Al-Khalidiya (, also ''Al-Khaldiya, Khalidiya, Khalediya'') is a city in Al-Anbar Province, 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 ...

, on the southern banks of river

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

. It was founded in 1969 as a settlement for Assyrian Christian families who were displaced as a result of the closure of

RAF Habbaniya Royal Air Force Habbaniya, more commonly known as RAF Habbaniya (), (originally RAF Dhibban), was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah, about west of Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, on the banks of the Euphrates near Lake Habbaniyah. It was dev ...

, though it is now predominantly populated by

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

. The city was named after Khalid Shakar, deputy of Iraqi Baath party founder

Fuad al-Rikabi Fuad al-Rikabi (; 1932 – December 1971) was an Iraqi politician and the founder of the Iraqi Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. Al-Rikabi became the Secretary of Iraqi Regional Command of the Ba'ath Party in 1954 and held the ...

. North of Al-Khaldiya, on the northern banks of Euphrates river, the peninsula of

Khalidiya Island Khalidiya Island (Arabic: جزيرة الخالدية ''Jazīrat al-Khāldiyat, Jazirah al-Khaldiyah, Jazeera Khaldiya, Jazirah al-Khalidiyah, Khalediya Island'') is a river peninsula and populated area in Al-Anbar Province, in central Iraq. Geog ...

is located. Al-Khalidiya was captured by

ISIL The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signif ...

militants in 2014. Although the city was recaptured by Iraqi security forces, only four buildings remained after intense fighting between ISIL militants and security forces.

References

1969 establishments in Iraq Populated places in Al Anbar Governorate Populated places on the Euphrates River {{Iraq-geo-stub