Mihtarlam
مهترلام Mehtar Lam | |
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Coordinates: 34°40′06″N 70°12′32″E / 34.66833°N 70.20889°E | |
Country | Afghanistan |
Province | Laghman Province |
District | Mihtarlam District |
Named for | Lamech |
Government | |
• Mayor | Maulvi Obaidullah Saqib |
Elevation | 779 m (2,556 ft) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 144,162[1] |
Time zone | UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Standard Time) |
Mihtarlam (Persian: مهترلام, Pashto: مهترلام), also spelled Mehtar Lam, is the sixteenth-largest city of Afghanistan. It is the capital of Laghman Province and center of Mihtarlam District. It is the only large urban settlement in the province. The town is situated in the valley formed by the Alishang and Alingar rivers, 47 km northwest of the city of Jalalabad. There is a paved road between the cities that takes approximately one hour to travel by car.
On 13 August 2021, Mihtarlam was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the twenty-third provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive.