Amirli
Amirli
آمرلي (in Arabic) Emirli (in Turkish) | |
|---|---|
  Amirli | |
| Coordinates: 34°43′30″N 44°35′15″E / 34.72500°N 44.58750°E | |
| Country |  Iraq |
| Governorate | Saladin Governorate |
| District | Tooz District |
Amirli (Arabic: آمرلي; Amirli, Turkish: Emirli) also spelt Amerli is a town in the Tooz District of Saladin Governorate, near the border with Diyala Governorate, in northern Iraq, about 100 km from the Iranian border. It has a population of 42,000,[1] mainly from Iraq's Shia Turkoman ethnic minority. It is the centre of a farming region.[2]
Amirli, along with Altun Kupri, Tal Afar, Bashir, Bustamli, Mahalabiyah, Qarah Tabbah, Sulaiman Bek, Taza Khurmatu, Tuz Khurmatu and Yankjah, make up the largest Turkmen-majority cities in Iraq, while Mosul, Kirkuk, Kifri, Daquq, Miqdadiyah, Jalawla and Saadiyah have significant Turkmen minority populations.
History
The word Amirli (Arabic: امرلي) is an abbreviated version of the phrase "Ali my prince" (Arabic: اميري علي), hence the majority of its population is from the Shia sect of Islam.[3]
2007 bombing
On June 7, 2007, a bombing in the marketplace of Amirli killed 165 people and injured 350.[2][4]
2014 siege by ISIS
The town, and its nearly 20,000 Shia Turkmen,[5] was besieged by the ISIL starting in June 2014.[6] It was running out of food, water, and supplies. A U.N. representative stated, "The situation of the people in Amerli is desperate and demands immediate action to prevent the possible massacre of its citizens."[7] On August 31, the Iraqi army, with help from the United States and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, managed to break the siege and entered the city, much to the rejoicing of its citizens.[8][9] Iran had reportedly played a "military planning" role in breaking siege of Amirli.[10]
References
- ^ محافظة صلاح الدين - وزارة البلديات والاشغال(Saladin governorate - the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works)
- ^ a b Barzanji, Yahya (7 July 2007). "Suicide bomb kills over 100 in Iraq". Washington Post. The Associated Press.
- ^ "Iraqi forces 'reach besieged Amerli'". BBC News. BBC. 31 August 2014.
- ^ "Iraq market truck bomb kills 105". BBC News. BBC. 7 July 2007.
- ^ "Iraq minority appeals to army, international community for help". CBC news. The Associated Press. 20 August 2014.
- ^ al-Bayati, Ali (22 August 2014). "Amerli – the town holding out against the Islamic State and starvation". EA WorldView. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "Iraq conflict: UN warns of possible Amerli 'massacre'". BBC News. BBC. 23 August 2014.
- ^ "Iraqi troops supported with shia armed patrols enter the sieged Amirli". BBC (in Arabic). 29 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ Roggio, Bill (2 September 2014). "US airstrikes in Amerli supported deadly Shia terror group". longwarjournal.com. Public Media. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ Coles, Isabel (September 1, 2014). "Iranians play role in breaking IS siege of Iraqi town". Reuters. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
 | This Iraq geographical location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |