This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 15

1950 Nuri al-Said became premier 6^th time

(Musings On Iraq interview with Historian Phebe Marr comparing PM Said with PM Maliki)

1980 Iran accused Iraq of attempting to shoot down helicopter with Iranian Pres Bani

            Sadr and Premier Rajai on it

1980 Iranian F-14 Tomcat shot down an Iraqi MiG

1981 Reagan administration discussed covert arms deal with Iraq to get a Russian

            T-72 tank in return Iraq rejected idea

1987 Saddam told UN delegation he would accept ceasefire if UN punished Iran

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

1989 Iraq arrested UK Observer reporter Bazoft for reporting on missile program

            Led to condemnation in UK media

1992 PUK and KDP agreed to merge their Peshmerga under command of Kurdish

            parliament

1995 PUK and KDP broke off peacetalks brokered by US to end civil war

2001 Bush held meeting at Camp David to determine response to 9/11 Iraq brought

up several times Pentagon paper for Camp David said 3 priorities in war on terror: Al Qaeda, Taliban, Iraq Joint Chiefs head Gen Shelton went over Afghanistan war plans and Iraq ones if necessary National Security Adviser Rice said US military should think about military action in other places in case Afghanistan went bad Opened up opportunity to bring up Iraq Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz was afraid Afghanistan would be a quagmire Said Iraq would be easy in comparison and 10-50% chance Iraq behind 9/11 Said US should go after Iraq if serious about war on terror Secretary of State Powell said Wolfowitz had no proof Iraq involved in 9/11 and was just using it for his Iraq agenda During break Wolfowitz brought up Iraq again with Bush After break Rumsfeld asked if it was time to attack Iraq Powell objected saying it would cost international support Powell said US had to do Afghanistan first and would make Iraq easier if wanted to deal with it later Bush didn’t want to do more than one war at a time Later Wolfowitz brought up Iraq again Before lunch Bush said he’d heard enough about Iraq After lunch Bush asked each adviser for their ideas Powell said if US wanted to go after other states they would still be there after Afghanistan Powell said he was against attacking Iraq because US would lose coalition and confuse war on terror Rumsfeld said if hitting Iraq would cost coalition US needed a new coalition Chief of Staff Card said US should build up troops in Persian Gulf that could be used vs Iraq but then said case against Iraq had not been made Cheney said if US attacked Iraq would lose its good guy image in war on terror Did say Iraq would be dealt with later on CIA Director Tenet said Afghanistan should be focus Voted on issue with 4-0 against going after Iraq with Rumsfeld abstaining

2001 Bush said he thought Iraq involved in 9/11 but told Rice it would be dealt with

            later

(Musings On Iraq article on how Bush admin went from 9/11 to Iraq invasion)

2004 Around 1000 protested in Najaf demanding that Sadr and his aides leave the city

2004 Gen Chiarelli said that US would clear militias from Sadr City Didn’t happen

2006 US and Maliki govt announced new plan to cut weapons and bombs entering

            Baghdad with checkpoints at entrances and trench around city

2006 Bush speech Said he was listening to his generals who said things were working in

            Iraq Privately Bush had decided Iraq strategy not working and wanted new one

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

2006 Report US Army battalion expelled a Special Forces unit working with Albu Nimr

tribe in Hit Anbar because felt Special Forces were not sharing information on their activities Shut down tribal outreach and recruitment into ISF

2006 Last 5 days 142 bodies found executed

2006 Report Sept 02 Iraq’s Foreign Min Sabri told CIA Iraq had no ties to al Qaeda Info

was not given to White House Sabri said that Iraq was working on nuclear and WMD programs and that was given to White House

2007 GAO said Iraq met 3 partially met 4 not met 11 of 18 total benchmarks set by

            Congress for progress during Surge

2015 Cabinet voted on law to cancel Vice Presidents

2018 Parliament elected Mohammed al-Halbusi former Anbar governor Speaker His al-Hal

party was accused of cheating in May elections and were reports he used bribes to attain the position

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