Haditha

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Haditha (حديثة, al-Haditha) is a city in the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar, about 240 km northwest of Baghdad. It is a farming town situated on the Euphrates River at 34°09′01″N, 42°26′43″E. Its population of around 90,000 people is predominantly Sunni Muslim Arabs. The city lies near the Buhayrat al Qadisiyyah, an artificial lake which was created by the building of the Haditha Dam, the largest hydroelectric facility in Iraq.

In 2005, it became internationally famous as the location of the Haditha killings, allegedly committed by United States forces in the town.

[edit] Haditha during the Iraq Occupation

The Haditha Dam and surrounding areas were initially secured by U.S. soldiers in April 2003 as part of the invasion of Iraq. An attack on the dam would have severely flooded towns along the Euphrates downstream from Haditha, as well as eliminating an important source of electricity needed for the re-establishment of the country.

As the fighting continued following the fall of Saddam Hussein, Haditha became a center for insurgent activity. It lies between Al-Qaim, an insurgent entry point, and Baghdad.

On July 16, 2003 Mohammed Nayil Jurayfi, mayor of Haditha, and his youngest son, Ahmed, were assassinated.^[1][2]

In 2004, U.S. troops left a local police force in charge of the city and insurgents rounded up dozens of local police officers and publicly executed them in a soccer stadium.^[3]

In May 2005, U.S. forces launched Operation New Market in Haditha against the insurgents controlling the city. However, resistance continued. On August 1, 2005, an ambush killed six United States Marine snipers in the city; on August 3, a roadside bomb killed another 14 Marines and their interpreter.

According to an August 2005 report by The Guardian, the town was controlled by insurgents, with US forces making only fleeting visits every few months. Like Al-Qa'im, it had come under a Taliban-like rule, with Western-style items banned and insurgents collecting the salaries of government employees.^[4] This insurgent dominance has continued into 2006.^[5]

The mayor of Haditha in November of 2005 was Emad Jawad Hamza.^[6]

[edit] 2005 Haditha killings

Main article: Haditha killings

On 19 November 2005, US Marine Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas was killed in Haditha in a roadside bomb attack on Marines from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines.^[7] Subsequently, 24 Iraqis, including 11 women and children, were killed by 12 Marines from the unit. The US military is investigating these claims,^[8] and two captains and a lieutenant colonel have been relieved of duty.^[9] In August of 2006 a commission reviewing the killings found probable cause for charging the Marines.^[10] The same day, one of the accused Marines sued Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) for libel because of Murtha's characterization of the incident saying the Marines killed the civilians "in cold blood."

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