Sar-e-Pol Province

Sar-e-Pol (PashtoTemplate:Efn, DariTemplate:Efn: سر پل; lit. 'bridge head'), also spelled Sari Pul, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. It borders Ghor and Bamyan to the south, Samangan to the east, Balkh and Jowzjan to the north, and Faryab to the west. The province is divided into 7 districts and contains 896 villages. It has a population of about 632,000,<ref name=nsia/> which is multi-ethnic and mostly a tribal society. The province was created in 1988 with the support of northern Afghan politician Sayed Nasim Mihanparast.<ref name="Nojumi2002">Template:Cite book</ref> The city of Sar-e-Pol serves as the provincial capital.

History

Template:Further Between the early 16th and the mid-18th century, the territory was ruled by the Khanate of Bukhara. It was given to Ahmad Shah Durrani by Murad Beg of Bukhara after a treaty was signed in about 1750 and became part of the Durrani Empire. It was ruled by the Durranis, followed by the Barakzai dynasty. The area was untouched by the British during the three Anglo-Afghan wars fought in the 19th and 20th centuries. It remained peaceful for about one hundred years until the 1980s Soviet–Afghan War.

Recent history

During the Afghan Civil War, the area was controlled by forces loyal to Abdul Rashid Dostum. It was captured by the Taliban in 1998. Aminullah Amin, the first senior member of the Taliban to be captured, was the former governor of the province.<ref name=Bbc20011220> Template:Cite news</ref>

Swedish-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), which has been based in Mazar-e Sharif since about 2005 and responsible for four provinces including Sar-e Pol, established an office and some troops in the province. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANFS) began expanding in the last decade and slowly took over security from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The Afghanistan-Turkmenistan border is maintained by the Afghan Border Police (ABP), while law and order for the rest of the province is provided by the NATO-trained Afghan National Police (ANP).

In 2009, the provincial Police Chief stated that weapons had been collected from many people and three districts, namely, Sangcharak, Gosfandi, and Sozama Qala areas, termed as the peaceful districts of the province. In operations against militants, the police chief said they had arrested a prominent Taliban commander, Mullah Nader, along with 11 other people during the recent operations. He said scores of kilograms of hashish and opium had also been seized from people during the operations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The biggest threat to travelers in Sar-e Pol province remains highway bandits and thieves, corrupt militiamen and police, and road hazards. During the American-Afghan war, small groups of cadres were active throughout the province. These groups often relied on larger support networks in neighboring provinces.

On August 8, 2021, the Taliban regained control of the provincial capital.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Healthcare

Template:Further The percentage of households with clean drinking water increased from 8% in 2005 to 15% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org">Archive, Civil Military Fusion Centre, Template:Cite web</ref> The rate of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant increased from 0% in 2005 to 20% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org"/>

Education

Template:Further The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) increased from 12% in 2005 to 23% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org"/> The overall net enrolment rate (6–13 years of age) increased from 22% in 2005 to 46% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org"/>

Geography

Template:Further Sar-e Pol is a mountainous province, especially in its southern region. The province covers an area of 16,360 km. Three-quarters (75%) of the province is mountainous or semi-mountainous terrain, while one-seventh (14%) of the area is made up of flat land. The province is divided into 7 districts, containing 896 villages.

Demography

Districts of Sar-e-Pol

Template:Further As of 2021, the total population of the province was approximately 632,000. The major ethnic groups were Uzbeks and Hazaras, followed by Pashtuns, with Tajiks and Arabs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Districts of Sar-e-Pol Province

District	Capital	Population	Area	Pop. density	Demographics
Balkhab		56,864	2,958	19	Predominantly Hazaras, few Pashtuns.
Gosfandi		64,038	620	103	Majority Hazaras, minority Uzbeks. Used to belong to Sancharak District.
Kohistanat		90,477	5,771	16	Mixed Uzbeks, Pashtuns, Hazaras.
Sancharak		115,050	1,316	87	Majority Hazaras, minority Uzbeks, few Kyrgyz.
Sare-Pol	Sar-e-Pol	176,994	2,442	72	Majority Uzbeks, minority Pashtuns.
Sayyad		61,646	1,334	46	Predominantely Uzbeks, few Pashtuns.
Sozma Qala		55,933	531	105	Majority Hazara, Minority Pashtun
Sar-e Pol		621,002	16,386	38	43.3% Uzbeks, 38.6% Hazaras, 18.1% Pashtuns, 0.2% Kyrgyz.Template:Refn

Economy

Template:Further Mining and agriculture are the province's main industries. The Government of Afghanistan signed a deal with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for the development of oil blocks in the Amu Darya basin, a project expected to earn billions of dollars over two decades; the deal covers drilling and a refinery in the northern provinces of Sar-e Pol and Faryab and is the first international oil production agreement entered into by the Afghan government for several decades.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Production of Afghan oil began in October 2012, and it was expected to increase to 1 million barrels per year in 2013.<ref name=Shalizi>China's CNPC begins oil production in Afghanistan Template:Webarchive, by Hamid Shalizi. October 21, 2012.</ref>

On October 5, 2018, in Washington, D.C., Afghan officials signed a 30-year contract involving a $56 million investment by investment group Centar and its operating company Afghan Gold and Minerals Co. for exploration of an area covering 500 square km for copper, with development of mining due to begin thereafter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communications in and around the province are provided by Afghan Wireless, Roshan, Etisalat, and MTN Group.

See also

• Sar-e Pol city
• Sar-e Pol District