Al Anbar Governorate
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Al Anbar (Arabic: Muḥāfaẓät al-’Anbār) is a province of Iraq. Its capital is Ar Ramadi. Anbar is the largest province in Iraq, sharing a border with Syria, Jordan (undefined), and Saudi Arabia. The name of the province is Persian (انبار ’Anbār) and means "the warehouse", as this region was the warehouse of the Persian Sassanid troops.
Before 1976 the province was known as Ramadi and before 1962 as Dulaim. [link]
The city of Fallujah is also in Anbar. The Iraqi insurgency was widely considered to be stronger in this province than in any other in Iraq, and hostility toward occupation forces had been fierce. However, in late 2005, after a struggle to gain control of the region, a series of operations by US forces were relatively successful in driving insurgents from Anbar. Additionally, in early 2006, several tribes and militias — some including insurgent groups — began an effort to root out the remaining foreign militants. As a result, Anbar was thought to be mostly pacified in the early weeks of 2006. However subsequent insurgent raids against coalition forces in the area, the increase of sectarian violence (that pushed many of the Sunni tribes back into alliances with militants) and the continued insurgent control of several cities in Anbar showed that fighting in the region is far from over. Recent reports suggest that the Anbar capital Ramadi has largely fallen under insurgent control along with most of the region, as a result the US is sending an extra 3,500 marines to reestablish control of the region. [link] [link]
Anbar, with Ramadi and Fallujah in particular, is known for its inhabitants' strong tribal and religious traditions. Allegedly, former President Saddam Hussein was constantly wary of the volatile nature of the area. Most of the inhabitants of the province are Sunni Muslims from the Dulaim tribe.
Towns and cities
- Ramadi — capital of Anbar
- Sadah
- Haditha
- Hit
- A'na
- Fallujah
- Abu Ghraib
- Al-Qaim
- Al-Nukhaib
- Ar Rutba
- Kubaisa
- Al Asad
See also
| Governorates of Iraq |
|
|---|---|
| Al-Anbar | Arbīl | Bābil | Baghdād | Al-Basrah | Dahūk | Dhī Qār | Diyālā | Al-Karbalā' | Maysān | An-Najaf | Nīnawā | Al-Muthannā | Al-Qādisiyyah | At-Tā'mīm | Salāh ad-Dīn | As-Sulaymāniyyah | Wāsit | |
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