Khost

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Khost is a city in eastern Afghanistan and the capital of Khost Province. It sits on a plateau about 1,225 meters (4,019 feet) above sea level, roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Kabul and near the border with Pakistan. The city governs Khost District and is the largest town in southeastern Afghanistan and in the Loya Paktia region. It hosts Shaikh Zayed University and has Khost International Airport in its eastern area. The mayor is Mufti Shahzad Noor Rashid.

About 170,000 people live in Khost city (the province has around 694,000 residents). The population is mostly Pashtun, from many tribes, and the main language is Pashto (with Dari also spoken). The area is a key trading center because of its border location, with the Ghulam Khan crossing about 32 kilometers to the south.

Geography and climate: Khost lies in the Khost Bowl, a valley with lower elevation than the surrounding hills. It’s on a plateau that rises to mountains nearby. The climate is semi-arid, with milder winters than the surrounding highlands and about 475 mm of rain mostly from the summer monsoon. Most rain comes from the southeast, making summers relatively wet for Afghanistan.

History and notable events: Khost has seen fighting spanning centuries, including during the Anglo-Afghan War, several rebellions, and a long Soviet–Afghan War siege. In 1995 the Taliban took control of Khost. After 2001, the United States built Forward Operating Base Chapman near the city as part of the war in Afghanistan, and reconstruction and security efforts followed. There were notable attacks in 2009, and in 2021 the Taliban captured Khost. In June 2022, a major earthquake affected the area.

Economy and culture: pine nuts are among the province’s notable exports. Education is supported by Shaikh Zayed University and other Afghan institutions. The region is known for sports such as cricket, basketball, and football. Some famous people from Khost include cricket stars Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Nawroz Mangal, among others.