Taza Khurmatu Taza | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Beauty of Taza Khurmatu | |
  Taza Khurmatu | |
| Coordinates:35°18′10″N44°19′43″E / 35.30278°N 44.32861°E /35.30278; 44.32861 | |
| Country |  Iraq |
| Governorate | Kirkuk |
| District | Daquq |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 40,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 |
Taza Khurmatu orTaza (Arabic:تازة خورماتو,romanized: Tāzah Ḵūrmātū,[1]Turkish:Tazehurmatu,lit. 'Fresh Dates'[2][3]) is a town inIraq, located south ofKirkuk.[4] It is populated predominantly byShiaTurkmen.[4][5]
In 1925, the town's population was predominantly Turkmen.[6]
The town experiencedArabization during theSaddam era where Turkmen land was confiscated and given toArab settlers.[7]
In 2009 it was the site of the20 June 2009 Taza bombing, where more than 70 people were killed by asuicide bomber.[8] In June 2014, along with the nearby villages of Brawawchli, Karanaz, Chardaghli, andBashir, it experienced a massacre of at least 40 villagers committed by theIslamic State in Iraq and the Levant.[9] In March 2016, theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant fired mortars containing an unidentifiedchemical agent killing one and injuring 600.[10][11][12]
It is currently controlled by theTurkmen Brigades of the Popular Mobilization Units.[13][14][15]