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65-501: The province contains about 18 districts , over 1,000 villages, and approximately 1,431,876 people (the 6th most populous province), which is mostly tribal and a rural society. The main inhabitants of Kandahar province are the ethnic Pashtuns . They are followed by the Baloch people , Tajiks , Uzbeks , Turkmens and Hazaras . There is speculation revolving around the origin of the name "Kandahar". The name Kandahar ( Sanskrit : कंधार )

130-416: A NATO forces base. These western forces (mostly Polish Armed Forces ) were hunting Taliban and al-Qaida militants, who were active in the area. Like many southern Afghan provinces, Ghazni has a precarious security situation. The Taliban insurgents are found in the rural areas outside of the capital, and are involved in attacks on provincial schools and government infrastructure. The province has avoided

195-884: A diploma . Almost 150 educational institutes were closed in the past, according to the education ministry. Some of the well known public schools in Kandahar are Ahmad Shah Baba High School, Mahmud Tarzi High School, Mirwais Hotak High School, Nazo Ana High School, Shah Mahmud Hotak High School, and Zarghuna Ana High School. Private schools include Afghan Turk High Schools . Districts of Afghanistan The districts of Afghanistan , known as wuleswali ( Pashto : ولسوالۍ , wuləswāləi ; Persian : ولسوالی , wuləswālī ), are secondary-level administrative units, one level below provinces . The Afghan government issued its first district map in 1973. It recognized 325 districts, counting wuleswalis (districts), alaqadaries (sub-districts), and markaz-e-wulaiyat (provincial center districts). In

260-465: A Taliban-claimed shooting. The vote eventually took place, peacefully. In 2021, as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan , a Taliban offensive started taking over Afghanistan. On May 1, the U.S. withdrew from Kandahar, and the Taliban started taking nearby districts to Kandahar city. The fighting displaced 150,000 people living nearby. They took the city on August 12. Following this, women and girls in

325-528: A city bus service that took commuters on daily routes to different destinations throughout the city. There are taxicabs that provide transportation service inside the city as well as throughout the province. Other traditional methods of ground transportation are also used. Private vehicles are on the rise in the country, with large showrooms selling new or second-hand vehicles imported from the United Arab Emirates . More people are buying new cars as

390-520: A covered bazaar, a gymnasium, a guesthouse, an airport, a five-star hotel and two 27 story-buildings and others. More than 2,000 people would find work opportunities on the $ 30 million projects; $ 10 million would be provided by the central government, $ 7 million by the Polish provincial reconstruction team (PRT) and $ 3 million by the US. A 40-kilometer road would be asphalted by the end of 2012. Ghazni province

455-754: A huge statue of the Parinirvana Buddha (Buddha lying down at the end of his cycle of rebirths) of unbaked clay. A very similar statue has been found just north of Afghanistan, at the site of Adzhina tepe in Tajikistan. Yet what is most interesting was the find at the same site of a statue of the Hindu deity Durga Mahishasura-mardini ." In 644 AD, the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited the city of Jaguda (probably Ghazni ), while returning from Varnu (modern Bannu, Pakistan) In 683 AD , armies from

520-490: A kinetic environment, poor cost estimates, and unrealistic periods of performance. USACE is re-procuring both projects and plans to award contracts in June or July 2012, which will delay the project's execution schedules between 6 and 15 months. Furthermore, the delays in transferring funds contributed to delays in project execution. This line is a key part of a planned NEPS to SEPS connection to transport power to Kandahar to replace

585-511: A number of districts currently recognized by the Afghan government, and some others that are popularly, but not officially, recognized. Either majority Tajik or majority Pashtun Ghazni Province Ghazni ( Dari : غزنی ; Pashto : غزني ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan , located in southeastern Afghanistan . The province contains 19 districts , encompassing over a thousand villages and roughly 1.3 million people, making it

650-645: A response to the September 11 attacks , the United States and NATO (aided by the Northern Alliance ) invaded Afghanistan to depose the Taliban. This began the War on Terror . Initially, it was an air war, and included the bombing of multiple targets near Kandahar city's airport . On the 20th, the war's first ground operation began with a U.S. commando raid near the airport, which the Taliban claimed

