Dashte Barchi

Dashte Barchi
Dasht-e Barchī
دشت برچی
view of Dashte Barchi
view of Dashte Barchi
Coordinates: 34°29′41″N 69°05′39″E / 34.49467°N 69.09422°E / 34.49467; 69.09422
CountryAfghanistan
ProvinceKabul
CityKabul
Area
 • Total
46 km2 (18 sq mi)
 • Water0 km2 (0 sq mi)  0%
Dimensions
 • Length6.8 km (4.2 mi)
 • Width3.7 km (2.3 mi)

Dashte Barchi (Dari: دشت برچی) also known as Barchi (برچی) is a settlement located in western Kabul, Afghanistan.[1] Previously barren and agricultural, Dashte Barchi became populated in the early 2000s by newcomers from the provinces, mostly ethnic Hazaras from Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, and Parwan, also some Kochi Pashtuns. It is mostly informally-developed. Over 95% of population of Dashte Barchi are Hazara people.[2]

On August 15, 2016, a suicide attack took place in this neighborhood, targeting an educational center called "The Promised Mehdi". The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a crowd of 5,000, mostly students of the Hazara ethnic group who were preparing for university. 34 students were killed and 56 were injured in the attack.[3] Due to its majority Shia population, the district is a constant target for the extremist Sunni militias.[4]

The 2021 Kabul school bombing targeted a girls' school in Dashte Barchi.[5] The neighborhood was frequently attacked by the Islamic State – Khorasan Province.[6]

  1. ^ "Dasht-e Barchī". Mapcarta. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  2. ^ https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Kabul-Police-Districts.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ Report on Kabul Barchi Plain Electricity from Hazara National Network, January 11, 2011.
  4. ^ "25 killed, 52 wounded in blast near Afghan school: Officials". 8 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Death toll rises to 85 in Afghanistan girls' school bomb attack". CNN. 10 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Blasts kill dozens near school in Afghan capital Kabul". Al Jazeera English. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.