# Jaghori District

Jaghori (Dari: جاغوری) is one of the districts of the Ghazni Province in central Afghanistan. Occupying 1,855 km$^2$ (716 sq mi), the district sits in the highlands in the southern fringes of the Hazarajat region, in the upper Arghandab valley.
Jaghori has a population of around 196,117 people (2015 estimate). Most of them are landowners, peasants, traders, and shop owners. Sange-e-Masha serves as the capital of Jaghori. It is where major business transactions take place. The district is heavily dependent on agriculture, and migrant workers as the main sources of income. Other major marketplaces are in Ghojor and Anguri.
Climate of Jaghori is generally arid continental, with cold and snowy winters, and hot summers with temperatures rising between 25 °C (77 °F) to 38 °C (100 °F).

## History

During the period of Dost Muhammad Khan in the 1830s the area operated as part of the semi-autonomous area of Hazarajat. In 1949 Malistan District was separated from Jaghori.
During the Soviet Occupation, Maoist resistance groups were particularly active. After Harakat lost in Qarabagh District, Ghazni in 1985 to Nasr, the political organizations united to force out Hezbi Islami from the districts of Jaghori and Malistan. However, there were only sporadic clashes here and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan lacked interest in Jaghori. In 1997 the area was put under food blockade by the Taliban, leaving the locals, including those in Malistan, on the brink of starvation. The elders of Jaghori avoided a war with the Taliban by forming a shura and then negotiating with the Taliban leaders in Kandahar, Kabul, and Ghazni.
During NATO's occupation in the early 20th century, the area remained in Taliban control. The major issues have been about use of land and water.
Many residents of Jaghori fled the area during the decades of war and drought. Some began returning since the early 2000s. From 2002 to 2008 approximately 12,348 expatriates returned to Jaghori.
Districts of Ghazni have been inaccessible except through Taliban territory, where the road has been reportedly mined and in some areas vehicles have been banned. According to some reports, the road from Qarabagh District to Jaghouri, passing through Malestan was under particular threat, with kidnappings and up to 150 cars having been stolen. There were also concerns that the Taliban will use the Kuchis (nomads) to exert their influence in the region. General Habibullah Bashi had check posts between Rasna, Gilan connecting Zeba, and Gardo Hotqul.
In 2012, a Bactrian inscription was discovered on a rock, dated to around 757 CE (140 AH), it commemorates the defeat of an "Indian prince" by a local prince named Frum Kesar, likely the grandson of a king whose reign ended in 745 CE. The ruling family's tamgha, or dynastic symbol, appears twice below the text.
In November 2018 the Taliban launched a major offensive in Jaghori, which resulted in thousands of locals fleeing the area for safety elsewhere. Heavy fighting was reported around the village of Hotqul. It was claimed that 100s of Taliban members attacked General Bashi's security posts bordering Hotqul and Rasna Gilan. General Bashi was killed along with his family members. The fighting continued for over two weeks in which around seventy more people died. According to locals, about 1,000 Taliban fighters were deployed in southern Jaghori. It was said that the people of Jaghori resisted and repelled Taliban offense without any assistance from Ashraf Ghani's administration.
The Taliban fighters captured the district on 15 August 2021, as part of their offensive. Since then no attacks or military activities have been reported.

## Education

Jaghori has a high literacy rate. The district has 92 high schools, and hundreds of smaller primary and middle schools.

## Economy

The main crops in the area are wheat, corn, maize, peas, vetch, beans, almonds, walnuts, mulberries, grapes, tobacco, potatoes, onions, apples, apricots and herbs. The area has been particularly affected by drought. In combination with frequent attacks along the Kabul-Kandahar Ring Road in the past, this has seriously affected aid and development in the system and exacerbated local conflicts.

## Politics

From 2010 to 2018 Zafar Sharif served as the district governor of Jaghori.
Past and present major political parties include Muttahed-e-Inqelab-e-Islami Afghanistan (formed 1981), Hizbullah, Nahzat-e-Islami, Sazman-e-Nasr-e-Afghanistan, Pasdaran-e-Jihad-e Islami Afghanistan (formed 1983) and Hezb-e-Wahdat (Nasr faction), the later controlling the district since 2001–2008, although as of 2009 the Taliban have begun to exert their influence. Specifically Khalili's faction is known to be particularly strong.

## Significant towns and villages

* Almaytu
* Anguri
* Baba
* Badarzar
* Dolat Shah
* Haidar
* Hotqol
* Loman
* Pashi
* Pato
* Sang-e-Masha
* Sangeshanda

## Notable people

* Mohammad Sharif Saiidi, poet