Baakuba (arab. بعقوبة‎ from Arama. Bet Yaqub – the house of Jacob.) is a city in Iraq, is the center of the Diyala governorate.
It is located 50 km northeast of Baghdad, on the Diyala River. As of 2008, the city’s population was 411,867.
The city is connected by railway with Baghdad.
In pre-Islamic times, the city was one of the local centers of agriculture and trade. Served as a way station between Baghdad and Khorasan on the medieval Silk Road. During the Abbasid Caliphate, the city was famous for its dates and orchards.
It is now known as a center for growing oranges.

History
The city was used as a camp for Assyrian refugees fleeing the genocide. A refugee camp was set up outside the city and housed between 40,000 and 50,000 people.

Recent History
During the US-led occupation of Iraq, Baakuba became the site of heavy fighting with the guerrillas, along with the Sunni enclaves of Fallujah and Ramadi.
April 8-13, 2004: As part of the Shiite uprising, the Mahdi Army attempted to take the city. American tanks began to patrol the streets, and artillery and air forces of the coalition forces carried out shelling of militant positions outside the city.
June 17-19, 2004: A detachment of approximately 200 militants attacked an American patrol in the Baakuba suburb of Burkhiz. The fighting went on for three days in a row, flaring up during daylight hours and dying out at night.

June 24, 2004: On the last day of the uprising, Shia insurgents attacked an American mechanized infantry platoon at night while patrolling the outskirts of the city. Under enemy fire, the platoon retreated to the south, where it was ambushed and continued to move east, towards the bridge over the Diyala River, located approximately in the center of the city. When approaching the city center, the patrolmen received reinforcements and launched a counteroffensive. The city was actually divided into two sectors with the Diyala River as a dividing barrier: the western part was controlled by the Americans, the eastern by the rebels. With the support of a tank platoon and aviation, which dropped two 500-pound bombs at 8-00 in the morning on identified enemy positions (one at the stadium, the second in the immediate vicinity of the university campus), American troops went on the offensive. The fighting reached its peak around 10:00 local time, separate skirmishes continued until sunset. Jamaat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility for the attack.
November 15, 2004: While coalition forces fought insurgents in Fallujah, small groups of militants took advantage of the situation and launched coordinated attacks on the city and its surroundings, in particular the police stations in Buhriz and Muffrek. Early in the morning, just after sunrise, the rebels attempted to destroy one of the two main bridges across the Diyala River. Charges were placed on the bridge supports, but their power was insufficient, and the bridge survived. During the day, US Army engineers carried out emergency repairs to the bridge, which allowed tanks to pass over it. Immediately after the failure of the sabotage, the rebels retreated, and American troops began combing the city in case of arranging ambushes by the rebels, but they were not found.
June 7, 2006: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, former leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, was killed in a US airstrike near Baakuba, northeast of Baghdad.
June 26, 2006: At least 25 people are killed in a bicycle bomb in the city.
October 26, 2006: Rebels ambushed a police patrol, killing 24 police officers and one civilian. Eight militants were killed in the ensuing battle with police and US troops.
November 29, 2006: Clashes between police and militants after an attack on police headquarters lead to a “closure” of the city: the university, schools and most shops are closed, curfews are imposed. At least 55 militants were killed in clashes.
By the end of 2006, Baakuba and a large part of Diyala province came under the control of Sunni insurgents. December 2, 2006: US and Iraqi security forces launch an offensive against the city in response to week-long fighting in the city between Sunni insurgents and police.
On January 3, 2007, the Iraqi government in Baakub fell, leaving the city in the hands of insurgents who fought against the American presence in Iraq. In January 2007, it was reported that Sunni insurgents were able to kidnap the city’s mayor and blow up his office, despite assurances from US and Iraqi military officials that the situation in the city was “reassuring and under control.” In February 2007 the city turned into a “ghost town”: most of the 460,000 inhabitants either fled the city because of the threat of sectarian violence or hid in the basements of their houses.
June 19, 2007: US forces launch a massive new operation (Arrowhead Ripper) against Iraqi militants in Baakuba. About 10,000 coalition soldiers took part in the offensive.

June 22, 2008: A female suicide bomber detonated a powerful explosive device near the city administration and court building. 15 were killed.
15 July 2008: Two suicide bombers attacked a convoy of recruits, killing 35 and injuring 50.
October 8, 2008: A female suicide bomber blew herself up in a courthouse, killing 9 (including 5 Iraqi soldiers) and injuring 17 others.
October 16, 2008: The city was shelled from a mortar. Three shells fired at the American outpost killed two soldiers.
March 3, 2010: Three suicide attacks kill at least 31 people and injure dozens. The third explosion occurred in the city’s main hospital, where the victims of the first two attacks were admitted.
14 June 2011: A group of six militants and suicide bombers dressed in police uniforms attacked the provincial council building in central Baakuba. The assault began around 9:20 am after a car bomb exploded at the gates of the building. While the Iraqi police and security forces carried out the assault, other militants attacked the checkpoint. As a result, 4 civilians and 3 policemen were killed, 5 of the attackers were killed and one was taken prisoner.
10 August 2015: A suicide car bomber blew himself up near Baakuba, killing 30 and injuring 40 people. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack.