Tuz Khurmatu Explained

Official Name:	Tuz Khurmatu
Settlement Type:	City
Pushpin Map:	Iraq
Pushpin Map Caption:	Tuz Khormato's location in Iraq
Subdivision Type:	Country
Subdivision Name:	Iraq
Subdivision Type1:	Province
Subdivision Name1:	Saladin
Subdivision Type2:	District
Subdivision Name2:	Tooz
Unit Pref:	Imperial
Population As Of:	2012
Population Total:	119,000
Utc Offset:	+3
Coordinates:	34.8833°N 82°W
Elevation M:	218

Tuz Khurmatu (Arabic: طوزخورماتو, Turkish: Tuzhurmatu,^{[1] [2]} Kurdish: دووز خورماتوو|translit=Dûz Xurmatû,^{[3] [4]} also spelled as Tuz Khurma and Tuz Khormato) is the central city of Tooz District in Saladin Governorate, Iraq, located 55miles south of Kirkuk. Its inhabitants are predominantly Shia Turkmen, with a minority of Arabs and Kurds.^{[5] [6] [7]}

Etymology

The name of the city is in the local Iraqi Turkmen dialect, meaning salt and dates.^[8]

History

Naphtha, oil and asphalt was found in the town in the 18th century.^[9]

The city was populated by both Kurds and Turkmens in the 19th century. Claudius Rich visited the town in 1820 and stated that the town had a population of 50,000. In 1882 Major General Gerard visited the town and stated that the town had a bazaar, 300 houses, 100 regulars and 30 zaptiyehs.^[10] The town was captured by United Kingdom in May 1918 and were met with joy from the locals. The local Hamawand tribe would offer their assistance to secure the area.^[11]

In 1925, Tuz Khurmatu’s population was entirely Turkmen, except for some Jewish families (35 out of 405 families).^[12]

40% of the population was Kurdish in the 1947 census.^[13]

In 1976, Tooz District was separated from Kirkuk Governorate and attached to Saladin Governorate for Arabization purposes. The population of the town was 75,737 the subsequent year, and decreased to 51,998 in 1987. The town participated in the 1991 Iraqi uprising before being suppressed by the Ba'athist Iraqi army.^[14]

Operation Iraqi Freedom

• On June 2, 2005, at least 12 people were killed and at least 40 wounded in an explosion targeting a restaurant.^[15]
• On June 23, 2005, a car bomb detonated by remote control hit an Iraqi police patrol, killing one policeman and wounding 7 civilians.^[16]
• On September 20, 2005, insurgents detonated a car bomb targeting Shiite worshippers as they were exiting the Hussainiyat al-Rasoul al-Azam mosque, killing at least 10 and wounding 21 others.^[17]
• On March 14, 2007, a suicide bomber struck a market and killing 8 and wounding 25.^[18]

Operation New Dawn

• On September 7, 2010, the first US casualties after President Barack Obama declared an end to US combat operations took place near the city when Iraqi insurgents killed 2 US military personnel.^[19]

Post-U.S. withdrawal and Iraqi Civil War

• On October 27, 2012, a car bombing next to a building owned by a Shi'ite endowment killed two civilians and injured ten others.^[20]
• On December 17, 2012, two consecutive car bombings hit a residential area near the city's General Hospital, killing 11 civilians and injuring 45 others. The attacks were part of a country-wide wave of violence that killed almost 100 people in a single day.^[21]
• On January 16, 2013, a suicide car bombing at the offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party killed 5 and injured 40 others.^{[22] [23]}
• On January 23, 2013, a suicide bomber blew himself up during a funeral for a politician's relative in the city, killing 42 and leaving 75 others wounded.^{[24] [25]}
• In November 2015, the town experienced clashes between the Kurdish Peshmerga and Shia Popular Mobilization Forces that claimed 11 lives, wounded over 20 people, and damaged over 200 houses through arson committed by both sides.^[26] A truce was reached soon after.^{[27] [28]}
• On November 28, 2015, an ISIL suicide bomber bombed a town checkpoint, killing 6.^[29]

