On September 11, 2001, I watched former CIA Director James
Woolsey on CBS News say that the United States needed to attack Iraq even if it
had nothing to do with the terrorist attack. This struck me as odd as everyone
was already saying it was an Al Qaeda operation. By 2002 the White House began
its public relations campaign to convince the American public of the necessity
to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Those two events inspired me to look into why the
U.S. was going to war with Iraq. In 2008, I started Musings On Iraq to publish my
research. It’s not always been easy keeping up with all the reading and writing
while working as a public high school teacher and having a family, but I’ve
tried my best to explain current events in Iraq and increasingly its history as
well. I’d like to thank all the people who have helped me out along the way,
all the those that I’ve interviewed, and especially the readers who come to the
blog.
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Musings On Iraq In The News
My interview with Benedict Robin on the Sadr-Communist Party alliance was reprinted by the Iraqi Translation Project. I was mentioned by Paul iddon in "Turkey may finally act on threats against Pkk in Qandil" for Ahval. I was also cited by Benjamin Isakhan and Shamiran Mako in State and Society in Iraq: Citizenship under Occupation, Dictatorship and Democratsation and by Samuel Helfont in Compulsion in Religion: Saddam Hussein, Islam, and the Roots of Insurgencies in Iraq.
This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 17
1927 Lord Cecil said British public opinion was
overwhelmingly against staying in
Iraq
1954 PM Umari resigned so he could go on annual vacation to
Turkey to escape summer
heat in
Iraq
1981 Col Qaddafi announced he would go to Tehran and Baghdad
to try to negotiate
ceasefire
in Iran-Iraq War Libya supported Iran
1996 UN said Iraq smuggling oil through Iranian waters
breaking sanctions
2003 CIA report to Dir Tenet said that Niger-Iraq uranium
story was dropped because
based upon
fake docs
(Musings
On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)
2003 CIA report that it found docs at Iraqi scientist’s home
that proved Saddam
had nuke
program Proved false
2004 PM Allawi promised reprisals against insurgents after
suicide bombing of Iraqi
army base
2004 Bush refuted 9/11 Comm saying Iraq-Al Qaeda had
connections and that was why
Iraq was a
threat
2004 Cheney said 9/11 Comm didn’t look at the overwhelming
evidence of Iraq-
Al Qaeda connections Claimed he had
intel on Iraq-Al Qaeda ties that 9/11 Comm didn’t That intel later proved false
2008 Truck bomb by Mahdi Army or Special Group in Baghdad
killed 63 wounded 70
US forces claimed bombing meant to
stop return of displaced Sunnis and provoke sectarian fighting
(Musings
On Iraq article on Hurriya bombing)
2009 US held talks with Syria to try to stop foreign
fighters travelling through country
to Iraq
2011 ISI took responsibility for killing deputy head of
deBaathification Comm
Lami
2011 Anbar councilman said Syria still supporting insurgency
2011 Maliki organized second march for his government in
Baghdad and Karbala
2011 Protests held in Baghdad and Dhi Qar against corruption
Baghdad protesters
attacked by
Maliki supporters 2nd time
2012 Sadr said he would not accept a 3rd term for
Maliki
2012 MP Othman said that KDP wanted Maliki out while PUK
didn’t
2013 Kataib Hezbollah attacked Mujahedeen e-Khalq camp with
rockets
2013 Badr said one of its men died fighting in Syria before
its presence officially
announced
2013 Exxon signed 3rd contract with KRG to
explore for oil in Sulaymaniya
2013 Sadrists maintained control of Maysan governorship in
new govt
2013 State of Law-SIIC-Sadr alliance formed new govt in
Qadisiyah SIIC got
governorship
2014 Security operation to clear Qaim, Anbar began
2014 Tuz Kharmato declared freed
2014 Rawa Ana Saqlawiya Amiriya Fallujah Ramadi Khalidiya in
Anbar all
decalred
freed half of them weren’t
2014 Insurgents attacked 3 neighborhoods in Baquba, Diyala
along with Hit
and Garma
in Anbar
2014 Prisoner that was wounded when Hashd executed 43
prisoners in Baquba
was taken
from hospital by police and killed
2014 Maliki dismissed Gen Gharawi head of Ninewa Ops Command
for fall of
Mosul
2014 Hezbollah’s Nasrallah said that Shiite shrines in Iraq
needed to be
protected
from insurgents Said that Hezbollah would send men to fight in Iraq
2015 Sadr blamed Maliki’s authoritarianism for return of
insurgency
2016 PM Abadi prematurely announced liberation of Fallujah
View the Iraq History Timelines
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Security In Iraq, Jun 8-14, 2018
The second week of June 2018 saw a jump in incidents and casualties in Iraq due to a large spike in violence in Kirkuk and continued clashes between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Turkey in northern Kurdistan.