715-548: A second language is promoted in public schools. The main tribes in the province are as follows: In 1914 Kandahar was divided into the following districts: Today the province is divided into the following administrative divisions: The Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport is located east of the city of Kandahar. It is for civilian and military use. It serves the population of southern Afghanistan by providing domestic flights to other cities and international flights to Dubai, Pakistan, Iran and other regional countries. The airport

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780-415: A semblance of architectural form are two towers, about 43 m (140 ft) high and some 365 m (1,200 ft) apart. According to inscriptions, the towers were constructed by Mahmud of Ghazni and his son. Ibn Battuta noted "The greater part of the town is in ruins, with nothing but a fraction of it still standing, although it was formerly a great city." Babur records in his memoirs that Ghazni

845-594: A short-lived subah (imperial province) from the 1638 conquest until its loss in 1648 to one of the Safavids' rivals. Starting in 1709, Mir Wais Hotak rebelled against the Safavids and established the Hotaki dynasty , which became a powerful empire. In 1729, Nader Shah declared war on the Ghilzai rulers. By 1738, the last Hotaki ruler Shah Hussain was defeated in what is now Old Kandahar . Ahmad Shah Durrani ,

910-552: A stellar plan. They date from the middle of the twelfth century and are the surviving element of the mosque of Bahramshah. Their sides are decorated with geometric patterns. Upper sections of the minarets have been damaged or destroyed. The most important mausoleum located in Ghazni is that of Sultan Mahmud's . Others include the tombs of poets and scientists, for example Al-Biruni and Sanai . The only ruins in Old Ghazni retaining

975-652: Is believed to be linguistically corrupted form of a word Gandhāra ( Sanskrit : गंधार ), which was used between 2000-1700 BCE. It is also believed to have started as one of many cities named after the Hellenistic conqueror Alexander the Great throughout his vast (mainly ex-Achaemenid) empire, its present form deriving from the Pashto rendering of Arabic Iskandariya = Ancient Alexandria (in Arachosia) . A temple to

1040-569: Is critical to the irrigation of the Kahnjoor farming zone. The dam itself and the canal system it feeds both need repairs and maintenance. Governor Musa Khan Akbarzada stated that key development projects would be launched in southern Ghazni in 2012 ahead of the Asian capital of the Islamic civilization for 2013. The projects include the construction of a proposed Islamic cultural center, a mosque,

1105-569: Is no evidence that Ghazna had previously formed part of the Samanid kingdom . It had been previously overrun with the whole of Zabulistan and Kabul by the Saffaris by 260 (873) but it is doubtful how far their power was permanent and even when the Samanids became paramount there is no evidence that Kabul or Ghazna were under them. The ruler of Ghazna is described as Padshah and was allied to

1170-523: Is one of the largest educational institutions in the province. It has over 5,000 students, about 300 of which are female students. In partnership with the Asia Foundation , Kandahar University conducted a pilot project that provided female high school graduates with a four-month refresher course to prepare for the college entrance examination. The university is one of two universities in Kandahar that serve all of southern Afghanistan. The conditions in

1235-493: Is to be connected to the national electrical distribution system via North-east Power System (NEPS). The construction of the transmission line would begin from east Chimtala to Ghazni using a high voltage transmission network (2 x 220kV transmission lines and power substations ). The project is to be implemented by USFOR-A and USAID costing $ 101 million. However, the Asian Development Bank agreed to complete

1300-890: The Hindushahis of Kabul . These titles were not as yet used by the Muhammadan rulers. The Padshah Lavik was probably a Hindu chief even though some passages in the Tabakth i Nisiri give him the name of Abu Bakr or Abu Ali ." After the rebuilding of the city by Yaqub's brother, it became the dazzling capital of the Ghaznavids from 994 to 1160, encompassing much of North India , Persia and Central Asia . Many iconoclastic campaigns were launched from Ghazni into India. The Ghaznavids took Islam to India and returned with fabulous riches taken from both prince and temple god. Contemporary visitors and residents at Ghazni write with wonder of

1365-705: The Iranian Plateau and in Central Asia, indicating cultural contacts during this very early age... The area was called Arachosia and was a frequent target for conquest because of its strategic location in Asia , which connects Southern , Central and Southwest Asia . It was part of the Medes territory before falling to the Achaemenids . In 330 BC it was invaded by Alexander the Great and became part of

