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56-467: The town of Urgun is also called Loy Urgun ( لوی ارګون ), "Greater Urgun". Like many place names in Afghanistan, Urgun can be spelled a number of different ways. Orgun , Urgin , Urgum , Urgim , Urghim , Wargun , Warghun , Arghun , Urgon , and Orgon are the most popular alternative spellings. Urgun with some land for agriculture has recently seen progress of a poorly made road connecting it to

112-556: A Provincial Reconstruction Team base in Sharana , the provincial capital, to lead the development effort. The first full contingent of eight Civil Affairs Soldiers from the U.S. Army Reserve's 450th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), based in Riverdale Park , Maryland , arrived in September 2004. The Shkin firebase was composed of special operations forces. In an article from Time ,

168-526: A severe lack of critical infrastructure. Reconstruction in the province after the fall of the Taliban has been slow compared to that in nearby provinces such as Khost and Zabul . This is primarily due to the remoteness of the region and repeated attacks on aid workers and NATO forces. In June 2004, members of the Utah and Iowa National Guard helped Army Reserve Civil Affairs Soldiers from Oregon establish

224-642: A skilled birth attendant fell from 9% in 2005 to 3% in 2011. The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) fell from 35% in 2005 to 27% in 2011. The overall net enrolment rate (6–13 years of age) fell from 65% in 2005 to 24% in 2011. Paktia shares a border with the Kurram district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Within Afghanistan, it borders Logar Province , Ghazni Province , Paktika Province , and Khost Province , in counterclockwise order. Paktia

280-669: A turret gunner, died of a head shot from a sniper, which initiated the ambush. Two vehicles were destroyed in the engagement and three other Soldiers were wounded. The Provincial Reconstruction Team base was named Camp Kearney on 21 November 2004 to honor the sacrifice of Spc. James Kearney. On Jun 18, 2008 in the Ziruk District Governor's compound, two members of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, HMN Mark Retmier and CM1 Ross Toles, were killed due to rocket attacks. The mess hall on Forward Operating Base Sharana

336-558: A wedding celebration was taking place. Seven Polish soldiers have been charged with war crimes for allegedly opening fire in revenge. U.S. Army PFC Bowe Bergdahl turned himself in to the Taliban on July 4, 2009, somewhere between OP Mest, near the town of Yahya Khel, and FOB Sharana. He was freed in a prisoner trade on May 31, 2014. Paktika was one of the provinces most affected by the 2022 Afghanistan earthquake on 22 June 2022. In Gayan District , approximately 1,800 homes, or 70 percent of

392-638: Is Loya paktia Paktia used to be a unified province with Khost and Paktika until Khost became a separate province in 1985. These three provinces are now referred to as Loya Paktia , meaning "Greater Paktia". Paktia came to prominence during the 1980s, when a significant portion of Afghanistan's leadership originated from the province. Some of the more notable leaders include Najibullah Ahmadzai (a former President of Afghanistan ), Mohammad Aslam Watanjar , Shahnawaz Tanai , and Sayed Muhammad Gulabzoi . Between 7 and 8 January 1988, in Paktia Province, near

448-449: Is a largely mountainous province, with most of the population living in the central valley stretching from Ahmadkhel in the east down through Zurmat and into neighboring Paktika province . The eastern part of the province, particularly Tsamkani and Dand Aw Patan , is a second valley leading into Pakistan. Jaji (Zazi) and Jani Khel districts are largely mountainous with much smaller inhabited valleys. The Khost-Gardez Pass area, to

504-602: Is also a small Tajik community in Urgun. The overwhelming majority of Paktika's population (around 99%) live in rural districts. The capital city, Sharana, has around 54,400 inhabitants. The majority of Pakikta's Districts have between 25,000 and 55,000 inhabitants. Only two districts, Nika and Turwo have less than 20,000 inhabitants, with a little more than 15,000 apiece. Two of the least mountainous districts, Urgun and neighboring Barmal have nearly 90,000 inhabitants each. There are around 115,000 households, with eight members apiece, in

560-549: Is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 623,000, which is mostly a tribal society living in rural areas. Pashtuns make up the majority of the population and a small percentage include Tajiks . Gardez is the provincial capital. The traditional food in Paktia is known as (dandakai) which is made from rice and mung bean or green gram. It's also significant for being the area where Operation Magistral by The Soviet Union took place. Late Nov, of 1987, to Jan, of 1988

