Review Special Operations in Iraq

Ryan, Mike, Special Operations in Iraq, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Books, 2004

When you read this book two things immediately come to mind. First, where was the editor? and second, how did this ever get published? As the title suggests, Special Operations in Iraq is about the various Coalition Special Forces that took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The problem is there is no organization within many of the chapters, nor how the chapters are arranged, and author Mike Ryan completely failed in covering the large number of Special Forces deployed during the war.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 31

1980 Iranian navy made 2^nd raid on Fao oil facilities in Basra

1982 Iran launched Muharram al-Haram attacking Diyala and Maysan Took back 120 sq mi of

Iranian territory 330 sq mi of Iraqi land Led Iraq to call up its reserves

(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)

1995 INC HQ in Salahaddin, Irbil bombed by Iraqi National Accord killing 28 At time Kurds blamed

Baghdad for bombing

1998 Iraq suspended all cooperation with UN weapons inspectors Led Clinton to order military build

up in Gulf

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

1998 Pres Clinton signed Iraq Liberation Act opening up $97 mil for opposition parties

2001 ABC withdrew story that Iraq might be behind anthrax letters sent to Wash DC

2002 Blair agreed to offer a division to US for invasion of Iraq

2002 UK energy companies met with govt official complaining business deals being made for

postwar Iraq and they were being left out

2002 Iraqi opposition met in Salahddin Kurdistan Said they were united to remove Saddam Wanted

to end sectarianism Create federal democratic state

2004 US Gen Sattler Unless US and Iraqi forces stopped insurgent intimidation campaign against

Iraqi civilians they couldn’t win

2004 Report US intel est 8,000-12,000 insurgents in Iraq and well financed Was far more than

previously believed

2004 Report US army overrode objections of contracting officers who complained about cost

overruns and non-competitive bids given to Halliburton in Iraq

2005 US report Iranian Revolutionary Guard Iraqi militias and police carrying out assassinations in

Basra IRGC gave assassination orders to Sayid al-Shuhada Iraq Hezbollah Thar Allah Fadhilah Badr and others

2006 ISI’s Furquan Institute for Media Production made its first release

2006 State Dep memo to Sec State Rice said ISF not capable of controlling violence Meant Clear

Hold Build impossible Said Maliki talked about being national leader but was proving sectarian

2006 Iraq spokesman at donor-UN conference in Kuwait said Iraq needed $10 bil for rebuilding over

4-5 yrs Said oil production not high enough to pay for reconstruction

2006 Report US soldier killed in ambush by Iraqi police in Shula earlier in Oct Head of US military

training team said 70% of Iraqi police infiltrated by militias Junior Iraqi police officers talked about militia control of police force in Baghdad neighborhoods

2008 600 Sahwa arrived at Al Furat Iraq Police Training Center in Baghdad to receive basic training

(Musings On Iraq article on Maliki govt integration of Sahwa)

2010 ISI attacked Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad Took 100 hostages Goal was publicity

and gain donations 68 killed

2015 Albu Faraj noth of Ramadi attacked by ISF after it was declared freed 3 times

2016 Iraqi forces attacked Gogjali eastern suburb of Mosul

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Security In Iraq Oct 22-28, 2018

(Iraqi News)

After three weeks with a high number of security incidents things finally cooled off during the fourth week of October. One reason might be the increased security for the Arbaeen pilgrimage going on in Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 30

1918 British forces took Shirqat from Ottomans

1918 Armistice of Mudros signed between British and Ottomans 6^th Army surrendered to British

Ended WWI in Mesopotamia

1918 British officials in Baghdad told London to create central council of chiefs of Southern

Kurdistan

1936 Hikmat Sulaiman became premier of Iraq leading to 1^st govt with pan-Arabists out of power

Sulaiman was hoping that new govt would lead to liberal reforms but General Sidqi wanted to maintain status quo General won and most of Sulaiman’s followers left govt

