Hawija
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Hawija (Arabic: الحويجة,Al Hawyjah) is a Sunni Arab town near Kirkuk north of Baghdad.
Hawijah is in the Al-Tamim province of Iraq and approximately 30 miles south of Kirkuk. There are approximately 70,000 people in and around Hawijah with an estimated 98% Sunni Population.
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 corps in Baghdad dubbing Hawija "Anbar of the North,"[citation needed] a reference to the violence wracked province in Western Iraq.
The closest US base to Hawija is FOB McHenry. As of May 2005 FOB McHenry was home to around 500 US soldiers.[citation needed] In March 2006, Soldiers in 1st Battalion 327th infantry regiment at FOB McHenry were finding 3-5 road-side bombs a day.[citation needed] From November 1, 2005 through March 2006 medics treated 120 trauma cases.[citation needed] Nine members of the brigade as of March 2006 have died in combat in Hawijah proper,[citation needed] most from a single company, C Co. 1-327th Inf, call sign 'Cold Steel.'
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