Taza Khurmatu or Taza ( ar, تازة خورماتو, Tāzah Ḵūrmātū, tr, Tazehurmatu, lit=Fresh Dates) is a town in

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 ...

, located south 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, ...

. It is populated predominantly by

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...

History

In 1925, the town’s population was predominantly Turkmen. The town experienced

Arabization Arabization or Arabisation ( ar, تعريب, ') describes both the process of growing Arab influence on non-Arab populations, causing a language shift by the latter's gradual adoption of the Arabic language and incorporation of Arab culture, aft ...

during the Saddam era where Turkmen land was confiscated and given to

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

settlers. In 2009 it was the site of the 20 June 2009 Taza bombing, where more than 70 people were killed by a suicide bomber. In June 2014, along with the nearby villages of Brawawchli, Karanaz, Chardaghli, and

Bashir Bashir or Basheer or the francicized Bachir or Bechir ( ar, بشير) is a male given name. Derived from Arabic, it means "the one who brings good news". It is also a surname. Bashir may refer to: Mononym * Bashir I, Lebanese emir of the Shih ...

, it experienced a massacre of at least 40 villagers committed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. In March 2016, the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...

fired mortars containing an unidentified

chemical agent A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as a ...

killing one and injuring 600. It is currently controlled by the Turkmen Brigades of the Popular Mobilization Units.
تازة تتعرض لأعنف هجوم من "داعش" بـ42 صاروخ كاتيوشا

References

{{reflist Populated places in Kirkuk Governorate Turkmen communities in Iraq