View source for Logar Province

{{Short description|Province of Afghanistan}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Logar
| native_name                     = {{nq|لوگر}}
| native_name_lang                = ps
| settlement_type                 = [[Provinces of Afghanistan|Province]]
| image_skyline                   = Aerial view of Mohammad Agha District, Logar Province, Afghanistan.jpg
| image_alt                       = 
| image_caption                   = Aerial view of [[Mohammad Agha District]] in Logar province
| image_flag                      = 
| flag_alt                        = 
| image_seal                      = 
| seal_alt                        = 
| image_shield                    = 
| shield_alt                      = 
| nickname                        = 
| motto                           = 
| image_map                       = Logar in Afghanistan.svg
| map_alt                         = 
| map_caption                     = Map of Afghanistan with Logar highlighted
| pushpin_map                     = 
| pushpin_label_position          = 
| pushpin_map_alt                 = 
| pushpin_map_caption             = 
| coordinates                     = {{coord|34.0|69.2|region:AF_type:adm1st|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint                   = Capital
| coordinates_footnotes           = 
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = {{flagcountry|Afghanistan}}
| established_title               = 
| established_date                = 
| founder                         = 
| seat_type                       = Capital
| seat                            = [[Puli Alam]]
| government_footnotes            = 
| leader_party                    = 
| leader_title                    = [[List of governors of Logar|Governor]]
| leader_name                     = Maulvi [[Inayatullah]]<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/ps/2022/03/14/new-officials-appointed-in-governament/ |title=سرپرست حکومت په وزارتونو، ولایتونو او قول اردو ګانو کې نوې ټاکنې وکړې|trans-title=The caretaker government held new elections in ministries, provinces and corps|language=Pashto|date = 14 March 2022|last1 = کاکړ|first1 = جاويد هميم}}</ref>
| leader_title1                   = Deputy Governor
| leader_name1                    = Maulvi [[Inamullah Salahuddin]]<ref name="azamnews">{{Cite web |url=http://azamnews.com/?p=108148|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107145754/http://azamnews.com/?p=108148|url-status=usurped|archive-date=November 7, 2021|title=د نږدې شلو ولایاتو لپاره نوي والیان او امنیې قوماندانان وټاکل شول|trans-title=New governors and police chiefs were elected for nearly twenty provinces |language=Pashto|date = 7 November 2021}}</ref>
| leader_title2                   = Police Chief
| leader_name2                    = Mohammaduddin Shah Mukhtab<ref name="azamnews"/>
| unit_pref                       = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes                  = 
| area_total_km2                  = 4568
| area_land_km2                   = 
| area_water_km2                  = 
| area_water_percent              = 
| area_note                       = 
| elevation_footnotes             = 
| elevation_m                     = 
| population_footnotes            = <ref name=nsia />
| population_total                = 442037
| population_as_of                = 2021
| population_density_km2          = auto
| population_demonym              = 
| population_note                 = 
| blank_name_sec1                 = [[Languages of Afghanistan|Main languages]]
| blank_info_sec1                 = [[Dari]]<br />[[Pashto]]
| timezone1                       = [[Time in Afghanistan|AFT]]
| utc_offset1                     = +4:30
| timezone1_DST                   = 
| utc_offset1_DST                 = 
| postal_code_type                = Postal code
| postal_code                     = 14xx
| area_code_type                  = 
| area_code                       = 
| iso_code                        = AF-LOG
| website                         = 
| footnotes                       = 
| official_name                   = 
}}

'''Logar''' ([[Pashto]]/[[Dari]]: لوگر) is one of the 34 [[provinces of Afghanistan]], located in the eastern section of the country. It is divided into 7 [[Districts of Afghanistan|districts]] and contains hundreds of villages. [[Puli Alam]] is the capital of the province. As of 2021, Logar has a population of approximately 442,037 people,<ref name=nsia>{{cite web |url=https://www.nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Estimated-Population-of-Afghanistan1-1400.pdf |title=Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2021-22 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=April 2021 |website= |publisher=National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA)|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204559/https://www.nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Estimated-Population-of-Afghanistan1-1400.pdf|url-status=live |access-date=June 21, 2021 |quote=}}</ref> most of whom are ethnic [[Pashtuns]] and [[Tajiks]].<ref name="understandingwar">{{cite web |url=http://www.understandingwar.org/region/regional-command-east#Logar |title=Understanding War |publisher=Understanding War |access-date=2013-08-17}}</ref>

The [[Logar River]] enters the province through the west and leaves to the north.

