As Saqlāwīyah () is a city in
Al Anbar Governorate
Al Anbar Governorate (; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The population ...
, in central
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
. It is located roughly 5 miles (8 km) northwest 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 ...
.
Saqlawiyah is a rural city in between
Habbaniyah
Al Habbaniyah or Habbaniya (, ''al-Ḥabbānīyah'') is a city 85 km (53 mi) west of Baghdad in Al-Anbar Province, in central Iraq. A military airfield, RAF Habbaniya, was the site of a battle in 1941, during World War II. Lake Habbaniyah is als ...
and Fallujah that sits on the major freeway. The city was named after an Arabian Mare of the Saqlawiyah strain of the
Juboor clan. Due to the canal network that runs through the area, agriculture is an import identity to Saqlawiyans. Due to its proximity to the major freeway, there are many shops along the road that cater to the transient crowds.
IS control and recapture
Saqlawiyah came under
IS control in September 2014 during the
Siege of Saqlawiyah, as several hundred Iraqi soldiers were killed.
In 2016, during the
Siege of Fallujah and
Operation Breaking Terrorism, there was intense fighting in the area between the Iraqi army and IS militants. On 29 May, Iraqi troops seized a key bridge between nearby village of
Zaghareed and Saqlawiyah in order to facilitate the entry of the security forces from the international highway road into the center of Saqlawiyah.
On 4 June, Iraqi forces captured the town of Saqlawiyah, conducting searches for numerous IEDs left by IS. All IS militants on board of a raft were killed as they were trying to escape on Euphrates River.
In the aftermath of the recapture of the town, as many as 643 Sunni tribesmen from Saqlawiyah were
abducted, tortured, and extrajudicially killed by the state-backed Shia militia
Kata’ib Hezbollah in a massacre.
See also
*
2016 Saqlawiyah massacre
Gallery
File:USMC-01161.jpg, As Saqlāwīyah in 2005
File:Şaqlāwīyah Housing. - panoramio.jpg, Housing on the outskirts of As Saqlāwīyah
File:US Navy 070428-M-2819S-019 An Iraqi girl watches as Marines with 2nd squad, 2nd platoon, pass on patrol.jpg, An Iraqi girl holding Lavash
Lavash (; ) is a thin flatbread usually leavened, traditionally baked in a tandoor (''tonir'' or ''tanoor'') or on a '' sajj'', and common to the cuisines of South Caucasus, West Asia, and the areas surrounding the Caspian Sea. Lavash is one ...
References
Populated places in Al Anbar Governorate
Populated places on the Euphrates River
Populated places along the Silk Road
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