Makhmur, Iraq

Makhmur (Kurdish: مەخموور ,Mexmûr‎,[1][2] Arabic: مخمور‎) is a town in Iraq. It is part of Makhmur District in Erbil Governorate in Northern Iraq. The district is a disputed territory, in between the Erbil and Ninawa governorates. Makhmur is mainly populated by Arabs and Kurds. It was captured by the Iraqi army from the Peshmerga in October 2017.

Makhmur

مەخموور
Makhmur
location of Makhmur
Makhmur
Makhmur (Iraq)
Coordinates: 35°46′32″N 43°34′46″E
Country Iraq
GovernorateErbil Governorate
Elevation
254 m (833 ft)
Population
 (2012)
 • Total23 828

During the 2014 ISIL crisis, the town was taken over by ISIL militants before being regained again by combined Kurdish forces.[3] A volunteer civilian militia to defend the town in the future was started in response.[4]

During the 2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict, clashes were reported on the outskirts of the town between Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army, supported by the Popular Mobilization Forces (also known as Hashd al-Shaabi), until it was fully recaptured by the Iraqi Government.[5]

Refugee camp

In the Makhmur District is also located the Makhmur Refugee Camp, which was founded in 1998.[6] About 12,000 Kurdish refugees, who fled the civil war between Kurds and the Turkish state in the 1990s, live in this refugee camp.[7] Several members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) come from this camp. A "Garden of the Martyrs" was established at the camp, where deceased PKK members are remembered.[6] The refugee camp and its surroundings are often a target for Turkish airstrikes.[8][9][10]

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References
  1. "Nêzî mehek dorpêça li ser Mexmûr dewam dike". ANF News (in Kurdish). Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  2. "دانیشتووانی گوندێکی مەخموور هێرشێکی داعش تێکدەشکێنن" (in Kurdish). Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  3. Meet the PKK, Vice News
  4. Khalel, Sheren; Vickery, Matthew (20 August 2014). "The Locked and Loaded Carpenters of Makhmour". Foreign Policy Magazine.
  5. Peshmerga repel Iraqi forces attack in Makhmour, Rudaw. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  6. Çerny, Hannes. Iraqi Kurdistan, the PKK and International Relations. Routledge. p. 260. ISBN 9781138676176.
  7. "'This is a betrayal': Kurdish villagers in Iraq say Turkey is 'no different from Isis'". The Independent. 2015-08-02. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  8. "Iraq Summons Turkish Ambassador over Refugee Camp Strike". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  9. "Turkey carries out dozens of airstrikes in Iraq's Kurdistan region". 15 June 2020.
  10. "Bombing a refugee camp with jets". ANF News. Retrieved 2020-06-15.


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