Hawija () is the central town of
Al-Hawija District in the
Kirkuk Province of
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, west of
Kirkuk
Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...
, and north of
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
. The town has a population of about 100,000 inhabitants.
Hawija District has approximately 150,000 inhabitants, mostly populated by Sunni Arabs.
History
Hawija, also called Hawija Al-Ubaid, is inhabited by
Al-Ubaid tribe,
Dulaim
Dulaim or Dulaimi or Al Duliam or Dulaym ( ar, الدليم) is an Arab royal tribe, with over seven million members. The tribe's history goes back to pre-Islamic times and members reside today in Iraq and neighboring countries such as Syria, ...
tribe,
Al Jubour
Jubur ( ar, جبور, also spelled Jebour, Jibour, Jubour, Jabur, Jaburi, Jebouri, and Jabara) is the largest Arab tribe in Iraq that scattered throughout central Iraq. Part of the tribe settled in Hawija and Kirkuk in the eighteenth century. Al- ...
,
Shammar
The tribe of Shammar ( ar, شَمَّر, Šammar) is a tribal Arab Qahtan confederation, descended from the Yemeni tribe of Tayy as they originated in Yemen before migrating into present day Saudi Arabia, It is the biggest branch of Tayy tribe. I ...
tribes.
Iraq War 2003-11
During the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
, U.S. and
Iraqi forces experienced numerous lethal attacks in the area from
Sunni insurgents. The area of Hawija was once considered one of the most dangerous in all of Iraq with US soldiers and the foreign press corps in Baghdad dubbing Hawija "
Anbar of the North," a reference to the violence wracked province in Western Iraq.
After U.S. withdrawal
According to open sources on 23 April 2013, Hawija became the focus of violent anti-government protest and deadly Government intervention tactics which left at least 27 Sunnis protesters shot dead, exacerbating political division and sectarian polarization within Iraq. Later death toll of protests was 53, while associated violence resulted in 215 deaths by April 27. This crackdown prompted Sunni tribal figures in the town and across northern Iraq to harden their rhetoric against Maliki's government. Gun battles erupted across Iraq's majority-Sunni cities between protesters and Iraqi Security Forces—including in
Ramadi
Ramadi ( ar, ٱلرَّمَادِي ''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 whi ...
,
Fallujah
Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jew ...
, and
Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...
. From Jordan, influential religious figure
Sheikh Abdul Malik al-Saadi said, "self defense has become a legitimate and legal duty." Some Sunni tribes mobilized, declaring jihad against Baghdad.
An ISIL operated prison was raided in the area by Kurdish and American special forces on October 21, 2015. After about 70 prisoners were freed, the US bombed the facility.
During ISIL occupation, Hawija's residents have suffered severe shortages of critical supplies, including food, water, and medicine. Many of the town's residents have fled. The
Kurdistan Regional Government estimates that 18,000 people fled Hawija in August 2016; they say that approximately 400–450 families arrive at
Peshmerga checkpoints from Hawija each week. The UN estimates about 300 arrivals at the
Debaga Refugee Camp (one of the largest in Iraq) each week. Unconfirmed reports indicated that ISIL is executing civilians caught trying to escape, and planting land mines to keep residents in place.
Hawija, along with
Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...
, is a place where ISIS members frequently carry out mass executions. For example, on August 6, 2016, they were said to have executed at least 100 people.
ISIL-occupied Hawija became isolated from the rest of ISIL's territory in July 2016 during the
Battle of Mosul, when
Al-Shirqat
, settlement_type = Town
, image_skyline =
, imagesize =
, image_caption =
, pushpin_map = Iraq
, pushpin_label_position =right
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subd ...
was captured by Iraqi troops. Hawija was ISIL's last enclave in central Iraq.
On September 21, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister
Haider al-Abadi announced an
offensive
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
to reclaim the city after over three years of ISIS rule. The city was liberated from ISIS by October 4, 2017.
In October 2022, Khadija Ahmad Murshid, also known as "Umm Rayyan", was chosen as the
Mukhtar of the Al-Hurriyya neighborhood in Hawija, making her the first woman recorded to hold the position of Mukhtar in the
Kirkuk Province.
References
{{Reflist
Populated places in Kirkuk Governorate
Cities in Iraq