1936 Sulaiman govt banished former PM Hashimi, Rashid al-Gaylani and Nuri al-Said

1980 Saddam predicted Iran-Iraq War would only last 6-12 months

(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 Meeting of Bush advisers on Kuwait National Security Adviser Scowcroft said US policy at

fork in road Could continue defense or go on offense against Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait Joint Chiefs head Gen Powell said Gen Schwarzkopf asked for troops for offensive operations against Iraq in Kuwait Defense Secretary Cheney said offensive action against Iraq should be on the table

1990 Bush decided to double number of US troops in Saudi Arabia

1992 Kurds allowed PKK to retreat further into Kurdistan on condition they stopped military

operations against Turks

1997 Tariq Aziz claimed surveillance planes used by inspectors were working for US intelligence

Threatened to shoot them down CIA was using planes to spy on Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article on how US used UN inspectors to spy on Iraq)

2002 Cheney told head UN Inspector Blix that inspections couldn't last forever and US was ready to

discredit them anyway to disarm Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2003 Cheney said Iraq had WMD

2003 Dep Sec of Def Wolfowitz said because US had missed so much of Iraq’s WMD program in

1991 it might have exaggerated them in 2003

2003 Report White House pushed Pentagon to speed up training of Iraqi forces

2003 US Natl Intel Est on Iraq said Iraqis not foreigners behind most of insurgency and local

grievances including US occupation were fueling violence

2005 Spec Insp Gen for Iraq Recon report said US had no policy for staffing reconstruction of Iraq

Said lack of planning by US plagued rebuilding

2005 Report Italian press believed SISMI intel agency forged docs claiming Iraq-Niger uranium deal

and shared them with US and UK

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

2005 Report PUK build dozens of houses in Kirkuk City and moving Kurds in Said to reverse

Saddam’s Arbization program

2006 Militias killed 17 Sunni police near British run training center in Basra

2006 SecState Rice aide told her little chance for US success in Iraq Another said Iraq heading

towards genocidal violence Rice talked about giving up reconciliation in Iraq and just worrying about stability

2012 Election Commission called for provincial elections on 4/20/13 that excluded Kirkuk and KRG

2015 PM Abadi went to Dawa meeting to answer critics of his reforms

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Review Oil and Democracy in Iraq

Review Springbord, Robert Editor, Oil and Democracy in Iraq, London, Berkeley, Beirut, Middle: Saqi, 2007

Oil and Democracy in Iraq is now a dated book. It begun as a result of a commission formed by the British Department for International Development in 2003 to help plan for the future of Iraq’s petroleum industry. It was later revised and published in 2007. In 2009, Iraq held a series of auctions and signed the majority of its deals with international oil companies (IOCs) making this book moot. A reader needs to understand what happened after the book came out to value it and see the roads not taken by Iraq. Without that knowledge this book would be of little use today.

This Day In Iraqi News - Oct 29

1936 Planes dropped flyers over Baghdad demanding PM Yasin Hashemi’s resignation as

troops marched on capital in coup led by Sulaiman and Gen Sidqi PM Hashemi asked for King Ghazi’s support When didn't get it offered his resignation Parliament building bombed in coup Def Min Askari was assassinated by Gen Bakr Sidqi coup plotters Nuri al-Said Yasin Hashemi Rashid Ali al-Gaylani all fled Iraq fearing assassination after coup 1^st coup in Iraq

1980 2 Iraqi Tu-22 bombers shot down ending Baghdad’s bombing campaign of Iranian cities

(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 UN Security Council said overtures to Iraq had failed and talked about alternatives but came up

with nothing

1990 Bush said US wouldn’t rule out use of force against Iraq for Kuwait invasion

1997 Tariq Aziz said no Americans would be allowed as inspectors accusing them of being spies and

trying to overthrow Saddam

1997 IAEA suspended all its work in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2002 Gen Franks briefed Bush on war plans again

2003 Bush said he supported Bremer’s plan for Iraq but that it could be sped up

2004 CIA report said that Iraqi elections would likely lead to opposition from Sunni Arab govts

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

2004 1^st Lancet report on Iraqi casualties claimed 100,000 civilians died since invasion mostly due to

