Al Hillah
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Al Hillah is a city in central Iraq on the river Euphrates, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad, with an estimated population of 364,700 in 1998. It is the capital of Babil province and is located near the ancient cities of Babylon, Borsippa and Kush. It is situated in a predominately agricultural region which is extensively irrigated with water tapped from the river, producing a wide range of cereals, fruit and textiles.
The city was established in 1101. It became a major administrative centre during the rule of the Ottoman and British Empires. It saw heavy fighting in 1920 during an uprising against the British, when 300 men of the Manchester Regiment were massacred in the city.
Hillah was the scene of a major battle in the 2003 invasion of Iraq on and around April 1, 2003. Iraqi casualties were unknown but heavy, with several hundred reported to have been killed in fierce fighting with United States Army forces. The city was part of the Polish military zone under the occupation of Iraq.
On May 30 2005, two suicide bombers killed 31 people, many of them police, and wounded 108.