Balad, Iraq

Balad
بلد
city
Balad
Coordinates: IQ 34°0′59″N 44°08′43″E / 34.01639°N 44.14528°E / 34.01639; 44.14528Coordinates: IQ 34°0′59″N 44°08′43″E / 34.01639°N 44.14528°E / 34.01639; 44.14528
Country Iraq
Governorate Saladin
District Balad
Government
 • Mayor Amir Abdul Hadi[1][2]
Population
 • Total 250.000

Balad[3] (Arabic: بلد‎), also transliterated Beled or Belad, is a city in the Salah ad Din Governorate, Iraq, 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of the national capital, Baghdad. It is the capital of Balad District. Located between the Sunni towns of Al Dhuluiya, Yathrib and Ishaqi, Balad has Shiite majority and Sunni minority .

In the later months of 2014 the city was besieged by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces.[4]

During the Iraq War

During the Iraq War Balad was, in 2006, the site of sectarian violence involving Sunni and Shi'ite militias.[5][6]

In 2007 the mayor, Amir Abdul Hadi, escaped an assassination attempt.[7]

Military installations

The largest military air base in Iraq, formerly LSA Anaconda, Balad Air Base, or Al-Bakir Air Base, is located within the municipality of Yethrib near Balad. As of early 2007 the base was the central hub for airlift and US Air Force operations in Iraq; it was also a major transshipment point for US Army supply convoys.

On the outskirts of Balad proper is a tiny forward operating base called Balad Joint Coordination Center (formerly FOB Paliwoda). FOB Paliwoda had been occupied by 3rd Squadron 4th US Cavalry in an effort to create a joint effort between coalition and local forces.

References

  1. ↑ Sabrina Tavernise, Iraq Removes Leaders of Special Police, New York Times, October 18, 2006.
  2. ↑ Islamic State executes Shi'ite militia fighters north of Baghdad Reuters, Dec. 7, 2014.
  3. ↑ Gazetteer of Iraq (Defense Mapping Agency, 1990), p. 86.
  4. ↑ Iraq's Balad braced for battle with ISIL: Residents told to stock up on food and fuel as government forces confront group over control of strategic areas, Al Jazeera, Dec. 10, 2014.
  5. ↑ Ellen Knickmeyer, "In Balad, Age-Old Ties Were 'Destroyed in a Second'", Washington Post, Monday, October 23, 2006.
  6. ↑ Sabrina Tavernise, Iraq Removes Leaders of Special Police, New York Times, October 18, 2006.
  7. ↑ Balad mayor escapes assassination, National Iraqi News Agency, April 3, 2007.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, July 11, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.