Kut كوت
Kut
Coordinates: 32°30′20″N 45°49′29″E / 32.50556°N 45.82472°E / 32.50556; 45.82472Coordinates: 32°30′20″N 45°49′29″E / 32.50556°N 45.82472°E / 32.50556; 45.82472
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Wasit
Population
• Total	374,000

Al-Kūt (Arabic: الكوت‎; BGN: Al Kūt; also spelled Kut-Al-Imara or Kut El Amara, Kurdish: Kût) is a kurdish city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about 160 kilometres (100 mi) south east of Baghdad. As of 2003^[update] the estimated population is about 374,000 people.^[1] It is the capital of the province long known as Al Kut, but since the 1960s renamed Wasit.

The old town of Kut is within a sharp "U" bend of the river, almost making it an island but for a narrow connection to the shore. For centuries Kut was a regional center of the carpet trade. The area around Kut is a fertile cereal grain growing region. The Kut Barrage was constructed in the city in the 1930s to provide irrigation water for the surrounding area. The Baghdad Nuclear Research Facility, looted following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is located near Kut.

The Kut Barrage is a barrage on the Tigris river, located in the modern town of Kut in Wasit Governorate, Iraq. It is 516 metres (1,693 ft) long, 10.5 metres (34 ft) high and consists of 56 gates, each 6 metres (20 ft) wide. The maximum discharge of the barrage is 6,000 cubic metres (7,800 cu yd), but actual discharge has not exceeded 2,000 cubic metres (2,600 cu yd) in the last 10 years. The barrage supports a road and includes a lock for boats passing up and down the Tigris. Its purpose is to maintain a sufficiently high water level in the Tigris to provide water for the Gharraf irrigation canal, which branches off the Tigris just upstream from the Kut Barrage. Before the construction of the Kut Barrage, the Gharraf canal only received water during periods of flood in the Tigris. The water level in the canal is maintained by the Gharraf Head Regulator, which was constructed at the same time as the Kut Barrage.

The Kut Barrage was constructed between 1934 and 1939 by British firms. Construction of the barrage was carried out by 2,500 Arab and Kurdish workers, and involved the removal of 1,223,288 cubic metres (1,600,000 cu yd) of ground. For the barrage itself 191,139 cubic metres (250,000 cu yd) of concrete was used. A major flood in the Tigris in 1936 caused the building site to be flooded entirely and led to the temporary standstill of the construction works.

In 1952, 26,440 hectares (65,300 acres) were irrigated from water provided by the Gharraf Canal. Of this newly reclaimed land, 14,080 hectares (34,800 acres) was distributed to small farmers as part of a social land reform program. These farmers received 10 hectares (25 acres) per family and were required to live on the land they farmed. In 2005, repairs and maintenance works were carried out at the Kut Barrage and the Gharraf Head Regulator for a total cost of US$3 million.

The siege of Kut[link]

Townshend, Khalil Pasha and other unidentified officers after surrender of the Kut Garrison in 1916

Al-Kut was the scene of fierce battle during World War I. The British Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, led by General Townshend, marched north from Basra in September 1915 in what became known as the Mesopotamian Campaign. They reached Al-kut on September 26, where after three days of fighting they drove the Ottoman forces from the town.

After a halt of nearly 9 months, Townshend then headed up river to Ctesiphon. Following a battle there, the British forces withdrew back to Kut. On December 7, 1915, the Turks, under their commander, the German Field Marshal Baron von der Goltz, arrived at Kut and began a siege. The British cavalry under Colonel Gerard Leachman succeeded in breaking out, but Townshend and the bulk of the force remained besieged. Many attempts were made to relieve Townshend's forces, but all were defeated. Some 23,000 British and Indian soldiers died in the attempts to retake Kut, probably the worst loss of life for the British away from the European theater. Near the end of the siege, T. E. Lawrence and Aubrey Herbert of British Intelligence unsuccessfully tried to bribe Khalil Pasha to allow the troops to escape.

