Uzbek people in the context of "Hisor"

Afghanistan is a multiethnic country, with its population comprising a variety of social, linguistic, cultural, and tribal communities. The formal categorization of ethnicity in Afghanistan is a relatively recent development, emerging primarily in the 20th century and gaining political significance during the conflicts that began in the 1970s.

Major ethnic categories traditionally identified in Afghanistan include Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks. Minor categories include Aimaqs, Turkmens, Balochs, Nuristanis, and Arabs, among others. However, the boundaries between these communities are fluid, with language, self-identification, urban or rural residence, and regional affiliations intersecting in complex ways.

Surxondaryo Region is a region (viloyat) of Uzbekistan, located in the extreme south-east of the country. Established on 6 March 1941, it borders on Qashqadaryo Region internally, and Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan externally, going anticlockwise from the north. It takes its name from the river Surxondaryo, that flows through the region. It covers an area of 20,100 km². The population is estimated at 2,743,201 (beginning of 2022 data), with 80% living in rural areas. According to official data, 83% of the population are Uzbeks and 12.5% Tajiks. The highest point of the Region and also of Uzbekistan is Khazrati Sulton peak reaching 4,643 m/15,233 ft in Gissar Range.

The regional capital is Termez with a population of about 200,000 (2024), and the second largest city is Denov (Denau) with 78,300 inhabitants (data for 2016). Other towns include Boysun, Jarqoʻrgʻon, Qumqoʻrgʻon, Shargʻun, Sherobod, Shoʻrchi, and Sariosiyo.

Abdul Rashid Dostum (born 25 March 1954) is an Afghan exiled politician, former military officer and warlord. He is the founder and leader of the Junbish-e Milli political party, and was a senior army officer in the military of the former Afghan communist government during the Soviet–Afghan War, initially part of the Afghan Commando Forces. In 2001, Dostum became a key indigenous ally to the U.S. Special Forces and the CIA during the campaign to topple the Taliban government. He is one of the most powerful warlords since the beginning of the Afghan conflict, infamous for being an opportunist and siding with winners during Afghanistan's several civil wars. Dostum was also referred to as a kingmaker due to his significant role in Afghan politics.

An ethnic Uzbek from a peasant family in Jawzjan province, Dostum joined the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) as a teenager before enlisting in the Afghan Army and training as a paratrooper, serving in his native region around Sheberghan. Following the outbreak of the Soviet–Afghan War, Dostum commanded a KHAD paramilitary unit and eventually gained a reputation for defeating mujahideen commanders in northern Afghanistan and even persuading some to defect to the communist cause. As a result, the communist government gained effective control over the country's north. He achieved several promotions in the army and was honored as a "Hero of Afghanistan" by President Mohammed Najibullah in 1988. By this time he was commanding up to 45,000 troops in the region under his responsibility.

Batken is a region of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Batken. It is bounded on the east by Osh Region, on the south, west and north by Tajikistan, and on the northeast by Uzbekistan. The northern part of the region is part of the flat, agricultural Ferghana Valley. The land rises southward to the mountains on the southern border: the Alay Mountains in the east, and the Turkestan Range in the west. Its total area is 17,048 km (6,582 sq mi). The resident population of the region was 548,247 as of January 2021. The region has sizeable Uzbek (14.7% in 2009) and Tajik (6.9% in 2009) minorities.