Amirli

For the place in Azerbaijan, see Əmirli.
Arabic: آمرلي‎‎ Amirli
Turkish: Emirli
Arabic: آمرلي‎‎ Amirli
Coordinates: IQ 34°43′30″N 44°35′15″E / 34.72500°N 44.58750°E / 34.72500; 44.58750Coordinates: IQ 34°43′30″N 44°35′15″E / 34.72500°N 44.58750°E / 34.72500; 44.58750
Country  Iraq
Governorate Saladin Governorate
District Tooz District

Amirli (Arabic: آمرلي‎‎; Amirli, Turkish: Emirli) also spelt Amerli is a town in the Tooz District of Saladin Governorate, near the border with Diyala Governorate, in northern Iraq, about 100 km from the Iranian border. It has a population of 42,000,[1] mainly from Iraq's Shia Turkoman ethnic minority. It is the centre of a farming region.[2]

Amerli, along with Altun Kupri, Bashir, Bustamli, Mahalabiyah, Qarah Tappah, Sulaiman Bek, Tal Afar, Taza Khurmatu, Tuz Khormato, and Yankjah, make up the largest Turkmen-majority cities in Iraq, while Mosul, Kirkuk, Kifri, Daquq, Muqdadiyah, Jalawla, and Saadiyah have significant Turkmen minority populations.

History

The word Amirli (Arabic: امرلي‎‎) is an abbreviated version of the phrase "Ali my prince" (Arabic: اميري علي‎‎), hence the majority of its population is from the Shia sect of Islam.[3]

2007 bombing

Main article: 2007 Amirli bombing

On June 7, 2007, a bombing in the marketplace of Amirli killed 165 people and injured 350.[2][4]

2014 siege by ISIS

Main article: Siege of Amirli

The town, and its nearly 20,000 Shia Turkmen,[5] was besieged by the Islamic State starting in June 2014.[6] It was running out of food, water, and supplies. A U.N. representative stated, "The situation of the people in Amerli is desperate and demands immediate action to prevent the possible massacre of its citizens."[7] On August 31, the Iraqi army, with help from the United States and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, managed to break the siege and entered the city, much to the rejoicing of its citizens.[8][9] Iran had reportedly played a "military planning" role in breaking siege of Amirli.[10]

References

  1. ↑ محافظة صلاح الدين - وزارة البلديات والاشغال (Saladin governorate - the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works)
  2. 1 2 Barzanji, Yahya (7 July 2007). "Suicide bomb kills over 100 in Iraq". Washington Post. The Associated Press.
  3. ↑ "Iraqi forces 'reach besieged Amerli'". BBC News. BBC. 31 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "Iraq market truck bomb kills 105". BBC News. BBC. 7 July 2007.
  5. ↑ "Iraq minority appeals to army, international community for help". CBC news. The Associated Press. 20 August 2014.
  6. ↑ al-Bayati, Ali (22 August 2014). "Amerli – the town holding out against the Islamic State and starvation". EA WorldView. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Iraq conflict: UN warns of possible Amerli 'massacre'". BBC News. BBC. 23 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Iraqi troops supported with shia armed patrols enter the sieged Amirli". BBC (in Arabic). 29 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  9. ↑ Roggio, Bill (2 September 2014). "US airstrikes in Amerli supported deadly Shia terror group". longwarjournal.com. Public Media. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  10. ↑ Coles, Isabel (September 1, 2014). "Iranians play role in breaking IS siege of Iraqi town". Reuters. Retrieved October 17, 2014.


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