This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 16
1941 Another British brigade landed in Basra to help secure Iraq
after
Anglo-Iraq
War
1979 Pres Assad arrived in Baghdad for more talks on
unifying Iraq and Syria
Came up
with United Arab Republic but disagreed on details
1979 Assad became mad at Iraqi demands and left ending talks
of unification Saddam
was key in
undermining talks Was afraid of lesser position within unified govt
1981 Iraq and Iran held 1st prisoner swap set up
by Red Cross during Iran-Iraq War
1991 Barzani said deal made with Baghdad over Kurdish
autonomy Talabani said not to
trust
Saddam
1992 Most of the Iraqi opposition met in Vienna Led to creation
of Iraqi National
Congress as umbrella organization Used
quotas 1st time to break up representatives by ideology and ethnosectarian
identity
(Musings
On Iraq article on 1992 Vienna conference)
(Musings
On Iraq article on 1992 Vienna conference)
2003 Gen Abizaid CENTCOM commander said that US was facing
classic insurgency in
Iraq White
House had been denying that
2003 Bremer said Development Fund for Iraq money could be
used by military for local
reconstruction
projects
2003 Bremer said failure to capture Saddam was helping
resistance and making Iraqis
scared to
help Coalition
2003 Head UN Inspector Blix said empty 122mm WMD artillery
shells were from
1980s after
US said they could be part of stocks
(Musings
On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)
2003 Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance 1st
US administration for
Iraq
officially closed
2004 Gen Accounting Office report Pentagon didn’t have good
planning or oversight
of
reconstruction projects in Iraq leading to cost overruns
2004 CIA adv told 9/11 Comm 1998 indictment that charged
Iraq and Al Qaeda agreed
to
cooperate in Sudan proved false
2004 CIA adv told 9/11 Comm that Al Qaeda was suspicious of
Saddam’s secular govt
2004 CIA adv told 9/11 Comm in 90s Iraq and Al Qaeda tried
to work out non-
interference
pact and talked about cooperation
2004 CIA adv told 9/11 Comm in 1999 report said if Saddam
wanted to attack US he
would
probably use Al Qaeda
2004 9/11 Comm said no operational relationship between Iraq
and Al Qaeda
Had
contacts but no cooperation
2004 9/11 Comm said 1994 bin Laden asked for Iraq’s help
with operations but never
got
response
2004 9/11 Comm said Iraq and Al Qaeda talked about
cooperation in Sudan in 1996 but
nothing
came of it
2004 9/11 Comm didn’t believe story that 9/11 hijacker Atta
met with Iraqi
intel
officer in Prague
2004 Powell said administration stuck by claim of Iraq-Al
Qaeda relationship
2004 White House said 9/11 Comm didn’t contradict admin
claims because it never
said Iraq
behind 9/11
2004 White House said Zarqawi being in Iraq before 03
invasion proved Saddam gave
safe haven
to Al Qaeda members
2005 Decision made to include Sunnis on constitutional
committee under heavy
US pressure
2005 Report Tehran cracking down on Zarqawi’s network in
Iran
2005 US diplomat in Mosul documented abuses of Inter Min Wolf
Brigade including
torture
beatings not releasing prisoners
2005 Report US declared Tal Afar cleared of insurgents in
Oct 04 but had to return in
May 05
2006 Mujahedeen Shura Council kidnapped 2 US soldiers in
Baghdad in revenge for
US troops raping
Iraqi girl and killing her and her family
2006 Kidnapping of 2 US soldiers derailed Iraq’s Operation
Together Forward to
secure Baghdad
2006 Bush told Iraq Study Group Maliki was going to solve
problems in Iraq and
Gen Casey
had situation under control
2006 Battle of Ramadi began with setting up 2 combat
outposts in southern section of
city
2007 Operation Phantom Thunder which was overreaching name
of a series of operations
began
2007 US deployed 4 brigades for operation going along Tigris
River near Arab Jabour
in south Baghdad known for