See also

• Tuz Khurmatu Air Base
• White Flags

References

34.8772°N 44.6383°W

Notes and References

1. News: Tuzhurmatu'da Türkmen - Kürt dayanışması nasıl bozuldu? . 13 October 2020 . BBC News . 18 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201018135854/https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler/2015/12/151210_tuzhurmatu_bbcturkce_mahmut_hamsici . live .
2. News: Tuzhurmatu'ya 15 yıl aradan sonra Türkmen kaymakam atandı . 21 December 2019 . www.aa.com.tr . tr . 21 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191221124059/https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/tuzhurmatuya-15-yil-aradan-sonra-turkmen-kaymakam-atandi/1220001 . live .
3. News: Gelê Duz Xurmatû: Em ê destûrê nedin dagirkeriyê . 21 December 2019 . ANF News . ku . 23 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200923164715/https://anfkurdi.com/kurdistan/gele-duz-xurmatu-em-e-desture-nedin-dagirkeriye-61722/ . live .
4. News: لیژنەی ناوچە كوردستانییه‌کانی دەرەوەی ئیدارەی ھەرێم له‌گه‌ڵ نوێنەرانی خه‌ڵكی زیانلێکەتووی دووزخورماتوو كۆبووه‌وه‌ . 21 December 2019 . Parliament of Kurdistan . ku . 11 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200611202928/https://www.parliament.krd/%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%BE%DB%95%D8%B1%D9%84%DB%95%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86/%D9%87%DB%95%D9%88%D8%A7%DA%B5%DB%95%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86/posts/2019/september/%D9%84%DB%8C%DA%98%D9%86%DB%95%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%88%DA%86%DB%95-%D9%83%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C%DB%8C%D9%87-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AF%DB%95%D8%B1%DB%95%D9%88%DB%95%DB%8C-%D8%A6%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%95%DB%8C-%DA%BE%DB%95%D8%B1%DB%8E%D9%85-%D9%84%D9%87-%DA%AF%D9%87-%DA%B5-%D9%86%D9%88%DB%8E%D9%86%DB%95%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%87-%DA%B5%D9%83%DB%8C-%D8%B2%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%84%DB%8E%DA%A9%DB%95%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%88%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%88-%D9%83%DB%86%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%88%D9%87-%D9%88%D9%87/ . live .
5. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2015/12/iraq-kurdistan-region-tuz-khormato-arabs-kurds-conflict.html
6. http://unpo.org/article/18244
7. Web site: Iraqi Turkmen . Minority Rights Group International . 19 June 2015 . 17 October 2020 . 17 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201017145334/https://minorityrights.org/minorities/turkmen/ . live .
8. Web site: Iraq's Tuz Khurmatu: A town rich in history and conflict Nermeen Mufti. 2020-10-07. AW. en. 2020-10-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20201008181650/https://thearabweekly.com/iraqs-tuz-khurmatu-town-rich-history-and-conflict. live.
9. Rasoul. Rasoul Muhammed. 2017. History of Kirkuk from the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century until Becoming Part of the Iraqi Monarchy in 1925. University of Erfurt. 188. 2020-11-15. 2020-10-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20201026215908/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/224744195.pdf. live.
10. Rasoul. Rasoul Muhammed. 2017. History of Kirkuk from the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century until Becoming Part of the Iraqi Monarchy in 1925. University of Erfurt. 8. 2020-11-15. 2020-10-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20201026215908/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/224744195.pdf. live.
11. Rasoul. Rasoul Muhammed. 2017. History of Kirkuk from the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century until Becoming Part of the Iraqi Monarchy in 1925. University of Erfurt. 137. 2020-11-15. 2020-10-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20201026215908/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/224744195.pdf. live.
12. Web site: 20 August 1925. Question of the Frontier between Turkey and Iraq - League of Nations. 14 December 2020. 10 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180110175408/https://biblio-archive.unog.ch/Dateien/CouncilMSD/C-400-M-147-1925-VII_BI.pdf. live.
13. Book: C. J. Edmonds. 438. Kurds, Turks and Arabs, Politics, Travel and Research in North-Eastern Iraq, 1919-1925. 1957. Oxford University Press. 17 November 2019. 13 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211013230416/https://books.google.com/books?id=Qm26AAAAIAAJ. live.
14. Book: Goldstein, Eric . June 1992 . Endless Torment: The 1991 Uprising in Iraq and Its Aftermath . U.S. . Human Rights Watch . 58 . 1-56432-069-3 . 2016-01-12 . 2010-06-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100615171955/http://www.hrw.org/reports/1992/Iraq926.htm . live .
15. Web site: 20 dead in Iraq bombings. The Guardian. 2 June 2005 . 15 May 2016. 13 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211013230418/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jun/02/iraq1. live.
16. Web site: Car bombs kill nearly 40 people in Baghdad – International Herald Tribune . 2007-03-14 . 2007-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070521015417/http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/23/africa/web.0623iraq.php . live .
17. Web site: Microsoft PowerPoint – Eye on Iraq Sep 20, 2005 – English . March 14, 2007 . March 15, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070315110217/http://defendamerica.mil/downloads/eyeoniraq220_20050920.pdf . live .
18. Web site: Iraqi president returns after treatment - Yahoo! News . 2017-01-15 . 2007-03-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070321200026/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070314/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq . live .
19. Web site: Iraqi soldier fires on US troops, kills 2 . 2017-01-15 . 2010-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100914105956/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100907/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_us_casualties . live .
20. Web site: Killing and wounding 12 civilians east of Tikrit (NINA News Agency) . 2013-01-24 . 2012-10-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121031081148/http://www.ninanews.com/english/News_Details.asp?ar95_VQ=GEFGKI . live .
21. Web site: BREAKING NEWS. 25 people killed and wounded in bombings series in Tuz district. (NINA News Agency) . 2013-01-24 . 2013-12-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131215193251/http://www.ninanews.com/english/News_Details.asp?ar95_VQ=GFEDDH . dead .
22. Web site: Reuters . Bombers kill more than 35 across Iraq . Trust.org . 2013-01-15 . 2013-01-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130221164850/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/bombers-kill-more-than-35-across-iraq/ . 2013-02-21 .
23. Web site: Margaret Griffis . Iraq Slaughter: 55 Killed, 288 Wounded . Antiwar.com . 2013-01-16 . 2013-01-24 . 2013-01-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130121023625/http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2013/01/16/iraq-slaughter-55-killed-288-wounded/ . live .
24. Web site: Marwan Ibrahim . Iraq suicide bomb at Shiite mosque kills 42 . 2013-01-23 . 2013-01-24 . 2013-02-16 . https://archive.today/20130216041843/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jQy57ea_bmclo1OnOLDPWxnw_3vg?docId=CNG.c8e0480540a829085a3a9eee42c89e47.361 . dead .
25. Web site: Margaret Griffis . At least 51 Killed, 98 Wounded in Iraq Attacks . Antiwar.com . 2013-01-23 . 2013-01-24 . 2020-05-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200504220558/http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2013/01/23/at-least-51-killed-98-wounded-in-iraq-attacks/ . live .
26. Web site: Eleven dead as tensions flare in Tuz Khurmatu . Kurdistan24 . 2015-11-15 . 2016-01-11 . 2015-11-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151120023915/http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/9208c85e-ab1f-4f86-88f6-42d95527685b/Eleven-Dead-as-Tensions-Flare-in-Tuz-Khurmatu-Between-Kurds-and-Shia-Militias . live .
27. Web site: Absent government, fragile truce holds in Tuz Khurmatu. Iraq Oil Report. 18 November 2015 . 15 May 2016. 5 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160505104101/http://www.iraqoilreport.com/news/absent-government-fragile-truce-holds-in-tuz-khurmatu-17090/. live.
28. Web site: MUSINGS ON IRAQ. Joel Wing. 20 January 2016 . 15 May 2016. 10 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160410040048/http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/human-rights-watch-documents-recent.html. live.
29. Web site: Suicide bomber kills 6 in flashpoint town . Yahoo! News . 2015-11-28 . 2016-01-11 . 2015-12-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151224204631/http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-suicide-bomber-kills-six-flashpoint-town-160241681.html . live .