A recent article has come out showing the differences and similarities among Afghan ethnic groups by studying the Y-Haplogroup (male) marker of Afghans.

There are genetic similarites between the Tajiks and the Pashtuns. On the flip side, the Uzbeks and Hazaras are genetically linked, their differences today are because of cultural shifts in the population.

Some keypoints:

1. Pashtuns and Tajiks have the largest R1a1a (Indo-Iranian marker) makeup in their respective populations: Pashtuns (51.02%) and Tajiks (30.36%). That suggests 49% of Pashtuns, and 70% of Tajiks in this study, were not originally part of that group in the beginning, meaning cultural assimilation in the past 5,000 years.

2. Uzbeks, Hazaras, and Turkmens share a similar East Asian ancestry: C3-M217 was significantly more frequent (p = 4.55×10−9) in Uzbeks (41.18%) and Hazaras (33.33%) than it was in Tajiks (3.57%) and Pashtuns (2.04%).

3. There were many oddballs in the study, there were some Hazara that showed ancestry to East African, meaning most likely some link to the slave trade, possibly by the Mongols or Turks.

4. There were Pashtuns and Tajiks in the study that had Romani (gypsy) genetic markers, I believe, most likely from the slave trade (aka Hindu Kush slave trade) as well.

5. Some Afghans who claimed they were Arab, ended up being (surprise surprise), South Asian.

6. There were NO genetic links between Pashtuns or Tajiks to the Greeks in this study.

The conclusion is simple, Afghans all share a common history in the region. Marked by Neolithic, Bronze Age civilizations, amalgamated in time by the different tribes that migrated to the region, and the genetic variability they brought from their conquered lands.


Source:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:...l.pone.0034288

already posted: New paper on afghan population

This.

Somebody gimme the lowdown on R1a1a

Somebody should merge these two threads.

R1a1a is the ethnic Indo-Iranic marker , found primarily in South-Central Asia. One variety, R1a1a7 is primarily found in Europe, but rare in South Asia.

This marker is also associated with the Indo-Europeans who traveled to our region about 5-6,000 years ago from the Central Asian steppe lands.

My own genetic study reveals that I am also R1a1a.

You said that marker is found primarily in southern central asia. What about this marker in the Iranian people. I was wondering if studies have shown whether the Iranians are related to us i.e. pukhtana. Thanks

I can only stress flexibility in the interpretations of genetic evidence when modern endogamous/isolated Indo-Iranian speaking populations - From Pashtuns, to the Kalash, to Pamiri Tajiks, to north Indian Brahmins, to Kurds, to Parsis - All seem to display, at the minimum, a common Y-Chromosomal spectrum of L1c-M357, R2a-M124, R1a1a-M17 and J2-M172. I also kindly advise those presuming Haplogroup R1a1a-M17 to represent the sole paternal marker associated with the spread of Indo-Iranians to examine the archaeological evidence, which shows at least two admixture events between the Sintashta culture to the BMAC.

Based on my work (which I cannot elaborate on due to an "information cap"), generally speaking, there appear to be both prehistoric and ancient paternal connections between Iranians and Afghan Pakhtuns, although there doesn't appear to be any recent ties.