Thousands fleeing Fallujah, crossing the Euphrates river

I learned from Rabbi Alex that Fallujah was a major center of Talmudic development. From Wikipedia: "Pumbedita Academy was active for about 800 years over the course of the eras of the Amora, Savoraim, and Geonim up until the days of Hai Gaon. The city of Pumbedita was previously settled by Jews for a long time before the academy's establishment, since the days of Second Temple of Jerusalem. Pumbedita was situated on the banks of the Bedita, a stream of the Euphrates, and thus it was named Pumbedita. The modern-day city of Fallujah stands in its place."
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