This Day In Iraqi History – Feb 5

1950 Tawfiq Suwaidi became premier 3^rd time

1977 Dawa party turned pilgrimage to Karbala into anti-Baath protests Army called out

            Pres Bakr blamed Syria

1981 UK rejected requests by both Iraq and Iran for military equipment

2001 Rice chaired meeting to go over Iraq policy Agreed Saddam had won PR war

            convincing most that sanctions hurting Iraqi public

2001 NSC meeting also agreed sanctions were not forcing Saddam from power

2001 At NSC meeting Powell argued for smart sanctions that would just focus upon

            military imports to Iraq

2001 NSC meeting discussed returning UN inspectors to Iraq and how to deal with

            Iraqi opposition

2001 Rice wanted review of No Fly Zone Led to less flights to try to avoid plane getting

            shot down

2001 Rice told US agencies to increase intelligence gathering on WMD

2002 CIA report on Iraq-Niger uranium deal Said it received text of deal from foreign

            intel service CIA and DIA thought text important State Dept skeptical

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

2002 CIA report said Iraq had 7 mobile WMD labs

2003 Before Powell’s UN speech Bush met with 20 Congressional leaders to lobby them

            on Iraq

2003 Rice told Congressional leaders US tried everything with Iraq and now war only

            option Said WMD would be found afterward

2003 Powell and UK ForSec Straw met before UN speech Both skeptical about Iraq intel

            Powell thought most was circumstantial 

2003 Sec of State Powell gave UN speech laying out US case against Iraq’s WMD

and ties to Al Qaeda using Zarqawi

2003 Powell claimed Iraq hidings its WMD from inspectors Said Qusay Hussein ordered

            removal of banned material from sites

2003 Powell claimed WMD missiles had been distributed to unit in western Iraq

2003 Powell said human sources claimed Iraq had mobile WMD labs Said some disputes

            within US intel but most agreed Iraq tried to buy aluminum tubes for centrifuges

2003 Powell claimed Iraq had UAVs that could be used to deliver WMD

2003 Powell claimed Iraq gave safehaven to Zarqawi in Kurdistan Said Iraq-Al Qaeda

            had 8 meetings since 1990s

2003 Powell claimed Iraq gave Al Qaeda training in WMD

2003 Chief UN inspector Blix told press never found any evidence of Iraq having

            mobile WMD labs

2003 3^rd meeting of US UK Australia on postwar Iraq planning US rejected any role

            for UN

2003 WashPost editorial said Iraq violating UN resolutions and supported war

2004 Ayatollah Sistani survived assassination attempt in Najaf

2004 CIA Dir Tenet gave speech at Georgetown refuting Iraq Survey Group’s Kay claim

            everyone was wrong about Iraq’s WMD

2004 CIA Dir Tenet said CIA might’ve over estimated nuke program Were differences

            over mobile WMD labs Natl Intel Est never said Iraq imminent threat

2004 CIA Dir Tenet said Saddam dictator intent to build WMD

2004 CIA Dir Tenet referenced Iraq For Min Sabri who told CIA Iraq had nuke program

            stockpile of chemical weapons small biological weapons program

2004 CIA Dir Tenet said US still needed time to find out about Iraq’s WMD

2004 CIA Dir Tent said in the end CIA would be proven not entirely right or wrong

            on pre-war Iraq intel

2006 Report MP Mishan Jabouri charged with stealing millions of dollars for contract

            to protect Iraqi pipeline from Baiji refinery and Kirkuk Fled to Syria

2007 Baghdad Operations Command created

2011 Maliki spokesperson said he would not run for a 3^rd term in 2014 but he did

2014 IS attacked Mukhisa, Diyala forcing out families Afterward ISF and miltias

            killed civilians and burned homes

View the Iraq History Timelines