This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (May 2009)

Khost خوست
—  City  —
Khost Mosque
Khost Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates: 33°19′59″N 69°55′01″E / 33.33306°N 69.91694°E / 33.33306; 69.91694
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Khost Province
District	Khost District
Population (2006)[1]
- Total	160,214
Time zone	Afghanistan Standard Time (UTC+4:30)

Khost or Khowst (Pashto: خوست - Xost) is a city in eastern Afghanistan. It is the capital of Khost province, which is a mountainous region near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan. The population of Khost province is over one million people.

During the nine-year Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the town was besieged from July 1983 to November 1987. Khost Airfield, with its 9,000-foot (2,700 m) runway, served as a base for helicopter operations by Soviet armies.

The Khost Airfield is being used (as of May 2007) by American forces during the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) that commenced in October 2001.

Khost is the home of Khost University.

[edit] May 2009 battle

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On May 12, 2009, several teams of armed Taliban fighters stormed Khost prompting a heavy six-hours battle with US and ANA forces. Reportedly the attack involved 10 suicide bombers, of whom seven were able to detonate and three were shot by security forces. The ANA (Afghan National Army) and ANP (Afghan National Police) took the lead in repelling the attack while the Coalition Forces returned to FOB Salerno in Khost.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire, by Chalmers Johnson, ISBN 0-8050-6239-4

[edit] See also

• List of airports in Afghanistan
• Provincial Reconstruction Team

[edit] External links

• Official website of Khost City
• GlobalSecurity.org's page on Khost
• Images of Khost border town

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