producing car bombs and had not had US forces in 3 years
2007 US cleared Salman Pak in Baghdad and tried to stop
insurgents from moving to
Baquba in
Diyala
2007 US forces in Taji north Baghdad tried to stop
insurgents fleeing Baghdad to
Salahaddin Also operations in
Adhamiya Rasheed Mansour neighborhoods of Baghdad
2008 Maliki gave ultimatum to militiamen to hand over
weapons in Amarah, Maysan
aimed at
Mahdi Army
2008 Sadrists said they would run in provincial elections
but not as a party
2009 43 police had been arrested for abuse in prisons Done
to placate Sadrists
complaining
about abuse of their followers
2010 Turkey sent troops into Kurdistan and bombed areas
chasing PKK fighters
after
attack on Turkish army base
2010 State of Law and National Alliance in talks to try to
limit powers of next
PM in
negotiations to form new govt
2010 Maliki met with Kurdish list claiming he would
implement Article 140 on
Kirkuk and
disputed areas
2011 Maliki gave TV speech saying militias had infiltrated
Interior Ministry and
carried out
assassinations
2011 Maliki said Baghdad protests were illegal and
threatened security
2011 Maliki said ISF would not be ready to secure Iraq after
US forces withdrew
at end of
year
2012 2 car bombs hit Shiite pilgrims heading for Kadhimiya,
Baghdad 32 killed
67 injured
2012 Sadr said that removing Maliki was God’s will but he
was already backing off
no
confidence vote due to Iranian pressure
2012 Sadrists and State of Law in talks to try to end no
confidence move against Maliki
2012 Kurdish list said their goal was still to remove Maliki
2013 Security op in Anbar to prepare for elections
criticized for arbitrary arrests and
raids
2013 Car bombs in Najaf and Wasit, IED in Basra
2013 KDP and PUK agreed to delay KRG presidential elections
supposed to happen Sep
2013 until
issues of Barzani’s term resolved
2013 Sadr-SIIC alliance won governor and head of council in
new Wasit govt
2013 State of Law-Solidarity alliance won governor and head
of council in Dhi Qar
2014 All work at Baiji refinery shut down because of insurgency
2014 US and Iranian diplomats met to discuss Iraq and ISIS
2014 275 U.S. troops sent to Iraq to help with war vs ISIS
2014 ISIS issued orders to start destroying churches in
Mosul
2014 12 insurgents killed in fighting between Naqshibandi
and ISIS for control of Mosul
2014 Insurgent Military Council in charge of Mosul
criticized ISIS for trying to
establish control
over city
2014 ISIS seized Hawija, Kirkuk
2014 Badr killed 51 prisoners in Tal Afar prison
2014 Hashd killed 50 prisoners at Baquba police station
2014 KRG asked for 25% of Iraqi budget claiming its
population had grown
2014 Maliki loyalist MP Fatlawi blamed Kurds for helping
insurgents take Mosul
2014 Liwa Abu Fadhl al-Abbas Iraqi
militia in Syria sets up branch in Iraq and
deployed
1500 fighters to Samarra
2014 KRG Premier Barzani went to
Tehran to assure it about its seizure of Kirkuk
and
disputed areas
View the Iraq History Timelines
Friday, June 15, 2018
Communist Anger At Sadr-Amiri Alliance
Moqtada al-Sadr’s new
alliance with Badr’s Hadi Amiri has upset Sadr’s partner the Iraqi
Communist Party (ICP). The ICP was weary
of making
any deal with the Fatah list that Amiri heads. Publicly, the Communists issued
a statement
saying they welcomed the new coalition. Behind the scenes however there were various
reports of deep
divisions, arguments, and insults being thrown around within the the party. The
Communists see this latest move as a step backwards towards another sectarian
Shiite alliance that would go on to form the new government. Sadr and the
Communists campaigned together as Sairoon promoting reforming politics and
ending the ethnosectarian quota system that divides up every new
administration. Iranian pressure and status quo politics have seemingly won out
over election promises.
