Qayyarah

Qayyarah or Qayara (Arabic: القيارة) is an Iraqi town located in southern Nineveh Governorate on the west bank of the Tigris river, and about 60 km (35 miles) south of Mosul.[1] It is located in the Mosul District, and it is the seat of Qayyarah subdistrict. It has a population of 15,000.[2] The town is located near the Qayyarah oil field and has an oil refinery on its south-western outskirts. The Qayyarah Airfield West is 20 kilometers west of the town.[3]

Qayyarah
Qayyarah is located in Iraq
Qayyarah
Qayyarah
Coordinates: 35°47′47.0″N 43°17′36.0″E
Country Iraq
GovernorateNineveh
MunicipalityMosul District
Government
 • MayorSalah Hassan Hamid

The town and subdistrict fell to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in June 2014. It was reported that its recapture was of strategic importance for the offensive to retake Mosul in 2016.[4] In August 2016, Qayyarah was fully captured by Iraqi forces, with Lieutenant General Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq stating that they controlled all parts of the city and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailing the capture of the city as a "key step in the fight" against ISIL.[5] In July 2016, the Pentagon said they were sending another 560 troops to Iraq, mainly to develop the Qayyarah airfield and use it as support for the planned attack on Mosul.[6] Following the town's liberation, members of the Jubur tribe from Qayyarah and surrounding villages formed the Popular Mobilization Forces' 39th Regiment (nicknamed "Commandos of al-Jubur" or "Lions of the Tigris") to fight against ISIL. This unit subsequently took part in the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017).[7]

The town's name derives from the Arabic word for tar.

Qayyarah has been known for its bitumen springs since at least the middle ages. Ibn Battuta passed through Qayyarah and described how its bitumen was exported to other towns; Shihab al-Din al-'Umari also noted that Qayyarah's bitumen springs produced a large revenue for the sultans.[8]

Notable people

References
  1. Zebari, Abdelhamid (25 August 2016). "Iraq forces retake key town south of Mosul". AFP. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  2. Giblin, Ruaidhrí (1 October 2016). "Retreating Isis fighters leave dark pall in their wake in Iraq". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  3. "Iraq: Iraqi forces liberate Alqayara air force base from ISIS". Arab 24. 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016. [...] the Qayara Air Force Base, located 20 km from the town of Qayara [...].
  4. "Iraqi army launches offensive to push Isis out of Mosul". The Guardian. Reuters. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  5. "Iraqi forces seize strategic town near Mosul from ISIL". Al Jazeera. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  6. Lamothe, Dan; Morris, Loveday (2016-07-11). "Pentagon will send hundreds more troops to Iraq following seizure of key airfield". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  7. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (6 September 2019). "Tribal Hashd of Ninawa: Interview with the 39th Regiment". Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  8. al-Feel, Muhammad Rashid (1965). The historical geography of Iraq between the Mongolian and Ottoman conquests, 1258-1534, Vol. 1. Najaf: Al-Adab Press. p. 95. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
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