Pray for the Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan

A rugged, narrow strip of land seeps out from the northern border of Afghanistan, reaching to China to divide Tajikistan and Pakistan. It has been a trade route for centuries, but an 1893 agreement between the British Empire and Afghanistan created it as a border; but it is a border that crosses through the different people groups who live there.

The Wakhi people in Northeastern Afghanistan are from a sect of Shia Ismaili called Nizaris. They are not seen as real Muslims by other Afghans and are often discriminated against, sometimes even persecuted. Notably, the Taliban are very hostile towards them. The Wakhi people number about 50,000, with about 17,000 or so living in the Wakhan corridor and the others in neighbouring regions of Tajikistan, China, and Pakistan. Also living here are about 1500 descendants of Kyrgyz nomadic herders who were in Afghanistan when the border was created. They are strict Sunni Muslims.

The remote location of the Wakhan region (and the general poverty of the area) prevents the establishment of good infrastructure. There is inadequate access to medical care, clean water, electricity, telephone connections or internet. Educational opportunities are very limited. The situation of the Kyrgyz is even worse. Their daily life is marked by desolation.

Over the last two decades, a group of believers have had the opportunity to travel to the Wakhan corridor to share the Good News, although there is no existing church. After the retreat of western military in 2021, the Taliban quickly took over the Wakhan District – with unforeseeable and possibly disastrous consequences for the people who call it home.

How to Pray

• Pray for peace and protection for the people of the Wakhan Corridor. (Isaiah 54:10)
• For the spiritual seeds spread in the past to grow in the hearts of the people (Matthew 13:1-23)
• For followers of Christ to be able to live among the Wakhi and Kirghiz in the Wakhan again, to share His love and salvation. (Isaiah 52:7)