Khōst ( ps, خوست) is the capital of

Khost Province Khost ( Pashto/ Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southeastern part of the country. Khost consists of thirteen districts and the city of Khost serves as the capital of the province. To the east, Khost Province is ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. It is the largest city in the southeastern part of the country, and also the largest in the region of

Loya Paktia Lōya Paktiā ( ps, لويه پکتيا; lit. Greater Paktia) is a historical and cultural region of Afghanistan, comprising the modern Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia, and Paktika, as well as parts of Logar

. To the south and east of Khost lie

Waziristan Waziristan (Pashto and ur, , "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Waziristan covers some . ...

and Kurram in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. Khost is the home of

Shaikh Zayed University Shaikh Zayed University (SZU; ps, ), also known as Khost University ( ps, ), is a public university in the city of Khost, southeastern Afghanistan. With its original name "Afghan University Peshawar", it was initially established in 2000 in Pe ...

. Khost Airport serves the city as well as the larger region surrounding the city. On 15 August 2021, Khost was seized by

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...

fighters, becoming the twenty-eighth provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of the wider

2021 Taliban offensive A military offensive by the Taliban insurgent group and other allied militants led to the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan based in Kabul and marked the end of the nearly 20-year-old War in Afghanistan, that had begun following the ...

Geography

Khost is located about 150 kilometres south of

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

. Khost lies on a plateau of minimally altitude that extends to the East for about until the Pakistan border. Thirty km to the North the peaks rise up to while farther South near the border, the average is around 1,800 m.

Climate

Khost has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''BSk'' though very close to qualifying as ''BSh''). Khost is located in the "Khost Bowl", a valley with lower elevation than the surrounding highlands. The geography afforded more moderate weather conditions. With a January average of , Khost has noticeably milder winters, compared to the much harsher and snowy winters of the surrounding higher towns to the north, west, and south (listed anticlockwise):

Parachinar Parachinar ( ps, پاړه چنار; ur, ) is a small Pashtun ( Turi and Bangash tribe) town which is the capital of Kurram District in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Parachinar is situated on a neck of Pakistani territory west ...

Tari Mangal Tari Mangal ( ps, تري منګل) is a town in the Kurram Valley at the Durand Line, near Spin Ghar, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. Tari Mangal is away from Parachinar, and from the town of Aryob in Zazi District, Afghanistan. The Pashtu ...

Aryob Aryob ( ps, اریوب) or Aryub is the main town of Zazi District in the Paktia Province of Afghanistan where the Zazi tribe of Pashtuns live.

Tsamkani Tsamkani ( ps, څمکني), also spelled Chamkani or Samkani, is the main town of Tsamkani District in Paktia Province, Afghanistan.

Khandkhel Khandkhel ( ps, خڼ خېل) or Khand Khil is a town in the Said Karam District of Paktia Province, Afghanistan. It is located 25 km to the northeast of Gardez, the capital of Paktia, and is 40 km to the southwest of Aryob. Climate Kh ...

Gardez , settlement_type =City , image_skyline =gardez_paktya.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption =The Bala Hesar fortress in the center of Gardez City , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_sea ...

Zurmat Zurmat ( ps, زرمت) is the main town of Zurmat District in Paktia Province, Afghanistan. Zurmat is the largest city of Paktia Province, while Zurmat District, with a population of 109,805, is also the most populous district of the province.

Sharana Sharana ( ps, ښرنه) or Sharan ( fa, شاران) is the capital of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It is located at an altitude of 2,200 meters. Its population was estimated to be 2,200 in 2006. The city of Sharana has a population of 15,651 ( ...

Zerok Zēṛōk ( ps, زېړوک) is the main town of Zerok District in Paktika Province, Afghanistan.Urgun Urgun ( ps, ارګون) is the main town of the Urgun District of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. With an estimated population of 10,665,Angur Ada,

Kaniguram Kānīgūram ( ps, کانيګورم) is a town in South Waziristan, Pakistan about 10 km south of the town of Ladha. Located within the heart of Mahsud land in Waziristan, Kaniguram is the principal place associated with the Ormur or Burki ...