== History ==
{{Further|Ancient history of Afghanistan}}
A 2,600-year-old [[Zoroastrian]] [[fire temple]] was found at Mes Aynak (about 25 miles or 40  kilometers southeast of Kabul). Several [[Buddhist]] [[stupas]] and more than 1,000 statues were also found. Smelting workshops, miners’ quarters (even then the site's [[copper]] was well known), a mint, two small forts, a citadel, and a stockpile of [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]], [[Sassanian]] and [[Indo-Parthian]] [[coins]] were also found at the site.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2013/06/saving-the-buddhas-of-mes-aynak-updated/|title=Saving the Buddhas of Mes Aynak|first=Jonathan|last=DeHart|website=thediplomat.com}}</ref>

=== Recent history ===
During the [[Soviet–Afghan War]], Logar was known among some Afghans as the Bab al-Jihad (Gates of Jihad) because it became a fierce theatre of war between US-backed/trained [[mujahideen]] groups and the [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Soviet-backed Afghan government troops]]{{why?|date=May 2025}}. The [[Ahmadzai (Ghilji clan)|Ahmadzai]] [[Pashtuns]] is dominant in this region. Haji Shuja, Haji Zareen and Haji Bahadur were the prominent traders and chieftains in the region before the soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It was one of the main supply routes of mujahideen rebels coming from Pakistan. Like other parts of the country, Logar has also seen heavy fighting since the Soviets started a crackdown against the elders of the [[Ahmadzai tribe]] during the 1980s.<ref name="Kakar">{{cite book|last=Kakar|first=M. Hassan|title=Afghanistan: The Soviet Invasion and the Afghan Response, 1979–1982|year=1995|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-20893-3 |chapter=Massacre in Logar |url=http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft7b69p12h&chunk.id=s1.14.1&toc.depth=1&toc.id=ch014&brand=eschol}}</ref> Swedish journalist Borge Almqvist, who visited the province in 1982, wrote that: "Everywhere in the Logar province the most common sight except for ruins are graves".<ref>{{Cite conference|title=International Afghanistan Hearing|last=Almqvist|first=Borge|editor=Committee for International Afghanistan Hearing|year=1984}}</ref> Soviet operations included using bombing, the use of flammable liquids to burn alive people in hiding, poisoning of drinking water, and destruction of crops and farmland. One writer who witnessed the events argues that the Soviet actions in Logar amounted to genocide.<ref name="Kakar" />

By 1995, the province had fallen to the [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Taliban government]]. During the [[presidency of Hamid Karzai]], the [[International Security Assistance Force]] (ISAF) and [[Afghan National Security Forces]] (ANSF) gradually took over the security of the area. The [[Provincial Reconstruction Team Logar]] (PRT Logar) was established in March 2008. It provided several benefits to the locals, including security, development, and jobs.

On 19 August 2014, a major Taliban offensive took place with 700 insurgents aiming to take control of the province,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/logar-afghanistan-attacked-more-700-taliban-fighters-1662402|title=Logar In Afghanistan Attacked By More Than 700 Taliban Fighters|date=19 August 2014|website=Ibtimes.com|access-date=15 May 2018}}</ref> while the [[NATO]]-led foreign force mistakenly killed three civilians in an airstrike in December 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nato force kills three Afghan civilians in airstrike, mistaking them for insurgents|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-asia/story/nato-force-kills-three-afghan-civilians-air-strike-mistaking-them-insurge|access-date=27 December 2014|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings Ltd}}</ref>

