Kandahar

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City in Afghanistan, capital of Kandahar province, and the second city in Afghanistan, 450 km/280 mi southwest of Kabul; population (2001 est) 329,000. The city is 1,005 m/3,297 ft above sea level and stands on plateau with an annual rainfall of only 150 mm/6 in, but is irrigated by the Tarnak and other rivers. It is a trading centre, with wool and cotton factories, and other industries which include silk and felt. The city is a market for other agricultural products, including wool, tobacco, grains, fresh and dried fruit, and livestock, especially sheep. The city was severely damaged in the 1980s as a result of hostilities between Soviet-occupying forces and Afghan guerrillas. Further damage occurred in 2001 when the city, as the last major stronghold of the Taliban government, was under attack by the Northern Alliance supported by US and British forces during the war on terror. The Taliban forces in Kandahar surrendered in December 2001.

Kandahar is linked to Kabul and Herat in Afghanistan and Quetta in Pakistan by road, and is served by an international airport.

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