Shirqat Freed, Clearing In Anbar, Hawija In the Offing

The multi-front campaign to rid Iraq of the last bastions of the Islamic State made more progress. Shirqat in northern Salahaddin was freed, the Iraqi forces were clearing the latest gains in Anbar, while Hawija was pending.

This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 23

1955 Iran joined Iraq, England, Turkey security agreement Would become

            anti-Communist Baghdad Pact

1961 KDP banned by Gen Qasim and several leaders arrested due to Mustafa Barzani’s

Kurdish revolt

1986 Iran ended Op Karbala 3 in Fao Peninsula and Majnoon Island

1986 Soviet For Min Shevardnadze told UN that USSR was attempting to negotiate

            end to Iran-Iraq War

1989 Kuwait Emir given medal by Saddam in Baghdad for help during Iran-Iraq

            War

1991 UN inspectors found 4 lockers full of secret nuclear documents in Baghdad

            facility but were seized by Iraqi army

2001 Rice told CNN Iraq would be stage two of war on terror

2002 Blair told cabinet Iraq dossier would show Iraq expanding WMD capabilities

            and erosion of sanctions one cause

2002 Educ Sec Morris asked Blair what had changed about Iraq to go to war other than

            Bush being elected

2002 Inst for Science & Intl Security argued against US claim that aluminum tubes Iraq

            tried to buy were for nuke weapons program

2003 Bush speech at UN said Iraq was frontline in war on terror

2003 Fr Pres Chirac & UN Sec Gen Annan speeches at UN criticized Iraq war saying

            US undermined international system 

2003 Gallup pol majority of Iraqis thought life would be better in 5 years 2/3 of

            Baghdadis said removing Saddam was worth hardships

2003 Iraqi Governing Council member Aqila Hashemi died after being shot 3 days

            before outside her home

2004 Allawi visited White House asking for more reconstruction money and bringing

            back old army units

2006 Army chief of staff called Gen Petraeus to review Iraq policy

2006 DefPolicyBoard member Adelman told Rumsfeld he was a failure as SecDef and never

            took responsibility for Iraq

2007 ISI accused Hamas of Iraq and 1920 Revolution Brigades of killing its members

2016 Sunni tribal Hashd began destroyed 220 homes in Aithah Salahaddin belonging

            to IS sympathizers

View the Iraq History Timeline

Ana Freed In Anbar Whilte Shirqat And Hawija Attacked

The much awaited multi-pronged offensive to free the last Islamic State bastions within Iraq started. The West Anbar campaign took its first major town, Ana along the Euphrates River. Shirqat in northern Salahaddin was also attacked along with neighboring Hawija in southern Kirkuk.