This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 15
1920 War Min Churchill wrote UK Cabinet that he was ready to
give up Mosul
province to
save costs
(Musings
On Iraq article on how Mosul province became part of Iraq)
(Musings
On Iraq article on Churchill’s views on Mesopotamia/Iraq)
1947 Mustafa Barzani revolt against govt put down and he
fled to Soviet Union
1957 PM Nuri al-Said made cover
of Time magazine
1966 KDP defeated govt forces near Hendrin
1966 PM Bazzaz made national speech saying Baghdad ready to
recognize Kurdish
nationalism
and rights
1968 Amid growing anti-Arif govt activity PM Yahya resigned
but was asked to stay
on
1994 Fighting broke out between PUK and KDP in Sulaymaniya
during funeral
leaving 12
dead more than 40 wounded
2003 Sadrist march in Basra against British occupation
2003 US scheduled elections for Najaf cancelled because
worried Sadrists might win
2003 Report British looked at captured Iraq trailers and
found not mobile WMD labs
(Musings
On Iraq article on mobile labs story)
2003 Gen Sanchez became commander of Coalition forces in
Iraq
2003 Sr British official said that the CPA was chaotic
2003 US started Op Desert Scorpion to hunt down insurgents from
Baghdad to Kirkuk
2004 Bush said Zarqawi was best evidence that Saddam had
connections to Al Qaeda
2004 Powell said White House stuck with claims of Iraq-Al
Qaeda connections
2005 Report US recorded Peshmerga arresting hundreds of
Arabs and Turkmen in
Kirkuk and
putting them in KRG prisons
2006 Marine report murder of Iraqi civilians was covered up
by unit and commanders
didn’t show
any interest in investigating
2008 Report Sadr creating new militia units to attack US
forces
2009 Gen Odierno said foreign fighters coming to Iraq down
and Syria trying to
regulate
border
2010 1st session of new parliament held to meet
deadline Was supposed to elect new
speaker but
didn’t because of political disputes
2011 KRG opposition parties welcomed Pres Barzani’s reform
proposals Never
followed
through with
2011 Sadrists dared Maliki to try to form a majority govt
2012 Sadrist MP said movement now not for removing Maliki
anymore after pressure
from Iran
2013 ISIS’ Baghdadi said he would not follow Al Qaeda’s
Zawahiri’s decision to break
with Al-Nusra Front in Syria
2013 New Baghdad govt announced State of Law shut out of
major positions by
Sadrists
Supreme Council Mutahidun State of Law won governorship of Babil
2014 Baghdadi
issued audio message saying ISIS was going to create caliphate
2014 ISIS began posting pictures online of Camp Speicher
massacre
2014 Insurgents attacked power plant that supplied
electricity to most of Anbar Driven
off
2014 Insurgents attacked and turned back at Tal Afar, Ninewa
50 prisoners executed in
Tal Afar by
govt forces
2014 ISF fled Qara Tapa, Diyala and peshmerga moved in
2014 Yazidi leader in Sinjar district asked KRG for
protection from insurgents
2014 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq leader Khazali blamed ISIS Baathists
Kurds regional countries
for
security crisis in Iraq
2015 First displaced families returned to Tikrit after its
liberation
View the Iraq History Timelines
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Iraq Moves Towards Another National Unity Government
 |
| (Baghdad Post) |
Iraq’s leading lists
have taken a major step towards creating a new government. Moqtada al-Sadr and
Hadi Amiri of Badr announced an alliance between the two. Previously, Sadr’s Sairoon, Ammar Hakim’s
Hikma and Vice President Iyad Allawi’s Wataniya agreed to cooperate. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said they supported the
Sadr-Amiri deal. Sadr allegedly grew tired of talks with Prime Minister Haidar Abadi’s Nasr. Sadr wanted the premier to resign from his Dawa Party in return for a second term,
but the PM would not budge. With those discussions going nowhere, and pressure
from Iran, Sadr moved towards Amiri instead. This could be the basis for
another national unity government like all the others since 2005 where al the
major lists are included.