Coalition 1^st Lancet gained huge publicity but was mostly discredited by experts but not in

            media

(Musings On Iraq article Major Flaws in Lancet Report Pt 1)

(Musings On Iraq article Major Flaws in Lancet Report Pt 11)

(Musings On Iraq article New Study Refutes Lancet Reports)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mark Van Der Laan on Lancet Reports)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Michael Spagat on Lancet reports)

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq beheaded Japanese civilian Shosei Koda

2004 Report US forces reached Al Qaqaa site during 03 invasion then left and site looted of high

grade explosives

2005 Rumsfeld disagreed with Rice’s Clear Hold Build strategy Said Iraqis were ones that needed to

stand and fight and not rely on US troops

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

2006 Spec Insp Gen for Iraq Recon report US didn’t track hundreds of thousands of weapons it

bought for ISF and didn’t provide spare parts maintenance personnel training manuals 14,331 assault rifles sub machine guns and pistols went missing

2008 US turned over Wasit to Iraqi control 13^th of 18^th province to do so

(Musings On Iraq article on Wasit handover)

2015 VP Maliki said PM Abadi removing Vice Presidents was illegal

2017 Pres Barzani said he would step down and defended independence referendum KDP followers

attacked press and opposition politicians and burned their offices Stormed KRG parliament building

(Musings On Iraq article on Pres Barzani’s resignation)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Musings On Iraq In The News

I was quoted by Paul Iddon in "What will a new Iraq-Turkey border-crossing mean for KRG?" in Rudaw and in "Turkey-KRG relations one year after Kurdish independence vote" in Ahval.

All Musings On Iraq and citations.

Review Target Basra, The High-Octane Story of the Royal Marine Commandos In Iraq

Review Rossiter, Mike, Target Basra, The High-Octane Story of the Royal Marine Commandos In Iraq, London, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland, Johannesburg: Bantam Press, 2008

Target Basra focuses upon the 40 and 42 Commando of the 3^rd Commando Brigade that were deployed to Basra province during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. They were two small units of Royal Marines whose task grew from seizing oil facilities along the Persian Gulf to entering Basra city and governing two towns after the invasion was over. The book is fast paced and describes how the British forces went from small tasks to huge responsibilities that they were never planned for.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 28

1913 Secret Ahd Association of Ottoman officers formed Included many Iraqis that would

become leaders and prime ministers under monarchy such as Nuri al-Said Yasin Hashemi Jamil Midfai and others Called for Arab autonomy

1980 Fighting ended in Khorrmahshahr with Iraqis in control Iraq lost 2,000 dead 6,000 wounded

Iran lost 1,500 dead Iraq lost so many troops gave up assault on Abadan and decided to surround city instead

1980 Iranian navy made raids on Fao oil facilities in Basra

1987 Soviet diplomat Vorontsov made another trip to Iran and Iraq to try to negotiate end to war

(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)

2003 Bush speech said Iraq frontline of war on terror and would take time to win

2003 Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Gen Pace said US had to return sovereignty as soon

as possible and get Iraqis to run things

2003 Powell said security number one priority in postwar Iraq otherwise nothing else would matter

2005 Bush speech said Iraq central front in war on terror against Al Qaeda and US would have

complete victory

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

2005 Cheney chief of staff Libby indicted on obstruction perjury false statements for retaliating vs

FmrAmb Wilson over Iraq-Niger deal

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

2006 ISI launched first chlorine bomb

2006 Spec Insp Gen for Iraq Recon report US hadn’t trained enough Def and Interior Min personnel

to handle logistics Didn’t think ISF would be ready to handle own logistics by Jan 08 deadline it set

2008 Report Maliki tried to set up Tribal Support Council in Khanaqin Diyala Maliki tried to assert

federal control over district run by Kurds for months

(Musings On Iraq article on PM Maliki and Khanaqin District)

2016 KRG PM Barzani replaced 4 Gorran ministers with 4 KDP politicians in dispute over Pres

Barzani’s term

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Iraq Starts Following US Sanctions On Iran

(iStock)

