Azra District | |
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 Interactive map of Azra District | |
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| Coordinates:34°06′33″N69°37′28″E / 34.1092°N 69.6244°E /34.1092; 69.6244 |
Azra District is a district ofLogar Province,Afghanistan. It is located in the eastern part of the district and is 142 kilometers (88 mi) from the capitalKabul. The district is geographically mountainous and produces a large amount ofhashish.
The area was used byAfghan mujahideen groups during theSoviet–Afghan War as there is a direct route to the country's capital ofKabul,[1] which is 142 kilometers (88 mi) away.[2]
On 30 June 2008, theTaliban seized control of the district.[3] In 2011, acar bomb exploded outside a hospital in the district, killing 29 people and wounding 53; this was the third-most deadliest terrorist attack in Afghanistan after 2001.[4][1] All of the roads leading to the district were seized by the Taliban in 2018.[5]
The Azra district is located in the eastern portion of theLogar Province.[2] Almost the entirety of the district is mountainous and theSafed Koh passes through it.[1]
In 2002, there were localshura in charge of mediating disputes, but they would refer issues to the district administrator appointed by thegovernment if they were unable to resolve the issues.[2]
Hashish has been produced in the area since the 1980s and 50% of the agricultural lands in the district were used for cannabis cultivation according to a 1989 report by theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Abdul Wali Wakil, a local councilor, reported in 2016 that 80% of the arable land in the district was being used for hashish.[1]
There was one high school and five primary schools in 2002, that had a total of 30 teachers and 1,200 male students. At the time, these schools were lacking desks, chairs, textbooks, stationery, and salaries for teachers. The literacy rate was 10-15% in 2002.[2]
The district is almost entirely populated byPashtuns.[1] An UNHCR for Refugees report lists the population of the area as 100% Pashtun in 1990, with 16,670 people inhabiting the area while an additional 14,497 were refugees in Pakistan.[2] The population in 2019 was estimated to be 22,588.[6]