Townshend, with some 8,000 surviving soldiers, finally surrendered Kut on April 29, 1916. The captured soldiers were divided, where the officers were sent to separate facilities, and many of the enlisted soldiers were impressed into hard labour until the surrender of the Ottoman Empire; more than half of them died. The British went back on the offensive in December 1916 with a larger and better-supplied force under General Sir Frederick Stanley Maude and reconquered Kut on February 23, 1917.

Contingency Operating Base Delta (COB Delta)[link]

Contingency Operating Base (COB) Delta is an American military installation located on the right bank of the Tigris directly across from Kut. The COB is centered on a former Iraqi Air Force base. Recently, it was given back to the Iraqi Air Force. It is currently a base of training Iraqi Security Forces in Wassit Province.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Al Kut

See also[link]

• Anglo-Iraqi War

References[link]

External links[link]

• Iraq Image - Al Kut Satellite Observation

v t e Districts of Iraq and capitals Al Anbar Governorate Al-Qa'im District (Al-Ka'im) •Ar Rutba District (Al-Rutba)• Anah District (Anah) • Falluja District (Falluja) • Haditha District (Haditha) • Hīt District (Hīt) •Ramadi District (Ramadi) Al Muthanna Governorate Al-Khidhir District (Al-Khidhir) • Al-Rumaitha District (Al-Rumaitha) • Al-Salman District (Al-Salman) • Al-Samawa District (Samawa) Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate Afaq District (Afaq) • Al-Shamiya District (Al-Shamiya) • Diwaniya District (Diwaniya) • Hamza District (Hamza) Babil Governorate Al-Mahawil District (Al-Mahawil) • Al-Musayab District (Al-Musayab) • Hashimiya District (Hashimiya) • Hilla District (Hilla) Baghdad Governorate Abu Ghraib District • Al Istiqlal District• Al-Mada'in District • Mahmudiya District (Mahmudiya) • Taji District• Al Tarmia District• Baghdad:Adhamiyah •Karkh • Karadah • Kadhimyah • Mansour • Sadr City • Al Rashid • Rusafa • 9 Nissan Basra Governorate Abu Al-Khaseeb District (Abu Al-Khaseeb) • Al-Midaina District (Al-Midaina) • Al-Qurna District (Al-Qurna) • Al-Zubair District (Al-Zubair) • Basrah District (Basrah) • al-Faw District (al-Faw) • Shatt Al-Arab District (Shatt Al-Arab) Dhi Qar Governorate Al-Chibayish District (Al-Chibayish) • Al-Rifa'i District (Al-Rifa'i) • Al-Shatra District (Al-Shatra) • Nassriya District (Nassriya) • Suq Al-Shoyokh District (Suq Al-Shoyokh) Diyala Governorate Al-Khalis District (Al-Khalis) • Al-Muqdadiya District (Al-Muqdadiya) • Baladrooz District (Baladrooz) • Ba'quba District (Ba'quba) •Khanaqin District (Khanaqin) • Kifri District (Kifri) Dohuk Governorate Amadiya District (Amadiya) • Dohuk District (Dohuk)• Sumel District (Sumel) • Zakho District (Zakho) Arbil Governorate Makhmur District (Makhmur) • Arbil • Koisanjaq District (Koisanja) • Shaqlawa District (Shaqlawa)• Soran District • Mergasur District • Choman District Karbala Governorate Ain Al-Tamur District (Ain Al-Tamur) • Al-Hindiya District (Al-Hindiya) • Kerbala District (Kerbala) Kirkuk Governorate Al-Hawiga District (Al-Hawiga) • Daquq District (Daquq) • Kirkuk District (Kirkuk) Maysan Governorate Ali Al-Gharbi District (Ali Al-Gharbi) • Al-Kahla District (Al-Kahla) • Al-Maimouna District (Al-Maimouna) • Al-Mejar Al-Kabi District (Al-Mejar Al-Kabi) • Amara District (Amarah) • Qal'at Saleh District (Qal'at Saleh) Najaf Governorate Al-Manathera District (Al-Manathera) • Kufa District (Kufa) • Najaf District (Najaf) Ninawa Governorate Aqrah District (Aqrah) • Al-Ba'aj District (Al-Ba'aj) • Al-Hamdaniya District (Bakhdida) • Hatra District (Hatra) •Mosul District (Mosul) • Shekhan District (Ain Sifni) • Sinjar District (Sinjar) • Tel Afar District (Tel Afar) • Tel Keppe District (Tel Keppe) Salah ad Din Governorate Al-Daur District (Al-Daur) • Al-Shirqat District (Al-Shirqat) • Baiji District (Baiji) • Balad District (Balad) • Samarra District (Samarra) • Tikrit District (Tikrit) • Tooz District (Tooz) Sulaymaniyah Governorate Chamchamal District (Chamchamal) • Darbandokeh District (Darbandokeh) • Dokan District (Dokan) • Halabja District (Halabja) • Kalar District (Kalar) • Penjwin District (Penjwin) • Pshdar District (Pshdar) • Ranya District (Ranya) • Sharbazher District (Sharbazher) • Sulaymaniya District (Sulaymaniya) Wasit Governorate Al-Hai District (Al-Hai) • Al-Na'maniya District (Al-Na'maniya) • Al-Suwaira District (Al-Suwaira) • Badra District (Badra) • Kut District (Kut)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2008)

Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961)^[1] is an American R&B/soul, singer-songwriter, record producer, radio personality and an innovator of the New Jack Swing.

Music career[link]

1975-1984: with Jamilah[link]

Sweat started his musical career as a member of a Harlem band called "Jamilah" in 1975. With the help of Jamilah, Sweat was able to hone his craft as a lead singer by performing regionally throughout the tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The group was started by bassist Larry Peoples, guitarist Michael Samuels, and drummer Walter Bradley. Additional members of the group included Peter DaCosta (vocals), Joseph McGeachy (sax), Dwight Banks (trumpet), and Kenneth Varner (keyboards).

1984-1987: Stadium Records[link]

After leaving the group in 1984 to aspire for a solo career, he sang at nightclubs throughout New York City and landed a chance to record for the independent label, Stadium Records. Sweat recorded only one tune for Stadium called "My Mind Is Made Up", which was their third ever release, but on Stadium's first release, he is credited as co-writer and co-producer of "You Are The One For Me", the last recording ever made by the group GQ. One of GQ's original members is his uncle, Keith "Sabu" Crier.

[edit] 1987-1988: Make It Last Forever

Later on in 1987, Keith Sweat was discovered by Vincent Davis and offered a recording contract with his label, Vintertainment Records, which was founded in 1983 on the foundations of early Hip-Hop and otherwise best known for releasing Joeski Love's "Pee Wee Dance" in 1985. Vintertainment was distributed by Elektra Records from 1985 until it ceased operations in 1990, in which case Elektra opted to buy Keith's contract outright and have him record directly for the label.^{[citation needed]}. On November 25, 1987, Sweat released his debut solo album Make It Last Forever, which sold three million copies. The biggest hit from this album was the song that inaugurated the New Jack Swing era "I Want Her" (#1 R&B/#5 Pop), which was nominated for the 1989 Soul Train Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year award, while the title track from the album hit #2 on the R&B charts.

[edit] 1990-1991: I'll Give All My Love to You

Sweat reached the charts again with his second album I'll Give All My Love to You (1990) which hit #6 on the Billboard 200 chart. The singles released during this period included "(There You Go) Tellin' Me No Again" (from the film New Jack City).

[edit] 1991-1992: Keep It Comin

He released his third album, Keep It Comin' in 1991 which debuted in the top 20 of the album chart. This album, included the songs, "Why Me Baby" (featuring LL Cool J) and "Keep It Comin'". Sweat then moved from New York to Atlanta, where he founded the Keia Records label that would feature Silk & Kut Klose.

