Jalalabad

Capital of Nangarhar province, east Afghanistan, on the road from Kabul to Peshawar in Pakistan; population (2001 est) 154,200, of which the majority are Pathan (Pashtun). The town stands on the Kabul River, at a height of 590 m/1,940 ft, and lies on the route connecting Kabul and Peshawar via the Khyber Pass. Jalalabad is well-placed to handle much of the trade between Afghanistan to the west and Pakistan and India to the east, and is the commercial centre for the irrigated plain around it. It trades in almonds, rice, grain, and fruit, while industries include sugar refining and handicrafts.

The town is also the home of the University of Nangarhar which was founded in 1963. The area was besieged by Mujahedin rebels after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1989.

Jalalabad lies on a site of ancient settlement dating from the 2nd century BC, but its modern development was initiated by the Mogul ruler Akbar in the 1560s, and Afghan rule was established in 1834. The town was controlled by the Taliban government from 1996, but in 2001 Jalalabad was captured by forces of the Northern Alliance, with USA and British support, during the war on terror.