Husaybah

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Iraqis in the predominantly Sunni city of Husaybah, wait in lines to vote, during the national election, December 15.

Husaybah (Arabic: حسيبة) is an Iraqi city situated along the Euphrates River on the Syrian border. Traditionally housing as many as 300,000, it currently has only approximately 15,000 residents, chiefly Sunnis.

This city in the Al Anbar region of Iraq is currently patrolled by United States Marines, and is the location of Camp Gannon, a US military base, as well as several battle positions.

Following Operation Steel Curtain, in which US Marines and Iraqi Army units swept the city of insurgents, the streets were secured by a combination of Iraqi Army and Marine forces.

The December elections were the first free elections held in the city since before the beginning of Saddam Hussein's regime, and boasted a voter turnout of over 70 percent.^{[citation needed]}

Following the election, security conditions steadily declined and the insurgent presence increased. By mid 2006, the Marines in Husaybah, along with those in the rest of the Al Anbar Governorate, were transferred to Baghdad in an attempt to suppress the increasing violence in the capital. By September 2006, along with most of the Al Anbar Governorate, Husaybah was reported to be under insurgent control.^[1][2] The government of the city became composed of insurgents allied with the Mujahideen Shura Council.^[3].

Since that time, a tribal revolt has worked with Coalition forces to expel the Al-Qaeda insurgency. A large border checkpoint under construction is due to start operating in mid-November 2007 which will reopen Husaybah's border crossing with Syria.^[4]

[edit] References

1. ^ "The Geography of War", Newsweek. 
2. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/10/AR2006091001204.html?nav=rss_email/components Washington Post, 9/11, 2006 Situation Called Dire in West Iraq
3. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/27/AR2006112701287.html 11/28, 2006 Washington Post, Anbar Picture Grows Clearer, and Bleaker
4. ^ McElroy, Damien. "Iraq insurgency: People rise against al-Qa'eda", Telegraph, 2007-10-09, pp. 2. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. 

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