Hawija
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hawija (Arabic: هويجة) is a Sunni Arab town near Kirkuk north of Baghdad.
Hawijah is in the Diyala province of Iraq and approximately 30 miles southwest of Kirkuk. There are approximately 70,000 people in and around Hawijah with an estimated 98% Sunni Population.
It is considered a stronghold of resistance to USA occupation in Iraq. U.S. and Iraqi forces have experienced numerous lethal attacks in the area from Sunni insurgents. As of March 2006, the area of Hawijah was considered one of the most dangerous in all of Iraq with US soldiers and the foreign press core in Baghdad dubbing Hawija "Anbar of the North," a reference to the violence wracked province in Western Iraq.
The closese US base to Hawija is FOB McHenry. As of May 2005 FOB McHenry was home to around 500 US soldiers. In March 2006, Soldiers in 1st Battalion 327th infantry regiment at FOB McHenry were finding 3-5 road-side bombs a day. From November 1, 2005 through March 2006 medics treated 120 trauma cases. Nine members of the brigade as of March 2006 have died in combat in Hawijah proper.
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