Fallujah
Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad. The city dates back to the Babylonian era and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries. In 1947, Fallujah was a small town with a relatively small population but had grown to a population of about 250,900 people by 2018. Within Iraq, it is known as the "city of mosques" due to the 200+ mosques that can be found throughout the city as well as in the surrounding villages. Following the American-led invasion of Iraq, which triggered the Iraq War, the city of Fallujah became a major centre of resistance during the Iraqi insurgency. The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Iraqi Interim Government twice engaged in fierce urban combat with insurgents throughout the city; the First Battle of Fallujah failed to dislodge the insurgents, triggering the Second Battle of Fallujah, in which the American-led coalition successfully took control of the city. However, heavy fighting from these two battles left Fallujah severely damaged, though it remained occupied by the coalition until 2011. In January 2014, three years after