Iraq’s Pivotal Point: Talafar

Located in one of the most pivotal points of northwestern Iraq, the story of Talafar is one of the most interesting in post-invasion Iraq. Geographically, the district’s closest borders are with Turkey and Syria, and for this reason alone it may be considered one of the most strategic locations in the Middle East. However, beyond this, the fact that it serves as a buffer between the Iraqi Kurds and the Syrian Kurds, and is located on the route of nationalists or radical Islamist militants coming to Iraq, shows Talafar’s importance. For these reasons, it was the scene of severe conflicts between 2004 and 2008, and it contains on a micro scale all the forms of conflict going on throughout Iraq. No other Iraqi conflict zones have experienced as many examples of conflict as Talafar, from Al Qaeda fighters skirmishing with US troops to nationalist Arabs, Sunni-Shiite conflict and the indirect political struggles of Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens. Like Fallujah, Talafar was besieged, bombed and its inhabitants forced to migrate. Like Baghdad, it was the scene of Sunni-Shiite conflict. and like Kirkuk, it experienced the power struggles of Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens. Nevertheless, Talafar could attract neither the attention of the Middle East, nor that of the international community. The attention given to Talafar been limited to analyzing US military operations and announcing some of the acts of violence. However, post-conflict trauma syndrome has affected Talafar more than many other places in Iraq. However, the recently observed improvement in Talafar’s security situation in presented Talafar, one of the largest districts in the Middle East, with the opportunity to take a breath and to recover.