In May 2009, Taliban insurgents fighting Afghan government attacked the Baharak district in Takhar province.

A suicide bombing on May 28, 2011, killed Mohammed Daud Daud and injured Governor Taqwa. Several German soldiers and Afghans were also killed.

External links

• Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): An Historical Guide to Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1970. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization. [1]
• http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Afghanistan/East/Takhar/ (A beautiful gallery of pictures of Takhar province)