On 20 January 2019, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a [[car bomb]] attack on the province's governor and his convoy, which killed eight security forces and wounded at least 10 on the highway to Kabul. The governor and the provincial head of the [[National Directorate of Security]] were uninjured.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack/car-bomb-attack-kills-eight-security-force-members-in-afghanistans-south-idUSKCN1PE08K|title=Car bomb attack kills eight security force members in Afghanistan's south|last=Sediqi|first=Abdul Qadir|work=[[Reuters]]|access-date=2019-01-20|language=en-US}}</ref>

On 14 August 2021, the [[2021 Taliban offensive|Taliban offensive]] reached [[Puli Alam]] (the province capital), and the province of Logar fell to the Taliban, setting their sights on [[Fall of Kabul (2021)|Kabul]] the following day.

== Geography ==
{{Further|Geography of Afghanistan}}
[[File:Puli Alam.jpg|thumb|[[Puli Alam]], the capital of Logar province.]]

Logar can be generally described as a relatively flat river valley in the north and central regions, surrounded by rugged mountains to the east, south, and southwest. The district of Azra, in the east, consists almost entirely of mountains, while travel to the Paktia Province to the south is limited to the [[Tera Pass]], a 2896 m high road that was recently completed as part of the international reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. The Kabul-Khost Highway runs north–south through Logar Province, from the Mohammed Agha District.

The government of Afghanistan officially recognizes all the districts of the Logar province as part of the province.

=== Capital city===
Puli Alam, which is located in the district of Puli Alam, serves as the capital of Logar province. It is connected by a highway to [[Kabul]] in the north and [[Gardez]] to the southeast.

The highway to Kabul was completed in 2006. Additional projects include numerous schools, radio stations, government facilities, and a major Afghan National Police base situated south of the city.

Like many Afghan cities, there is municipal planning and services.
During the tenure of President [[Ashraf Ghani]] the city gained electricity, clean drinking and water facilities.

== Economy ==
{{Further|Economy of Afghanistan}}
[[File:Khoshi valley.jpg|thumb|The main river valley in the [[Khoshi District]] of Logar province. Extensive irrigation and canal works, known as [[karez]], provide water for the majority of the agriculture in southeastern Afghanistan.]]
Logar is an agricultural province with a wealth of minerals such as copper and chromite. Many residents of the province are engaged in the agriculture and transport business. In terms of industry, the province has one textile and one copper factory. Agriculture, commerce and services, and livestock products account for the majority of commercial operations. Agriculture is a significant source of income for 31% of households. However, commerce and services provide income to 30% of rural households, while non-farm-related labor provides income to 46% of rural households. Tobacco and sugar extract are the two most important industrial crops. The main industry is honey production, which is a small industry. Jewelry, ceramics, and carpets are made in a small number of settlements. Eighty-four percent of the province's households have access to irrigated land. Wheat, maize, potatoes, alfalfa, clover, and other feed are among the most significant field crops. Sheep, cattle, camels, and poultry are the most frequent livestock.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Handbook |pages=107}}</ref>

== Healthcare ==
{{Further|Health in Afghanistan}}
The percentage of households without clean drinking water fell from 45% in 2005 to 14% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org">Archive, Civil Military Fusion Centre, {{cite web |url=https://www.cimicweb.org/AfghanistanProvincialMap/Pages/Logar.aspx |title=Pages - Logar |access-date=2014-05-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531105655/https://www.cimicweb.org/AfghanistanProvincialMap/Pages/Logar.aspx |archive-date=2014-05-31 }}</ref> The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant increased from 9% in 2005 to 73% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org"/>

In 2008, the province of Logar has 32 health clinics and a 137-bed hospital. According to data from 2008, the Ministry of Health employs 48 doctors and 218 other health professionals in the province. There are 156 pharmacies in the province. The majority of villages do not have a permanent health worker. To access their nearest health center, the majority of the populace must travel 5 to 10 kilometers.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Handbook |pages=106}}</ref>

== Education ==
{{Further|Education in Afghanistan}}
The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) increased from 21% in 2005 to 30% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org"/>  
The overall net enrolment rate (6–13 years of age) increased from 22% in 2005 to 45% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org"/>

The overall literacy rate in Logar province was 21% in 2005 however, while nearly one-third (31%) of men are literate this is true for just under one-tenth (9%) of women. There are around 168 primary and secondary schools in the province catering for 81,538 students. There are nearly 2,082 teachers working in schools in the Logar province.<ref name="mrrd">{{cite web|url=http://www.mrrd-nabdp.org/attachments/article/243/Logar%20Provincial%20Profile.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824055132/http://www.mrrd-nabdp.org/attachments/article/243/Logar%20Provincial%20Profile.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-date=August 24, 2015 |title=Logar provincial profile |publisher=Mrrd.gov.af |date=2013-07-27 |access-date=2013-08-17}}</ref> There are several girls schools in the province, mostly located in Koshi and Pul-e-alam. Due to the large Taliban presence in Chark and Baraki Barak, the freedom of women in Logar does not always allow for an education.<ref name="CCS">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.edu/programs/ccs/Farah/Farah_Provincial_Overview.pdf |title=Province: Farah |work=Program for Culture & Conflict Studies |publisher=[[Naval Postgraduate School]] (NPS) |year=2008 |access-date=2014-10-19}}</ref> As of 2007, the province had a literacy rate of 17%.<ref name="CCS"/>

There are 19 religious centers including a Dar-ul-Ulum, three Darul Hifaz and the rest are Madrasas.<ref name="LogarProvinceProfile">{{Cite web |url=http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/background-profile-logar |title=Background Profile of Logar |access-date=2020-11-13 |archive-date=2020-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027155731/http://elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/background-profile-logar |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Three technical and vocational high schools and two private high schools function in Logar Province.<ref name="LogarProvinceProfile"/>

== Demographics ==
{{Further|Demographics of Afghanistan}}
[[File:Lowgar districts.png|thumb|Districts of Logar province. This image does not include Azra district, located to the east of Khoshi and Mohammad Agha districts.]]

In 2008, the population of Logar was estimated to be at 349,000 people. The province has 44,209 households, with an average of eight individuals per home. Rural districts are home to 72 percent of the population. [[Dari]] is spoken by two-thirds of villages and 60% of the population, whereas [[Pashto]] is spoken by one-third of villages and 40% of the people. The [[Kochi people]] (nomads) also live in Logar, and their numbers fluctuate with the seasons. In the winter, 96,280 or 4% of them stay in Logar and live in 29 settlements.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Handbook |pages=108}}</ref> During the summer, the Kochi's population increases to 208,339, making Logar the province with the second-highest number of Kochi people after neighboring [[Kabul province]].

As of 2021, Logar has a population of approximately 442,037. It is a multi-ethnic tribal society, while about 60% of its residents are made up by Tajiks, whereas the remainder are Pashtuns and Hazaras. The Logar River enters the province through the west and leaves to the north.<ref name="nsia" /> [[Pashtuns]] (Ahmadzai Pashtuns are influential in the region) <ref name="understandingwar" /><ref name="CCS"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.edu/Programs/CCS/Docs/PDF+Maps/NewTribal/Logar.pdf|title=Welcome - Naval Postgraduate School|website=Nps.edu|access-date=15 May 2018}}</ref>

