This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 18

1916 British leaders told troops to continue advance in Mesopotamia vs

            Ottomans after huge loss at Kut One of biggest British defeats in WWI

1950 PM Said threatened to expel Jews from Iraq over Israel

1980 Iran’s Foreign Minister rejected Iraq’s claim to Shatt al-Arab

1980 Saddam sent Tariq Aziz to Arab countries to argue Iraq’s case to back it against Iran

1980 Iraqi artillery hit Iranian city of Abadan

1980 2 Iranian F-5 Tiger IIs fired upon Iraqi troops along the Iran-Iraq border and were

            shot down by Iraqi anti-aircraft fire

1980 Iraq’s generals made final battle plans for invasion of Iran and set 9/22/80 as

            invasion date

1985 Iranian Op Al Quds 5 in Kurdistan ended with Iranian forces largely pushed back

            after Iraqi counteroffensive

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1990 Iraq Army Chief of Staff Gen Khazraji told Saddam Iraq would lose any war

            with US

1995 Hussein Kamal interview with Time Said he defected to Jordan to help Iraq Said

Iraq had been at war too long since Iran-Iraq War Criticized Saddam for executions and arrests

1996 KDP attacked Kurdish displaced camp along Iranian border killing 11 wounding

            30 during campaign against PUK

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Kurds, A Modern History)

(Musings On Iraq book review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

2001 Richard Clarke’s counterterrorism office sent Rice memo saying no Iraq-9/11 links

            found

2001 DepDefSec Wolfowitz wrote Rumsfeld that Iraq backed terrorists and might

have been behind 1993 World Trade Center bombing using conspiracy theorist Mylroie’s argument 

(Musings On Iraq article on Mylroie’s Iraq conspiracy theories)

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

2001 Reuters reported 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraqi intelligence in Europe Story was

            false

2002 Rumsfeld told House committee Iraq was close to acquiring materials to build a

            nuclear bomb

2002 CIA Paris Station chief met with Lebanese journalist who said Iraq’s Foreign Min

Sabri willing to work with US Lebanese journalist told CIA Sabri said no WMD or nuke programs Station chief went to CIA HQ to tell about Iraq Sabri’s claims about WMD and nuke programs

2002 CIA’s Iraq Operations Group said Iraq Foreign Min Sabri’s claims WMD and

            nuke programs inactive was dinsinformation

2003 Head weapons inspector Blix said he believed Iraq destroyed its WMD in 90s

2003 Report wave of kidnappings for ransom across Baghdad

2004 Zarqawi front group Jihad and Unification video aired on Al Jazeera saying it

had kidnapped 2 Americans and a Briton in Baghdad Demanded release of Iraqi women prisoners

2005 Iraq draft constitution presented to UN

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

2006 US turned over central Salahaddin to Iraq’s 4^th Division Was second such handover

            to ISF

2008 Iraqi army demanded Peshmerga withdraw from Jalawa Diyala after negating deal

with Kurds to allow them to remain in town Part of Maliki policy to pressure Kurds in disputed areas

(Musings On Iraq article on Maliki’s pressuring Kurds in Diyala)

2012 Cabinet approved new oil export-revenue sharing deal with KRG

2015 Protests in Baghdad Babil Karbala Najaf Qadisiyah Muthanna Dhi Qar Wasit

            Maysan Basra Diyala over reforms

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