Dila District, Afghanistan
Dila District (Pashto: ديله ولسوالۍ, Persian: ولسوالی دیله) is a district of Paktika Province, Afghanistan.
All information is as of 2007.
It has a population of approximately 20000 Afghans and an area of approximately 600 km2. The seat of the district capital is Dila village, with a couple of hundred families. There are a number of other small villages in the area, with occupancies ranging from 3-50 families. Kuchi nomads migrate through the area with their families and herds of goats, sheep, and camels. The dominant tribes include the Suleiman Khel, Sultan Khel, and Jalalzai, and a considerable number of sub-tribes. The sub-governor/district leader is Habibullah, and the police chief is named Eid Gul, though Eid Gul was subsequently sighted in Doa China district. The local shura can attract over 100 elders if the event is big enough. Otherwise, the shura normally attracts about 30 elders.
The area has several routes through it from Waza Khwa and Nawa to HWY 1 and they are often used for drug trafficking and movement of insurgents.
The language spoken here is primarily Pashtu. Most people are uneducated, though there are several elders who are educated and are the local peoples' representatives to the district chief.
Much of the terrain is very desolate, and the roads are unimproved. Access time by a motorcar or motorbike traveling the roads to HWY 1 can range from 1–4 hours, with a lot of jolting. The summertime sees a lot of dust and little rain, though in the winter Dila gets a considerable amount of snow, leading to melting and mud in the late winter or early spring. However, this all dries up by the end of April through early May, when it becomes hot during the day. Mosquitos and flies are prevalent. The northern region of Dila has some foothills which are greener than the lowlands, though the vegetation remains scrub. The local river is seasonal, and consequently the locals desire a bridge to go across it in the wet season. Local fauna includes dogs, tortoises, goats, sheep, camels, chickens, and snakes.
Construction is all Afghan mud-wall building. The town is organically built up, meaning that there is no road grid but rather a winding of trails and roads that goes through the town. Water is supplied by local wells, several being installed by reconstruction teams, but many being hand-dug for families as well.
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