Zurmat District Explained

Zurmat
Native Name:زرمت
Native Name Lang:ps
Settlement Type:District
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Afghanistan
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Paktia
Population Total:86609
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Demonym:Zurmatai
Parts Type:People
Parts Style:para
P1:Pashtuns
Elevation M:2100

33.55°N 93°W

Zurmat (Pushto; Pashto: زرمت ولسوالۍ / Persian: ولسوالی زرمت) is a district in the Paktia Province of Afghanistan.[1] The main town is Zurmat, which is one of the main cities of the region of Loya Paktia.

Geography

Zurmat borders Logar, Ghazni, and Paktika provinces. Tamir is the main bazaar of the district. Geographical features of Zurmat include the Shah-i-Kot Valley and the Arma Mountains. The district contains 63 or 64 schools. Zurmat does not receive power from the national electricity grid, so solar power and generators are prevalent.

Demographics

The population of the district is 120,000 (CSO 2004).[1] According to the same sources, Pashtuns make up 99% of the total population followed by 1% Tajiks. Many people of Zurmat work in Arab countries like Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.

History

Operation Anaconda, a major battle of the War in Afghanistan, took place in Zurmat in 2002. For the rest of the war, Zurmat has been a stronghold of the Taliban insurgency and the Haqqani network. In 2019, the Taliban controlled 80% of the district.[2]

References

  1. http://www.mrrd-nabdp.org/attachments/article/147/Zurmat%20District%20Summary.pdf Zurmat District Development Plan - MRRD
  2. Web site: One Land, Two Rules (8): Delivering public services in insurgency-affected insurgent-controlled Zurmat district. Afghanistan Analysts Network - English. 2020-08-02. 2019-09-04.