Dora, Baghdad
Dora
الدورة | |
---|---|
Neighborhood of Baghdad | |
Al Rashid |
Dora (also al-Dura, or ad-Durah,
History
The area was largely uninhabited until the 1950s when Assyrians from
Iraq War
In the early morning of March 19, 2003, U.S. forces initiated the
In April 2004, the 1st Battalion,
In 2005, 1-184 IN Battalion (AASLT), California National Guard, took responsibility of Dora. The 184th was attached to 4th BCT, 3ID. The battalion sector also included such hot spots as Arab Jabour and Hora Jeb. The battalion struggled with such a large area of operations,a sector that the unit they replaced had all but stopped patrolling months before their arrival, yet was recognized for its accomplishments which included the highest arrest rate of insurgents of any unit during 2005, guarding polling sites for both elections in 2005, and their execution of Operation Clean Sweep spoken of by President George Bush in his State of the Union address 2006. The battalion commander was relieved of his command due to actions of soldiers under his command and replaced by LTC William Wood, an active LTC from 2 BCT, 3ID. COL Cardon, the 4th BCT commander also sent CPT Michael McKinnon to assume command of Alpha Company 184th. The 184th Regiment was later awarded the U.S. Army's Valorous Unit Award for their actions in Al-Dora. The 184th lost 18 soldiers in their 12 months in Al Dora. COL Cardon sent CPT Dave Anderson along with his armor company (Charlie Co, 4-64 AR) to take responsibility of the Arab Jabour sector. Both LTC Wood and CPT McKinnon would be killed by
By May 2007, Dora was receiving mainstream media attention as a hornet's nest of sectarian violence. Christians were seen as 'soft targets' who would either pay or leave Dora rather than retaliate.[5][7]
By 2010, Dora had become a predominantly Sunni neighbourhood with Assyrians being reduced to small enclaves. Further attacks in late 2010 forced even more families, including both Assyrians and Mandaeans, to flee to safer areas in- and outside Iraq.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Solomon (Sawa) Solomon, THE GENESIS OF THE MODERN ASSYRIAN COMMUNITY OF BAGHDAD Archived 2011-08-08 at the Wayback Machine, Assyrian Information Medium Exchange
- ^ The Telegraph: Iraq crisis: The Last Christians of Dora
- ^ War stories of the Tankers, American Armored Combat 1918 to Today, Michael Green, 2008, Zenith Press, pg. 319
- ^ Amped: A Soldier's Race for Gold in the Shadow of War, Kortney Clemons, Wiley Publishing, 2008
- ^ a b Liz Sly, "Iraqi Christians Flee Baghdad", Chicago Tribune, reprinted by Assyrian International News Agency
- ^ Mitchell, Chris (January 2008). "Iraq Most Dangerous Place for Christians?". Christian World News. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
- ^ a b "New attacks target Christian neighbourhoods in Iraq". 10 November 2010.