Both former Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi and new Premier Adel Abdul Mahdi said they did not agree with U.S. sanctions on Iran. Abadi sent a delegation to Washington to try to get some exemptions, but the White House was firm. As a result, the Oil Ministry announced that it will no longer be trucking petroleum to Iran.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 27

1982 Saddam ordered increase in attacks upon Iranian cities 3 SCUD missiles fired at Dezful

(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)

1984 Iraq restored diplomatic relations with US which ended in Oct 1967

1992 Report before Gulf War Bush admin approved sale of computers and software to Iraq that were

used on missile and supergun programs

1992 Opposition meeting in Salahaddin, Kurdistan called for democratic and federal Iraq Made INC

umbrella organization with ethnosectarian quotas

(Musings On Iraq article on 1992 Salahaddin meeting)

(Musings On Iraq article on 1992 Salahaddin conference)

1992 PUK KDP PKK signed ceasefire after PUK and KDP helped Turks attack PKK

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

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

2002 US intel complained to press Pentagon using own intel on Iraq and relying upon INC too

much

2003 Bremer returned to DC to discuss his long term plan for Iraq which White House had turned

against

2003 Rumsfeld told Bremer of plan to return Iraq sovereignty by Apr 04 Bremer said needed new

Iraqi govt and constitution 1^st

2003 Bush at NSC meeting said US had to stay the course in Iraq Gen Abizaid said US had to bring

back ex-Iraqi soldiers to rebuild army Bremer said too risky Natl Sec Adv Rice Iraq insurgency desperate and not going to succeed

2003 Zarqawi bombed Red Cross HQ and 4 police stations in Baghdad Sixth attack foiled 35 dead

and 244 injured at start of Ramadan

2003 Saddam called on insurgents to attack Iraqi security forces rather than U.S. led coalition

2003 U.S. military blamed foreign fighters for spate of Baghdad bombings Day before denied foreign

fighters important in capital Said insurgents were paying 10 times as much for people to carry out attacks against US forces

2003 UnderSecDef Feith provided evidence of Iraq-Al Qaeda ties his office had collected to Senate

Intel Comm Feith told comm Iraqi govt knew Zarqawi entered Iraq in 2002

2003 Bush told press that violence in Iraq desperate act and sign that US was making progress

2004 Report number of IEDs being planted in Iraq went from 500 per months in May and June 04 to

1,000 by Oct 04

2005 Baghdad insurgent leader told Guardian he supported voting on Constitution and opposed Al

Qaeda in Iraq

2011 Salahaddin council voted to start process to become a federal region Maliki blocked move

2015 60 members of State of Law sent letter to Abadi demanding answers about his reforms

organized by Maliki

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 26

1920 UK High Commissioner Sir Cox formed Iraqi provisional govt after 1920 Revolt led

British to give up direct rule Abd Naqib of Baghdad was premier Had 21 ministers 12 with no portfolios Naqib opposed giving any ministries to Shiites

(Musings On Iraq book review of Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

1920 UK High Commissioner Sir Cox said Basra province showed no support for Mandate

Merchants in province just wanted to maintain status quo Mid-Euphrates sheikhs and landlords the same Baghdad and Mosul provinces want to have role in govt Intellectuals were nationalists

1952 Baghdad Pharmacy Collee strike over exams Turned into riot that spread to other

            cities 

1978 Pres Assad signed National Charter of Joint Action to counter Israel-Egypt peace treaty while

visiting Baghdad

1980 Iraq fired missiles at Dezful, Iran for 2^nd day

1980 Most of the Iranian forces driven out of Khorramshahr Gave Iraq control of Shatt al-Arab

1980 Soviet news agency accused Iraq of aligning with US in Iran-Iraq War

1980 Iran objected to Iraq abrogating 1975 Algiers Agreement in letter to U.N. Said Iran still

following it Iraq broke it

1984 Tariq Aziz told Sec of State Shultz Iraq ready to resume full diplomatic relations with US after

17 yr break

(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)

1989 Sec of State Baker memo said that ties with Iraq important to shape Middle East politics

2001 After anthrax letters sent to Wash DC ABC reported anthrax trademark of Iraq’s WMD

program

2001 Czech Interior Ministry told press 9/11 hijacker Atta met Iraqi intel officer in Prague

2003 DepDefSec Wolfowitz arrived in Baghdad and met with Chalabi who warned him insurgents

knew he was in the country

2003 Baghdad’s Rashid Hotel hit by rocket while Dep Sec of Def Wolfowitz staying there 16 killed

18 wounded

2003 US military said were not many foreign fighters in Baghdad

2003 Iraq Survey Group found aluminum tubes Iraq tried to buy were not for centrifuges Pentagon

replied group had not finished its analysis

2003 Report CIA interviewed head of Iraq’s centrifuge program who said Iraq ended centrifuge work

after Gulf War and tubes had nothing to do with it CIA claimed head of Iraq’s centrifuge program was not telling truth about aluminum tubes Iraq tried to buy

(Musings On Iraq article on the aluminum tubes story)

2004 PM Allawi blamed US for deaths of 49 army recruits killed in Diyala by Zarqawi

2005 Report CIA review said Zarqawi visited Baghdad May 02 but probably didn’t have protection of

Iraqi govt Review of Zarqawi’s trip based upon interviews with Saddam era Iraqi officials Bush admin originally claimed Zarqawi was given safe haven by Saddam and said sign of Iraq-Al Qaeda cooperation

2006 Maliki interview refuted US timetable for Iraq Said ISF could take over security in 6 months

not 12-18 US set out Said he didn’t agree to timetable Said he met with Sadr and they agreed greatest threat to Iraq was Al Qaeda in Iraq and Baathists not militias

2008 US Special Forces raided ISI camp in Syria used to ferry foreign fighters into Iraq captured

huge amount of documents

2017 Iraqi forces renewed west Anbar op This time aimed at liberating Qaim along Syrian border

2017 More clashes between Iraqi forces and Peshmerga in Fish Khabur and Altun Kupri in Ninewa

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Lasting Lessons From “The Anbar Awakening” Interview with Carter Malkasian, Author of Illusions of Victory

The conventional American wisdom on the Anbar Awakening was that it was a turning point in the war in Iraq. When a few tribes in central Anbar decided to rise up against the insurgency in 2006 it eventually expanded across the province, and was duplicated by the Americans during the Surge in 2007. It was such a success that the U.S. attempted to replicate it in Afghanistan. In effect this became a mythos of a tribal revolt. It held such sway that when the insurgency made a return in Iraq in 2014 with the Islamic State there were people in the U.S. calling for arming the tribes. Carter Malkasian attempted to upend that entire narrative in his book Illusions of Victory: The Anbar Awakening and the Rise of the Islamic State. Malkasian argued that the Awakening was actually a fleeting success as shown by its quick disillusion in 2007, and its inability to maintain security in Anbar, which allowed the return of IS a few years later. This is an interview with Malkasian about his ideas on the Awakening and U.S. intervention.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 25

1922 Gertrude Bell wrote that King Faisal was trying to create his own party but was being played by politicians

(Musings On Iraq book review of Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

1937 Nuri al-Said’s son told him to return from exile in Egypt after made contact with pan-Arab

Golden Square officers

1980 Iraq fired missiles at Dezful, Iran

1983 Iran claimed Iraqi troops destroyed Kurdish town of Penjwin

1984 Iranian troops recaptured Mehran, Iran ending Op Dawn 7

(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)

2000 Congress authorized increase in support for Iraqi opposition groups to $25 mil in 2001 $18 mil

would got to INC

2002 VP Cheney met with Russian For Min Told him countries that sided with US in war would get

preferential treatment in contracts afterward

2003 Iraqi prisoners were stripped, handcuffed and piled in pyramid on top of each other by US

jailers in Abu Ghraib

2004 Report top contracting official at US Army Corps of Engineers questioned Halliburton’s no-bid

Iraq contracts

2004 Report 380 tons of high grade explosives looted from Al Qaqaa nuclear site

2004 Kurds marched in Kirkuk demanding Kurdish control of city

2005 Results of Constitutional referendum announced 79% voted for constitution Anbar and

Salahaddin overwhelmingly voted no

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

2005 Death toll for Americans in Iraq reached 2,000 since 03 invasion

2005 Iraq Body Count est 26,690-30,051 Iraqi civilians and police died since 03 invasion

2006 Bush speech Iraq challenge of our time Knew people weren’t happy with Iraq war and neither

was he Bush speech said US winning in Iraq Bush said he didn’t believe in timetables for Iraq but Gen Casey and Amb Khalilzad issued a timetable the day before Said they were benchmarks and not a timetable At time he thought strategy failing and working on new one

