Iraq’s Oil Prices Rise For Third Month But Still Too Low

The world oil market is slowly recovering due a combination of OPEC+ production cuts and countries opening up their economies during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, prices for Iraqi crude rose for the third month. They are still too low for the most oil dependent country in the world however.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 3

1954 Nuri al-Said became Iraq’s PM 7^th time Went after opposition parties

(Musings On Iraq review The Chatham House Version and other Middle-Eastern Studies)

1982 Iran called off Op Ramadan invasion of Basra At its peak Iran seized 300 sq km of Iraqi territory By

end only held 80 sq km US est Iran lost 14,000 casualties Iraq lost 8700 casualties and 1700 prisoners

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1990 Last Kuwaiti resistance to Iraqi invasion ended

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Storm, Volume 1)

1990 Amnesty said Iraqi army had arrested Iraqi exiles in Kuwait

1990 Arab League said it would mediate dispute between Iraq and Kuwait after invasion

1990 2^nd NSC meeting on Kuwait invasion Bush said he agreed with PM Thatcher that Iraq’s actions

could not stand Bush said regional leaders were just talking about accepting the situation even though didn’t like it NatSecAdv Scowcroft said US wouldn’t accommodate Iraq Def Sec Cheney said Iraq was close to Saudi oil fields If didn't seize them would threaten them in future Bush and advisers agreed force might be necessary against Iraq and sanctions would probably fail

(Musings On Iraq review from storm to Freedom, America’s Long War with Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review The Bush Administrations and Saddam Hussein, Deciding on Conflict)

1990 Bush ordered CIA to come up with destabilization plan against Saddam

1990 Bush met Saudi Amb to US Bandar and convinced him to support US troops being sent to his

country

1998 Tariq Aziz met UN inspectors Complained they were focusing upon minor issues  not important to

disarmament Said dragging out process at behest of US Demanded that Iraq be certified WMD free and inspections end Aziz said Iraq had nothing else to declare about its weapons programs Chief UN inspector Butler said Iraq had not provided evidence to prove claim it had declared all of its weapons programs

(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)

(Musings On Iraq review Out Of The Ashes, The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein)

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

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

2004 Sadr ordered his followers to seize Najaf shrine and attack Coalition forces in south starting 2^nd

Battle of Najaf

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

(Musings On Iraq review Battle For The City Of The Dead)

(Musings On Iraq review US Marines in Battle An-Najaf August 20014)

2004 Mahdi Army kidnapped 18 police demanding release of their militiamen in return for freeing

officers

2005 Integrity Commission investigated a number of corrupt deals made by Defense Ministry under

Allawi govt One Defense Ministry deal was with Poland’s Bumar that included helicopters that turned out to be 28 years told Another deal was for ammunition which cost four times more than it was worth

(Musings On Iraq review The Occupation of Iraq, Winning The War, Losing The Peace)

2005 Report Defense Min lacked capacity to pay supply recruit and replace personnel and carry out

promotions or deliver spare parts

2006 CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Abizaid told Senate Iraq could fall into civil war if violence continued

2006 Report outgoing UK Amb to Iraq said Iraq would be unstable for 5-10 yrs Said Iraq could breakup

along ethnosectarian lines Said had to stop Mahdi Army from becoming like Hezbollah

2006 Inter Min Bolani said rogue elements within his ministry Told parliament new uniforms and IDs

would be made to distinguish between real and fake police Said he would root out corrupt police and those accused of torture and would show results by end of August Inter Min only ordered 25,000 new uniforms for force of 145,000

(Musings On Iraq interview with Jerry Burke police and Interior Min adviser on how Badr took over Interior Ministry)

2006 Report some neighborhoods in Baghdad set up checkpoints and refused to allow police in without

US troops accompanying them

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

2006 Report of 14,000 planned reconstruction projects in Iraq more than 500 had not been started

Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said start of US reconstruction effort was confused overwhelmed lacked coordination and planning

2007 Reports Iraqi parties talking about replacing PM Maliki after Iraqi Accordance Front and Sadrists

            boycotted cabinet and parliament

2007 Report Maliki govt intentionally releasing lower casualty figures for violence in Iraq to downplay

insurgency Govt said 25 dead and 100 wounded in car bombing in Baghdad Later local officials said 92 dead and 127 wounded

2008 Report UK made ceasefire deal with Sadrists in Basra Would release all Mahdi Army prisoners and in

return UK would withdraw from city Allowed Mahdi Army to take over most of city

2009 PM Maliki met with Asaib Ahl Al-Haq Claimed group renounced violence and wanted to run

in 2010 elections Agreed to release AAH members held by US Part of plan for Maliki to undermine Sadr before vote

(Musings On Iraq League Of Righteous Breaks Off talks With Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq Asaib Ahl Al-Haq From A Breakaway Sadr Militia To Defenders Of Iraq)

2014 IS seized Sinjar Zumar Wana in Ninewa Began massacre and enslavement of Yazidis

(Musings On Iraq Kurdish Government Tries to Create New Narrative Of What Happened To Iraq’s Yazidis)

(Musings On Iraq interview with AUIS’s Christine van den Toorn on what happened to Yazidis when IS invaded Sinjar) 

(Musings On Iraq interview with journalist Wladimir van Wilgenburg on dispute between KDP Hashd and Yazidis in Sinjar)

2014 IS attacked north into Irbil

2015 Protest in Pirzin Irbil over power cuts and water shortages

2017 Sadr called for mass demonstrations over passage of provincial council law

2018 Protests in Baghdad 2 in Basra Najaf Karbala Qadisiya Muthanna Babil Dhi Qar Maysan for better

services

View the Iraq History Timelines

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 2

1914 Ottomans signed alliance with Germany that would bring Mesopotamia into WW1

1924 Yasin al-Hashemi became PM of Iraq Was ordered to organize elections for an assembly to draft

a constitution

(Musings On Iraq review The Chatham House Version and other Middle-Eastern Studies)

1933 Iraqis met with French again Told Assyrians couldn’t stay in Syria Assyrians had been disarmed

voluntarily Only 415 had gone to Syria Were another 350 on border on Iraqi side Iraqis asked whether Assyrians would be given back weapons when returned but French said nothing

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

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

1968 Iraq announced it would seek better ties with Soviet Union and China

1983 Iraqi forces retreated 15 mi south of Mehran Iran central front back to Iraqi border Iraq launched

counterattack stopping Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 3 Iranian forces dug in around Mehran

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

1986 Saddam offered peace agreement to Iran Was rejected by Tehran

1987 Iraq bombed Oshnaviyah, Iran with mustard gas wounding 2,680 people

(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 review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1990 Saddam invaded Kuwait originally claiming there was a coup and emir called on Iraq for help Saddam

then changed justification for invasion by saying an opposition govt had overthrown Sabah family and asked for help

(Musings On Iraq review the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Storm, Volume 1)

(Musings On Iraq review Out Of The Ashes, The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein)

1990 Iraq said it would only be in Kuwait for days-weeks until Provisional Free Kuwait Govt asked it to

leave

1990 Iraq accused Kuwait of being involved in foreign and Zionist plots

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)

1990 Most of Arab world did not report on Iraq’s Kuwait invasion until 2 days later

1990 Kuwait’s ruling Sabah family tipped off about invasion US flew them to Bahrain and then Saudi

Arabia Called for resistance against the Iraqis

1990 Iraq could not find any credible Kuwaitis to establish a provisional govt to run country for it

1990 Iraq banned foreign travel for its nationals

1990 Bush NSC meeting focused on how Iraq invasion of Kuwait would allow Baghdad to control oil

market Wondered if Iraq would invade Saudi Arabia to seize its oil Made no decision on what overall policy to take Decided to go to UN gain international support impose sanctions

(Musings On Iraq review from storm to Freedom, America’s Long War with Iraq)

1990 Natl Sec Adv Scowcroft talked to Bush said he wanted to address next NSC meeting and express

steadfastly that US would not allow Kuwait invasion to stand Bush agreed Discussed using force to expel Iraq from Kuwait

(Musings On Iraq review The Bush Administrations and Saddam Hussein, Deciding on Conflict)

1990 NSC’s Near East Dir Haas drafted memo on using sanctions and military options to deal with Iraq’s

invasion of Kuwait 

1990 Bush met PM Thatcher who said Kuwait invasion couldn't stand and troops had to be sent to Middle

East Bush agreed Thatcher said that if Iraq’s aggression was allowed to stand no small country could ever feel safe

1990 US stopped loan guarantees to Iraq due to Kuwait invasion Froze Iraqi and Kuwait assets in US

1990 Bush told reporters he was not thinking of using force in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait

1990 Joint Chiefs chairman Gen Powell told Gen Schwarkopf he thought US would go to war over Saudi

Arabia but not Kuwait

1990 UN Resolution 660 demanded Iraq’s immediate withdrawal from Kuwait Said Iraq and Kuwait had to

use talks to resolve problems

1990 Joint US-USSR statement condemned Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait

1992 Kuwait and Saudi officials argued that Iraq should be divided along ethnosectarian lines to stop threat

of country to Persian Gulf

2002 DIA report on debate over aluminum tubes Iraq tried to buy DIA sided with CIA that tubes were for

centrifuges Said matched 1950s German centrifuge design

(Musings On Iraq How A Contested Aluminum Tubes Story Became The Basis For War With Iraq)

2004 Marines just given control of Najaf came under attack 1^st time by Mahdi Army in city as passed near

Sadr’s house Led to attacks by Mahdi Army in Baghdad, Kuwat, Nasiriya, Amara, Basra

(Musings On Iraq review US Marines in Battle An-Najaf August 20014)

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq War Min Abu Masri executed Turkish civilian Murat Yuce

2007 Saudis told Sec State Rice and Def Sec Gates that they were not funding Iraqi insurgency Said

wouldn’t support Iraqi govt Said Iraq was a threat because terrorists could come from there into Saudi Arabia

(Musings On Iraq The Saudi Role In The Iraqi Insurgency)

2008 Report on wave of female suicide bombers in Iraq Most had family member killed or arrested and

wanted revenge or maintain family honor Main target Sahwa and Iraqi forces

(Musings On Iraq Motivations Behind Female Suicide Bombers)

2009 Maliki govt transitioned 1^st batch of 3,331 sahwa Were assigned to ministries and had to apply for jobs

instead of given them as promised

2011 Car bomb at Holy Family Syriac Church in Kirkuk 2 other car bombs defused at other churches in city

2012 Turkey’s Foreign Min Davotoglu visited Kirkuk City which Iraq’s Foreign Ministry called interference

in Iraqi affairs

2015 Protests in Seysaib in Irbil and Dhi Qar Babil and Najaf over lack of services

2018 Protesters blocked road to West Qurna 1 oil field in Basra Gave govt 48 hours to answer their demands

View the Iraq History Timelines

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 1

1921 Gertrude Bell wrote US diplomat that England carried King Faisal on its shoulders into power

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

1979 22 coup plotters sentenced to death 33 others given prison time

1982 Iran made final attack in Basra as part of Op Ramadan Failed

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1982 Dawa bombed Planning Ministry in Baghdad

1990 Iraq walked out on talks with Kuwait held in Saudi Arabia Kuwait offered to cancel Iraq’s oil debts

worth $14-$15 bil and lease Werba Island Kuwait and Saudis offered to pay $10 bil to Iraq for ending dispute Iraq said no and demanded $27 bil

1990 Revolutionary Command Council and Regional Command met to hear about meeting with Kuwait

No progress Invasion order given

(Musings On Iraq review Out Of The Ashes, The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein)

1990 US intelligence found Iraq moved divisions within 3 miles of Kuwait border

1990 Chief DIA analyst for Middle East believed Iraq would invade Kuwait CIA thought invasion

imminent

1990 Pentagon meeting included Sec Def Cheney and Joint Chiefs head Gen Powell Agreed Iraq would

not invade Kuwait Powell said since Iraq totalitarian govt and US didn’t have any good intel inside regime couldn’t tell Saddam’s intentions Thought deploying troops was posturing by Baghdad and not for an invasion Cheney said couldn’t tell whether Iraq meant to pressure Kuwait or use military force

(Musings On Iraq review The Bush Administrations and Saddam Hussein, Deciding on Conflict)

1990 US Central Command cmdr Gen Schwarzkopf told Def Sec Cheney and Joint Chiefs staff Iraq was

            going to invade Kuwait

1990 NSC Deputies Committee decided Iraq was going to invade Kuwait after artillery units detected

Committee said Bush should send Saddam warning not to invade Kuwait

1990 NSC’s Haas convinced Natl Sec Adv Scowcroft to talk to Bush about warning Saddam not to

invade Kuwait

1990 NSC’s Haas and NatlSecAdv Scowcroft convinced Bush to call Saddam to warn him about invading

Kuwait Then got news of invasion

2001 Paper on increasing pressure on Saddam and supporting Iraqi opposition presented to NSC

2002 Senate Foreign Relations Committee began hearings on possible postwar Iraq scenarios Senator

Biden warned that unless US gained international support it could spend $70-$80 bil rebuilding Iraq

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

Tragedy)

2002 Iraq invited Chief UN Inspector Blix to Baghdad for talks about new inspection regime

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

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

2002 CIA made 1^st paper explaining assessment of aluminum tubes Said they were for nuclear program

Said high specifications showed they were for centrifuges

(Musings On Iraq How A Contested Aluminum Tubes Story Became The Basis For War With Iraq)

2002 Clinton’s National Security Adviser Sandy Berger OpEd in Washington Post said just because US

could overthrow Iraq didn't mean it should do it Berger said power did not mean legitimacy

2003 CIA Iraq station chief showed Bremer document from Saddam’s secret police calling for

sabotage looting ambushes Suggested Saddam planned insurgency Later proven false Was for guerrilla tactics against invasion

(Musings On Iraq Did Saddam Plan The Insurgency In Iraq?)

2003 New US training program to rebuild Iraq’s army began

2003 After trip to Iraq DepDefSec Wolfowitz said most Iraqis glad US liberated them from Saddam

Said US commanders rejected more troops to help secure Iraq Said Iraq could pay for its own reconstruction using oil and frozen assets Said invading Iraq was crucial to fight international terrorism Said invasion of Iraq and creating democracy could be start of transforming entire Middle East

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Future The aftermath of regime change)

(Musings On Iraq review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq bombed 6 churches in Baghdad and Mosul 12 killed 71 wounded

2005 Battle of Haditha began

2005 Oil Minister Uloom announced gas cooking gas and kerosene rationing to ease to help with

shortages

2005 Constitution commission said it was deadlocked because didn’t have authority to make major

decisions

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

2005 Ex-CIA officer claimed spring 01 received intelligence that Iraq had ended its uranium enrichment

program years ago

2007 Iraqi Accordance Front withdrew 6 ministers from cabinet claiming PM Maliki was excluding them

from govt that PM was sectarian and no reconciliation

(Musings On Iraq Sunni Accordance Front Returns To Maliki’s Government Amidst Recriminations and Challenges)

2007 US intel report Iraq polarized State and ISF weak Increased extremism US needed to increase ISF

loyal to govt Sectarian politics likely to continue Iraqi elite unlikely to agree upon reconciliation Shiites insecure about holding power Leads to mistrust and lack of reconciliation Many Sunnis don’t accept minority status Sunnis think Shiites Iranian tools ISF short on equipment and couldn’t handle security

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq After America, Strongmen, Sectarians, Resistance)

2007 US Govt Accountability Office found Pentagon couldn’t account for $19.2 bil worth of equipment it

gave to ISF Pentagon also said it only delivered 1/3 of equipment meant for Iraqi army and less than half of equipment for police

2008 PM Maliki issued one month ultimate for squatters to vacate houses Part of govt plan to get

displaced to return by kicking out people living in their homes

2008 Kurdish parties in Kirkuk asked for KRG to annex province as symbolic protest of provincial election

law that included power sharing in Kirkuk

(Musings On Iraq Kurds Come Out Swinging)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq After America, Strongmen, Sectarians, Resistance)

2008 PM Maliki offered Musawiya tribe limited autonomy in return for joining Tribal Support Councils

2012 Russia’s Gazprom signed deal for 2 oil blocks in KRG

2012 KRG said it would restart oil exports for Baghdad to try to get a new revenue deal with the central

govt

2015 Protests in Basra and Karbala over lack of electricity and services

2018 Protests in Dhi Qar Basra Muthanna Najaf 4^th day of sit in protest in Muthanna

View the Iraq History Timelines

Review The One Percent Doctrine, Deep Inside America’s Pursuit Of Its Enemies Since 9/11

Suskind, Ron, The One Percent Doctrine, Deep Inside America’s Pursuit Of Its Enemies Since 9/11, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney: Simon & Schuster, 2006

 

The One Percent Doctrine, Deep Inside America’s Pursuit Of Its Enemies Since 9/11 by Ron Suskind was meant to be an insider’s account of America’s War on Terror during the first term of the Bush administration. Suskind argues that while the White House made some considerable strides after 9/11 such as overthrowing the Taliban, rounding up many Al Qaeda members some of its tactics like spying on Americans’ domestic communications and torturing terrorists were questionable. More importantly he believed that President Bush derailed his own campaign by invading Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 31

1924 MP Chalabi rejected quotas in new parliament for minorities claiming everyone would be

represented

1928 Red Line Agreement allowed British Dutch French US Turkish oil companies to jointly control

Turkish Petroleum Company Would lead to Iraq Petroleum Company

1982 Iraq claimed it crushed Iranian Op Ramadan to seize Basra Retook most lost territory

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

1983 Iraqi army took 8,000 men from Barzani clan and executed them Retaliation for KDP taking part in

recent Iranian offensive in Kurdistan

1986 Iraqi air force launched most devastating attack upon Kharg Island Iran’s major oil port Knocked

out its ability to load tankers Let Iranians off the hook by not attacking again

(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 review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1990 King Fahd and Pres Mubarak tried to mediate between Iraq and Kuwait

1990 Kuwait emir told his representative to not give into any Iraqi demands at meeting in Saudi Arabia

between 2 nations

1990 Saddam’s deputy Izzat al-Duri said that Kuwait was driving Iraq to kill it after rejected all of Iraq’s

demands

1990 AsstSecState Kelly told House US had no defense treaty with Gulf States and didn’t take position on

border disputes or OPEC Said US would be concerned if Iraq invaded Kuwait but had no treaties with it

1990 Pentagon said it was committed to individual and collective defense of its allies in the Gulf

1990 Iraqi commanders told of Kuwait invasion plan

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Storm, Volume 1)

1990 US Central Command cmdr Gen Schwarzkopf warned White House Iraq was going to invade Kuwait

2002 Iraq Foreign Minister Sabri said Baghdad rejected return of UN inspectors Said they would just collect

intel for US strikes

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

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

2002 Bush said US goal was regime change but denied any war plans were on his desk Part of strategy to

work on war plans while publicly denying it

(Musings On Iraq review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

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

Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq Review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Bush Administrations and Saddam Hussein, Deciding on Conflict)

(Musings On Iraq review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To Invade Iraq)

2002 Senate Foreign Relations Comm began hearing on Iraq invasion

2002 Sec Def Rumsfeld told Senate Comm time helped Saddam erode sanctions and spread terrorism

2002 NSA had drill on Iraq Found it had little signals intel on country

2002 Report Iraq working on nuclear program quoted fmr UN inspector Kay and INC defectors Hamza and

Haideri May 02 Haideri labeled fabricator by DIA

2002 INC defector ex-nuke scientist Hamza testified to Senate Foreign Relations Comm claiming Iraq only

lacked uranium to build nuke bomb in 1994

(Musings On Iraq How US Intelligence Created An Iraqi Nuclear Threat In 2002)

2002 Iraq conspiracy theorist Mylroie interviewed on CNN Said Bush was going to invade Iraq because of

WMD and its ties to terrorism including 9/11 Accused CIA of covering up Iraq’s involvement in 9/11

(Musings On Iraq Laurie Mylroie’s Convoluted Iraq-Terrorism Conspiracy Theory)

(Musings On Iraq Laurie Mylroie’s Iraq Conspiracy Theory Was Debunked By Captured Baath Documents)

(Musings On Iraq review Losing Iraq, Inside The Post War Reconstruction Fiasco)

2003 Sadr announced 10,000 man Islamic army being formed in Najaf

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

2003 Report several Iraqi scientists interviewed by US said Saddam had not restarted its nuclear or WMD

programs

(Musings On Iraq How US Intelligence Created An Iraqi Nuclear Threat In 2002)

2003 National Sec Adv Rice said international intel agencies all agreed with US that Iraq had WMD US

would prove right that Saddam was threat to world

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

(Musings On Iraq How The Administration Reversed Itself On Finding Iraq’s WMD)

(Musings On Iraq review Hoodwinked, The Documents That Reveal How Bush Sold Us a War)

(Musings On Iraq review What Happened, Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception)

2003 US forces found Iraqi jets buried at Taqadum airbase west of Baghdad Helped explain why Iraqi air

force didn't fight during invasion

(Musings On Iraq Why Didn’t The Iraqi Air Force Fight During The 2003 Invasion?)

2003 Report White House official said wasn’t strong evidence that Iraq involved in 9/11

2004 US arrested Sadrist Sheikh Hasnawi in Karbala Mahdi Army kidnapped police in Najaf in response

2006 Displacement Min said 182,154 had been displaced since Askari shrine bombing in Feb 2006

2006 Police in 15 SUVs kidnapped 25 people from Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce and Rawi

telephone company in central Baghdad Never seen again

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

2007 VP Cheney said that he was wrong when he said insurgency in its last throes in 2005 Said that

benchmarks didn’t reduce violence and insurgency stronger than he thought

2007 2/3 of US casualties in Iraq were caused by militias in July

2008 US and Iraq missed deadline to sign Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq

(SOFA) US wanted residual military force to stay in Iraq after official withdrawal

(Musings On Iraq Missed Deadlines)

2008 Kirkuk council threatened to annex province to Kurdistan

2008 Police shut down Sahwa group in Kut Wasit Had formed political party to run in 2009 elections PM

Maliki opposed US creating Sahwa in Shiite areas seeing them as threat to his base

(Musings On Iraq Recent Government And Sons of Iraq Relations)

2012 France’s Total signed contracts for two oil blocks in KRG

2015 Protest in Baghdad Basra Najaf over lack of electricity Called for Electricity Min to step down

2018 Human Rights Watch report No due process in Iraqi legal system Judges ignored torture allegations in

cases even after asked for report and told signs of torture present Torture banned in constitution

2018 PM Abadi said he would meet demands of protesters Said govt would publish names of officials sent

to Integrity Comm for corruption

2018 Sit-in protest in Muthanna and Burjisiya oil field in Basra for 3^rd day Sit in protests outside West

Qurna 1 oil field and Basra council building broken up by ISF Protests in Baghdad Dhi Qar Qadisiyah

2018 Iraq Human Rights Commission said protesters beaten and tortured after arrest and reporters attacked

for covering demonstrations 1 shot

2019 Report Israeli defense official said Iranian presence in Iraq was a threat Said Iran

moving missiles into Iraq that can reach Israel

(Musings on Iraq Pro-Iran Hashd Brigades And Now Israeli Strikes Making A Joke Of PM Abdul Mahdi’s Claims Iraq Neutral In Regional Conflicts)

View the Iraq History Timelines

Security In Iraq Jul 22-28, 2020

Security in Iraq remained at a very low level after the Islamic State’s annual Spring offensive. There were 13 incidents total reported in the media. Five of those were by pro-Iran groups targeting the U.S. That left just 8 incidents by the Islamic State. This was the second time this year that attacks by the militants were in single digits. This has now become routine in the country. There is a huge surge of violence once or twice a year and then a large drop afterwards.