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Feb 06, 2007 07:02:06

Ninawa (Arabic: نینوى , Kurdish: Neynewa, Syriac: ܢܝܢܘܐ Nîněwâ) is a governorate (province) in northern Iraq, and the Arabic name for the biblical city of Nineveh in Assyria. It has an area of 37,323 km² and an estimated population of 2,600,000 people. Its chief city and the provincial capital is Mosul, which lies across the Tigris river from the ruins of Nineveh. Tal Afar is also a major city within the region. Prior to 1976 it was called Mosul Province and also included the present day Dahuk Governorate Its two main cities endured the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and emerged relatively unscathed. In 2005, however, Mosul and Tal Afar were the scenes of fierce battles between U.S.-led troops and the Iraqi insurgency. The insurgents had moved to Ninawa after the Battle of Fallujah in 2004.