Khanaqin (district) • خانه‌قین • خانقين • Xaneqîn

Not within the original liberated zone, Khanaqin was at the edge of the KRG and thus intensely Arabized in 1997 (along with Kirkuk and Douz). Now, it is fairly self-administered.

It is federally in Diyala Governorate, but in reality it is a sort of self-administered zone supported by the KRG and protected by the Peshmerga. Over the past several years it has been at the forefront of vicissitudes with the federal Iraqi troops, the Shia Qizilbash militia, and Islamic State, and the Kurdish Peshmerga.

The administration of Khanaqin (Xaneqin) district revealed on Wednesday, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) plans to fence two historical Jews and Polish cemeteries in the district and emphasized on maintaining and protecting them from extinction and its refusal to establish business projects on the archaeological areas. “The Jewish cemeteryexists in Khanaqin and is specified since 1960 after Iran cut off water from Khanaqin and created (Balajo) channel from Sirwan river in (Diyala) to Khanaqin by Former Iraqi President, Abdul Karim Qassem in a duration of 45 days, “noting that” the path of the channel was heading towards the cemetery and was changed to preserve it,” The head of the local council of Khanaqin district, Samir Mohammed Noor said. Samir said “The Jewish cemetery is located in Al-Umal neighborhood, near the Christians cemetery that has been fenced by KRG,” adding that “KRG plans to fence the Jewish and the Polish cemeteries near Alwend refinery,” without specifying a date to start the project. Kurdish Khanaqin district is located outside Kurdistan region (180 km north east of Baghdad), it includes many monuments and shrines. 2013 Jun 05, ekurd.net