Iraq Government Starts Crackdown On Protests

Night protest in Baghdad's Shula (Iraq Newspaper) 

As Iraq reached its 11^th day of protests there were events in six provinces. The real news of the day however was with the Abadi government, which promised new programs to meet the demands of the demonstrators, while starting a crackdown on activists.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 17

1920 British worked out ceasefire with Iraqi rebels to end siege of Abu Sukhair

1925 Frontier Commission report to League of Nations on where border between Turkey

and UK controlled Iraq should be Said Mosul vilyat should be in Iraq after British seized it after WW1 armistice

(Musings On Iraq article on how Mosul province became part of Iraq)

1951 Iraq made last payment to Turkey of oil revenues in return for giving up claims

            to Mosul after WWI

1958 Gen. Qasim sent delegation to meet with Gen. Nasser of Egypt to talk uniting 2

countries

1968 Baath coup overthrew Pres Arif Gen Bakr became president Col Naif premier

and Col Daud Defense Minister

1968 Saddam had lawyer Shawkat executed in Baghdad for refusing him money in

            1966

1973 Baath created National Progressive Front with Communists

1973 Pres Bakr claimed govt had implemented most of autonomy plan for Kurds but

            Kurds were undermining it

1975 Pres Bakr on 7^th anniversary of Baath coup said Iraq would reach out to Gulf

            countries to improve relations

1978 Saddam interview with Newsweek said Palestinians could come to Iraq to plan

            terrorist attacks

1979 Public celebrations held for Saddam’s election to presidency

1979 Saddam called for Iraqi-Iranian friendship after Iranian Revolution

1980 Iraqi govt took out ad in NY Times praising Saddam’s rule and comparing him to

            Abbasid caliphate

1988 Saddam speech at 20^th anniversary of Baath seizing power Said Iraq wanted

            to end Iran-Iraq War

1988 Iran told UN it would accept ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War if both sides withdrew

            from each others’ territory

1990 Saddam accused Kuwait and UAE of overproducing oil Said some Gulf states were

working with US against Iraq Said if Gulf states didn’t change their policies Iraq would take action to protect its interests Said Iraq would protect itself from Israeli aggression

(Musings On Iraq article on Saddam’s motivation for threatening Israel before the Kuwait invasion)

1995 PUK accused KDP of working with Iraqi army to attack Irbil

2001 Saddam speech on anniversary of Baath coup said tyrants would not be able to

            overthrow him and he would not be defeated

2002 34^th anniversary of Baath coup Saddam gave speech saying he would defeat all

            the powerful and evil people arrayed against him

2002 Iraq issued arrest warrant for Zarqawi who had been traveling through the

            country from Iran

2002 Rumsfeld told Gen Franks projected war preparations costs by 12/1/02 would be

around $700 mil US was expanding air fields and pre-positioning fuel in northern section of Kuwait

2003 CENTCOM cmdr Gen Abizaid said US facing classic guerrilla war in Iraq

2003 Saddam tape aired on Al Arabiya TV on anniversary of Baath coup Said Bush and

            Blair lied to justify war Condemned Iraqi Governing Council

2003 Report Pentagon set up its own intelligence office on Iraq before war

2003 Time reporter govt officials told him fmr Amb Wilson’s wife was CIA official

Talked with Cheney Chief of Staff Libby about matter beforehand Libby leaking information about Wilson’s wife in attempt to discredit him for opposing Iraq-Niger uranium story White House promoted

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)

2003 Gen Moseley 02-03 US-UK aircraft conducted 21,736 sorties and dropped more than

600 bombs on 391 targets Air raids were part No Fly zones but were aimed at weakening Iraqi defense before 03 invasion

2005 Iraqi court filed charges against Saddam for executing people in Dujail in 1982

2005 Shiite MP Khuzai said time to bring back militias because Interior and Defense

            Ministries had failed to stop terrorism

2005 Iraq-Iran deal signed for $1 bil line of credit to buy Iranian products

2005 Report Bush signed and then rescinded order to provide covert aid to candidates

            in Iraq’s 2005 Jan elections

2005 Congressional Budget Office reported military and reconstruction spending on

            Iraq cost U.S. $218.2 bil 03-05

2007 Truck bomb in Amerli Salahaddin killed 156

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Protests Grow Deadlier In Iraq

(Al Hurra)

Protests entered their tenth day in Iraq and grew deadlier on July 15. There were demonstrations across 9 provinces with several people being killed by the police, while more government and political party officers were occupied and destroyed.

This Day in Iraqi History - Jul 16

1921 Council of state confirmed plebiscite choosing Faisal as king of Iraq

1958 PM Said’s body dug up and dragged through streets of Baghdad

1968 Pres Arif asked head of military intel Col Naif and Col Daud commander of

            Republican Guard if they were involved in Baath coup They said no

1968 Baath meeting after coup called off vs Pres Arif Head of military intel Col

Naif said he would join if he got premiership

1970 2^nd provisional constitution issued by Pres Bakr Said Iraq People’s Democratic

            Republic committed to Arab unity and socialism

1979 Saddam’s election to president of Iraq made public

1979 Nouri al-Maliki fled Iraq after his membership in Dawa Party was discovered

            by govt

1981 Saudis offered to finance reconstruction of Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor destroyed

            by Israeli air raid

1988 After capturing 30 mi of Iranian territory along the border Iraqi forces withdrew

            back into Iraq

1988 Iran’s Assembly of Experts agreed to present ceasefire proposal in Iran-Iraq

            war based upon UN Res 598 to Khomeini Khomeini agreed to ceasefire

1990 Saddam on TV accused Kuwait and UAE of breaking OPEC quotas and driving

            down oil prices

1990 Iraq moved a division to border with Kuwait as feud between two escalated

            Wanted to see how west would react

1990 Iraq ForMin Aziz letter to Arab League said Kuwait stealing oil from Rumail field

driving down oil prices destroying Iraq’s economy Called on Arab govts to forgive Iraq’s debt and help pay for rebuilding after Iran-Iraq War

2002 Blair told parliament Iraq’s WMD threat to world and had to be dealt with but

            no decision for military action made

2003 Fadhila Party created in Basra as breakaway faction from Sadr movement

            Sheikh Yacoubi claimed he was heir to Ayatollah Sadiq al-Sadr

2003 Mayor of Haditha and his son assassinated by insurgents

2005 Musayib Babil suicide truck bomb left 250 casualties

2007 Kirkuk bombings killed 86

2008 US Surge officially ended

2008 US turned over security for Qadisiyah to Iraqi forces

(Musings On Iraq article on turnover of Qadisiyah)

2015 Basra protest over services fired upon by police 1 Protester killed

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Musings On Iraq In The News

The following books cited Musings On Iraq: Education and Ethno-Politics: Defending Identity in Iraq by Kelsey Shanks, Iraq and the Crimes of Aggressive War, The Legal Cynicism of Criminal Militarism by John Hagan, Joshua Kaiser and Anna Hanson, and Quicksilver War: Syria, Iraq and the Spiral of Conflict by William Harris.


Musings On Iraq was cited also by the Commissariaat-General voor de Vluchtelingen en de Staatlozen in "Irak De veiligheidssituatie in de Koerdische Autonome Regio" and by the European Parliament's Directorate-General for External Policy Policy Department in "Rebuilding the Iraqi State: Stabilisation, Governance, and Reconciliation." Musings On Iraq was quoted by Seth Frantzman in "Operation Revenge Of The Martyrs: Iraq's Biggest Anti-ISIS Operation Of 2018" for tsarizm.

Protests Continue Across Southern Iraq And Spread To Baghdad

After July 13’s events where there were protests, occupation of government offices, burning political party buildings across seven provinces, and the deaths of two people at the hands of the police there were more such activities the next day.

 Protest at the Majnoon oil field in Basra (Al Mirbad)

Demonstration in Dhi Qar (Al Sumaria) 

 

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 15

1920 UK Chief General Staff Wilson heard of 1920 revolt and ordered dispatch

            of division from India to put it down

1950 Cabinet resigned when PM Suwaidi complained his brother not appointed head of

Cassation Court Stayed in office because Regent out of country and couldn’t call for new govt

1952 Mustafa al-Umari became premier

1958 Deposed PM Nuri al-Said executed by Free Officers Regent’s body taken from

            royal palace Mutilated Dragged through Baghdad streets

1968 PM Yahya resigned over divisions within military over running country that

            would eventually lead to 68 coup

1979 Saddam had Revolutionary Command Council Secretary General Mashadi arrested

and tortured Mashadi named Saddam opponents within Baath Party Those members later accused of a Syrian backed coup

1986 UK Official told Geneva conference that Iraq chemical weapons had caused

            10,000 Iranian casualties in Iran-Iraq War

1988 Iran’s cabinet endorsed decision to accept UN Res 598 ending Iran-Iraq War

1990 At Baath Party meeting decided Iraq should make its case to the world against

Kuwait so that it would not be seen as an aggressor Izzat al-Duri said Kuwait conspiring against Iraq and part of larger Israeli conspiracy

1990 At Arab League Iraq complained Kuwait tapping into Rumaila oil field in Basra

costing Iraq $1 bil/year Demanded loans from UAE and Kuwait during Iran-Iraq War be forgiven Threatened force against Kuwait and UAE saying they were US puppets

1990 Iraq made first deployment of troops for Kuwait invasion

1991 US troops withdrew from Kurdistan after setting up safe area for displaced Kurds

            after Gulf War

2002 Czech Intel head doubted that 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraqi intelligence in

            Prague in 2001

2002 Fmr Saddam Fedayeen told press Iraq trained Al Qaeda fighters in Salman

            Pak False story

2004 UN head inspector Blix accused Blair of misleading public on Iraq threat

            before invasion

2004 Report in 2003 UK intel found Zarqawi setting up cells in Baghdad  

2006 Insurgents stormed Olympic Committee in Baghdad Took 30 people including

            committee president

2011 3 bombs in Karbala left 100 casualties

2012 Iraq complained about KRG-Turkish oil deals saying it would affect relations

            between two countries 

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Protests In Iraq Greatly Escalate And Spread Throughout South

In just a few days the annual protests in Iraq have greatly accelerated. There had been a week of protests since the start of July, but then July 8 in northern Basra province a demonstrator was killed by the security forces. That gave impetus to greater activism, and another person dying from gunfire on July 12, leading to an explosion of people taking to the streets on July 13 across southern Iraq, which saw ports, airports, and political offices occupied and attacked. The government offered some platitudes in response, but the public was far from satisfied.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 14

1941 PM Midfai declared martial law in Sulaymaniya to stop revolt by Barzani

1958 Free Officers led coup overthrowing King Faisal II and Iraq’s monarchy

1958 Gen Qasim became head of state King Faisal II and family killed

(Musings On Iraq interview with Western Kentucky’s Prof Romero on the Qasim govt)

1959 Communists called rally to celebrate 1958 coup in Kirkuk Turned into 2 days of

            fighting between Kurds and Turkmen with around 30 killed 100 injured

(Musings On Iraq Interview with Prof Johan Franzen on the history of the Iraqi Communist Party)

1964 Pres Arif announced pan-Arab Iraqi Arab Socialist Union party

1964 Pres Arif nationalizes banks and insurance companies

1968 Coup against Pres Arif planned but called off after army officers backed out

            Baath would not drop coup

1988 Iran said it would withdraw from Kurdistan after Iraq invaded southern Iran

1988 Iranian leadership agreed to accept UN Res 598 calling for end of Iran-Iraq War

1990 Kuwait said it would reconsider OPEC quotas in Oct Was considered a breech

            by Iraq

1990 Pres Mubarak visited Saddam in Baghdad trying to get him to backdown in

            confrontation with Kuwait

2003 Article Iraqi scientists said bombings inspections sanctions unilateral

            destruction ended Iraq’s WMD programs before invasion

2003 Columnist Novak exposed Ex Amb Wilson’s wife as a CIA agent after he criticized

Bush admin over false Niger-Iraq uranium deal Info came from VP Cheney’s office trying to discredit Wilson

2003 UK For Sec Straw said CIA believed UK intel on Iraq-Africa uranium deal

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)

2004 US appointed governor of Mosul assassinated

2004 Blair said he expected Iraq’s WMD to be found

2004 Butler Report said UK intel on Iraq WMD based upon worst case scenarios and

exaggerated alleged stockpiles Said UK intel on Iraq WMD was “seriously flawed”

2004 Butler Report said UK intel found no evidence of Iraq-Al Qaeda cooperation

2006 When asked was the US winning in Iraq US Army Chief of Staff Gen Schoomaker

told congressional aids U.S. wasn’t losing in Iraq Said war was getting more difficult and was more at start than end

2007 Maliki said Iraqi forces were ready to take over security when US left

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day in Iraqi History - Jul 13

1958 Col Arif gained control of 20^th Brigade and began march towards Baghdad

            from Diyala to start 1958 coup

1959 Gen Qasim appointed several Communists to his cabinet

1982 Iran’s Op Ramadan invaded Iraqi territory for 1st time in attempt to seize Basra

Took 10 miles of territory and then stopped Consisted of 5 human wave attacks with 100,000 troops against Iraqi lines

1982 Iraq used tear gas to turn back Iranian attacks

1988 Iraq threatened to invade southern Iran if it didn’t withdraw from Kurdistan

1988 Iraq launched another offensive operation into Iranian territory to increase its

            negotiating position with Tehran

2001 Deputy Secretary of State Armitage suggested that Bush make Iraq the top foreign

            policy issue

2003 Iraqi Governing Council announced its formation and held first session Mohammed

            al-Uloom became premier

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraqi Governing Council)

2003 After White House blamed CIA for Bush using Iraq-Africa uranium story CIA

            leaked it had blocked story from being used before

2003 Blair said he still believed story Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa CIA

            questioned its veracity

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)

2005 UndersecDef Feith said US didn’t train enough Kurds and Iraqi exiles to help

with security before 03 invasion Said US officials relucatant to end CPA early in 2003 Said US military not Pentagon determined size of invasion force

2005 US army officers refuted Feith saying Pentagon curtailed troop deployments to

            Iraq before and after invasion

2006 For the first time in Iraq US military turned over security in a province to Iraqi

            forces Happened in Muthanna

2008 Islamic Party said Iraqi forces should not take control of security in Anbar because

            Awakening was not ready Sheikhs Sulaiman and Hayes agreed

(Musings On Iraq article on security handover of Anbar)

2015 Campaign started to recapture Ramadi from IS

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