Reg District is situated in the southeastern part of Helmand Province

Helmand Province

Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....

, Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 along the Helmand River

Helmand River

The Helmand River is the longest river in Afghanistan and the primarily watershed for the endorheic Sistan Basin....

 on its western bank. The population is 22,400 (60% Pashtun

Pashtun people

Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...

 and 40% Balouch). The main village is Khanashin

Khanashin

Khanashin, or Khan Neshin, is a village located in the Rig District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan at at 642 altitude...

.

The district is almost a desert and all the villages are along the Helmand River.The drought has extremely affected this district and its agriculture is ruined. The unemployment rate is 80%.

Agriculture

Actually, the district is known as the "Green Zone" due to its abundance of vegetation. The Helmand River feeds into many canals that wind trough the surrounding villages and bring water to this once desolate area, allowing local farmers to grow crops ranging from corn, okra, wheat, poppy, and marijuana. The unemployment rate is below 20% due to the surge in American troops in the region, bringing much needed safety and stability, allowing locals to move back into the area and re-open once flourishing business.

History

Rig District was, for much of the Afghan War, under Taliban control, until it was taken by ISAF

ISAF

ISAF may refer to:* International Sailing Federation, the world governing body for Olympic and other competitive sailing.* International Security Assistance Force, the NATO-led security mission operating in Afghanistan since 2001....

 forces in July 2009 during Operation Khanjar.

Natural Resources

Geologists also discovered rare earth minerals and niobium deposits in the Khanneshin area of Southern Helmand province with an estimated value of more than $89 billion