Balad, Iraq
Balad, also transliterated Beled or Belad, is a city in Saladin Governorate, Iraq, north of the national capital, Baghdad. It is the capital of Balad District. Located in Iraq's volatile Sunni Triangle, between the towns of Al Dhuluiya, Yathrib and Ishaqi, Balad's inhabitants are primarily farmers who work mainly on grape and date farms and as citrus growers.
In the later months of 2014 the city was besieged by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces, which were repelled by the Shia citizens of the city and the Iraqi Army.
During the Iraq War
During the Iraq War Balad was, in 2006, the site of sectarian violence involving Sunni and Shi'ite militias.In 2007 the mayor, Amir Abdul Hadi, escaped an assassination attempt.
Military installations
The largest military air base in Iraq, formerly LSA Anaconda, Balad Air Base, or Al-Bakir Air Base, is located within the municipality of Yathrib near Balad. As of early 2007 the base was the central hub for airlift and US Air Force operations in Iraq; it was also a major transshipment point for US Army supply convoys.On the outskirts of Balad proper there was a tiny forward operating base called Balad Joint Coordination Center. Over the years, FOB Paliwoda had been occupied by 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, and 3rd Squadron 4th US Cavalry in an effort to create a joint effort between coalition and local forces.