Dashte Barchi

Dashte Barchi (Persian/Dari/Hazaragi دشت برچی) also known as Barchi (برچی) is a settlement located in western Kabul, Afghanistan. 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, with considerable challenges to access to electricity and frequent disruptions. There are approximately 1.6 million people living in Dashte Barchi, accounting for approximately a quarter of the population of Kabul. Over 95% of the population of Dashte Barchi are Hazara people.

While Dashte Barchi was at one point seen as one of the safest neighborhoods in Kabul, attacks by extremist groups starting around 2016 quickly changed its reputation to one of the most dangerous. Due to its majority-Shia population, the district is a constant target for the extremist Sunni militias, most notably the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP).