This Day In Iraqi History - May 1

1919 War Min Churchill wrote PM George that British army was overstretched

            with new additions like Mesopotamia

(Musings On Iraq article on Churchill’s views on Mesopotamia/Iraq)

1938 Iraqi constitution Article 89a criminalized communism

1941 PM Gaylani went to Turkish Amb to Iraq saying British violating 1930 treaty and

            expected English air strikes any time

1941 PM Gaylani asked Turkish ambassador to contract British and try to stop conflict

            Message was passed to British ambassador to Iraq

1941 Iraqi police opened fire on British workers in Rutba, Anbar England responded by

            sending forces from Transjordan to town

1941 British bombers sent from Egypt to Shaiba air base in Basra

1941 1^st Battalion of Iraq’s 11^th Inf Brigade sent from Baghdad to Fallujah to confront

            British

1948 Iraqi volunteers defeated by Jewish forces in Battle of Katamon in 1^st Arab Israeli

            War

1959 500,000 Communists marched demanding role in Gen Qasim’s govt

1969 Iraq became 1^st Arab country to recognize East Germany as part of alliance

            with Soviet Union

1989 Talabani and PKK’s Ocalan signed cooperation agreement in Damascus

1991 Saddam said that fighting spirit of Iraqis led Bush to call a cease-fire in Gulf War

1991 Report 68,000 displaced caused by uprising following Gulf War

1994 Land dispute in Qala Dizel began civil war between PUK and KDP 400 killed

            in fighting over next month

1997 Turkey with support of KDP started new campaign against PKK in northern

            Kurdistan Claimed killed over 2000 PKK fighters KDP lost 200

2002 FBI and CIA told media 9/11 hijacker Atta did not meet Iraqi intel in Prague April

            2001

2002 Bush told Press Sec Fleischer he didn’t like “motherfuckers” like Saddam who

            gassed their own people “assholes” who lied to the world

2002 Bush told Press Sec Fleischer he was going to kick Saddam’s ass

2003 Bush gave Mission Accomplished speech declaring victory against Iraq Linked

invasion to 9/11 Said war eliminated ally of Al Qaeda Now terrorists could not get WMD from Iraq

2003 White House officials gave briefings that they thought Saddam had been killed

            during start of invasion

2003 British memo said it supported ORHA but that organization was not delivering

            in Iraq and lacked strategy

2003 Grenades thrown into US base in Fallujah wounding 7 soldiers

2004 Bush announced that Bremer would select Iraqi transitional government

2004 Reports of British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners

2004 Secret report leaked that provided evidence of Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse and US

            military leadership didn’t stop it

2005 Memo leaked that Blair was looking for justification for war in Jul 2002 which

            he denied it at the time

2006 Sen Biden and Council on For Rel head Gelb published OpEd arguing for

            federalism in Iraq based upon Sunnis Shiia Kurds regions

2011 KRG Dep Inter Min Karim said govt would not allow any protests without

            permission after crackdown in Sulaymaniya

2013 Maliki said he would take on armed protesters in Anbar

2013 Kurdish alliance said new deal with Maliki would end their boycott of cabinet

            Maliki didn’t follow through

2013 Maliki-Kurd deal included dealing with disputed areas, amending budget paying

            peshmerga distributing revenues

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