Country Iraq District Daquq | Governorate Kirkuk Local time Monday 8:57 PM | |
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Weather 17°C, Wind SE at 14 km/h, 47% Humidity | ||
Taza Khurmatu or Taza (Arabic: تازة خورماتو Tazat Khurmatu, Turkish: Tazehurmatu, 'New Khurmatu') is a town in Iraq located just south of Kirkuk. It is populated predominately by Shia Turkmens. In 2009 it was the site of the 20 June 2009 Taza bombing, where more than 70 people were killed by a suicide bomber. In June 2014, along with the nearby villages of Brawawchli, Karanaz, Chardaghli, and Bashir, it experienced a massacre of at least 40 villagers committed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. It is currently controlled by the Peshmerga and PMU. In March 2016, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fired mortars containing an unidentified chemical agent killing one and injuring 600.
Map of Taza Khurmatu, Iraq
Taza Khurmatu, along with Altun Kupri, Amerli, Bashir, Bustamli, Mahalabiyah, Qarah Tappah, Sulaiman Bek, Tal Afar, Tuz Khormato, and Yankjah, make up the largest Turkmen-majority cities in Iraq, while Mosul, Kirkuk, Kifri, Daquq, Muqdadiyah, Jalawla, and Saadiyah have significant Turkmen minority populations.