, and

Razmak Razmak (Pashto and ur, ) is one of the three subdivisions of North Waziristan District in Pakistan, the other two being Mir Ali and Miran Shah. The inhabitants are almost exclusively Wazir Pashtuns, along with a few from the Mahsud tribe. The ...

. Nonetheless, frosts are still frequent in the early mornings. Most unusually for Afghanistan, Khost receives a substantial proportion of its annual rainfall of from the South Asian

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

. The valley being open to the southeast (towards the lower elevation

Miranshah Mīrānshāh (Pashto and ur, ) or Mīrāmshāh () is a small town that is the administrative headquarters of North Waziristan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Miranshah lies on the banks of the Tochi River in a wide valley surr ...

), the moisture-laden winds bring much welcomed rain during the summer. The remaining portion of the year Khost remains hot and dry. Sporadic

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

s occur when the summer monsoon fails to bring the needed precipitation.

Land use

Khost is the provincial administrative seat in eastern Afghanistan. Being close to the border with Pakistan, Khost straddles an important transport corridor. The eastern districts (1–3) are dotted with forests and residential settlements while the western districts (4–5) are more barren and lightly populated. Water courses account for 5% of total land surface.

History

Second Anglo-Afghan War

During the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

, British forces led by Lord Roberts entered Khost during the second British invasion of

during the conflict. Approximately 8,000 raiders from the Mangal tribe, which had a long tradition of resisting outside control, launched several attacks on weakly protected British supply

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

s in Khost. In

reprisal A reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of international law to punish another sovereign state that has already broken them. Since the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (AP 1), reprisals in the laws of war are extreme ...

, Lord Roberts ordered his forces to attack eleven Mangal villages which had launched raids that murdered several

camp follower Camp followers are civilians who follow armies. There are two common types of camp followers; first, the wives and children of soldiers, who follow their spouse or parent's army from place to place; the second type of camp followers have histori ...

s, resulting in them being sacked and burnt. Once news of the reprisals became known in Britain, his political opponents in the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

criticized Lord Robert's actions. At the end of the conflict, British forces withdrew from Khost.

Khost rebellions

Between 1856 and 1925, Khost was the site of three rebellions, lasting from 1856 to 1857, 1912, and 1924–1925 respectively.

Soviet–Afghan War

During the Soviet-Afghan War, Khost was the object of a siege that lasted for more than eight years. Soon after the invasion of Afghanistan by Soviet troops, Afghan

guerillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tacti ...

took control of the only land route between Khost and Gardez, effectively putting a stop to the Soviet advance. During the assault on the Zhawar Kili Cave complex, the Soviets used the

Khost Airfield , nativename-r = , image = , caption = , IATA = KHT , ICAO = OAKS , pushpin_map = Afghanistan , pushpin_map_caption = Location of airport in Afghanistan , pushpin_label = KHT , pushpin_label_position = right , type = Public , owner = ...

as an initial staging ground to insert troops into the combat zone, using Mil Mi-8 armed helicopter transport ships.

Civil war

As of April 1995, Khost was under the control of the

2001–2021 war in Afghanistan

Khost has been in American control since the 2001 US led invasion of Afghanistan. Due to its location in southeastern Afghanistan, it was a hotbed for insurgent activity attempting to dislodge the American forces there. Like most other provinces, Khost is home to maneuver forces and a

Provincial Reconstruction Team A Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) was a unit introduced by the United States government, consisting of military officers, diplomats, and reconstruction subject matter experts, working to support reconstruction efforts in unstable states. PRT ...

