Wardak

Wardak functions as Kabul's shadow zone—close enough to the capital (35 kilometers from Maidan Shar) to matter strategically, rural enough to resist central control. The Kabul-Kandahar highway, one of Afghanistan's most important arteries, crosses through Maidan Shahr, Narkh, and Saydabad districts. This geographic position made Wardak a Taliban travel route to the capital during the insurgency and ensured it became the 27th provincial capital to fall on August 15, 2021.

The province's mixed demographics create persistent friction. Hazara communities in Behsood and Day Mirdad districts face documented discrimination in humanitarian aid distribution, with Taliban authorities prioritizing Pashtun-majority areas. ISIS-K cells exploit the central location and demographic complexity for infiltration, targeted killings, and improvised explosive devices—even though the group's operational core remains in eastern Nangarhar and Kunar. The province exemplifies how geographic centrality can become a curse rather than a blessing.

Economic activity patterns reveal informal adaptation to instability. The Kabul-Wardak highway channels timber and charcoal from rural areas to Kabul markets, where winter heating demand spikes. Coal extraction occurs throughout the province; a processing factory exported 200 tons to Oman in April 2024—modest but indicating viable international trade potential. July 2025 brought flash flooding in Nirkh district, adding natural disaster to the province's challenges. By 2023, economic activity measured by nighttime lights remained significantly below 2020 baselines, alongside Parwan, Kapisa, and notably Kabul itself.