Tal Afar

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Tal Afar (pronounced /ta/ /la/ /fer/) (also Tal'Afar, Tal Afar, Tall Afar, Tell Afar, Tel Afar) (in Arabic: تلعفر or تل عفر, in Kurdish: Telehfer, Turkish: Telafer) is a city in northwestern Iraq in the Ninawa Governorate. While no official census data exists, the city has been assessed to have a population of approximately 220,000 people, nearly all of whom are Iraqi Turkmen. The population’s religious affiliation is split roughly in half between Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims. While most residents do speak Arabic, a dialect of Turkish is used nearly universally throughout the city.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Economy
4 Landmarks
5 Culture and Society
6 Politics and Government
7 Role in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
8 Notes
9 External links

[edit] History

Sometime during the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Turkish Army founded the city as a sole military outpost constructed on top of a hill. Remains of the fortress can still be seen today. Also garrisoned at the fortress were Turkmen members of the Daloodi tribe who following the withdrawal of the Ottoman Army became the first civilian occupants of the town build around the fortress.

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Tal Afar became part of Iraq.

[edit] Geography

Tal Afar is located at coordinate 36°23′N 42°27′E
According to map data, Tal Afar has a total area of 15 km²
Tal Afar is located approximately 30 miles west of Mosul.
Tal Afar is located approximately 60 km (40 miles) east of the Iraqi-Syrian border.

The city is located in an open desert plain at the southern base of the Aedea Mountains. Much of the terrain surrounding the city is flat desert. A major east-west highway runs through the city, which spans the Ninawa Governorate and intersects Iraq’s main central north-south highway near Mosul.

Tal Afar is organized into eighteen neighborhoods or districts. They are: Sa’ad, Qadisiyah, Todd A-O, Sarai, Mohalemeen, Madlomin, Uruba, Wahada, Nida, A’a lot, Hassan Qoi, Mothana, Khadra, Jazeera, Taliha, Kifah, Malain and Qalah. Each neighborhood is able to maintain its identity due to the tribal nature of the city. Several dozen extended families living in close proximity will typically identify with one local sheik who takes it upon himself to serve as steward of neighborhood’s citizens and liaison to the local government. The layout of the town consists of densely-packed buildings often constructed so closely to each other that they share common load-bearing walls and supports. The city streets further physically define each neighborhood by separating it from other groups of buildings since they cut through the town in irregular patterns.

The United States Army and local government have recently implemented a home address system to better identify specific locations and define jurisdiction for the Iraqi Police.

Demographically, Tal Afar is isolated from many of the surrounding towns and villages because of its Iraqi Turkmen population. Many persons to the west identify themselves as Yeziti, to north Kurdish and to the south and east Arab.

[edit] Economy

As of January 2007, the largest single employer in the city was the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior which has hired roughly 2,250 policemen. The second-largest employer is the United States government.

Important industries in the region include agriculture, especially the harvesting of wheat which historically has been processed at the city’s state-run Granary, and the production of cement and macadam.

Unemployment was estimated to be at levels as high as 80% as of August 2006.

[edit] Landmarks

Located in the center of the city are the remnants of what is believed to be an Ottoman Empire fortress or castle. Local history states that British administrators augmented the structure of the original fortress. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the fortress was further augmented and made to house the city’s mayoral, municipal and police headquarters.

The neighborhood including and surrounding the fortress is known as Qalah (phonetic) or “Castle”.

[edit] Culture and Society

Nearly all residents identify themselves as Iraqi Turkmen and share many similarities with Turkish culture. Strong family ties exist between residents of the city and relatives in Turkey.

Arab culture is also present and many residents don traditional Arab dishdashas and checkered headscarves. Western-style clothing is also common.

Cuisine found in the city is similar to meals prepared in Arab/Turkish culture including unseasoned grilled lamb and beef, unleavened bread, rice, vegetable-based soups and indigenous vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, raisins, cucumbers, etc.

Approximately twenty families live in the city whom identify themselves as Kurdish.

[edit] Politics and Government

Tal Afar’s local government consists of a city council, local sheiks and a mayor. The mayor is appointed by the council of sheiks and confirmed by the provincial regional administrator. The mayor need not be originally from the city nor Iraqi Turkmen. As of January 2007, the present mayor (and former General) is Mayor Najim, a Sunni Arab originally from Baghdad. His wife, notably, is a Shia Arab.

The Iraqi Turkmen demographic of Tal Afar and its geographic location have made it an important city in the argument of Iraqi federalism. Historically, the area in the vicinity of the city was populated by Kurds and considered part of Kurdistan. Following a program of “Arabization” initiated by Saddam Hussein in the 1970’s, large numbers of Sunni Arabs supportive of the Baathist government were moved into areas around Tal Afar in an effort to decrease the influence of Iraqi Kurds. Geographically, the region the city is located is a border area separating Kurdish lands to the north and Arab lands to the south in the al-Anbar province.

If not for the high population of Iraqi Turkmen, the region would most-likely be absorbed by the Kurdish Autonomous Region based in Arbil. Many Iraqi Turkmen resist this happening because of historic differences with the Kurds and Turkey’s influence with the Iraqi Turkmen. Because of the large numbers of Kurds in Turkey, the government of Ankara fears an independent Kurdistan and has persuaded political leaders of the city to resist a plan for Iraqi federalism.

[edit] Role in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq

After the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, insurgents used Tal Afar as a staging point for attacks. In September 2004, American forces defeated the insurgents and left about 500 troops in the city. However, Iraqi authorities lost control of the city in May 2005, and insurgents began taking over again. A military operation in June 2005 did not quell the violence; the U.S. launched another offensive in the city in September 2005. More recently, the city has begun a rebuilding campaign.

Tal Afar has also been the scene of sectarian violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. In May 2005, clashes broke out between the two groups. In October 2006, a bombing in Tal Afar killed 14 people, of which ten were civilians and four Iraqi soldiers. An additional bombing, outside a car dealership, November 24, 2006, killed at least 22 and wounded at least 26.

On March 27, 2007, a truck bomb exploded in a market in a Shiite area. It was first reported to have killed 83 people and wounded 183, but the Iraqi Interior Ministry later raised the death toll to 152 and said that 347 were wounded, which would make it the deadliest single strike since the war started. The explosion, for which a terrorist group linked to al Qaeda claimed responsibility, led to reprisal shootings by Shiite policemen and others against Sunnis, in which between 47 and 70 men were killed. Several Shiite policemen were arrested for taking part in the shootings. ^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4]

On January 18, 2005, a family of eight were travelling in a car which failed to stop at a US checkpoint in Tal Afar. US troops opened fire, killing both parents, Camille and Hussein Hassan, and injuring their five children sitting in the back seat. Racan, 11, was seriously wounded in the abdomen. He lost the use of his legs and was treated later in Boston. Getty Images photographer Chris Hondros, who was on the scene, took graphic pictures of the shooting and aftermath. Hondros won several awards for the still photos.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]