Fallujah (Arabic: ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, romanized: al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: [el.fɐl.ˈluː.dʒɐ]) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly 69 kilometers (43 mi) west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries. The city grew from a small town in 1947 to having a population of 275,128 inhabitants in 2011. Within Iraq, it is known as the "city of mosques" for the more than 200 mosques found in the city and the surrounding villages. The city became a major center of resistance against the Iraqi government during the Iraqi insurgency and the city was the scene of fierce fighting during the First and Second Battles of Fallujah. These battles left much of the city heavily damaged. In January 2014, the city was captured by the Islamic State and suffered major population loss. On 23 May 2016, Iraqi forces announced the beginning of their attempt to retake Fallujah from IS. On 26 June 2016 the city was declared fully liberated by the Iraqi army.
