Azra District

The area was used by Afghan mujahideen groups during the Soviet–Afghan War as there is a direct route to the country's capital of Kabul,^[1] which is 142 kilometers (88 mi) away.^[2]

On 30 June 2008, the Taliban seized control of the district.^[3] In 2011, a car 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 the Logar Province.^[2] Almost the entirety of the district is mountainous and the Safed Koh passes through it.^[1]

In 2002, there were local shura in charge of mediating disputes, but they would refer issues to the district administrator appointed by the government 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 the United 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 by Pashtuns.^[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]