Orūzgān
(Pashto: ؤروزگان, also spelt Oruzgan or Uruzgan) is one
of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in
the centre of the country, though the area is considered
part of southern Afghanistan and it is culturally and
tribally linked to Kandahar. Its capital is Tarin Kowt.
On March 28, 2004, the new Daykundi was carved out of an
area in the north leaving Oruzgan with a majority
Pashtun population and Daykundi with a majority of
Hazaras. The map shows the provincial boundaries that
resulted. But in May 2006, the district of Gizab was
taken back from Daykundi and re-annexed to Oruzgan,
becoming Oruzgan's sixth district.
Taliban leader Mullah Omar was born in Singesar village,
in Oruzgan province.
Because of security concerns and the Taliban insurgency,
no international aid agencies or NGOs have a permanent
presence in Oruzgan. ISAF operates a Provincial
Reconstruction Team PRT, in Tarin Kowt, under Dutch
authority as of August 2006.
In August
2006, NATO assumed authority for Oruzgan from the US-led
coalition, as the Netherlands took command of the PRT
from the US as
Task Force
Uruzgan. There is also an Australian element under the
Dutch command. Also in Summer 2006, insurgents in Oruzgan
were targeted by a NATO-Afghan military offensive called Operation Mountain
Thrust. The Taliban continued to be active in Oruzgan continued through 2006, as
the Dutch troops limited their movements to small areas around their bases in
Tarin Kowt and Dihrawud towns. Oruzgan's opium poppy crop reached record levels
in 2006, as no significant eradication efforts were carried out.
