Nika District Explained

Nika District
Settlement Type:District
Pushpin Map:Afghanistan
Pushpin Map Caption:District Location
Coordinates:33.2004°N 69.3116°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Density Km2:auto

Nika District (Pushto; Pashto: نکه ولسوالۍ, Persian: ولسوالی نکه), also known as Naka, is one of the most remote districts in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It lies in a bowl-shaped valley and is only accessible by a few rocky river beds and a single dirt road, the latter of which is not passable in winter. The valley's economy is rudimentary and relies on wood cutting and subsistence farming. The district is within the heartland of the Zadran tribe of Pashtuns.[1] The population in 2019 was estimated at 16,747.[2] It was, until the US invasion 2001, a bastion for the Taliban, with mid-level and a few senior Taliban commanders spending time there, including Jalaluddin Haqqani, who has since taken up a prominent role in Al Queda and is rumored to have been one of Osama bin Laden's senior advisors.

Notes and References

  1. https://www.nps.edu/documents/105988371/107571254/East_tribal_map07.pdf/e48b5c16-800d-42bb-9e24-3d84ac394666 Paktika Province Tribal Map (Page 11)
  2. Web site: Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2019-20. Central Statistics Organization. 12 April 2020. 18 November 2019. 22.