Nawa, Afghanistan
An administrative district in Helmand Province
It is bordered by the districts of Lashkar Gah, Nad Ali, Garmsir, and Rig, as well as the provinces of Nimruz and Kandahar. It falls within the area known as Pashtunistan, (land of the Pashtuns), an area comprising most of southeast Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. The dominant language is Pashto and many of the 89,000 residents practice the traditional code of Pashtunwali. Nawa-I-Barakzayi's name reflects the dominant Pashtun tribe in the district, the Barakzai. Prior to the 1970s, it was called Shamalan after a small village at the south end of the district
It is one of the top opium-producing districts in Afghanistan with 6% of Afghanistan's total crop being grown there. This has made the Nawa-i-Barakzayi district a central hub in the opium and heroin trade. Nawa-i-Barakzayi has also been the scene of heavy fighting during the Helmand province campaign. It was a Taliban stronghold until the summer of 2009, when United States Marines were deployed there as part of Operation Strike of the Sword. Thereafter, it became a United States Marine Corps stronghold. It has become a success story: Afghan President Hamid Karzai and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander General Stanley McChrystal visited the district in January 2010 to highlight the success ISAF has had there combating the Taliban.
"3rd Battalion 3rd Marines Helmand River 2" by Sgt. Mark Fayloga - Sgt. Mark Fayloga. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3rd_Battalion_3rd_Marines_Helmand_River_2.jpg#/media/File:3rd_Battalion_3rd_Marines_Helmand_River_2.jpg
An administrative district in Helmand Province
It is bordered by the districts of Lashkar Gah, Nad Ali, Garmsir, and Rig, as well as the provinces of Nimruz and Kandahar. It falls within the area known as Pashtunistan, (land of the Pashtuns), an area comprising most of southeast Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. The dominant language is Pashto and many of the 89,000 residents practice the traditional code of Pashtunwali. Nawa-I-Barakzayi's name reflects the dominant Pashtun tribe in the district, the Barakzai. Prior to the 1970s, it was called Shamalan after a small village at the south end of the district
It is one of the top opium-producing districts in Afghanistan with 6% of Afghanistan's total crop being grown there. This has made the Nawa-i-Barakzayi district a central hub in the opium and heroin trade. Nawa-i-Barakzayi has also been the scene of heavy fighting during the Helmand province campaign. It was a Taliban stronghold until the summer of 2009, when United States Marines were deployed there as part of Operation Strike of the Sword. Thereafter, it became a United States Marine Corps stronghold. It has become a success story: Afghan President Hamid Karzai and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander General Stanley McChrystal visited the district in January 2010 to highlight the success ISAF has had there combating the Taliban.
"3rd Battalion 3rd Marines Helmand River 2" by Sgt. Mark Fayloga - Sgt. Mark Fayloga. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3rd_Battalion_3rd_Marines_Helmand_River_2.jpg#/media/File:3rd_Battalion_3rd_Marines_Helmand_River_2.jpg
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