(PRT). Maneuver forces wage war against insurgents and assist the Afghan National Army and the

Afghan National Police The Afghan National Police (ANP; ps, د افغانستان ملي پولیس; prs, پلیس ملی افغانستان), is the national police force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, serving as a single law enforcement agency all across ...

in operations, while the PRT handles the reconstruction aspects. In early 2007, Lieutenant Colonel Scottie Custer of the 82nd Airborne Division saw that the best way to limit insurgent activity in Khost was to forward-deploy some 187

paratroopers A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...

under his command to Force Protection Facilities in Khost's various district centers around sub-governors' mansions, to directly protect these, maintain a visible presence in population centers, and help mentor Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police units operating across Khost. The FPFs brought a broader sense of security and prosperity to surrounding areas. Bazaars, shops, and gas stations have improved the quality of life for local residents. The Mandozai Force Protection Facilities in Khost include a

medical clinic Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

attached to further assist Afghans in need of basic medical assistance. The offices of Khost's various sub-governors had experienced an increased activity as Afghans went there to settle disputes and voice concerns instead of going through traditional tribal channels and bribes, cutting down on sectarian suspicion and strife. Throughout 2007 and 2008 roads had been improved, businesses were springing up and schools were being built, at least 50 in 2007 alone with another 25 planned for 2008. A new airport was under construction as the Khost Airfield was used by the

US Military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six Military branch, service branches: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States N ...

, creating new opportunities and jobs. The

, led by CDR David Adams was instrumental in connecting the people to the government in Khost City, by ensuring the PRT was able to execute over $2.5 million under the Commanders Emergency Response Program (CERP). On 12 May 2009, several teams of armed militants stormed Khost, prompting a heavy 6-hour battle with US and Afghan National Army forces. Reportedly the attack involved 10

suicide bombers A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

, of whom seven were able to detonate and three were shot by security forces. Coalition Forces, aided by the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police, took the lead in repelling the attack. On 30 December 2009, a suicide bomber attacked Forward Operating Base Chapman, a major

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

base in Khost, and killed seven CIA officers, including the chief of the base. On 18 February 2011, a suicide car bomber targeted a police checkpoint and killed 11 people.

2021–present

On 22 June 2022, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurred near the city causing at least 1,000 deaths.

Demographics

The urban population of the city of Khost is 106,083 (in 2015), mostly

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

(mainly from the tribes of Zadran,

Mangal Mangal Rajgan (or Manghal, Mangla) is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name *Mangal (singer), Afghan singer *Mangal Bagh (born 1973), Pakistani militant leader *Mangal Dhillon, Indian actor ...

Zazi The Zazi ( ps, ځاځي; plur. ځاځی), also spelled Zazai, or Jaji, is a Karlani Afghan tribe. They are found in Paktia and Khost provinces in the Loya Paktia region of southeastern Afghanistan, as well as Kurram Valley of Pakistan, but als ...

, Tani, Gurbuz, Muqbal, Sabari, and Wazir), living in 11,787 dwellings, arranged in six municipal districts. Khost has a population of 511,600 people in 2008. In the province, there are 87,199 households, with an average of eight individuals per home. Rural districts are home to 98 percent of the population. Pashtuns are the province's most populous ethnic group. Zadran, Mangal, Mandozi, Ismaiel Khil, Tani, Gubuz, Matoon, Lakan, Jaji, Sabari, Alishir Terizi, and Babakker Khil are among the prominent tribes. 99 percent of the communities speak Pashtu. Dari is spoken in two settlements with a total population of about 1,000 people. Kuchis (nomads) live in Khost province, and their numbers fluctuate depending on the season. 75 percent of the 104,965 Kuchis living in Khost are long-distance migratory, while 25% are settled. Over half of the colony of long-distance migratory Kuchis migrates from a winter to a summer location. In the winter, an estimated 74,179 people cross the border, bringing Khost's Kuchi population to 179,144, making it the country's second-largest Kuchi province (after Nangarhar).

Security

On 20 November 2009 a bomb killed 3 civilians and wounded 3 others as a car hit a roadside bomb in Khost City. According to the chief of criminal investigation the act was perpetrated by the Taliban. On 24 November 2009, according to the Afghan Ministry of Interior, 6 people, including 5 children were killed when a remote control bomb attacked a water station in Khost which had been built by the Rural Rehabilitation Ministry to distribute water to the locals. On 14 July 2011, according to a spokesman for the provincial government, NATO ground troops killed six civilians in a night raid of the village of Toora Worai, in an area known as Matoon, about seven kilometres from the Khost provincial capital of Khost city.

Sport

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

is growing in popularity in Khost, with the sport being introduced by newly returned refugees from

spinner

Mujeeb Ur Rahman Mujeeb Ur Rahman Zadran ( ps, مجیب الرحمن ځدراڼ; born 28 March 2001) is an Afghan cricketer, who plays for the Afghanistan national cricket team. Two months after his international debut, at the age of 16 years and 325 days, he b ...

, and

batsman In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball, ball with a cricket bat, bat to score runs (cricket), runs and prevent the dismissal (cricket), loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since Septembe ...

Noor Ali Noor Ali Zadran (Pashto: نور علی ځدراڼ; born 10 July 1988) is an Afghan cricketer. Ali is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who plays for the Afghanistan national cricket team. He cites Ricky Ponting as his ...

, as well as

Nawroz Mangal Nawroz Mangal (born Nawroz Khan Mangal) (نوروز خان منګل ; born 28 November 1984) is a former Afghanistan cricketer. Mangal is former captain of the Afghanistan national cricket team and also famous for leading Afghanistan to prestig ...

, the former captain of Afghanistan Cricket Team hail from Khost.

Dawlat Zadran Dawlat Zadran ( ps, ; born 19 March 1988) is an Afghan cricketer. Zadran is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm fast. He was born in Paktia Province. Career Zadran made his List A debut for Afghanistan when they became the first side t ...

, the Afghan Cricket paceman who grabbed two crucial wickets against Pakistan (in 1st International One Day against Full Member), is also from Khost. In football, Khost and the surrounding region is represented by De Abasin Sape F.C, in the

Afghan Premier League The Afghan Premier League (APL), also known as Rahmani Foundation Afghan Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional men's soccer league run by the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF). It is the country's primary competition for t ...

. ;Professional sports teams from Khost

Stadiums

Khost Cricket Stadium Khost Cricket Stadium ( ps, د خوست کريکټ لوبغالی) or Loya Paktia Cricket Stadium () is a cricket stadium in Khost, Afghanistan. The stadium was inaugurated on 30 December 2016, with more than 50,000 spectators present in the inau ...

, constructed with financial support from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The inauguration of the stadium also included an exhibitory match which witnessed a record crowd for any sport played in Afghanistan. * Khost City Ground, a multi-purpose stadium in Khost for football and other sports.Pashtunforums.com

Notable Sport Players

Noor Ali Zadran Noor Ali Zadran (Pashto: نور علی ځدراڼ; born 10 July 1988) is an Afghan cricketer. Ali is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who plays for the Afghanistan national cricket team. He cites Ricky Ponting as his ...

* Mujeeb Zadran *

Rahmanullah Gurbaz Rahmanullah Gurbaz ( ps, رحمان الله ګربز; born 28 November 2001) is an Afghan cricketer. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in September 2019. His father and mother are of Gurbaz tribe from Afghanistan. In January 2021, ...

Fazal Niazai Fazal Niazai (born 1 February 1990) is an Afghan cricketer. He made his international debut for the Afghanistan cricket team in September 2019. He is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace. Domestic career Niyazai made his Twenty ...

Ibrahim Zadran Ibrahim Zadran ( ps, ابراهیم ځدراڼ; born 12 December 2001) is an Afghan cricketer. He made his Test match debut for the Afghanistan cricket team in September 2019. Domestic career He made his List A debut for Mis Ainak Region in t ...

Notes

References

* ''Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire'', by Chalmers Johnson,

External links

* , February 11, 2018, Independent Directorate of local Governance (IDLG).
Official website of Khost
(Pashto) {{Authority control Cities in Afghanistan Populated places in Khost Province Provincial capitals in Afghanistan Populated places with period of establishment missing