Introduction

Logar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. The word of Logar is a combination of two Pashto words: Loy (لوى "great") and Ghar (غر "mountain"). The population is predominantly Pashtun. It is located in the eastern zone, southeast of Kabul, and the geography of the province centers on the large Logar River which enters the province through the west and leaves to the north. Its capital is Pul-i-Alam. Pahsto is the predominant language spoken in Logar.

Politics

Logar is a generally religiously conservative province, although not to the extent of its southern neighbours. The province's political history is a microcosm of Afghanistan's recent turbulent past. During the period immediately prior to the US invasion of 2001, portions of the province were controlled by both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. During the Jihad against Soviet occupation in the 1980s, Baraki Barak, Khushi, Charkh and Pule Alam districts were controlled by Jamiat e-Islami. The known tribes in Logar Province are Ahmadzai and Stanekzai.

Soviet Union

Logar was known among Afghans as باب الجهاد' Bab al-Jihad', or 'the Gates of Jihad' because it became a fierce theatre of war between Mujahideen groups and the Soviet army and it was the main supply route of Mujahideen coming from south and Pakistan and going towards Northern and Central Afghanistan. According to Mohammad Hassan Kakar, a historian and personal survivor of the war, the region was the site of the largest attacks by the Soviets throughout the war; he further states that the military caused extensive casualties and denuded, looted, and vandalized the area.[2] Swedish journalist Borge Almqvist, who visited the province in 1982, wrote, "Everywhere in the Logar province the most common sight except for ruins are graves".Almqvist, Borge (1984). "International Afghanistan Hearing". In Committee for International Afghanistan Hearing. 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. According to Kakar, the Soviet actions in this province amounted to genocide.[2]

Taliban preparing for fight in Baraki Barak district

US Troops preparing for action against Taliban in Pule Alam

District Leaders having a jirga in Logar Province

People walking on the streets in Logar Province

Geography

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.

Although the government of Afghanistan recognizes the Azra district as being in Logar, many widely-accepted maps include it in the Paktia province to the south.

Capital

Logar's capital is the city of Pul-i-Alam, located in the district of the same name. It sits on the main road running from Kabul south to Gardez and Khowst province, which borders Pakistan.

Pul-i-Alam has seen a significant amount of reconstruction since the fall of the Taliban. The main road to Kabul was completed in 2006, significantly reducing travel time to the national capital. Additional projects include numerous schools, radio stations, government facilities, and a major Afghan National Police base situated just south of the city.

Like most Afghan cities, there is little municipal planning or services. Electricity is provided by diesel generators, and wells are the primary source of drinking water.

Vegetation in Logar

Education

The overall literacy rate in Logar province is 21%, 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.[3] 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.

Former First Lady Laura Bush with School Staff in Logar

Districts

View of the Beautiful Province of Logar from above

Until 2005 the district was administratively subdivided into five districts. In that year the province gained Azra District from neighbouring Paktia Province; also part of Charkh District was split off into the new district of Kharwar.