Achin District

34°05′22″N 70°40′59″E / 34.0894°N 70.683°E / 34.0894; 70.683

Achin District
District
Achin District is located in the south of Nangarhar Province.
Achin District is located in the south of Nangarhar Province.
Country Afghanistan
ProvinceNangarhar Province
CapitalSra Kala
GovernorHaji Ghaleb Mujahed
Population
 (2006[1])
 • Total95,468
Time zoneUTC+4:30 (D† (Afghanistan Standard Time))

Achin (Pashto: اچين ولسوالۍ) is a district in southern Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, on the border with Pakistan.

Its population is 100% Pashtun.[2] Achin is home to the Shinwari tribe, one of the largest Pashtun tribes.

It was a stronghold of the Mujaheddin during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Since 2015 it has been the stronghold of the Afghan branch of ISIL.

During the April 2017 Nangarhar airstrike, the United States Air Force dropped a MOAB in Achin district which targeted a tunnel complex of the ISIS-affiliate located in the area,[3] and reportedly killed dozens of militants.[4]

Economy

The primary licit crop in Achin is wheat. Collecting and selling firewood, and manual labor, are other income-generating activities.[2] Tobacco is also grown in the district.[5]

Opium poppy

In 2000, UNDCP recorded 130 poppy-growing villages in Achin, making it the greatest opium growing district in eastern Afghanistan that year.[6]

References

  1. ^ "MRRD Provincial profile for Nangarhar Province" (PDF). Mrrd.gov.af. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  2. ^ a b "UNHCR District Profile" (PDF). Aims.org.af. 2002-07-02. Retrieved 2006-07-06.
  3. ^ "U.S. Bombs, Destroys Khorasan Group Stronghold in Afghanistan" (Press release). United States Central Command. 2017-04-13. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  4. ^ Mashal, Mujib; Abed, Fahim (2017-04-14). "'Mother of All Bombs' Killed Dozens of Militants, Afghan Officials Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  5. ^ "Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development" (PDF). Mrrd.gov.af. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  6. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2006-07-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

  • Map of Achin (PDF)
  • UNODC 2003 Opium Survey (extensive photographs of Achin poppy cultivation)


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