This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 22

1980 Iraq invaded Iran starting Iran-Iraq War

1980 Iraq wanted to protect Kirkuk and Baghdad while seizing Khuzistan province in

            south Iran

1980 Iraq started war bombing 10 Iranian airfields hoping to wipe out air force but

            failed

1980 Iraqi army crossed into Iran along 8 routes

1980 Iraqi army moved on Pankwin Iranian Kurdistan to protect Sulaymaniya and

            Kirkuk

1980 Iraq division seized Qasr-e-Shirin, Iran to block road to Baghdad

1980 Iraqi division took Meghan and reached Zagros Mts to protect flank of southern

            thrust into Iran

1980 4 Iraqi divisions attacked Khuzistan province taking Musian and moving on

            Dezful Ahvaz Shatt al-Arab Khormashahr Abadan

1980 Iraq declared Khuzistan a new Iraq province

1980 UK Defense Committee discussed how to start selling weapons to Iraq

1981 Iran began Operation Samen ol Aemeh to break siege of Abadan Iran’s 2^nd largest

            city

1987 Iranian speech at UN rejected UN ceasefire talks

1988 Pres Khomeini addressed UN condemning it for not doing anything about

            Iraq’s aggression during war

2001 Telegraph story claiming Iraq was funding Al Qaeda Quoted CIA and Israeli

            sources

2002 Rice said UN sanctions were failing and Iraq using illegal revenues to develop WMD

2003 Zarqawi bombed Canal Hotel Baghdad 2 dead 19 wounded

2003 Bombing of UN compound led to unanimous decision to evacuate UN

            staff from Iraq

2003 Bremer testified to Congress asking for approval of $87 bil in aid for Iraq

2003 Report Iraqi Governing Council members were going to tell Congress US

            reconstruction money being wasted

2004 2 suicide car bombs in Baghdad killed 21 wounded 150

2006 Ret Gen Keane told Joint Chiefs head Gen Pace he was failing and his only

            priority should be winning in Iraq

2006 Joint Chiefs head Gen Pace agreed to set up staff to go over Iraq strategy after

            talking with Ret Gen Keane

2006 Ret Gen Keane suggested Gen Petraeus should be new US Iraq Cmdr to Joint

            Chiefs head Gen Pace

2008 Wasit council headed by SIIC refused to set up Tribal Support Councils because

            seen as tools of Maliki

2016 Parliament dismissed Finance Minister Zebari on corruption charges led by

            Maliki and Reform Front

View the Iraq History Timeline

Iraqi Forces Continue To Advance In Anbar While Preparing For Shirqat And Hawija

As the west Anbar campaign continues the Iraqi forces are preparing to take on Shirqat in Salahaddin as well as Hawija in south Kirkuk.

This Day In Iraq History – Sep 21

1965 Abdul al-Bazzaz became premier

1968 Provisional constitution drafted by three jurists and presented to Pres. Bakr

            Included return of parliament

1980 Iraq letter to UN outlined steps it took to try to work out outstanding issues with

            new revolutionary govt in Iran

2001 1^st CIA report on Iraq and 9/11 found no connection but two had contacts

            in 1990s Bush was briefed on findings

2001 CIA report said didn’t think 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraq intel officer in

            Prague in 2001

2001 CIA Dir Tenet told Bush CIA Czech office questioned 9/11 hijacker Atta met

            Iraqi intel officer in Prague

2001 DIA analyst Pentagon’s Office of Special Plans on CIA report Said info good but

findings of no Iraq-Al Qaeda ties should be ignored

2001 Under Sec of Def Feith sent DIA analysis of CIA report to Wolfowitz and

            Rumsfeld

2001 Admin officials told Wash Times Saddam talked with bin Laden just before 9/11

2001 Iraqi defector claimed Iraq was training terrorists to take over airplanes at Salman

            Pak, Baghdad

2003 French Pres Chirac called for US to immediately hand over sovereignty to Iraqis

2003 Report mid to low level Baathists being assassinated in Baghdad

2003 Iraqi Governing Council said they were under increasing attack after 1 number

            ambushed and shot in Baghdad

2004 US civilian Jack Hensley beheaded by Al Qaeda in Iraq

2014 IS captured Saqlawiya and Sjar, Anbar

View the Iraq History Timeline

Rihana Latest Town Taken In Operation To Liberate West Anbar

(UN)

After a short pause the Iraqi forces went back on the offensive in west Anbar. The town of Rihana was the latest one to be freed in the region. It is in the Ana district in northwest Anbar along the Euphrates River. Elements of the army’s 7^th and 8^th Divisions, along with the tribal Hashd were involved in the operation.

This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 20

1959 Gen Qasim executed several leaders of Mosul coup attempt

1980 Iran called up its military reserves Lead up to Iran-Iraq War

1983 Iran threatened to close Persian Gulf if West and Gulf States continued to aid Iraq

1990 British intel report said lots of unknowns about Iraq’s ballistic missile program

1998 British intel report said Iraq probably still had biological weapons program

2001 During meeting on war on terror Blair asked Bush about Iraq who said it was not

            an immediate problem

2001 Blair told Bush they should take time to build up case against Iraq

2001 Undersec of Def Feith told Rumsfeld war on terror should be broad and Iraq

should be included

2001 Undersec of Def Douglas Feith complained about lack of good targets

            in Afghanistan and suggested bombing Iraq for 9/11

2001 Project for a New American Century in letter to Bush said Iraq might have

            supported 9/11 and Saddam had to be targeted in war on terror

2001 US intel officials told press they were looking into Iraq’s connections to 9/11

2001 Israeli intelligence said they thought Iraq connected to 9/11 Claimed Al Qaeda

            funded by Iraqi Intel Service

2001 US and UK jets bomb missile batteries in southern Iraq as part of No Fly Zones

2002 Pentagon set up planning group to deal with rebuilding Iraq’s oil industry after

            invasion

2002 UK Def Min said it could provide forces for military action against Iraq

2002 Time article White House using unsubstantiated stories to make case of Iraq-Al

            Qaeda ties

2003 Ansar al-Sunnah formed

2003 Governing Council member Aqila Hashemi shot outside her home in Baghdad

            Would die 3 days later

2003 Funeral for SCIRI head Ayatollah Baqir al-Hakim turned into anti-US occupation

            demonstration in Najaf

2004 Zarqawi beheaded US civilian Eugene Armstrong

2006 US commander in Iraq Gen. Casey gave his support to Anbar Awakening

2006 Chief judge in Saddam’s trial removed by cabinet for saying Saddam was not a

            dictator

2006 Intel report to Rumsfeld Iraq breaking up more Iraqi politicians stuck in

            ethnosectarian camps

2015 Human Rights Watch report on Hashd and Jabouri tribe destroying buildings in

Dour Albu Ajeel Alam Ali & part of Tikrit after Tikrit freed

2015 400-600 buildings destroyed in Dour 75 in Albu Ajeel 45 in Alam

            28 in Ali over 200 in Tikrit’s Qadisiyah

View the Iraq History Timeline

Security In Iraq Sep 8-14, 2017

Violence in Iraq remained at a very low level for the second week of September 2017. There were few reported security incidents, but casualties were very high due to a large car bombing in southern Iraq, and bodies being recovered from the rubble in Mosul.

This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 19

1929 Abd Sadoun became premier for 4^th time

1936 UK officials met Nuri al-Said in Paris to discuss him mediating Palestine dispute

            Turned out he just wanted to promote Iraq

1980 Iran began heavy shelling of Shatt al-Arab, Basra and attacked ships in

            waterway precursor to Iran-Iraq War

1983 Iran said if major powers kept backing Iraq they would have oil cut off to them

1991 UN Resolution 712 offered oil for food program again Iraq rejected 2^nd time

1996 CIA Dir Deutch told Senate Intel Comm Saddam was in stronger position then

            he was before

2001 Iraq intel paper said Afghan source claimed bin Laden Taliban and Iraq worked

            together to target America Never confirmed

2001 Bush asked CIA Dir Tenet to look into Iraq-Al Qaeda ties and said VP Cheney

            had info on links

2001 Dep Sec of Def Wolfowitz sent ex-CIA Dir Woolsey to England to look into

            Iraq 9/11 & 1993 World Trade Center connections

2001 Chalabi told Pentagon’s Def Policy Board they should invade Iraq not

            Afghanistan

2002 Pentagon’s Def Policy Board met arguing for removing Saddam

2002 Saddam sent letter to UN saying it had no WMD or nuclear weapons

2002 Rumsfeld told Senate that UN weapons inspections were weak and weren’t going

            to find anything

2002 US said Iraq didn’t mention trying to buy uranium from Niger in its UN

            declaration

2002 Powell told House committee there was debate about Iraq’s intent on buying

aluminum tubes but Saddam trying to get nuke technology

2002 New intel said Iraq might have offered training to Al Qaeda and safe

            haven to bin Laden in 1990s

2003 CPA issued new rules for banking in Iraq to reform finances and to open up

            country to foreign investment

2003 Saddam’s Def Min Gen Hashim Ahmad surrendered to US in Kirkuk after

            negotiations

2004 Blair said Iraq was center of global war on terror

2005 Militia controlled police arrest 2 British soldiers leading to rescue mission by

            British forces that ended in gun battle with Mahdi Army

2006 US commander in Ramadi got Marine division commander in Anbar to back

Awakening

2006 Fmr Vice Army chief of staff Ret Gen Keane told Rumsfeld US close to

            strategic failure in Iraq

2006 Ret Gen Keane told Rumsfeld US strategy was to withdraw not defeat

            insurgency

2006 Ret Gen Keane told Rumsfeld US needed more troops in Iraq to protect

            population otherwise change impossible

2006 Pres Talabani told Bush security problem was US not arming ISF sufficiently and

            needed less US troops in Iraq

2014 France carried out first air strikes against IS hitting Zummar, Ninewa

View the Iraq History Timeline