Parwan province is located in the central part of Afghanistan and has population of approximately 738 000. The main ethnic groups are Tajiks, Pashtuns and Hazaras. The province borders Baghlan, Panjshir, Kapisa, Kabul, Wardak and Bamyan. It is divided into 10 districts. The Salang Pass Tunnel connects Kabul to northern Afghanistan and a highway from Kabul to Kunduz runs through the province; another highway connects Parwan and Bamyan provinces. The province also hosts the Bagram Air Base, the largest NATO military base in Afghanistan.

The province is described as among the relatively calm provinces in Afghanistan. Remote areas, such as the Ghorband Valley, have been reported as the most insecure regions of Parwan. Taliban’s presence has been reported in some districts of Parwan. The presence of ISKP was also noted, after one incident attributed to the group occurred between March 2019 and June 2020.

LWJ considered half of the districts under government control or undetermined and the other half contested.

ACLED collected data on 187 violent events in the period from 1 March 2019 to 30 June 2020 (average of 2.7 incidents per week), of which 93 were coded as ‘battles’, 81 as ‘explosions/remote violence’ and 13 as ‘violence against civilians’.

Examples of incidents include fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces in several districts of the province in 2019, such as Bagram, Charikar, Shinwari and Ghorband. The Taliban also launched attacks against the Bagram airbase, attacked Afghan and international security forces near the capital, and assaulted security checkpoints in Siya Girid and Koh-e Safi districts. In March 2020, explosives detonated at the site of electricity transmission towers in Charikar City, causing several civilian casualties among employees. Shelling, artillery and missile attacks, as well as some air/drone strikes were also reported.

Further impact on the civilian population included the closure of some schools due to Taliban pressure and an attack on a polling centre in September 2019.

UNAMA documented 246 civilian casualties (65 deaths and 181 injured) in 2019, representing 33 civilian victims per 100 000 inhabitants. This was an increase of 500 % compared to 2018. The leading causes for the civilian casualties were suicide IEDs, followed by ground engagements and search operations.

RS ranked Parwan in the category of provinces where the number of civilian casualties was between 0 and 25 for the first quarter of 2020, and between 26 and 50 for the second quarter.

In the period 1 March 2019 – 30 June 2020, 42 persons were displaced from the province of Parwan. In the same period, 441 persons were displaced to Parwan coming from other provinces.