Taza Khurmatu

Taza Khurmatu or Taza (Arabic : تازة خورماتو, romanized:Tāzah Ḵūrmātū,^[2] Turkish : Tazehurmatu, lit. 'Fresh Dates'^{[3] [4]} ) is a town in Iraq, located south of Kirkuk.^[5] It is populated predominantly by Shia Turkmen.^{[5] [6]}

In 1925, the town's population was predominantly Turkmen.^[7]

The town experienced Arabization during the Saddam era where Turkmen land was confiscated and given to Arab settlers.^[8]

In 2009 it was the site of the 20 June 2009 Taza bombing, where more than 70 people were killed by a suicide bomber.^[9] In June 2014, along with the nearby villages of Brawawchli, Karanaz, Chardaghli, and Bashir, it experienced a massacre of at least 40 villagers committed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.^[10] In March 2016, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fired mortars containing an unidentified chemical agent killing one and injuring 600.^{[11] [12] [13]}

It is currently controlled by the Turkmen Brigades of the Popular Mobilization Units.^{[14] [15] [16]}