Провинция Вардак: история, экономика и текущая ситуация

Province of Afghanistan
This province has a good harvest of Apples. In 2021, the Taliban gained control of the province during the 2021 Taliban offensive.

During the communist times, the people of Maidan Wardak never gave significant support to the communist government. Wardak Province was significant during the Civil War in Afghanistan, due to its proximity to Kabul and its agricultural lands. Hezb e Wahdat had a significant presence in the area. Most of the area was captured by the Taliban around winter 1995. In October 2017, US Forces from elements of the 1st Battalion 87th Infantry Regiment and 10th Special Operations Group launched an offensive to wrest the province from Taliban control. On 21 January 2019, a Taliban attack on a military base and police training center in the province resulted in 125 NDS officers killed. At least 30 people were reported to be injured. The attack came during a time of intense daily violence throughout the country.

Maidan Wardak province is located in the central and eastern region of Afghanistan; bordering Parwan to the northeast, Kabul and Logar to the east, Ghazni to the south and Bamyan to the west. The capital of Wardak province is Maidan Shar, which is located about 35 km from Kabul. Wardak province covers an area of 9,934 km2. It is mountainous like the rest of the country with plains and many valleys, such as the Tangi Valley. The majority of its residents live in rural areas. The most heavily populated areas are along the Kabul–Kandahar Highway. The rest of the province is thinly populated, with villages concentrated in areas with available irrigation and water sources (CSO and UNFPA, 2003). Famous passes include the Unai Pass and the Hajigak Pass.

In terms of industry, one marble factory is working in the province, and there are marble mines in the provincial center and Sayed Abad District although no mining is currently undertaken there due to the government ban. The majority of commercial activity in Maidan Shahr. Wardak is related to trade in agricultural and livestock products, although stone quarrying is also a growing business in the area. The people from Maidan Shahr are also experts in karez cleaning and repair and go to other parts of the country for this purpose. In Wardak, there are many natural resources like petroleum, iron, rubies, and emeralds. Agriculture is a major source of revenue for 43% of households in Maidan Wardak province. Four fifths (79%) of rural households own or manage agricultural land or garden plots in the province. However, nearly a quarter (24%) of households in the province derive income from trade and services, and around half (45%) of households earn some income through non farm related labor.

The overall literacy rate in Maidan Wardak province is 25%. There are around 251 primary and secondary schools in the province catering for 105,358 students. There are 2909 teachers teaching in these schools.

As of 2021, the total population of Maidan Wardak province is about 671,817.

Districts of Maidan Wardak provinceDistrictCapitalPopulationPop. densityNotesChaki Wardak Chaki Wardak 95,392 1,153 83 Predominantely Pashtuns. Day Mirdad Miran 35,075 976 36 63% Pashtuns, 37% Hazaras. Hisa I Awali Bihsud 41,850 1,406 30 Majority Hazaras, minority Pashtun Kuchis. Jaghatu 51,682 595 87 100% Pashtuns. Shifted from Ghazni Province in 2005. Jalrez 59,920 1,182 51 Majority Hazaras, minority Pashtuns, few Tajiks. Markazi Bihsud Behsud 134,852 3,616 37 Predominantly Hazaras. Maidan Shar Maidan Shar 45,787 211 217 85% Pashtuns, 14% Tajiks, 1% Hazaras. Nirkh 64,436 530 122 80% Pashtuns, 15% Tajiks, 5% Hazaras. Saydabad Saydabad 131,264 1,130 116 Predominantely Pashtuns. Wardak660,25810,3486463.9% Pashtuns (62.0% Pashtun tribes, 1.9% Kochis), 33.5% Hazaras, 2.5% Tajiks.