Panjwai is a District in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan.
We like to compare it to a county, and Kandahar being like a state in the United States.
According to Wikipedia, approximately 60,000 people live an work in the Panjwai District, which features a large and bustling Bazaar on its norther border next to the Arghandab River.
Panjwai is almost exclusively an agricultural zone, with most of the land dedicated to growing Poppy, Marijuana, Wheat, Corn and Grapes.
Panjwai was deliberately irrigated at one time, turning an empty river valley into an agricultural Oasis.
In 1994, a small band of angry religious leaders led a rebellion against a warlord , sparking a revolution that would later become the Taliban.
Until 2006, the Taliban enjoyed rule over Panjwai with impunity, with NATO / Coalition forces conducting raids into the area but no permanent forces or bases in the region.
In 2006, NATO / ISAF with the Canadian military taking lead, pushed into Panjwai by force, kicking off a seven year occupation of the region.
In 2011, Canadian Forces handed Panjwai over to the U.S. Army, who held the area until early 2013.
In 2012, The War in Afghanistan saw a massive surge of troops. Inspired by the surge in Iraq which ultimately led to the defeat of Al Qaeda in Iraq, President Obama surged the number of troops in Afghanistan in an effort to squash the Taliban and lay the groundwork for a quick, clean exit.
This meant a huge presence of American troops in the Horn of Panjwai. Company sized Combat Outposts, housing 70-150 men, were located at COP Lion, COP Mushan, COP Talukan and COP Sperwan Ghar. Forward Operating Base Zangabad and Forward Operating Base Masum Ghar provided Battalion and Brigade level support
The Area of Operations for Bravo Company 1/64 Armor in 2012
Combat Outpost (or Patrol Base for the Canadian Forces) Sperwan Ghar sits at the eastern end of the Horn of Panjwai. It was a central terrain feature for the U.S. Special Forces soldiers who captured it in 2006 in order to support the NATO mission to take Panjwai. Since then, it has served as home for Canadian, American and Afghan military forces.