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1430-464: The Mujahideen . The groups were usually made up of fellow members of local tribes, and were led by a chief who inherited the title. In 1985, a major guerrilla commander, Esmatullah Muslim, joined the forces of the pro-Soviet Afghan government in Kandahar. A leading official of Afghanistan's Communist Party, Hayat Khan, was killed by guerrillas in the province August 1985. The Soviets carpet-bombed

1495-710: The Seleucid Empire following his death. The city then became a center of trade. Later Kandahar came under the influence of the Indian emperor Ashoka , who erected a pillar there with a bilingual inscription in Greek and Aramaic . The territory was ruled by the Zunbils before Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate arrived in the 7th century CE. The Arabs advanced through Sistan and conquered Sindh early in

1560-551: The Umayyad Caliphate brought Islam to the area and attempted to conquer the capital of Ghazni but the local tribes fiercely resisted. Its resistance was so famed that Yaqub Saffari (840-879) from Zaranj made an example of Ghazni when he ranged the vast region conquering in the name of Islam. The city was completely destroyed by the Saffarids in 869. A substantial portion of the local population including Hindus and Buddhists were converted to Islam by Mahmud of Ghazni "There

1625-598: The 13th century, the Timurids established rule and began rebuilding cities. From about 1383 until his death in 1407, Kandahar was governed by Pir Muhammad , a grandson of Timur . In the early 16th century, Kandahar briefly fell to Babur . From then on the province was controlled by the Shia Safavids , as their easternmost territories. They regularly had wars with the Sunni Mughals , who ruled Kandahar as

1690-461: The 5th most populous province. The city of Ghazni serves as the capital. It lies on the important Kabul–Kandahar Highway , and has historically functioned as an important trade center. The Ghazni Airport is located next to the city of Ghazni and provides limited domestic flights to Afghanistan's capital, Kabul . Ghazni borders the provinces of Maidan Wardak , Logar , Paktia , Paktika , Zabul , Uruzgan , Daykundi and Bamyan . The province

1755-464: The Mujadhideen. He would become Taliban's Supreme Leader. The Taliban would take over almost all of Afghanistan. Under a version of Sharia law , they oppressed women heavily, although there were some minor moves towards equality in 2000. In 1997, due to international pressure, they began a campaign to rid the province of opium and heroin production, but the campaign failed. In October 2001, as

1820-511: The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA), the total population of the province was estimated at 1,431,876. Pashtuns make up the majority in province. There are also communities of Baloch people , Tajiks , Uzbeks , Turkmens , Hazaras and others. The main language spoken throughout the province is Pashto . Dari and Balochi is also understood by some, especially in the city of Kandahar where learning of Dari as

1885-614: The Taliban. On the same day there was an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the governor at the time, Sher Alam Ibrahimi . There is a Polish and American Provincial Reconstruction Team base located in Ghazni. The percentage of households with clean drinking water fell from 35% in 2005 to 18% in 2011. The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant increased from 7% in 2005 to 11% in 2011. The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) fell from 35% in 2005 to 31% in 2011. The overall net enrolment rate (6–13 years of age) increased from 39% in 2005 to 54% in 2011. As of 2020,

1950-604: The U.S. and NATO, mostly in Kandahar and Helmand Province. At the same time, the U.S. was searching for Osama bin Laden . Arrested terrorists or suspected terrorists were sent from the Kandahar detention center to the Guantanamo Bay naval base . Afghans detained by Canadian troops were handed over to Afghan's intelligence police, the National Directorate of Security , who (without Canadian knowledge) tortured

2015-413: The U.S. pulled funding from various development programs in the region, and there were fears it could lead to a strengthened Taliban; the Afghan national security forces were "strained" in the absence of international troops. In 2018, Afghanistan's election commission delayed elections in Kandahar after two senior provincial officials (its police commander and intelligence agency commander) were killed in

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2080-609: The city during the Second Anglo-Afghan War from 1878 to 1880. It remained peaceful for about 100 years until the late 1970s. In the mid-20th century until 1979, Kandahar city was a major stop on a popular road to India used by hippies . In December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan . This led to a war that lasted for years, between the Soviets and a rebellion by local guerrilla groups, known as

2145-592: The city of Kandahar and the border town of Spin Boldak in the south, which will then connect with Pakistan Railways . Ground transport of goods is carried by trucks and cars. A number of important roads run through the province and this helps the area's economy. The town of Spin Boldak serves as a major transporting, shipping, and receiving site. It is being developed so that trade with neighboring Pakistan increases. Kandahar province has bus services to major towns and village headquarters. Its capital, Kandahar, used to have

2210-406: The country. It had a lack of government workers, which caused an influx of insurgents. Four of its 17 districts were under Taliban control. Health services and education were "virtually absent" outside of certain towns. In March, a major provincial official, Abdul Majeed Babai, was shot and killed. In the spring, the U.S. experienced fighting before their operation could start. They attempted to attain

2275-711: The creation of new districts. The latest announced set includes 421 districts. The country's Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) came up with a joint, consolidated list of Afghan districts. It has handed this list over to the Independent Election Commission (IEC), which has used it in preparing the elections. The set contains 387 "districts" and 34 "provincial center districts" for 412 districts in total. This article does not correspond with any particular district set; it lacks

2340-534: The deified Alexander as well as an inscription in Greek and Aramaic by the emperor Ashoka , who lived a few decades later, have been discovered in the old citadel. Excavations of prehistoric sites by archaeologists such as Louis Dupree and others suggest that the region around Kandahar is one of the oldest known human settlements so far. ...Early peasant farming villages came into existence in Afghanistan ca. 5000 B.C., or 7000 years ago. Deh Morasi Ghundai,

2405-503: The detainees during interrogation in jail. Despite a new focus on gender equality, a dysfunctional legal system allowed for the continuing sale of child brides in the province. This was especially common in its northeastern area, which was discovered to be a Taliban stronghold. By 2004, U.S. and Afghan forces had started a guerrilla war against them. There was a surge in Taliban attacks in May 2006, which caused an influx of villagers across

2470-467: The eighth century. Elsewhere however their incursions were no more than temporary, and it was not until the rise of the Saffarid dynasty in the ninth century that the frontiers of Islam effectively reached Ghazni and Kabul. Even then a Hindu dynasty the Hindushahis , held Gandhara and eastern borders. From the tenth century onwards, as Persian language and culture continued to spread into Afghanistan,

2535-421: The ensuing years, additional districts have been added through splits, and some eliminated through merges. In June 2005, the Afghan government issued a map of 398 districts. It was widely adopted by many information management systems, though usually with the addition of Sharak-e-Hayratan for 399 districts in total. It remains the de facto standard as of late 2018, despite a string of government announcements of

2600-532: The expensive diesel-fueled power plants. The Kabul–Kandahar Highway runs through the province. The Ghazni Airport began operations in April 2012 but does not have any commercial flights as of August 2018. Residents in neighboring provinces, such as Logar, Paktika, Maidan Shahr and Zabul, would also benefit from the airport. Recent geologic surveys have indicated Ghazni may have one of the world's richest deposits of lithium . Gold and copper were also found in

2665-401: The first prehistoric site to be excavated in Afghanistan, lies 27 km (17 mi.) southwest of Kandahar (Dupree, 1951). Another Bronze Age village mound site with multiroomed mud-brick buildings dating from the same period sits nearby at Said Qala (J. Shaffer, 1970). Second millennium B.C. Bronze Age pottery , copper and bronze horse trappings and stone seals were found in the lowermost levels in

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2730-648: The focus of power shifted to Ghazni , where a Turkic dynasty (from the Samanid city of Bokhara ) proceeded to create an empire of their own. The greatest of the Ghaznavids was Mahmud , who ruled between 998 and 1030. He expelled the Hindus from Ghandhara. Mahmud of Ghazni made the area part of the Ghaznavids in the 10th century, who were replaced by the Ghurids . After the destructions caused by Genghis Khan in

2795-479: The founding father of Afghanistan, gained control of the province in 1747 and made the city of Kandahar the capital of his new Afghan Empire. In the 1770s, the capital of the empire was transferred to Kabul. Ahmad Shah Durrani's mausoleum is located in the center of the city. British-led Indian forces occupied the province during the First Anglo-Afghan War from 1832 to 1842. They also occupied

