Special Reports

After Kabul, Herat is the second most populated province of Afghanistan. Located in the west part of the country, Herat borders Iran and Turkmenistan.
Bestowed with abundant natural resources in its remote parts, the province has copper, iron, coal, marble, lithium, salt, stucco and precious stones deposits.
Herat Mines and Petroleum Director Eng. Abdul Jamil Ilyas said that natural resources in the province had been divided into three categories -- large, medium and small.

LASHKARGAH (PAN): The southern Helmand has around 16 different mines of precious and semi-precious stones but growing lawlessness has provided a renewed impetus to its illegal excavation and smuggling, an official said.
Esmatullah Shams, provincial mines department head, said the province was extremely rich in natural resources such as uranium, magnate, carbonate, stucco, zing, plumbum, quicksilver, alabaster and others.
If properly excavated, the natural reservoirs of the province would considerably bolster the national economy, he added.

LASHKARGAH (PAN): The last few years saw completion of multiple development projects in southern Helmand province, officials said.
Mohammad Lal Ahmadi, provincial chief of staff told Pajhwok Afghan News that more than 200 kilometers roads have been paved in Lashkargah, the provincial capital.
With the same breath, he went on to say that another road, which is 280- kilometers long and linking various districts have been constructed while work on other roads are underway.

Lashkargha (PAN): Despite achieving some peace followed by tangible progress in education sector, Helmand Province still faces serious nature of security related problems.
Provincial Education Director Mohammad Naseem Sapi told Pajwak Afghan News that “four years back, as many as 70 schools out of 360 were functioning in the province. Following extended cooperation by the people of the area, around 207 schools have been reopened recently.”

LASHKARGAH (PAN): The economy of people of the volatile Helmand Province mainly depends on agriculture with the sector witness remarkable boom as compared to the past, officials said.
Head of Agriculture Department Rohullah Rawan said 85% of people economy depends on agriculture. He said that earlier poppy cultivation diminished the crops of wheat, however in recent years; the crop has been multiplied in the backdrop of launching awareness programme among farmers elsewhere in the province.

KANDAHAR (PAN): The restive southern Kandahar Province has been stabilized in terms of security with the Afghan Local Police (ALP) demonstrate immense capabilities in thwarting of rebel attacks efficiently elsewhere in the province.

Lashkergah (PAN): In the wake of capacity building of security forces and unflinching support by the public, security in the volatile Helmand has been improved to great extent.
Helmand Governor Spokesperson Omer Zwak expressed optimism that security has been bolstered as comparative to the past. Comparing the current security situation with past, he said that earlier only the capital had beefed-up security, adding but against the back drop of establishment of local councils in districts and villages, security has been tightened elsewhere in the province.