[edit] 1994-1997: Get Up on It and Keith Sweat

Sweat released his fourth album Get Up on It in the summer of 1994, and his self-titled fifth album in 1996. Both albums reached the top ten on the Billboard 200. The single co/produced and written by eRiC McCAiNe "Twisted" hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Nobody" hit #3, which made them Sweat's biggest hits to date. The song "Just A Touch", with Traci Hale providing background vocals, has earned a regular spot on radio playlists^{[citation needed]}. "Just A Touch" was a cover of the 1979 song "Just a Touch of Love" by Slave.

[edit] 1998-1999: Still in the Game

Sweat's sixth album, Still in the Game was released in 1998, hitting #6 on the Billboard 200, and #2 on the R&B/Hip Hop albums chart. It featured the singles "Come and Get With Me" (which featured Snoop Dogg) (#12 Hot 100) and "I'm Not Ready" (#16 Hot 100).

[edit] 2000-2001: Didn't See Me Coming

Sweat's success on the charts started to diminish in 2000, when he released the album Didn't See Me Coming. None of the singles from the album reached the top forty. They were moderate hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] 2002: Rebirth

On August 13, 2002, Keith Sweat released his eighth album, Rebirth. The single "One on One" reached #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #44 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

[edit] 2007-2008: Just Me

His 2008 album Just Me fared better with its first single, "Love U Better (featuring Keyshia Cole)" being played on Urban radio stations for about a year before the album's release^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] 2010-present: Ridin' Solo and current status

Sweat is currently signed to Kedar Records and released his tenth studio album entitled Ridin' Solo on June 22, 2010. The lead single taken from the album is "Test Drive" and featured label-mate Joe.^[2]

Since 2007, Sweat has been the host of a nationally syndicated radio program based upon the Quiet storm format. The Keith Sweat Hotel (known as The Quiet Storm with Keith Sweat on WBLS in New York City) is syndicated through Premiere Radio Networks.^[3]

Protégés[link]

In 1992, Sweat discovered the group Silk, and helped craft their debut album, Lose Control, which hit #7 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album's single "Freak Me" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 1, 1993. In 1993, Sweat discovered the Atlanta based female R&B group Kut Klose. Sweat also produced the group's debut album Surrender, which produced the their biggest hit single "I Like", peaking to #8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. In the fall of 1997, Sweat discovered the group Ol' Skool and helped with their self-titled debut. He was on their biggest single, "Am I Dreaming," which featured R&B group Xscape.

Sweat also formed the R&B supergroup LSG with Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill, and released their self-titled debut Levert.Sweat.Gill in 1997. That album featured "My Body", which became a hit single. The album was certified double platinum and reached #4 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Discography[link]

• Make It Last Forever (1987), Vintertainment and Elektra Records
• I'll Give All My Love to You (1990), Vintetainment and Elektra Records
• Keep It Comin' (1991), Elektra Records
• Get Up on It (1994), Elektra Records
• Keith Sweat (1996), Elektra Records
• Still in the Game (1998), Elektra Records
• Didn't See Me Coming (2000), Elektra Records and Rhino Entertainment
• Rebirth (2002), Elektra Records
• Just Me (2008), Keia Records and Atco Records
• Ridin' Solo (2010), Kedar Entertainment and Universal Music Group
• Til the Morning (2011), KDS Entertainment, E1 Music and Universal Music Group

Awards and nominations[link]

• American Music Awards
  • 1998, Favorite Male R&B/Soul Artist [Nominated]
  • 1997, Favorite Male R&B/Soul Artist (Winner)
  • 1997, Favorite R&B/Soul Album: Keith Sweat (Nominated)
  • 1991, Favorite R&B/Soul Male Artist (Nominated)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Biography & booking information
• Keith Sweat artist page at VH1.com
• Keith Sweat artist page at Allmusic
• Keith Sweat at Wenig- LaMonica Associates
• Sweathotel
• IMDb.com
• Keith Sweat's 'SoulRnB.com' group (videos, photos, discussions, etc.) (French)
• Keith Sweat 2010 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com