This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 14
1921 Churchill asked Colonial Office if King Faisal was
Sunni or Shiite
and who
were the religious people in Karbala
1980 Mossad assassinated Egyptian nuclear scientist Yahya El
Mashad in Paris
who worked
on Iraq’s nuclear program
1985 Iraq halted air raids for 2 wks on Iran calling on Iranians
to push Khomeini
towards
peace Ended 2nd War of Cities
1985 From Mar to Jun 1985 43 Iraqi air raids on Tehran Only
12 Iranian SCUDs
hit Baghdad in response Iraq caused
little damage in war of cities and failed to push Iran towards peace talks
1991 More than 1,000 Kurds protested outside US camp in
Dohuk asking for them to
stay to
protect them from Iraqi govt
1998 2nd day of meetings between UN inspectors
and Iraq Agreed on inspection regime
Inspectors demanded that Iraq come
clean on concealment program which angered Aziz
1998 Aziz thought UN inspectors working with US to move goal
posts every time there
was
progress to drag out process
(Musings
On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)
2001 CIA report aluminum tubes Iraq tried to buy were
probably for centrifuges for
nuke
program but could be rockets Still no justification for claim
(Musings
On Iraq article on the aluminum tubes story)
2003 Gen Petraeus flew to Baghdad telling CPA disbanding
Iraq military threatened
US troops
2003 1300 US troops conducted major search and raids in
Fallujah
2004 Cheney said Saddam had long standing ties with Al Qaeda
2004 Reports US soldiers and interrogators began warning of
abuses at Abu Ghraib
prison in
Nov and Dec 03
2005 Massoud Barzani sworn in as KRG president
2006 Maliki said Sadr City and Shiite areas off limits to US
forces
2006 Maliki announced Op Together Forward to try to secure
Baghdad and stop
sectarian
attacks Failed
2006 After returning from Iraq Bush said inspired by meeting
Maliki and US was
staying the
course
2006 Rumsfeld aide brought up Biden-Gelb idea of breaking up
Iraq as possible exit
strategy
for U.S.
2007 US Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Baquba Pushed
insurgents out of city with
help of
1920 Revolution Brigade
2008 Sadrist said they wouldnt run as a party in 2009
provincial elections just support
candidates
2008 US Inspector General went to Kahn Bani Saad prison
found no work being
done Most
of $1.2 mil in materials gone
2010 New parliament seated 3 months after elections Only met
for 18 minutes Was
supposed to start work on electing
new president but didn’t Maliki adjourned session indefinitely to stall for
time
2011 ISI attacked Diyala provincial council building in
Baquba
2011 Maliki said he wanted to reduce the number of ministries
in response to protests
2012 Gorran and PUK held meeting to try to reconcile Didn’t
work
2012 Gov Nujafi reversed course and said that he now
supported Kurdish oil deal with
Exxon
2012 Sadr returned from Iran said still for no confidence
vote against Maliki but
thanked him
for cabinet meetings in provinces
2013 ISF security sweep through western Anbar along Syrian
and Jordanian border
2014 Ayatollah Sistani issued clarification that his fatwa
to defend country was for men
to join the
ISF not militias
2014 Insurgents seized Jalawla, Diyala
2014 12 imams in Mosul executed by ISIS for not giving it
baya
2014 128 bodies of soldiers and police executed by ISIS in
Mosul recovered
2014 Report differences emerging between ISIS and
Naqshibandi over control of Mosul
2014 Ishaqi and Mutasim Salahaddin recaptured by ISF 1st
victories vs insurgents after
sweep
through north
2014 ISF and tribes forced insurgents out of Dhuluiya,
Salahaddin
2014 ISF and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq pushed insurgents out of
Muqtadiya, Diyala
2014 ISF withdrew from Rawa and Ana giving Anbar border to
ISIS Fighting in Hit
Habaniya
Ramadi
2014 ISF started op to try to retake Saqlawiya, Anbar
2014 Report Peshmerga told remaining ISF in Kirkuk city to
leave
2014 Sadr called for military parades by his militia in all
the provinces to show their
strength in
face of insurgents
2014 1500 Iranian troops in Khanaqin district Diyala and 500
in Wasit to secure
Iran-Iraq
border areas
2014 1st Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps member
killed in fighting in Iraq
View the Iraq History Timelines
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 13
1920 War Min Churchill wrote PM George that British army
over extended in
Mesopotamia and asked whether UK
should give up Mosul province because of costs
(Musings
On Iraq article on how Mosul province became part of Iraq)
(Musings
On Iraq article on Churchill’s views on Mesopotamia/Iraq)
1963 Govt forces attacked Dohuk killing 165 Peshmerga
1975 Iran-Iraq signed Reconciliation Treaty to resolve
border issues
1988 Iran launched counterattack in Shalmache, Basra Moved 7
miles into Iraq
1997 UN complained about Iraq’s obstruction of weapons
inspections
1998 UN inspectors met with Iraqi delegation led by Tariq
Aziz over UN inspections
(Musings
On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)
2002 UK Def Min paper said postwar planning needed to be
made before taking
military
action against Iraq
2003 US ground forces commander Gen McKirenan moved HQ from
Iraq to Florida
Denied US
forces remaining in Iraq intelligence and staff
2003 Gen Eaton arrived in Baghdad to head US training
program for new Iraqi army
2005 US held 2nd secret talk with insurgents in
Balad to try to break them away from
foreign
fighters and Al Qaeda in Iraq
2006 Bush made surprise visit to Baghdad told Maliki US
stood behind him
2006 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey told Bush US had to withdraw and
make Iraqis take
more
responsibility Bush did not agree but went along anyway
2007 ISI bombed Askari shrine in Samarra 2nd time
Used agents in Iraqi police
2007 Sadrists begin boycott of parliament and pulled
ministers from cabinet when
Maliki
refused to set withdrawal date for US
2008 Sadr said that he was turning most of his movement into
social and political
organization
disbanded most of Mahid Army
2008 Maliki said talks over new Status of Forces Agreement
with US at dead end
2010 Iraq Central Bank attacked by ISI dressed in military
uniforms Started
with 7
suicide bombers 25 killed 50 wounded
2011 Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq press
conference on beatings of
protesters
in Baghdad broken up by plain clothes police
2012 ISI bombed Shiite pilgrims and KDP HQ 84 killed total
almost 300
injured
2012 Report Ayatollah Khamenei trying to persuade Sadr to
drop opposition to
Maliki Quds
Force commander Gen Suleimani already failed
2013 SIIC and Sadrists complained State of Law and Loyalty
to Najaf broke deal
and formed
new Najaf govt illegally
2014 Ayatollah Sistani issues fatwa for men to defend
country leading to creation of
Hashd
al-Shaabi
2014 3 Iraqi army divisions disintegrated in collapse of
Mosul Tikrit etc
2014 Peshmerga moved into Sadiya and Jawala, Diyala and
Kirkuk City after ISF fled
2014 North Oil Company shut down oil to Baiji refinery
because of fighting
2014 ISIS demanded that people return to their jobs in Mosul
after taking city
2014 Report up to 25 tankers with ISIS oil travelled into
Kurdish controlled areas
of Tuz
Kharmato per day
2014 Insurgents seized police station in western Ramadi
2014 Badr head Amiri given control of security in Diyala by
Maliki
2014 Report 500 Iranian Revolutionary Guards deployed to
Diyala
2014 Sunni imam and two aides arrested in Baghdad by ISF
later found dead
2015 2nd day of fighting between Hashd and
Peshmerga in Sadiya, Diyala over control
of town
2015 Report top US commanders didn’t want to get more
involved in Iraq war against IS
2015 Protests in Basra demanding governor resign for
corruption
2015 Abadi speech said Hashd non-sectarian under his command
in war against IS
2015 80 US soldiers arrived in Habaniya base Anbar to
support ISF operations in
province
View the Iraq History Timelines
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Whenever Iraq runs into trouble people start talking about it being an artificial state. The argument goes that the Eu... -
Iraq is currently witnessing the fewest security incidents since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. In 2003, there were a... -
The Iraqi forces (ISF) in part are still trying to deny that serious fighting is going on in the Old City in West Mosu...