2860-477: The main ethnic group of the capital city Ghazni at about 50% there. Also, there is a small community of Hindus . Agriculture and animal husbandry are the primary occupation of the citizens of Ghazni. Wheat, alfalfa, melons, and almonds are among the largest crops produced. The Sardeh Band Dam is located in Andar District near the border with Paktika Province . It creates a large water reservoir that

2925-652: The military backing of two influential leaders in the region, the warlord Haji Ghani and tribal leader Haji Lala, but only Ghani was receptive. Later, there were two notable incidents of U.S. soldiers massacring Afghan civilians in Maiwand District and Panjwai District . The U.S. and NATO's combat mission in Afghanistan formally ended in 2014. By 2015, The Guardian wrote Kandahar city was considered "largely secure by Afghan standards". It had gained an extensive police force and blast walls , and commercial and domestic flights had restarted there. However, that year,

2990-510: The nearby cave called Shamshir Ghar (Dupree, 1950). In the Seistan , southwest of these Kandahar sites, two teams of American archaeologists discovered sites relating to the 2nd millennium B.C. (G. Dales, University Museum, University of Pennsylvania , 1969, 1971; W, Trousdale, Smithsonian Institution , 1971 – 76). Stylistically the finds from Deh Morasi and Said Qala tie in with those of pre- Indus Valley sites and with those of comparable age on

3055-452: The ornateness of the buildings, the great libraries, the sumptuousness of the court ceremonies and of the wealth of precious objects owned by Ghazni's citizens. Ferishta records attacks by Muhammad of Ghor : "at the same time most of the infidels who inhabited the mountains between Ghazni and the Indus were also converted, some by force and others by persuasion." Ghazni's eponymous capital

3120-457: The outright warfare seen in other provinces of Afghanistan such as Helmand and Kandahar , but that is due more to political expediency and the tactical plans of the NATO -led ISAF force than the existence of a stable security situation in the province. Ex-Governor Taj Mohammad was killed by insurgents in 2006 after being appointed police chief of the province with a mandate to quell the power of

3185-587: The province to leave their homes for bigger cities. Also that month, a top Taliban commander, Mullah Dadullah , was arrested. In June, a car bomb almost killed the provincial governor. Meanwhile, the U.S. started transferring authority over the province to NATO, which the Taliban used as an opportunity to move in west of Kandahar city, likely to threaten it. The U.S. and NATO started Operation Medusa in September, which reportedly killed, captured, and expelled hundreds of insurgents. However, plenty of civilian property

3250-414: The province were banned from multiple institutions. In 2023, the office of the Taliban's spokesman was moved from Kabul to Kandahar. Yousaf Wafa is the current governor of the province. His predecessor was Rohullah Khanzada. In early 2003, Hamid Karzai transferred Sherzai from Kandahar to Jalalabad as Governor of Nangarhar Province . Sherzai was replaced by Yousef Pashtun in Kandahar. I According to

3315-611: The province's southern districts in 1986. Kandahar city became "mostly ruins". Guerilla plans for taking the unoccupied city were thwarted when the Soviet and Afghan government forces returned there in 1988. The Soviets eventually withdrew from the country. In the early 1990s, the province's governor was Gul Agha Shirzai . The province under his reign was described as anarchic . The Taliban began in Kandahar in 1994, when Mullah Omar (previously an ally of Mujahideen warlord Rais Abdul Wahid) started an Islamist movement against misrule by

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3380-420: The province, north of the city of Kandahar. There are approximately 700 greenhouses in the entire province but farmers want the government to build more. There are a number of hospitals in the province, most of them in the city of Kandahar. These include Aino Mina Hospital, Al Farhad Hospital, Ayoubi Hospital, Mirwais Hospital , Mohmand Hospital, Sial Curative Hospital and Sidal Hospital. Kandahar University

3445-439: The province. Two of the commanders who fought in Kandahar prior to the surrender were Gul Agha Shirzai, who became the province's governor again, and Hamid Karzai , who became the president of Afghanistan. Kandahar city became a base of U.S. army forces (at Kandahar Airfield), new construction efforts, and was the site of an assassination attempt on Hamid Karzai . In the following years, a new Taliban insurgency fought against

