Khost Province

Khost خوست
Province
U.S. soldiers in Khost province (June 2013)
Map of Afghanistan with Khost highlighted
Coordinates (Capital): 33°24′N 69°54′E / 33.4°N 69.9°E / 33.4; 69.9Coordinates: 33°24′N 69°54′E / 33.4°N 69.9°E / 33.4; 69.9
Country	Afghanistan
Capital	Khost
Government
• Governor	Hukam Khan Habibi
Area
• Total	4,151.5 km2 (1,602.9 sq mi)
Population (2015)
• Total	574,582
• Density	140/km2 (360/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Area code(s)	AF-KHO
Main languages	Pashto

Khost (Pashto: خوست‎, Persian: خوست‎‎) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country next to Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Khost province used to be part of Paktia province in the past. The city of Khost serves as the capital of Khost province. The population of the province is around 546,800, which is mostly a tribal society. Khost Airport serves the province for domestic flights to Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.

In September 2011, work on the construction of Khost International Airport began. It is estimated the airport will cost $2.5 million. The funds for the project are being provided by the Afghan government. The airport will be located in a desert between Ismailkhel and Tani District.

The current governor of the Province is Abdul Jabbar Naeemi. The city of Khost is the capital of Khost province. All law enforcement activities throughout the province are controlled by the Afghan National Police (ANP). The border of Afghanistan's Khost province with neighboring Pakistan's FATA is monitored and protected by the Afghan Border Police (ABP), which is part of the ANP. The border is called the Durand Line and is known to be one of the most dangerous in the world due to heavy militant activities and illegal smugglings. A provincial police chief is assigned to lead both the ANP and ABP. The police chief represents the Ministry of the Interior in Kabul. The ANP is backed by other Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), including the NATO-led forces.