Mahmoudiyah, Iraq

Mahmoudiyah المحمودية‎
Mahmoudiyah
Coordinates: 33°3′42″N 44°21′15″E / 33.06167°N 44.35417°E / 33.06167; 44.35417
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Baghdad Governorate
Municipality	Mahmudiya District

Mahmoudiyah (Arabic: المحمودية) (also transliterated Al-Mahmudiyah, Al-Mahmoudi, or Al-Mahmudiya, prefixed usually with Al-) is a rural city south of Baghdad. Known as the "Gateway to Baghdad," the city's proximity to Baghdad made it central to the counterinsurgency campaign.

Al-Mahmudiya has approximately 350,000 inhabitants, most of whom are Sunni Arabs, over 75% of Al-Mahmudiya are Sunni,^[1] as reported by the UNHCR IDPs list. While the control of rural areas around the area of Mahmudiyah is by Sunnis, such as the towns of Latifiyah and Yusufiyah, the Shiites remain in the center of Mahmoudiyah city.