616-755: Is mainly hilly and interspersed with seasonal river valleys. In the north, the terrain gains elevation and becomes more rugged. In the west, the Rowd-e Lurah River originates in the mountainous Omna District and flows southwest to the Ghazni Province, forming a shallow river valley that dominates the topography in the Khairkot , Jani Khel , and Dila Districts. The terrain in Omna becomes more hilly further east in proximity to Pakistan. The sparsely populated southern districts are also hilly, with descending elevation towards

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672-698: Is mainly located in the southern and eastern portions of Afghanistan; however, they also have a strong presence in the northern and western portions of Afghanistan. The second largest Sulaimankhel population is located in Pakistan. Not only are they located in the province of Baluchistan and the North-West Frontier Province, but also located in Karachi and other parts of Pakistan. The Kharoti and Sulaimankhel tribes are traditional rivals, although they co-exist together in several districts. The larger, influential and more powerful Sulaimankhel have historically had

728-501: Is the southernmost part of a historical region known as Greater Paktia (Pashto: لویه پکتیا, Loya Paktia), that was once a unified province including Paktia , Khost and parts of Ghazni and Logar . The tribes that reside in this area were mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus , who called them the "Pactyans" as early as the 1st millennium BCE. In the 1970s, the provincial capital of the largely undeveloped and remote province of Paktika

784-888: Is then it took place, when Soviet Forces retreated. In 2021, the Taliban gained control of the province during the 2021 Taliban offensive . Paktia (pashto پکتیا - Paktya) is the land of pakthas or pakth (pashto - پکهت), According to Mandala 7 of the Rigveda (RV 7.18.7), "Together came the Pakthas (44?4), the Bhalanas, the Alinas, the Sivas, the Visanins. Yet to the Trtsus came the Arya's Comrade, through love of spoil and heroes' war, to lead them". The Pakthas were one of

840-555: The Durand Line border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is bordered by the Khost and Paktia provinces to the north. The western border is shared with the provinces of Ghazni and Zabul . The South Waziristan and North Waziristan agencies are to the east of Paktika, while Zhob District of the Balochistan province of Pakistan borders it the southeast. The Shinkay Hills run through

896-476: The Khataba raid . U.S. special forces were later accused of attempting to cover up the incident. Head of Joint Special Operations Command , U.S. Vice Admiral William McRaven stated that the deaths were a "terrible mistake", offered an apology, accepted responsibility for the deaths and made a traditional Afghan condolence offering of sheep. After some early unrest a long period of relative calm followed, despite

952-519: The 101st Rakkasan air assault took over COP Zerok. 60 minutes produced a TV special documenting the unit's takeover of the COP, entitled COP Zerok . In late July 2011, foreign troops and Afghan special forces killed more than 50 insurgents during an operation in eastern Paktika to clear a training camp the Haqqani network used for foreign fighters, NATO said. Disenfranchised insurgents told security forces where

1008-467: The 1st Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Gardez. In September 2006, Governor Hakim Taniwal was killed by a Taliban suicide bomber as he left his office in Gardez. At the time, Taniwal was the highest-ranking post-Taliban official to be killed by insurgent forces in the country. On 12 February 2010, five civilians including two pregnant women and a teenage girl were killed by U.S. special forces during

1064-414: The 34 provinces of Afghanistan , located in the eastern part of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktika has a population of about 789,000, mostly ethnic Pashtuns . The town of Sharana serves as the provincial capital, while the most populous city is Urgun . In 2021, the Taliban gained control of the province during the 2021 Taliban offensive . Paktika sits adjacent to

1120-560: The Pakistani–Afghan border, the Battle for Hill 3234 took place, which was a successful defensive action fought by the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, 39 Soviet Airborne Troops, in Soviet occupied Afghanistan against a force of up to 200 to 250 Mujahideen rebels. Soviet commanders wanted to secure the entire section of the road from Gardez to Khost. One of the most important points

1176-729: The Province. Most of the Population is Sunni Muslim , and belongs to the Hanafi School. Some tribes in Paktika may be pastoral . In Afghanistan the Ghilji are scattered all over the country but mainly settled around the regions between Zabul and Kabul provinces. The Afghan province of Paktika is considered to be a heartland of the Ghilji tribe. Ghilji sub-tribes in Paktika include the Kharoti, especially in

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1232-627: The Sar Hawza and Urgon districts, the Andar and the largest single Ghilji sub-tribe, the Sulaimankhel, who are the majority in northern and western areas of Paktika such as; Katawaz. After the great Ghilji rebellion in 1885–1886, led by Alam Khan Nasher, many members of the Ghilji tribe, such as; the Kharoti sub-tribe and particularly the Nasher clan were exiled from Loya Paktia (Paktia, Paktika and Khost) to Kunduz in

1288-525: The Taliban had effectively annexed eastern portions of the province. Jalali and many of his allied officials, were replaced and U.S. Special Forces were dispatched to fight the Taliban while the Pakistani forces fought with the Taliban's allies in neighbouring South Waziristan . On 1 November 2004, a civil affairs convoy was ambushed near Surobi , between the Shkin firebase and Orgun-E. U.S. Army Spc. James Kearney,

1344-418: The U.S. base was described as: While the province hasn't witnessed the outright fighting in the last few years that has affected provinces like Helmand , there is a constant low level of tribal violence, accompanied by criminal and Taliban activity. The last serious fighting in the province took place in 2004, amid reports that then-Governor Muhammad Ali Jalali was collaborating with Taliban forces, and that

1400-572: The acceptance of their nomadic traditions by officials from both countries. Population estimates vary, but they are most likely around 20% to 25% of the population of Afghanistan and probably number over 9 million in Afghanistan alone with 4 million or more found in The main Pashtun tribes that live in Paktika are: The Sulaimankhel are one of the largest sub-tribes of the Ghilji Pashtuns. The Sulaimankhel tribe

1456-414: The angorada border with Pakistan. It has also been the witness of disastrous attacks including the one that left 106 civilians dead on a single day on June 14, 2014. The site of a large fortress, Urgun used to be the capital of the largely undeveloped and remote province of Paktika . In the 1970s, however, the provincial capital was moved from Urgun to the town of Sharana , due to Sharana's proximity with

1512-468: The camp was located, the coalition said. In November 2011, an estimated 60 to 70 Taliban insurgents were killed in an abortive attack on a joint Afghan-ISAF base in the Margha area of Barmal. No international troops were killed or injured in the incident. It is believed the insurgents crossed over from neighboring FATA and Balochistan of Pakistan. In a separate incident the governor of Sar Hawza district died in

1568-482: The center of Paktika; Toba Kakar Range runs along the border with Pakistan.  The Southern districts are intermittently irrigated and cultivated, the center and north are used primarily for rangeland. There are natural forests in Ziruk, Nika, Gayan, and Bermal districts [1] Paktika, like many other areas of Afghanistan, has been severely deforested. This has been a cause of devastating floods in recent years. The province

1624-542: The cop. Because the enemy was advancing so close to the outpost, the request for CAS was called in, but because of the DUSTWUN (large scale search) for PFC Bergdahl, (who went AWOL after abandoning his post only 100 km away from COP Zerok), air support was delayed. After intense fighting the US Paratroopers suppressed and killed most of the enemy, eventually gunships arrived and JDAMs were dropped on enemy targets. In 2010

1680-810: The country but Engineer Hafizullah, head of provincial public works department claimed in 2013 that in the past few years, 154-kilometers roads had been constructed with 70 km having been constructed in 2013 alone. As of 2021, the total population of the province is about 789,000, which is a multi-ethnic tribal society. According to the Naval Postgraduate School , the ethnic groups of the province are as follows: Pashtun , Tajik , Arab , Pashai , and other various minority groups. Other sources mention that ethnic Pashtuns make up around 96% of Paktika's population. Around 15,000 people (1.8%) are ethnic Uzbeks ; and about 5,000 people speak some other languages. These are most probably Hazaras or Baloch . There

1736-461: The district's homes, were destroyed, and 238 people were killed, with 393 others injured. In Barmal District , at least 500 people died, with a thousand others injured. Many houses constructed primarily of mud and wood were razed to the ground. Heavy rain and the earthquake contributed to landslides that destroyed entire hamlets . The local clinic in Gayan, which had the capacity of only five patients,

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1792-564: The ensuing battle, the Soviet unit was in constant communication with headquarters and received everything the leadership of 40th Army had to offer in terms of artillery support, ammunition, reinforcements, and helicopter evacuation of the wounded. The exhausted and mostly wounded Soviets were nearly out of ammunition but continued to occupy the hill until the last convoy passed through the road below. The Soviet forces sustained very low casualties, with six men killed and 28 injured out of 39. Two of

1848-451: The fall of the Taliban government , Paktia was one of the most chaotic regions in the country, as a small civil war broke out between rival militia commanders for control of the province, and Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters gave occupying U.S. troops some of their heaviest losses in the cave complexes south of Gardez. Paktia was the site of heavy fighting between Taliban insurgents and ISAF -backed Afghan National Security Forces . Paktia

1904-524: The land of Indus. Now we know that they did the same thing with pakthus Pakthus pakt/pakth-ia (la=land of) = paktia, The land of pakthus. Pactyan (pactian) These Pactyans lived on the eastern frontier of the Achaemenid Arachosia Satrapy as early as the 1st millennium BCE. Herodotus ( The Father of the History ) - An ancient Greek historian, wrote a book 2500 years ago in 500BC. He used

1960-461: The main highway connecting it to the larger cities and commercial centers of Kabul and Kandahar . The Siege of Urgun during the Soviet–Afghan War took place between 1983 and 1984. It devastated the town. This Paktika Province , Afghanistan location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Paktika Province Paktika ( Pashto : پکتیکا ) is one of

2016-462: The mujahideen's guns, with the commander of the first platoon, Lt. Viktor Gagarin, directing fire via radio. When rebel fire slackened, it was clear that this was the beginning of an infantry assault. The airborne troopers were attacked by a coordinated and well-armed force of between 200 and 250 mujahideen. Attacks were made from two directions, indicating that the assailants may have been assisted by rebels trained in Pakistan by American agents. During

2072-575: The north by Amir Abdur Rahman Khan due to political reasons. They are predominantly a nomadic group unlike the Durranis who are usually found in permanent settlements. The Ghilji mostly work as herdsmen as well as construction workers and in other jobs that allow them to travel. Often possessing great mechanical aptitude, the Ghilji nonetheless have an extremely low literacy rate hovering below 10% in Afghanistan. The Ghilji regularly cross over between Afghanistan and Pakistan often being exempted from customs due to

2128-519: The occasional high-profile incident such as the 2006 assassination of the governor, by a suicide bomber. There was a rise in violent incidents when the pullout of American troops neared in 2014. Some regions of Paktia are also believed to be a safe haven for militants from the Haqqani network , an anti-government combat organisation involved in the Taliban insurgency . The percentage of households with clean drinking water increased from 30% in 2005 to 36% in 2011. The percentage of births attended to by

2184-506: The outpost's radio communication. The accurate enemy indirect fire from their mortars set the US mortar pit on fire, and killed two Able Company, 3rd Battalion 509th parachute Infantry regiment mortarmen, PFC Casillas and PFC Fairbairn. They were both returning fire on the 120 mm mortar. After the VBIED went off, multiple insurgents began maneuvering towards the outpost, some getting within 100 meters of

2240-616: The past 500 years. Prior to that Pashtuns were the Pakhtas of Rig Veda and Paktuans of Herodotus . the word "-ia" is a Latin ending (-ia in Ancient Greek) used to form abstract nouns. In this case, the "abstract" noun referred to a nation, that is, a collection of people and the locations where they lived. For example, the land of the Germani was Germania. so the word "ia" is a Greek word which means "land of" as Armenia, Syria, Australia. India

2296-484: The safe passage of convoys. Shortly after landing, the airborne troopers, who were well trained and experienced in Afghan conditions, started to take up positions which covered both the road and the uphill passages. Just as they had dug in, the mujahideen began their attack at 1530 hrs. First they fired with all possible weapons including recoilless guns and RPGs. After a few salvos, Soviet artillery replied and silenced some of

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2352-527: The same month after his vehicle struck a roadside bomb. In the spring of 2012 the 172nd Infantry Brigade opened the first Afghan National Army/ US Joint Artillery Fire Base in the Orgun District. In early 2013 10th Mountain Division, 2–14th Infantry, Golden Dragons, took over FOB Zerok. Eight civilians including a pregnant woman and a baby died when Polish soldiers shelled the village of Nangar Khel , where

2408-736: The soldiers killed, Vyacheslav Alexandrovich Alexandrov and Andrey Alexandrovich Melnikov , were posthumously awarded the golden star of the Hero of the Soviet Union . All of the paratroopers in this battle were given the Order of the Red Banner and Order of the Red Star . According to Soviet estimates, the mujahideen lost over 200 men. And Soviets lost 70–200 men . The Mujahideen wore black uniforms with rectangular black-yellow-red stripes. Immediately after

2464-519: The south and west. The Gomal River , which has a varied flow depending on season, runs from its origin in the mountains of the Sar Hawza District and flows south, before turning southeast to the Pakistani border, forming the broad river valley that defines the topography of the Gomal District , before flowing east through Pakistan and eventually running to the powerful Indus River . Paktika

2520-506: The south of Gardez, is mountainous with settlements limited to the main pass and smaller valleys. As of 2005, Azra district is no longer a part of Paktya. It has been attached to Logar province to the north, to which it is much more closely connected by roadways and people. As of 2021, the total population of the province is 622,831. According to the Institute for the Study of War , "The province

2576-729: The tribes that fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna the Battle of the Ten Kings (dasarajna). The battle of the 10 Kings took place before Mahabharat , so at least around 5000 BC. Pakthas are an ancient people that find reference in Sanskrit and allegedly in Greek sources as a people living in the region which includes south-eastern province ( Loya Paktia ) in Afghanistan and northern parts of Pakistan . The terms Pashtun and Pashto have only been in use for

2632-466: The upper hand in this rivalry. The Wazir and Kharoti are sometimes involved in a land dispute in Barmal District. Paktia 33°36′N 69°30′E  /  33.6°N 69.5°E  / 33.6; 69.5 Paktia ( Pashto پکتيا – Paktyā ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan , located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province

2688-417: The word "pactyan" mean !? to understand what does it mean, we have to do the same thing that we did before. If we translate pactyan or pactian into pashto we will get the word "پکتیاوال" which we use it for a person from Loya patkia . the word "ian" denotes the people belongs to any country or land. So pashtuns are pactyan, pactyans are pakthas and pakth is one the oldest Aryan tribe. And their land

2744-500: The word Pactyans (pashto-پاکتیان) for Pashtuns who lived in Loy Paktia (which includes modern Afghanistan and Pakhtunkhwa regions). -Herodotus, The Histories, Book III, Chapter 102, Section 1 Herodotus also mentions a tribe of known as Aparytai ('AntapÚtal). Thomas Holdich has linked them with the Afridi tribe . -Herodotus, The Histories, Book III, Chapter 91, Section 4 So what does

2800-457: Was also heavily damaged. Of the about 500 patients admitted to the clinic due to the earthquake, about 200 died. Three days later, an aftershock killed five persons and wounded 11 more in Gayan District. As of May 2014, Paktika Province had regularly scheduled passenger flights to Kabul from Sharana Airstrip . The province's development is considered "backwards" compared to the rest of

2856-481: Was known as "Sapt-Sindhu" - which means seven rivers in Sanskrit- Indus (known as Sindhu then), The name of India is a corruption of the word Sindhu . Persians uttered 's' as 'h' and called this land Hindu. Greeks pronounced this name as Indus and The Romans picked up the name and the "land of Indus" came to be known as "India". they were Indus and as we know the word "ia" mean "the land of" so it becomes India

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2912-490: Was moved from the town of Urgun to Sharana due to its proximity with the main highway, connecting it to the larger cities and commercial centres of Kabul , Ghazni and Kandahar . Paktika was the site of many battles during the Soviet occupation of the country and the lawless years that followed. The Siege of Urgun took place between 1983 and 1984. As one of the most remote provinces in Afghanistan and an area that saw much devastation in previous years, Paktika suffers from

2968-470: Was named after CM1 Toles and the hospital was named after HMN Retmier. Kearney Base became the nucleus of what is now Forward Operating Base Sharana. On July 4, 2009, combat outpost Zerok in East Paktika Province was attacked. The Haqqani network insurgents attacked the COP using mortars, accurate heavy machine gun fire, RPG fire, recoils rifles, and a 5000 lb Jingle Truck VBIED that destroyed

3024-652: Was one of the last redoubts of organized Taliban resistance; much of Operation Anaconda took place in Zurmat , Paktia's largest district. Pacha Khan Zadran was appointed provincial governor by Hamid Karzai in January 2002, but Zadran faced strong local opposition and was prevented from entering Gardez by Haji Saifullah, a local tribal elder who considered Zadran to be a "smuggler", "tyrant" and "killer". Forces loyal to Zadran attacked Gardez several times and were resisted by Saifullah's militia, leading to many people being killed. Zadran

3080-562: Was sacked by Karzai after ordering a deadly rocket attack at Gardez in February 2002. February 2003, the 1st Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Gardez commenced with the objective of providing funding for local Afghan projects concurrent to a reinforced security presence in overwatch. The PRT Gardez composition includes a reinforced platoon from the 504th 82nd ABN along with US Army Civil Affairs contingent plus Special Forces. In March 2003, USAID and State Department representatives joined

3136-405: Was the nameless hill designated Hill 3234 by its height of 3234 meters, which was assigned to the 9th Company of the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment led by Colonel Valery Vostrotin. The 39-man company landed on the hilltop on 7 January 1988, tasked with creating and holding a hilltop strong point from which to observe and control a long section of the road beneath and thus secure it for

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