Panjshir Province - History

History

The territory was ruled by the Khanate of Bukhara between the early 16th century and the mid-18th century. It was given to Ahmad Shah Durrani by Murad Beg of Bukhara after a treaty of friendship was reached in or about 1750, and became part of the Durrani Empire. It was ruled by the Durranis followed by the Barakzai dynasty, and was untouched by the British during the 19th century Anglo-Afghan wars.

It remained peaceful until the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan at which point the Mujahideen, under Rabbani and Ahmad Shah Massoud, began a rebellion against the central Afghan government that was backed by the Soviet Union.

After the collapse of the central Afghan government in 1992 and the Taliban takeover of Kabul, Panjshir, along with Badakhshan Province, served as a staging ground against the Taliban government in the late 1990s. On September 9, 2001, Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated. This was followed by the US-led invasion and the removal of the Taliban government in late 2001. Forces from Panjshir began leaving to take over security in Kabul.

Containing the Panjshir Valley, in April 2004 Panjshir District of Parwan Province was turned into a province under the Karzai administration. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) established bases. In the meantime, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) also established bases, a US-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) began operating in Panjshir in late 2000s. As of 2012, security in the province is maintained by the Afghan National Police and the Afghan National Army.