NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Sunni Triangle

The Sunni Triangle refers to a roughly triangular area of Iraq to the northwest of Baghdad. It is inhabited mainly by Sunni Muslims, the sectarian group to which former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and most of his senior lieutenants belonged. Saddam himself was born just outside the town of Tikrit, in the Sunni Triangle. The triangle's three corners are usually said to lie in or around Baghdad (on the east side of the triangle), Ramadi (on the west side) and Tikrit (on the north side); the area also contains the cities of Samarra and Fallujah. Sunni Triangle, Iraq Based on NIMA imagery modified by ChrisO This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Sunni Triangle, Iraq Based on NIMA imagery modified by ChrisO This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Wikinews has news related to this article: Several hundred killed after stampede in Baghdad A street map of Baghdad Average temperature (red) and precipitations (blue) in Baghdad For other meanings see Baghdad (disambiguation) Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and the Baghdad Province. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... A Muslim (Arabic: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…) is an adherent of Islam. ... Saddam Hussein SaddÄm Hussein Ê»Abd al-MajÄ«d al-TikrÄ«t, sometimes spelled Husayn or Hussain; (Arabic ØµØ¯Ø§Ù… ØØ³ÙŠÙ† Ø¹Ø¨Ø¯ Ø§Ù„Ù…Ø¬ÙŠØ¯ Ø§Ù„ØªÙƒØ±ÙŠØªÙŠ; born April 28, 1937 ) was President of Iraq from 1979 until his removal and capture during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Tikrit (تكريت, also transliterated as Takrit or Tekrit) is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river (at 34. ... Wikinews has news related to this article: Several hundred killed after stampede in Baghdad A street map of Baghdad Average temperature (red) and precipitations (blue) in Baghdad For other meanings see Baghdad (disambiguation) Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and the Baghdad Province. ... Ramădī (الرمادي) is a city in central Iraq, about 100 kilometers west of Baghdad. ... Tikrit (تكريت, also transliterated as Takrit or Tekrit) is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river (at 34. ... The two Shiite mosques in Samarra A soldier descends a Minaret in Samarra, Iraq. ... Fallujah (Arabic: Ø§Ù„ÙÙ„ÙˆØ¬Ø©; sometimes transliterated as Falluja and less commonly Fallouja, Falloujah, Faloojah, Faloojeh) is a city with a pre-war population of about 350,000 inhabitants in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly 69km (43 miles) west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. ...

Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the area has become the apex of armed Sunni opposition to Coalition rule. It was widely predicted that Saddam would seek shelter from Sunni supporters and on December 13, 2003, he was captured in a raid on the village of ad-Dawr some 15km south of Tikrit. The 2003 Invasion of Iraq was the first military act of the Iraq War, and was launched by the United States and the United Kingdom on March 20, 2003, with support from some other governments, making up what was described as the coalition of the willing. After about three weeks... Iraqi militants celebrating orders that the surrounding Coalition forces were given to stand-down. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ad-Dawr is a small agricultural town near the Iraqi town of Tikrit, Saddam Husseins birthplace. ...

The term the "Sunni triangle" is of obscure origins. It appears to have been used by foreign experts on Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion, with the first mention by Sluglett 1991 in "Iraq since 1958". Then, after a longer break, a San Francisco Chronicle article of September 14, 2002 in which the former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter says: "We may be able to generate support for an invasion among some of the Shiites and some of the Kurds, but to get to Baghdad you must penetrate the Sunni Triangle." However, it did not achieve widespread use until a New York Times article of June 10, 2003 popularised the term in a report on "a new U.S. effort to quell nascent armed resistance in Sunni Muslim-dominated areas north and west of Baghdad [in an] area known as the 'Sunni triangle'." It has since become virtually ubiquitous in reports on the US-led coalition's struggle to maintain effective control of the region. September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... William Scott Ritter, Jr. ... June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The "Sunni Triangle" should not be confused with the so-called "Triangle of Death," an area south of Baghdad inhabited by both Sunni and Shia Muslims which was the focus of major combat activity in November and December 2004. The Triangle of Death is a name given by U.S. and allied forces during the 2003-2004 occupation of Iraq to a region south of Baghdad which saw major combat activity during the last months of 2004. ... Wikinews has news related to this article: Several hundred killed after stampede in Baghdad A street map of Baghdad Average temperature (red) and precipitations (blue) in Baghdad For other meanings see Baghdad (disambiguation) Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and the Baghdad Province. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ...

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