== Districts ==
{{Further|Districts of Afghanistan}}
Until 2005 the district was administratively subdivided into five districts. In that year the province gained Azra District from neighboring Paktia Province; also part of Charkh District was split off into the new district of Kharwar.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%;"
|+ Districts of Logar province
|- 
!District
!Capital
!Population (2021) <ref name="nsia" />
!Area
!Pop.<br />density
!Ethnicity 
!Notes
|-
|[[Azra District|Azra]] || || 22,985 || 777 || 30 || 100% Pashtuns.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20051027172955/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/south_east/azra/azra.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> || Officially recognized by the Afghan government as a district of Logar province.
|-
|[[Baraki Barak District|Baraki Barak]] ||  || 99,210 || 239 || 416 ||100% Tajik. || Includes the road linking Puli Alam with Highway 1 to the west. Recognised as a vital commerce district.
|-
|[[Charkh District|Charkh]] ||  || 50,220 || 304 || 165 || Predominately Tajiks. || Officially recognized by the Afghan government as a district of Logar province.
|-
|[[Kharwar District|Kharwar]] ||  || 29,628 || 469 || 63 || Predominately Pashtun .<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20051027172356/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/centra/logar/kharwar.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> || Officially recognized by the Afghan government as a district of Logar province. Used to belong to [[Charkh District]]
|-
|[[Khoshi District|Khoshi]] ||  || 27,236 || 398 || 69 || Predominately Tajiks .<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20051027171625/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/centra/logar/khoshi.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> || Home to the minority [[Shiite]] of Logar.
|-
|[[Mohammad Agha District|Mohammad Agha]] ||  || 85,295 || 1,076 || 79 || 60% Pashtuns and 40% Tajik.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20051027183843/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/centra/logar/mohammad_agha.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> || The northern portion of Mohammad Agha is contiguous with the southern 'suburbs' of Kabul.
|-
|[[Puli Alam District|Puli Alam]] || [[Puli Alam]] || 119,800 || 1,131 || 106 || Mix of Tajiks, Pashtuns, and Hazaras.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20051027174732/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/centra/logar/puli_alam.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> || The Capital
|- bgcolor="#d3d3d3"
|'''Logar'''
|
|'''434,374'''
|'''4,568'''
|'''95'''
|Majority [[Tajiks|Tajik]], minority of [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] and [[Hazaras|Hazara]] 
|
|}
{{reflist|group=note}}

== Sport ==
{{Further|Sport in Afghanistan}}
[[Cricket]] is the most popular sport in the province{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}. Logar has been a major supplier of players for the [[Afghanistan national cricket team]]. Former players include Dawlat Ahmadzai, Ahmad Shah Pakteen and former national team captain Raees Ahmadzai. Among the active national players hailing from Logar are: [[Mohammad Nabi]] (captain of the national team), Shahpoor Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Nasir Jamal Ahmadzai and Gulbadin Naib Ahmadzai.

[[Football in Afghanistan|Football]] is the second most popular sport in the province. [[De Abasin Sape F.C.|De Abasin Sape]] (meaning "Waves of Abasin") plays in the [[Afghanistan Premier League]]. ''Abasin'' means "father of the rivers" in Pashto and refers to the [[Indus River]]. The team represents the provinces of Khost, Paktia, Logar, and Paktika.

Other popular sports are volleyball, boxing, taekwondo, Washoe{{clarify|date=October 2021}}, kick boxing and wrestling.<ref name="LogarProvinceProfile"/>

== Notable figures ==
*[[Sayed Abdul Ghafar Sayed Zadah]], lieutenant general of the [[Afghan Army|Afghan army]]
*[[Hashmatullah Shahidi]], test captain of the [[Afghanistan national cricket team|Afghan Cricket Team]]

== See also ==
* [[Provinces of Afghanistan]]
* [[Mes Aynak]] – the world's second largest copper deposit

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Logar Province}}
*{{YouTube|gnTE9-WQ-14|Logar Province Beauties}}
*{{YouTube|40AuAZIq7wA|Beauties of Logar province}}
*{{YouTube|w87YiDSdmoI|هی میدان طی میدان - دیدار باسط ایرج از ولایت لوگر}} ([[TOLO (TV channel)|TOLO TV]], Sept. 15, 2022)
*[https://nps.edu/web/ccs/logar Logar Province] - [[Naval Postgraduate School]]

{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Logar Province
|North     = [[Kabul Province]]
|Northeast = 
|East      = [[Nangarhar Province]]
|Southeast = [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas]], {{flag|Pakistan}}
|South     = [[Paktia Province]]
|Southwest = [[Ghazni Province]]
|West      = [[Wardak Province]]
|Northwest = 
}}

{{Provinces of Afghanistan}}
{{Logar Province}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Logar Province| ]]
[[Category:Provinces of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Provinces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan]]