Markazi Bihsud District
Markaz-i Bihsūd District (Persian: ولسوالی مرکز بهسود) is a district of Maidan Wardak Province, Afghanistan. The main town is Bihsud.
Markazi Bihsud District
ولسوالی مرکز بهسود | |
|---|---|
  Markazi Bihsud District Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates: 34.3157°N 68.0478°E | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Maidan Wardak |
| Capital | Bihsud |
| Population | |
| • Total | 250,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Standard Time) |
The district has a Hazara majority resident population. The population of Markazi Bihsud is estimated at more than 250,000 people. The Markazi Behsud is the biggest district with large localities in Maidan Wardak Province.
For many years, there has been a flare-up in ethnic violence in the district. Local Hazaras accuse Pashtun nomads of destroying their crop fields, burning their homes and killing civilians. Pashtun nomads, locally known as Kuchi, enter the area every year in late spring, and allow their animals to graze on crop fields. Local Hazaras claim that Kuchi militias being armed with heavy weapons are supported by the Taliban and elements of the Afghan government. According to some latest reports, several villages have been burned and thousands of local villagers have had to flee the area in May–June 2012. The clashes reportedly resulted in the death of six local villagers on June 8, 2012. President Karzai's spokesman has accused the Taliban of being involved in the attacks against the villagers and their property.