Al Hillah

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Al Hillah (Arabic: الحلة‎ ; BGN: Al Ḩillah; also spelled Hillah or Hilla) is a city in central Iraq on the river Euphrates, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad, with an estimated population of 364,700 in 1998. It is the capital of Babil province and is located near the ancient cities of Babylon, Borsippa and Kish. It is situated in a predominantly agricultural region which is extensively irrigated with water tapped from the river, producing a wide range of cereals, fruit and textiles.

The city was once a major center of Shi'a Islamic scholarship and education. The tomb of the Jewish and Muslim prophet Ezekiel is reputed to be located in a nearby village. The city was established in 1101. It became a major administrative centre during the rule of the Ottoman and British Empires. It saw heavy fighting in 1920 during an uprising against the British, when 300 men of the Manchester Regiment were apparently massacred in the city.

[edit] Hillah During the US Invasion of Iraq

Hillah was the scene of relatively heavy fighting in the 2003 invasion of Iraq on and around April 1, 2003. Iraqi casualties from the Medina Division of the Republican Guard were unknown but heavy, with several hundred reported to have been killed in fierce fighting with United States Army. After the battle with the RG Medina Division the US Army forces moved to Baghdad and the U.S. Marine forces took over responsibilities in Al Hillah. Shortly after the invasion a mass grave site was reported by locals to be in the area around Hillah. Local citizens and members of ORHA worked together to exume thousands of Iraqis who had been murdered by Saddam Hussein's security forces during the uprising against his government in 1991.

The 1st Marine Division had established a base at one of Saddam Hussein's Palaces about one mile north of Hillah. This also happened to be the historical site of Babylon and further damaged the ruins of the ancient city. The 372nd Military Police Company had performed law and order and Iraqi Police training in the city from June 2003 to October 2003 prior to moving on to Abu Ghraib prison. The city was part of the Polish military zone under the occupation of Iraq.

The city was relatively peaceful after the initial invasion but has become the scene of numerous bomb attacks. In February 2004, insurgents tried and failed to blow up a camp run by Polish troops with truck bombs. The deadliest single insurgent attack occurred here, when a car bomb killed 125 people outside a medical clinic on February 28, 2005. On May 30, 2005, two suicide bombers killed 31 people, many of them police, and wounded 108.

The city has a successful basketball team, which won the first national league in the post-Saddam era.