The Persian court then sat in stunned idleness while Mirwais extended his authority throughout the Kandahar region.

To be effective, a post-Taliban government will need a third element: tribal leaders from the Kandahar region.

In 2010 the 2-502nd Infantry deployed to Afghanistan to the Kandahar region.

Mullah Omar directs the war effort from his headquarters in the Kandahar region, issuing orders by couriers, radio and cellphone.

The four had left Quetta (Pakistan) to conduct a survey of the Kandahar region.

The Kandahar region has produced Afghan kings for more than 400 years.

Mr. Muslim, an officer in the Afghan Army before the Soviet intervention, became a guerrilla fighter after 1979, establishing himself in the Kandahar region.

"In 1984, we performed a combat operation in the Kandahar region," said Valery Burkov, a 30-year-old Air Force major.

Mother of the famous early-18th century Afghan King Mir Wais, she grew up in an influential family in the Kandahar region.

The Afghan National Army established a regional command headquarters in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan.