This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 19

1920 Start of 2^nd Battle of Aridiyat between British and tribal forces

(Musings On Iraq book review of Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

1921 Royal Iraqi Military College opened

1988 Tariz Aziz said Iraq accepted Iran offer to accept UN Res 598 to end war but military ops would

continue until Iran confirmed deal

1988 Iraq took Dehloran Iran 20,000 Iranian casualties 6000 captured

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1988 Iraq used poison gas against Kurdish villages

1991 UN complained Baghdad blocking it from helping displaced in southern marshes

1991 Demonstration in Kurdistan over food shortages led to police firing into crowd Led to 2 days of

fighting with 100 killed

2002 MI6 head Dearlove said US already decided on military action to remove Saddam talk was now about

how and when

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Report Section 3.4 Development of UK Iraq Strategy and Options, Late July to 14 September 2002)

2002 Gen Franks briefed Bush on Running Start war plan Would have enough forces in theater at 100,000

to start operations

(Musings On Iraq book review of Shaping the Plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom, The Role of Military Intelligence Assessment)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2003 On defensive over not finding WMD White House released parts of 02 National Intel Est that Iraq was

rebuilding its WMD and nuke programs

2003 US began asking UN for help in Iraq after it spurned its role immediately before and after invasion

2004 Carnegie pre-2002 US intel on Iraq WMD generally good 02-03 reporting became more certain beyond

evidence Bush admin misrepresented threat posed by Iraq WMD and nuke program UN inspectors proved accurate that Iraq didn’t have WMD or nuke programs nor stocks

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq, One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

2005 US complained to Iran about supplying EFPs to militias

(Musings On Iraq interview with Galen Wright of Arkenstone blog on Iranian arms shipments to Iraqi militias) 

(Musings On Iraq article on Iran’s Iraq policy)

2005 2 Sunni members of constitutional committee Issa and Obeidi were assassinated Sunni delegation

suspended work afterward

(Musings On Iraq interview with constitutional scholar Zaid al-Ali on Iraq’s constitution)

2005 Iraq-Iran signed deal for Iraq to export 150,000 bar/day of oil to Iranian refinery in Abadan and send

refined products back to Iraq

2006 Report Iraqi govt told civilians in Baghdad to check IDs of ISF to make sure they were real not death

squads or insurgents

(Musings On Iraq book review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

2006 NSC memo PM Maliki govt struggling to implement policy and deal with security Said Interior Min

making violence worse Called for review of US Iraq strategy Suggested troop increase might be necessary

2006 UK Intel report Violence more complex with multiple actors Violence spiraling out of control of Iraqi

govt Highest levels of violence since 2003 Insurgent commitment to violence unchanged

2007 1920 Revolution Brigades Ansar al-Sunna Iraqi Hamas announced front group Political Office for the

Iraqi Resistance Said willing to negotiate a US withdrawal Attacked ISI for sectarian killings and suicide bombings vs civilians

(Musings On Iraq book review The Caliphate At War, Operational Realities and Innovations of the Islamic State)

2008 Gen Petraeus said Al Qaeda was changing focus from Iraq to Afghanistan

(Musings On Iraq article on decline of insurgency)

2017 Salahaddin Gov Jabouri arrested over corruption charges

2018 Protests in Baghdad Basra Maysan Activists were planning national protests for Jul 20 Govt offering

jobs and investment and promising to meet protesters’ demands

2018 Heavy police and army presence set up around Basra oil fields to block protests there

2018 Iraqi Human Rights Commission condemned use of excessive force by Iraqi forces against

demonstrators including shootings beatings arbitrary arrests Amnesty Intl talked to 2 protesters arrested and tortured by ISF who wanted to know who organizers were

(Musings On Iraq article on Jul 19 protest activity)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Postwar Situation In Fallujah Rebuilding Mostly Done Economy And Services Not Recovered

(REACH)

There is very little information coming out about Iraq’s postwar areas. The Iraqi media says little and the western press even less. NGOs are the only organizations putting out reports on these places. REACH released an assessment of Anbar’s Fallujah district. It found that almost all the displaced have returned, war damaged was mostly repaired, but there is a lack of services and jobs which is hindering the revival of the economy.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 18

1926 Turkey and England agreed on final border between Iraq and Turkey

(Musings On Iraq interview with Princeton’s Sara Pursley on Sykes-Picot and creation of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Creation of Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq book review Supremacy And Oil, Iraq, Turkey, and the Anglo-American World Order, 1918-1930)

1937 Treaty of Tehran Kept 1913 Constantinople Protocol that gave Shatt al-Arab to Iraq Added

that border between Iran and Iraq ran along the thalweg in the Shatt al-Arab

1979 Saddam accused Revolutionary Command Council member Mashadi and 4 others of Syrian backed

coup plot Meant to remove Saddam’s opponents

1980 CIA memo said that border clashes pointed to possible war between Iran and Iraq

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)

1988 Iran and Iraq agreed upon ceasefire under UN Resolution 598

1988 Soviet UN Amb Vorontsov arrived in Baghdad Sent letter to UN Secretary Gen that Iran would

accept UN Res 598 Said ceasefire would start in Aug

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1990 Saddam moved 3 tank divisions to Iraq-Kuwait border

1990 Saddam demanded that Kuwait repay for allegedly stealing oil and nullify debt from Iran-Iraq War

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

1990 Kuwait cabinet believed Iraq threats were to get it to continue financial aid to Baghdad Thought if

there was military action with Iraq would just be along border

1990 Sec Def Cheney said US would defend Kuwait Pentagon later said press exaggerated his statement

1991 UN inspectors found hidden Iraqi missile program and destroyed equipment

1998 UN inspectors went to Iraq Air Force HQ Found document showing Iraqis used mustard gas tabun

sarin gas gangrene during Iran-Iraq War in huge quantities Iraqis refused to let inspectors keep the document

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Report Sec 1.1 UK Iraq Strategy 1990 To 2000)

2003 Pentagon approved CPA’s Vision for Iraq to build a democratic country

2003 Sadr attacked Iraqi Governing Council as unbelievers Announced that he was creating Mahdi Army to

fight US and British occupation

2003 White House answered questions about making Iraq-Africa uranium claim that CIA opposed Tried to

blame CIA for including Iraq-Africa uranium claim in Bush State of the Union

2003 Sr White House official asked about problems with WMD claims in Bush State of Union said

President not a fact checker

2003 Aid to Natl Sec Adv Rice blamed for pushing CIA to allow Iraq-Africa uranium claim into Bush State

of the Union

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

2003 6 US soldiers in Fallujah that complained to news about extended tours discharged by White House

2004 Insurgents offered $285,000 reward for anyone that could kill PM Allawi

2005 Ayatollah Sistani said violence in Iraq reaching level of a genocidal war

2005 Meeting on Iraq reconstruction in Jordan said that US rebuilding program failed to provide basic

services

2005 Weekly Standard article claimed Iraq considered bin Laden an intelligence asset in 92 and worked

together in terrorist plots Included conspiracy theory that Iraq behind 1993 World Trade Center bombing

(Musings On Iraq article on Mylroie’s Iraq conspiracy theories)

2006 Ayatollah Sistani condemned violence in Iraq

2007 US announced it captured ISI Information Min Mashadani who fed disinformation to US

            that ISI front for Al Qaeda and Abu Omar al-Baghdad didn’t exist

(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval War College’s Prof Whiteside on ISI leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi)

2008 Report US forces trying to shut down Iranian supply networks to militias in Basra Maysan Wasit

Diyala

(Musings On Iraq article on going after Iran’s supply lines in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq article on Iran’s Iraq policy)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Galen Wright of Arkenstone blog on Iranian arms shipments to Iraqi militias) 

2014 IS said all minorities in Mosul had to convert to Islam pay religious tax or die Started exodus of

Christians from city

(Musings On Iraq book review Christianity in Iraq)

2015 Basra governor said he would meet demands of protesters by releasing prisoners replacing electricity

director

2017 PM Abadi acknowledged Iraqi forces had committed human rights abuses during Mosul battle but said

they were individual acts and they would be punished Said any member of security forces that committed violations during Mosul battle was either ignorant of consequences or working with IS Nothing happened

2018 Protests in Babil Baghdad Basra Activists were taking to Basra govt about demands Govt arrested and

looked for organizers in Baghdad Qadisiya Dhi Qar Najaf while media campaign to discredit them continued

(Musings On Iraq article on July 18 protests)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Security In Iraq July 8-14 2019

(Shaafaq News)

The Islamic State is in the middle of its annual spring-summer offensive Revenge of the Levant and yet little has come of it so far. Attacks have been heading downwards since the middle of June.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 17

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

(Musings On Iraq book review of Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

1925 Frontier Commission report to League of Nations on where border between Turkey and Iraq should be

Said Mosul vilyat should be in Iraq after British seized it after WW1 armistice Said Assyrians should return to Turkey

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

(Musings On Iraq book review The Creation of Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review State and Society in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Supremacy And Oil, Iraq, Turkey, and the Anglo-American World Order, 1918-1930)

1930 UK intel officer wrote that senior Iraqi army officers gained positions through corruption and

connections to politicians Said were divorced from their troops and would follow any politician that could give them benefits

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq book review Red Star Over Iraq, Iraqi Communism Before Saddam)

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

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

undermining it

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Kurds, A Modern History)

(Musings On Iraq book review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

