View source for Nahla, Iraq

{{About|the region in Iraq|the moshav in Israel|Nahala, Israel}}

'''Nahla Valley''' ({{lang-syr|ܢܗܠܐ}}), is a region in the provinces of [[Ninawa Governorate|Nineveh]] and [[Duhok Governorate|Dohuk]] to the north of [[Nineveh plains]] in northern [[Iraq]]. The region is mainly inhabited by [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]].

==History==
Most of the Assyrians living in Nahla, which number around 20,000, moved there from [[Hakkari]] after the [[Assyrian Genocide]] during the [[First World War]]. Some villages were emptied in the 1960s when fights between the Iraqi government and Kurdish separatists forced most of their inhabitants to flee to [[Baghdad]] and [[Mosul]]. Some scarcely populated villages were completely destroyed during the [[Anfal campaign]] in the 1980s.

On July 17, 1999 an armed group belonging to the Patriotic Revolutionary Organization of Bet Nahrain attacked a PDK [[Peshmerga]] position in the region in retaliation of the murder of an Assyrian girl. The attack resulted in 39 deaths and 20 injured on the Kurdish side.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/1999/29-060899.html Iraq Report 6 August 1999, Volume 2, Number 29], GlobalSecurity.org</ref>

The population of the valley grew considerably following the [[Iraq War]], as many Assyrians, targeted in [[Dora, Baghdad|Dora]] and [[Mosul]], started settling back in this region.

==Villages==
*[[Hezany]]
*Kasre
*Merokeh
*Belmat
*Khalilaneh
*Jouleh
*Chameh Chale
*Rabatkeh
*Kash Kawa

==See also==
{{Portal|Assyrians}}
*[[Nuhadra]]
*[[Nineveh plains]]
*[[Barwari]]
*[[Hakkari]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
*[http://www.i-acci.org/News/dhok.htm Dahuk Governorage], Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce
*[http://www.aina.org/releases/blockade.htm KDP Blockades, Attacks Assyrian Village], AINA.org

{{coord|36|50|N|43|56|E|dim:30km_region:IQ-DA_source:GNS-enwiki|display=title|name=Nahla}}

[[Category:Assyrian settlements]]
[[Category:Assyria]]