Chahar dara District
Encyclopedia
Chahar Dara District is one of the seven districts in Kunduz Province in northern Afghanistan
. It is situated in the south-west part of Kunduz Province and has borders with Qalay-I-Zal District
to the north-west, Kunduz District
to the north-east, Ali Abad District
to the south-east, Baghlan Province to the south and Samangan Province
to the south-west.
The district center is the village of Chahar Dara (also: Cardara; Ribat), which is located at 36.6933°N 68.8014°E at an altitude of 376 meters about five miles (eight kilometers) south-west of Kunduz
.
, 25% Tajik, 12% Uzbek
and 8% Turkmen
. Most of this population lives in villages or farms in the north-west portion of the district along the south-west bank of the Kunduz River. This land is cultivated and accounts for approximately 15% of the area of the Chahar Dara District. The remaining land in the district to the south-west comprises desert highlands that are mostly uninhabitable.
. The river, along with a major tributary and derivative canals provide irrigation to the single crop cultivation fields that dominate land usage in the north-eastern portion of Chahar Dara District. The district also has some dual crop fields.
30%pashto
-linked insurgents, including Uzbeks
and Chechens, began reappearing in the northern part of the country. In Kunduz Province, they established their main foothold in Chahar Dara District and are able to operate openly for the most part.
Beginning in April 2009, German
and Afghan
troops based in Kunduz
made several attempts to combat the rising presence of militants in the Chahar Dara District. In July 2009, German soldiers launched their biggest military operation since World War II
, to displace the militants from the district. Their operations were largely viewed as unsuccessful as the militants were not ousted from Chahar Dara .
In September 2009, at least 70 people were killed near Haji Aman in Chahar Dara District when NATO aircraft struck two oil-tankers hijacked by Taliban insurgents.
On 17 November 2009 it was reported that 4 security guards were killed in a battle with militants as they attacked Sediqi Construction Company. 1 Militant was also killed.
On 10 February 2011, a suicide bomber killed a district governor and six other people in the district of Chardara
in Kunduz Province, where the insurgency is well entrenched.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. It is situated in the south-west part of Kunduz Province and has borders with Qalay-I-Zal District
Qalay-I-Zal District
Qalay-I-Zal District is situated in the western part of Kunduz Province, northern Afghanistan. It borders Balkh Province to the west and Tajikistan to the north along the Panj, Vakhsh and Amu Darya rivers. To the east it borders Imam Sahib District and to the south Kunduz and Chahar dara districts....
to the north-west, Kunduz District
Kunduz District
Kunduz District is situated in the center of Kunduz Province in Northern Afghanistan, around the provincial capital - the city of Kunduz. It borders Chahar dara District to the west, Qalay-I-Zal and Imam Sahib districts to the north, Archi and Khan Abad districts to the east and Ali abad District...
to the north-east, Ali Abad District
Ali abad District
The Ali abad District is situated in the southern part of Kunduz Province, Afghanistan. It borders with Baghlan Province to the South, Chahar dara District to the West, Kunduz and Khan Abad districts to the North and Takhar Province to the East...
to the south-east, Baghlan Province to the south and Samangan Province
Samangan Province
Samangan is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The province covers and has a population of approximately 313,211, as of 2006.Its capital, Samangan, is known for its ancient ruins including, notably, the Takht e Rostam...
to the south-west.
The district center is the village of Chahar Dara (also: Cardara; Ribat), which is located at 36.6933°N 68.8014°E at an altitude of 376 meters about five miles (eight kilometers) south-west of Kunduz
Kunduz
Kunduz also known as Kundûz, Qonduz, Qondûz, Konduz, Kondûz, Kondoz, or Qhunduz is a city in northern Afghanistan, the capital of Kunduz Province. It is linked by highways with Mazari Sharif to the west, Kabul to the south and Tajikistan's border to the north...
.
Population
The population of Chahar Dara District is 65,100 (2006), accounting for approximately 8% of the population of Kunduz Province. Its ethnic make-up is 55% PashtunPashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
, 25% Tajik, 12% Uzbek
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
and 8% Turkmen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
. Most of this population lives in villages or farms in the north-west portion of the district along the south-west bank of the Kunduz River. This land is cultivated and accounts for approximately 15% of the area of the Chahar Dara District. The remaining land in the district to the south-west comprises desert highlands that are mostly uninhabitable.
Geography
The Kunduz River valley is the dominant terrain feature in Kunduz Province, and the river forms a natural north-eastern boundary between Chahar Dara District and Kunduz DistrictKunduz District
Kunduz District is situated in the center of Kunduz Province in Northern Afghanistan, around the provincial capital - the city of Kunduz. It borders Chahar dara District to the west, Qalay-I-Zal and Imam Sahib districts to the north, Archi and Khan Abad districts to the east and Ali abad District...
. The river, along with a major tributary and derivative canals provide irrigation to the single crop cultivation fields that dominate land usage in the north-eastern portion of Chahar Dara District. The district also has some dual crop fields.
30%pashto
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
When the Taliban were ousted from the Kunduz Province in 2001, parts of the Chahar Dara District were badly damaged. The district remained relatively peaceful until 2008, when Taliban and Al-QaedaAl-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
-linked insurgents, including Uzbeks
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
and Chechens, began reappearing in the northern part of the country. In Kunduz Province, they established their main foothold in Chahar Dara District and are able to operate openly for the most part.
Beginning in April 2009, German
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
and Afghan
Afghan National Army
The Afghan National Army is a service branch of the military of Afghanistan, which is currently trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the role in land-based military operations in Afghanistan. , the Afghan National Army is divided into seven regional Corps. The strength of the Afghan...
troops based in Kunduz
Kunduz
Kunduz also known as Kundûz, Qonduz, Qondûz, Konduz, Kondûz, Kondoz, or Qhunduz is a city in northern Afghanistan, the capital of Kunduz Province. It is linked by highways with Mazari Sharif to the west, Kabul to the south and Tajikistan's border to the north...
made several attempts to combat the rising presence of militants in the Chahar Dara District. In July 2009, German soldiers launched their biggest military operation since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, to displace the militants from the district. Their operations were largely viewed as unsuccessful as the militants were not ousted from Chahar Dara .
In September 2009, at least 70 people were killed near Haji Aman in Chahar Dara District when NATO aircraft struck two oil-tankers hijacked by Taliban insurgents.
On 17 November 2009 it was reported that 4 security guards were killed in a battle with militants as they attacked Sediqi Construction Company. 1 Militant was also killed.
On 10 February 2011, a suicide bomber killed a district governor and six other people in the district of Chardara
Chahar dara District
Chahar Dara District is one of the seven districts in Kunduz Province in northern Afghanistan...
in Kunduz Province, where the insurgency is well entrenched.