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

1982 Iranian Op Ramadan invasion into Basra Iranian armor bogged down in marsh Iraq counterattacked

and forced Iranian retreat

(Musings On Iraq book review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

1982 Saddam ordered capture of Qasr e-Shirin in center across from Diyala on anniversary of Baath coup

Iraqis attacked twice but failed Jordan ended up sending troops to support Iraqis

1988 Saddam speech at 20^th anniversary of Baath seizing power Said Iraq wanted to end Iran-Iraq

War Set 5 conditions Direct talks UN clearing of Shatt al-Arab Free navigation of Gulf End of Iranian attacks on shipping Prisoner exchange

1988 Saddam ordered Iraqi troops to start withdrawing from Iran

1988 Rafsanjani went to Khomeini to convince him to end war Khomeini said he would take

responsibility for war Pres Khameini wrote UN Secretary General de Cuellar requesting ceasefire and accepting UN Res 598

1988 Soviet UN Amb Vorontsov made trip to Middle East to help negotiate end to war

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

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)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

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

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Kurds, A Modern History)

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 Def Sec 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

(Musings On Iraq book review of Shaping the Plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom, The Role of Military Intelligence Assessment)

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 leaked 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 of 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

(Musings On Iraq article on Iran’s Iraq policy)

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

2015 Protest in Basra over electricity ISF fired into crowd 1 killed Protesters shot back Also protest in

Nasiriya and Amara where highway to Basra blocked

2018 Protests in Baghdad Najaf 2 in Basra 2 in Dhi Qar Most broken up by police

2018 Govt launched media campaign to discredit protests claiming they were full of infiltrators Baathists

criminals outsiders and terrorists

2018 Report ISF arrested more than 50 reporters covering protests and assaulted some

(Musings On Iraq article on July 17 protests)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Can The Islamic State Make A Comeback In Iraq Part 2? Interview With Il Foglio’s Daniele Raineri

(Iraqi News)

Daniele Raineri is a reporter for Italy’s Il Foglio. He has been covering the Islamic State for years now. That group is currently attempting its second comeback from defeat. There are some questions about how successful they will be in this endeavor. Raineri weighs in on this issue. He can be followed on Twitter @DanieleRaineri.

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 after coup

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

1980 Saddam told chiefs of staff that he was going to invade Iran Saddam thought Iran weak but didn’t

think Iraq could fight a total war and reach Tehran Decided on limited war based upon seizing Shatt al-Arab waterway Saddam thought war would allow Iraq to assert its influence over Iran and deter Khomeini from exporting his revolution

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)

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

raid

1982 Iranian Op Ramadan attacked into Basra again towards Qurna hoping to cut Basra-Baghdad highway

and isolate Basra city

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

1986 Saddam re-elected secretary general of Baath Party and president of Revolutionary Command

Council

1988 Iran began withdrawing from Kurdistan starting with Halbja Penjwin Haj Omran Rayat

1988 After capturing 30 mi of Iranian territory along the border Iraqi forces withdrew back into Iraq Was

meant to reduce Iranian military

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

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

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

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 Rumaila 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 PM Blair told parliament Iraq’s WMD threat to world and had to be dealt with but no decision for

military action made

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

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

2006 UK Gen Fry wrote War on Terror and Iraq War in conflict Fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq alienated Sunnis

and led them to reject politics and led to more terrorism

2007 Kirkuk bombings killed 86

2007 Report ISF in Abu Ghraib raided and arrested members of Sahwa Also carried out random arrests and

beat and killed prisoners

2007 Report Mahdi Army forced out almost all the Sunnis from West Rasheed Baghdad Sold stolen cars

Involved in weapons trafficking and kidnapping Extorted money from local businesses Rented homes of Sunnis who they forced out and sold their property

2008 US Surge officially ended

2008 US turned over security for Qadisiyah to Iraqi forces

(Musings On Iraq article on turnover of Qadisiyah)

2008 Maliki govt said displaced squatters in two neighborhoods of Baghdad had 3 days to leave Nothing

happened

(Musings On Iraq article on Maliki policy on squatters/displaced)

2009 Sadr visited Abdul Hakim in Tehran and said he was willing to rejoin the United Iraqi Alliance Came

as a result of Iranian lobbying to re-unite the Shiite lists for upcoming elections

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Role In The Revival Of The United Iraqi Alliance)

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

2018 Protests in Baghdad Basra Dhi Qar Karbala Muthanna Najaf 1 Killed in Baghdad’s Shula by police

gunfire Badr office stormed in Najaf 1 protester shot on Jul 15 died of wounds

2018 Govt ordered arrest of activsts and general protesters in Baghdad Basra Maysan

            Muthanna as crackdown started on demonstrations

(Musings On Iraq article on Jul 16 protests) 

View the Iraq History Timelines