Al-Amiriyah ( ''al-ʻāmiriyyah'') or Amiriyah Fallujah, also Ameriyah, Amiriyyah, Ameriya, Amiriyat, Ameriyat and the like, is a city in the
Fallujah District of
Al Anbar province, about 30 km (18 mi) south of the city of
Fallujah
Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates, Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad and from the neighboring city of Ramadi. The city is located in the region ...
, in Iraq, with a population of 24,000 as of 2018. Amiriyah residents belong mostly to the Albu Issa subtribe, part of the
Dulaim tribe.
The city was named Amiriyah Fallujah after the
American occupation of Iraq because it hosts a large number of
displaced persons
Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR defines 'forced displaceme ...
from the city of Fallujah. As of June 2019, the total population of all 31 of the displaced persons camps of Amiriyah Fallujah was 11,661 according to UN estimates.
During the lead up to the
Gulf War
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in 1990, several Western hostages were held as a
human shield at a suspected ammunition factory in the area from September 1990 until their release 6 December 1990. These included a crew member from
British Airways Flight 149
British Airways Flight 149 was a scheduled flight from Heathrow Airport to Subang International Airport via Kuwait International Airport and Madras International Airport, operated by British Airways using a Boeing 747-136.
Before the aircr ...
. Nationals of Britain, Japan, France, and Serbia were held on the site. Only the British were detained until December, the French and Japanese being released in October and November 1990 respectively.
The nature of their internment makes it difficult to pinpoint the exact location, but they were told by their Iraqi minders that they were at "a factory in Amiriyah"
During the
Iraq War
The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
, the city witnessed violent clashes such as those seen in the cities of Fallujah and
Ramadi
Ramadi ( ''Ar-Ramādī''; also formerly rendered as ''Rumadiyah'' or ''Rumadiya'') is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad and west of Fallujah. It is the capital and largest city of Al Anbar Governorate which shares borders with Syri ...
, as well as explosions and
car bombs with
chlorine
Chlorine is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between ...
attacks, but by 2007 the
Anbar police had taken control over the city.
In 2016, during the
Siege of Fallujah, there was intense fighting in the area between the Iraqi army and
IS militants. Several suicide attacks by IS were also reported.
Iraqinews.com
References
Populated places in Al Anbar Governorate
Populated places on the Euphrates River
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