Balkh Province (see Map No. 3-2 below) in which ISAFs Regional Command North (RCN) was located, is one of Afghanistan’s five traditional daraja-i awwal (level one provinces), or regional centers with special economic, political and geographic importance. It is also the most influential province in North Afghanistan.
Map 3-2 Afghan Provinces. (Source: UN 2006)
Balkh has a large number of government employees and has been an
important growing area for wheat, almonds and pomegranates. One reason for its national economic importance was the Afghan town named Hairatan near the Uzbek border along the Amu Darya River, where the border trade and marginal revenue was of very high value, not just locally, but also for the whole nation (Fishstein, 2010). Moreover, a key factor in this region was that it was populated by tradesmen, who had been businessmen for generations.
Thus, they had positive attitudes toward modernizing and already had a somewhat developed economy and social structures before the most recent war.55
In 2010, Uzbekistan was the largest supplier of imports to Afghanistan, which included vital ISAF logistical support. Afghanistan’s first modern railway was built from Hairatan by the Amu Darya River, along the border across from Uzbekistan. The conflict was less in the northern area during the first years of the war (until 2005/2006), local structures were quite functional, and the economy prospered. However, the rising insecurity contributed to a greater instability in the area as the years have gone on (Fishstein, 2010; Giustozzi and Reuter, 2010).
The Afghanistan National Army (ANA) and the Afghanistan National Police (ANP) have regional headquarters (HQ) in Balkh Province, as does ISAF with the Regional Command North (RCN). The United Nations Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) had their regional HQs in this area as well, with one in Kunduz Province and one Mazar-e Sharif, Balkh Province, in addition to several district offices. Mazar-e-Sharif also housed many other IO/GO/NGOs. According to AREU (2008), More than 60 international assistant organizations,government agencies and foreign missions, in addition to private companies, were based in Balkh.56
55 Information from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and UN representatives in North Afghanistan, meeting in RCN April 2010.
56 An overview can be found in AREAU, 2011. Retreived from http://www.areu.org.af/ .
Mazar-e Sharif57 is the fourth largest city in Afghanistan and the main city in the northern region, with an estimated population of 300,000. The Blue Mosque is a landmark placed in the center of the city, which is a historic center for pilgrimages. Commercial and economic activities are also concentrated in this city. The infrastructure is relatively good compared to other provincial centers in the northern area. Signs of this include the
existence of both public and private universities, technical training centers, an airport, and foreign consulates.
Barth (2008) described Mazar-e Sharif as an important “resistance town"
under the Taliban regime in that the resistance toward the Taliban was strong, and the North Alliance had strong support in the city. This may have
contributed, in 2010, to the fact that the insurgents still had less support in this area compared to other parts of the country.
Population
583.2.4
Afghanistan is a patchwork quilt of different ethnicities. The people of Afghanistan are related to ethnic groups in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and Iran, the borders between these groups are arbitrary. Despite the diversity of ethnic groups, their way of life has many similarities, including most importantly, that the family is the mainstay of Afghan society. Close bonds between generations, family honor, pride and respect towards each other is emphasized (Barth, 2008; Barfield, 2005a).
Among villagers and nomads, the family lives together and forms a self-sufficient group. Afghanistan has more than 10,000 small settlements, each with less than 100 normally mud-brick homes.
The Pashtuns, about 40 percent of the population, are the largest ethnic group and consist of different tribal groups. They are traditionally farmers or nomads, and most are located in the south and east of the country; they are
57 Mazar-e Sharif means “Noble Shrine” which is a reference to the large and famous blue-tiled Shrine of Hazrat Ali, or the “Blue Mosque” as it is often called.
58 Information from AREU, Britannica World Data, 2009, Washington Post Country Guide, 2010, Lonely Planet Afghanistan 2007, Afghanistan information Centre.
Retreived from http://www.afg-info.com/, Institute for the study of war; see also http://www.understandingwar.org and https://www.cimicweb.org.
Muslims (Sunnites) and represent the group that provides the most support to the Taliban. The Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and are mainly merchants, craftsmen or farmers. The Hazara (descended from Xinjiang, China), the third largest ethnic group, is composed of mostly farmers and sheepherders. They traditionally have been discriminated against, in part due to the fact that they follow Shia Islam in a country that is
predominantly Sunni Muslim. Other important ethnicities include the Uzbeks, Turkmens and Baluchs, further Tatars, Taimuris, Persians, Nuristaris,
Kirghizs, Chahar Aimaks, Brahuis and Arabs.
The towering Hindu Kush range both dominates and divides Afghanistan. The northern plains and valleys are mostly home to Tajiks, Uzbeks and Turkmen.
Pashtuns inhabit the desert-dominated southern plateaus. Hazara live in the central highlands (see Map No 3-3 below). The wide range of different ethnicities makes this country fascinating, complex and difficult to organize for the interest or benefit of the whole population. This makes politics, security, and joint efforts very challenging.
The most spoken official languages are Dari (Afghan Persian) and Pashto (Afghan), but there are also 6 other official languages: Uzbek, Turkmen, Baluchi, Kafiri (Nuristani),Pashai and Pamiri together with several minor languages. The Pashtuns speak Pashto, the Tajik and Hazara speak Dari. The people of northern Afghanistan mostly are Dari-speaking, and the Pashtun minority also speaks, or at least understands, Dari. Several groups in the north, especially along the river Amu Darya, also speak Turkic languages.
The official religion is Islam, predominantly Sunnites. More than 90 percent of the population is Muslim. Three-quarters are Sunnites from the Hanafi branch. Approximately two million of the total population is Shiites (mainly Hazaras). Sufism is also widely practiced.
Map 3-3 Ethnicity, (Source: UNOSAT)
The warfare in Afghanistan during the late 20th century caused substantial population displacement, with millions of refugees fleeing into Pakistan and Iran. Figures from the UNHCR show that more than 5.7 million refugees have voluntarily repatriated to Afghanistan in the last 10 years. Many of the
refugees have become internally displaced personnel (IDPs) in Afghanistan, and sheltering and housing still is a major problem (NRC, 2010).59 The security situation continues to be volatile, which makes humanitarian access to many areas impossible. The lack of security is regarded as the main reason for displacement, and the UNHCR estimated that by mid-2012, 425 000 Afghans were internally displaced.