Dozens Killed in Flash Floods in Baghlan Province, Northern Afghanistan

Published: 12 May 2024 at 09:36

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Dozens of people were killed in flash floods in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan on Friday due to seasonal rains, as reported by a Taliban official. The floods caused significant damage to homes in the region, with images showing people cleaning up and collecting belongings amidst the aftermath.

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Flash floods in Afghanistan kill over 300 people, destroy homes

More than 300 people have been killed and over 1,000 houses destroyed in Afghanistan due to flash floods caused by heavy seasonal rains. The worst-hit provinces include Baghlan, Takhar, Badakhshan, Ghor, and Herat. The Taliban government has mobilized resources for rescue and recovery efforts, with the air force evacuating people and providing aid. The floods have prompted calls for immediate aid and long-term planning to address Afghanistan's vulnerability to climate crises. Videos posted on social media show families searching for loved ones and preparing for burials.

1956 Baghlan earthquake (Wikipedia)

The 1956 Afghanistan earthquake occurred in the early morning of 10 June 1956, causing considerable damage and casualties in the area of Kabul, Bamyan and the Hindu Kush mountain range. It had a magnitude of 7.3 on the surface-wave magnitude scale. The total number of deaths were between 300 and as high as 900. According to Radio Afghanistan it was the heaviest registered earthquake ever in Afghanistan.

Baghlan (Wikipedia)

Baghlan (Pashto and Dari: بغلان Baġlān) is a city in northern Afghanistan, in the eponymous province, Baghlan Province. It is located three miles east of the Kunduz River, 35 miles south of Khanabad, and about 500 metres above sea level in the northern Hindu Kush. Baghlan's capital, Pul-e-Khumri, is known to be an economic hub connected to eight other provinces by the Kabul-North highway.[1]

Soviet–Afghan War (Wikipedia)

The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Soviet-controlled Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) from 1979 to 1989. The war was a major conflict of the Cold War as it saw extensive fighting between the DRA, the Soviet Union and allied paramilitary groups against the Afghan mujahideen and their allied foreign fighters. While the mujahideen were backed by various countries and organizations, the majority of their support came from Pakistan, the United States (as part of Operation Cyclone), the United Kingdom, China, Iran, and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The involvement of the foreign powers made the war a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Combat took place throughout the 1980s, mostly in the Afghan countryside. The conflict led to the deaths of between 562,000 and 2,000,000 Afghans, while millions more fled from the country as refugees; most externally displaced Afghans sought refuge in Pakistan and in Iran. Approximately 6.5% to 11.5% of Afghanistan's erstwhile population of 13.5 million people (per the 1979 census) is estimated to have been killed over the course of the conflict. The Soviet–Afghan War caused grave destruction throughout Afghanistan and has also been cited by scholars as a significant factor that contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, formally ending the Cold War.The war began after the Soviets, under the command of Leonid Brezhnev, launched an invasion of Afghanistan to support the local pro-Soviet government that had been installed during Operation Storm-333. Numerous sanctions and embargoes were imposed on the Soviet Union by the international community in response. Soviet troops occupied Afghanistan's major cities and all main arteries of communication, whereas the mujahideen waged guerrilla warfare in small groups across the 80% of the country that was not subject to uncontested Soviet control—almost exclusively comprising the rugged, mountainous terrain of the countryside. In addition to laying millions of landmines across Afghanistan, the Soviets used their aerial power to deal harshly with both Afghan resistance and civilians, levelling villages to deny safe haven to the mujahideen, destroying vital irrigation ditches and other scorched-earth tactics.The Soviet government had initially planned to swiftly secure Afghanistan's towns and road networks, stabilize the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) government, and withdraw all of their military forces in a span of six months to one year. However, they were met with fierce resistance from Afghan guerrillas and experienced great operational difficulties on the rugged mountainous terrain. By the mid-1980s, the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan had increased to approximately 115,000 troops and fighting across the country intensified; the complication of the war effort gradually inflicted a high cost on the Soviet Union as military, economic, and political resources became increasingly exhausted. By mid-1987, reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev announced that the Soviet military would begin a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan. The final wave of disengagement was initiated on 15 May 1988, and on 15 February 1989, the last Soviet military column occupying Afghanistan crossed into the Uzbek SSR. With continued external Soviet backing, the PDPA government pursued a solo war effort against the mujahideen, and the conflict evolved into the Afghan Civil War. However following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, all support to the Republic was pulled, leading to the toppling of the Homeland Party's Isolated Republic at the hands of the mujahideen in 1992 and the start of another Afghan Civil War.

Baghlan Province (Wikipedia)

Baghlan (Dari: بغلان, romanized: Baġlān) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. As of 2020, the province has a population of about 1,014,634.Its capital is Puli Khumri, but its name comes from the other major town in the province, Baghlan. The ruins of a Zoroastrian fire temple, the Surkh Kotal, are located in Baghlan. The lead nation of the local Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) was Hungary, which operated from 2006 to 2015.

Baghlan District (Wikipedia)

Baghlan was a district in Baghlan Province, Afghanistan. The main town of the district was also known as Baghlan. In 2005, Baghlan was annexed into the district of Baghlani Jadid, also in Baghlan Province.

Kayan, Baghlan (Wikipedia)

Kayan is a town in Baghlan Province in north eastern Afghanistan It is located in the valley of Kayan, some 30 kilometres west of Dushi. It is the official seat of Sayed of Kayan; a ruling Historical title of Northern Afghanistan. The residents of Kayan valley are mostly members of Sadat and Hazara tribes loyal to Sayed Kayan who has been the official representative of Aga Khan in Afghanistan. These Sayyids follow Isma'ili Islam.Throughout its history, Kayan has been a significant locale for the Ismaili community within Afghanistan, particularly during periods of conflict such as the Soviet era, the Mujahideen, and the Afghan civil war. It emerged as a stronghold for Afghanistan's Ismaili forces, under the leadership of Sayed Jafar Naderi. Sayed Jafar, the elder son of Sayed Mansur Naderi, who is the head of the Ismailis in Afghanistan, commanded a force of over 13,000-18,000 armed individuals. Their primary objective was to safeguard the interests of the Ismaili community amidst challenges posed by the government, Mujahideen, and other factions during these turbulent times.The strategic and communal significance of Kayan, along with its role in the defense of the Ismaili population, was highlighted in the documentary Warlord of Kayan directed by Jeff B. Harmon and produced by Journeyman Pictures in 1989. This film documents the valley's historical context and its importance as a center of Ismaili leadership and military organization. The documentary movie is available on different platforms including Youtube, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Roku and many more.In addition to its historical and military relevance, Kayan is rooted in spiritual and cultural traditions. The valley is home to descendants of Shah Abdal Wali, a spiritual leader of Hussaini Sadat origin who migrated from the regions of Iraq-Iran to Afghanistan. His lineage has been revered across various communities for their virtues of honesty, sincerity, and compassion. Leadership within the Kayan valley has historically been marked by a series of prominent figures who have played pivotal roles in guiding the community towards truth and righteousness, emphasizing the spiritual heritage that characterizes this unique region of Afghanistan.