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Coordinates: 33°45′N 44°38′E / 33.75°N
44.633°E / 33.75;
44.633
Baqubah (Arabic: بعقوبة; BGN:
Ba‘qūbah; also spelled Baquba and
Baqouba) is the capital of Iraq's Diyala Governorate.
The city is located some 50 km (30 miles) to the northeast
of Baghdad, on the Diyala River, just
outside Iraq's so-called Sunni Triangle. In 2003 it had an estimated population of some
467,900 people.[1]
The site has been inhabited continuously since pre-Islamic times as a centre for
agriculture and commerce. The name itself is thought to have come
from the Aramaic Baya 'quba, meaning "Jacob's
house."
Baqubah served as a way station between Baghdad and Khorasan on
the medieval Silk Road.
During the Abbasid caliphate, it was known for its
date and fruit orchards. Situated on the main road and rail routes
between Baghdad and Iran it is a centre of trade for agricultural
produce. It is known known as the centre of Iraq's commercial
orange groves.
History
Many Assyrian Christian
refugees fled to Baqubah during World War I, fleeing persecution
from the Turks, Kurds and Persians. [2] A
refugee camp was set up outside the city, which accommodated
between 40,000 and 50,000 refugees. [3]
Recent
history
During the course of the U.S-led occupation of Iraq, Baquba
emerged as the scene of some of the heaviest guerrilla activity,
along with the Sunni enclaves of Fallujah, Ramadi, and Samarra. It was the site of the heaviest
fighting during the June 24, 2004 insurgent offensive. Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad, led by Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi, took responsibility for the attacks.
In a setback for insurgents, Iraqi and U.S. officials confirmed
on June 8, 2006, that al-Zarqawi had been killed in an airstrike
and subsequent raid 8 km (5 miles) north of Baquba. [1] During late
2006, however, Baqubah and much of Diyala province were reported to
have come under Sunni insurgent control. [2] On January 3,
2007 the previous Iraqi government in Baquba was reported to have
fallen, leaving the city in the hands of insurgents fighting
against the American led coalition in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In January 2007,
it was reported [3] that Sunni
insurgents were able to kidnap the mayor and blow up his office,
despite promises from American and Iraqi military officials that
the situation in the city was "reassuring and under control". The
city at its peak had over 460,000 residents, but a February 2007
report labeled the city a "ghost town" as residents either fled
criminal and sectarian violence or remained in hiding at home. [4]
Attacks
during Iraq war
The following is a list of deadly attacks in the city including
the death of al-Zarqawi and after. [4]
- April 8-13, 2004 Mahdi Militia attempt to over take the city
tanks and bradleys patrol the streets and Artillery and Air Force
bombs dropped inside city limits.
- June 22-26, 2004 Insurgents take strong points through out the
city, forcing coalition forces to drop two 500 pound bombs on the
stadium.
- Nov 15, 2004 While US and coalition forces battle insurgents in
Fallujah, small cells of insurgents take advantage of the situation
and conduct coordinated attacks throughout the city after the
Ramadan holiday, taking over the Buhriz and Muffrek Police stations
and resulting in the dropping of two 500 pound bombs by the Air
Force.
- June 7, 2006: A U.S. airstrike kills Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the
former leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, near Baqubah, northeast of
Baghdad.
- June 26, 2006: At least 25 people are killed in a bicycle bombing in
the city, according to police.
- Oct. 3, 2006: In a string of deadly attacks, gunmen open fire
on a Shiite family fleeing the city, killing five of them. Ten
others are killed in shooting and bombing incidents, and 10 bodies
are found in the city, the apparent victims of sectarian
slayings.
- Oct. 26, 2006: Insurgents ambush a police unit, killing 24
policemen and one civilian. Eight insurgents are killed in
subsequent fighting with police and U.S. troops, the military
says.
- Nov. 12, 2006: Fifty bodies are found dumped behind the offices
of the provincial electric company, according to the Iraqi army's
provincial public affairs office.
- Nov. 29, 2006: Fighting between police and insurgents after an
attack on Baqubah's police headquarters shuts down the city,
closing the university, schools and most stores, and clearing the
streets of everyone, except a few who scurry about to stock up on
food. At least 55 militants are killed in clashes in the preceding
days, according to anonymous police sources.
- Nov. 30, 2006: The U.S. military says Iraqi forces find 28
bodies in a mass grave south of Baqubah, following days of heavy
fighting that killed scores of people in and around the city.
- Dec. 2, 2006: U.S. and Iraqi forces begin an offensive in the
city in response to fighting that raged for a week between Sunni
insurgents and police. Ahmed Fuad, a senior morgue official, says
the morgue received 102 bodies in the previous two weeks.
- Dec. 3, 2006: Some 16 bodies — apparent victims of sectarian
death squads — are found.
- Dec. 29, 2006: Ten bodies showing signs of torture are found
dumped on the streets of the city, police and morgue officials
say.
- June 22, 2008: A female suicide bomber detonated a powerful
explosive device outside a government outpost and courthouse. 15
were killed in the blast.
- July 15, 2008: Two suicide bombers target army recruits,
killing 35 and injuring 50. See: 15 July 2008 Baquba
bombings
- October 8, 2008: A female suicide bomber detonates at the
central court house, killing nine (including 5 Iraqi Soldiers) and
wounding 17.
- October 16, 2008: A mortar attack. Three rockets fired into FOB
(Forward Operations Base) Warhorse from nearby Baqubah kill 2 US
Army soldiers, PFC Cody J. Eggleston, and PFC Heath K. Pickard.
Both were awarded the Alaska Decoration of Honor. They both were
assigned to 1st Platoon, C-CO, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry
Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort
Wainwright, Alaska.
Operation Arrowhead
Ripper
On June 19, 2007, U.S. forces launched a large-scale operation
against Iraqi militants in Baquba. The offensive, Operation
Arrowhead Ripper, involved approximately 10,000 coalition soldiers.
[5]
References
External
links
See also
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