3510-458: The roads and highways are being improved. Kandahar has been known for having well-irrigated gardens and orchards, and was famous for its grapes, melons, and pomegranates. The main source of trade is to Pakistan, Iran and other regional countries. Kandahar is an agricultural area and several of the districts are irrigated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority . The Dahla Dam is located in

3575-443: The seventh to eighth century. The representations show themes from Mahayana iconography and even in the case of the latter site assume Tantric aspects which had already established themselves in the large Indian monasteries like Nalanda ." "Another important site is that of Tepe Sardar (better known as Tepe-yi Nagara, Tepe of the kettledrum) near Ghazni, which was occupied until perhaps the eighth century AD. From this period dates

3640-456: The total population of the province is about 1,386,764, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a tribal society. Ethnically, Ghazni is composed mainly of Hazaras and Pashtuns , which both make up about 45% of the population each. Hazaras live mainly in the north and west, while the Pashtuns live mainly in the south and east. Tajiks make up only about 5% of the whole province's population, but are

3705-483: The transmission line from Chimtala to Dast-i-Barchi; hence reducing the Project scope to begin from Dast-i-Barchi instead of Chimtala. The implementation of this project was delayed due to USACE being unable to award a contract because bids received for the project were more than double the estimated costs, due largely to security concerns resulting from the risks associated with implementing firm-fixed-price contracts in

3770-416: The university are poor but improving slowly. Kandahar University is far behind many of the other universities in the country because of insecurity and shortage of funding, There are approximately 377 public and private schools in Kandahar province. The total number of students is 362,000. Of this, 79,000 are female students. Due to insecurity and other issues, many female students drop out before obtaining

3835-577: Was built by the United States in the 1960s under the United States Agency for International Development program. It was later used by Soviet and Afghan forces during the 1980s and again during the 2001–2021 NATO-led war. The airport was upgraded and expanded during the last decade by the United States Army Corps of Engineers . There is currently no rail service but reports indicate that at least one will be built between

3900-458: Was destroyed. A reconstruction effort began, named Operation Baaz Tsuka . In 2009, the U.S. started planning for a new anti-Taliban operation in the province, building a presence around Kandahar city. Their Stryker Brigade was sent to the district of Spinboldak , on the Pakistan border, to shut down Taliban infiltration routes. In 2010, Kandahar was considered the most dangerous province in

3965-532: Was discovered lying on its back and surrounded by empty pillars that once held rows of smaller male Buddhas. Parts of the female Buddha have been stolen. In the 1980s a mud brick shelter was created to protect the sculpture, but the wood supports were stolen for firewood and the shelter partially collapsed. Since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, there has been a Provincial reconstruction base and

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4030-490: Was known as Ghazna in the 10th century, during and after the Ghaznavid era. Ghazni was a thriving Buddhist center before and during the 7th century AD. Excavations have revealed religious artifacts of both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. "The two other great Buddhist centers, Fondukistan and Tepe-e-sardar (Ghazni) in its later phase are a very different matter and display another phase of influences coming from India from

4095-636: Was part of Zabulistan. The area was controlled by the Mughals until Nader Shah and his Persian forces invaded it in 1738. Ahmad Shah Durrani conquered Ghazni in 1747 and made it part of the Durrani Empire . During the First Anglo-Afghan War , the capital of Ghazni province was destroyed by the British-led Indian forces in the Battle of Ghazni . In the 1960s a 15-meter female Buddha

4160-529: Was razed in 1151 by the Ghorid Alauddin. It again flourished but only to be permanently devastated, this time in 1221 by Genghis Khan and his Mongol armies after 6 years of Khwarezmid rule. Ghazni's strategic position, both economically and militarily, assured its revival initially under the Qarlughids , albeit without its dazzling former grandeur. Ghazni is famous for its minarets built on

4225-405: Was unsuccessful. In December, Kandahar city fell to the invading forces , marking the end of Taliban government at that point. Mullah Omar's presidential palace was bombed by U.S. forces, later being rebuilt and used as a complex for U.S. Special Forces . Omar went into hiding, and pledged to keep fighting against the invasion. In a deal with the U.S., the surrendering Taliban agreed to give up in

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