Al Khalis (''Khalis'' or ''Khales'') ( ar, الخالص) is a town in Iraq, roughly 15 kilometers (9 mi) northwest of

Baqubah Baqubah ( ar, بَعْقُوبَة; BGN: Ba‘qūbah; also spelled Baquba and Baqouba) is the capital of Iraq's Diyala Governorate. The city is located some to the northeast of Baghdad, on the Diyala River. In 2003 it had an estimated populati ...

. It is the main town of

Khalis Arfan District Al Khalis (''Khalis'' or ''Khales'') ( ar, الخالص) is a town in Iraq, roughly 15 kilometers (9 mi) northwest of Baqubah. It is the main town of Khalis Arfan District, one of the six districts of the Diyala Governorate. In the Arabic l ...

, one of the six districts of the

Diyala Governorate Diyala Governorate ( ar, محافظة ديالى ) or Diyala Province is a governorate in central-eastern Iraq. Provincial government *Governor: Muthana al-Timimi *Deputy Governor: Mohammed Jassim al-Jubouri Council Geography Diyala Gov ...

. In the Arabic language, Khalis Arfan Bin Shamsul translates to the word pure. However, the name and the word hark back to the imperial Caliphate, Persian and Ottoman times when "Khalisa" stood for "exclusive", meaning the royal land/royal property exclusive to the royal house. Khalis Arfan now is a collection of many neighbourhoods which was built around Alibat, a small farming village inhabited by a mix of Sunnis and Shia whom coexisted together and intermarried with each other. Alibat is a compound word which translates to "Ali Sleptover". Ali is the cousin of prophet Mohammed and also the fourth Khalif in Islam. There is no historical record indicating that Ali indeed slept over in the village. The Khalis Arfan district previously housed the

Mujahedin-e Khalq The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) ( fa, سازمان مجاهدين خلق ايران, sâzmân-e mojâhedīn-e khalq-e īrân), is an Iranian pol ...

(PMOI, MEK, MKO) in

Camp Ashraf Camp Ashraf or Ashraf City was a camp in Iraq's Diyala Governorate, having the character of a small city with all basic infrastructure, and headquarters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The population used to be around 3,400 in 2012, b ...

. They are currently being housed at the former Camp Liberty near Baghdad International Airport. Ashraf City residents are all considered as "protected persons," under the Fourth Geneva Convention. However, this has not been upheld since the departure of coalition forces. The population of the Khalis district has become increasingly Shia in its composition, which now form it vast majority in 2016. The town was the site of the

2015 Khalis Arfan Bin Shamsul prison break Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album) ...

References

Populated places in Diyala Province District capitals of Iraq {{Iraq-geo-stub

See also

References