This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 21

1802 Wahabi army from Arabia sacked Karbala 2,000-5,000 killed

1917 Battle of Istabulat in Diyala started between British and Ottomans with

            the Turks being defeated

1926 Turks told British it no longer wanted Mosul just a stake in the province’s oil

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

1941 Hitler told military aid to Iraq could only be delivered by air and that would require

            stop in Syria which would need approval of Vichy France

1941 Hitler got intel of large British forces in Iraq and more arriving so was skeptical

            of providing aid to Gaylani govt

1981 Kuwait gave Iraq $2 bil interest free loan to help pay for Iran-Iraq War

1991 Iraqi govt forces began attack on southern marshes in Maysan Basra and Dhi Qar

            to root out rebels

2002 Telegraph reported Iraq supported Ansar al-Islam Al Qaeda affiliate in Kurdistan

2003 CPA created to take over running Iraq for US replacing ORHA

2003 ORHA staff and head Garner entered Baghdad Gen Franks had kept them out He

            didn’t want civilians to get in way of military

2003 Rumsfeld took advice of Gen Franks and cancelled sending 50,000 additional

            troops to Iraq from 1^st Cavalry Div

2003 5,000 Sadrists protested arrest of its cleric Fartusi by U.S.

2003 NY Times article claimed Iraq had destroyed WMD right before war and moved

rest to Syria Story proved false

2003 NY Times article said Iraqi scientist told Americans Iraq had been working on

            WMD for years and led US soldiers to banned precursors

2003 Foreign Sec Straw told Blair he was skeptical evidence of Iraq’s WMD wound be

            found Thought it might be destroyed

2003 Iraqi scientist told US Iraq had destroyed WMD equipment right before invasion

            Had sent some to Syria since 90s Worked with Al Qaeda Story false

2003 2 US congressmen went to Syria and got Assad’s promise not to harbor any

            Baathists and expel those that tried to flee there

2004 Car bombs in Basra City killed more than 70

2004 CIA analyst told Congress no working relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda

2006 United Iraqi Alliance nominated Dawa’s Nouri al-Maliki as new PM Mahmoud

            Mashadani of Accordance Front would become Speaker of Parliament

2008 Oil Minister objected to Kurds’ independent oil deals

2008 U.S .general said if Sadr didn’t hold back Mahdi Army US would fight them

2009 Sahwa in Adhamiya put “X”s on houses of displaced Shiites and told them

            not to come back

2010 State of Law said Sadr reason no new govt after elections because Sadr opposed

            to Maliki 2^nd term

2011 Human Rights Watch report Govt arrested and tortured protesters in

            Baghdad and held some in secret prison at Muthanna Airport

2011 Drive by shooting on opposition radio station that supported protests in

            Sulaymaniya

2011 2 offices of Kurdistan Islamic Group attacked in Sulaymaniya

2011 Lawyers protested in Fallujah demanding US withdrawal and release of prisoners

2011 Clash in Mosul as army tried to stop demonstration

2011 Maliki told US joint chiefs head Adm Mullen ISF could handle security after

            US withdrawal

2011 5,000 Sadrists held march in Basra to commemorate formation of Mahdi Army

2013 Maliki blamed anti-govt protests for increase in violence in country

2013 Protest leader in Hawija said army had arrested 114 demonstrators after

            checkpoint was attacked and 1 soldier killed

2015 Pres Barzani and other KRG politicians complained about PKK being in Sinjar

            Claimed trying to take over district

View the Iraq History Timelines