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

2006 CNN poll found 34% supported Bush on Iraq, 64% disapproved

2006 Maliki criticized US timetable for his govt Said no one had right to impose deadlines on Iraqi

govt Said timetable was created for US consumption before Nov elections Amb halilzad said Maliki agreed to idea of a timetable

2006 U.S. and ISF raided Mahdi Army areas in east Baghdad Maliki complained about raids saying

the wouldn’t happen again

2006 Report British military wanted to withdraw from Iraq withina  year British officials told US

that British military near breaking point with long deployments to Iraq

2006 Special Insp Gen for Iraq Recon audit found some US reconstruction contracts had 55%

overhead costs Main reason was long delay between singing contracts, assembling teams and actual work starting US wrote poor contracts bad to no oversight needless delays poor practices

2006 Report US raid in Washash Baghdad found Mahdi Army papers listing 65 houses that had

Sunni families in them replaced by Shiites Also draft of threats to Sunnis to drive them out

2006 Report Feb 05 Gen Casey said US would transfer security to ISF by end of 05 Jun 06 Casey

sent plan to White House sying that US troops would start withdrawing by Sep 06 and have 50% out by Dec 07 Oct 24 Casey said that ISF would take over security in 12-15 months

2009 ISI bombed Justice & Municipalities Ministries in Baghdad 155 dead 721 wounded Maliki

blamed Baathists but was ISI

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Security In Iraq Oct 15-21, 2018

(Iraqi News)

Incidents have been higher in October than previous months. This has been due to continued Islamic State rebuilding in central Iraq, and the group returning to Anbar and Baghdad. Turkey continues to hit the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Kurdistan as well every week.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 24

1978 Pres Assad visited Baghdad 1^st time to talk about unifying Iraq and Syria Issued

unification declaration

1980 Iraq took city center in Khorramshahr and declared it taken Fighting continued for four more

days

1984 US Info Service reopened office in Baghdad Closed since 1958 in first step to reestablish formal

relations between US & Iraq

(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)

1997 KDP launched offensive against PUK ending last ceasefire in civil war

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

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

2002 Pentagon’s Policy Counterterrorism Group briefed Rumsfeld on Iraq-Al Qaeda ties

2002 Rumsfeld told press Policy Counterterrorism Group was not an intel unit

2002 Intel officials complained to press that Pentagon politicizing intel on Iraq

2003 US secured $13 bil in aid and loans from allies for Iraq at Madrid conference

2003 Maysan police chief assassinated by a local political faction

2005 Palestine Hotel and Sheraton Ishtar Hotel in Baghdad hit by truck bombs

2006 US Cmdr Gen Casey and Amb Khalilzad announced new timetable for US goals in Iraq Said ISF should

take over security in 12-18 months Govt had to demobilize and integrate Shiite militias, Draft bill to divide oil revenues End deBaathification Hold provincial elections Revise constitute Set no date for wen goals had to be achieved or any consequences for not meeting them

2014 Babil’s Jurf al-Sakhr finally cleared after a dozen attempts All civilians forced out of city and

not allowed to return

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Official Results Announced for Iraq’s Kurdistan, Big Win For KDP

(AFP)

The Election Commission finally announced the official results of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) balloting. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won a big victory, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) recovered from its embarrassing finish in 2013, while some of the opposition parties are claiming fraud.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 23

1918 Battle of Shirqat started as British forces moved north from Baghdad to seize Mosul

province and its oil before war ended  

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

1973 Baghdad ordered its units home in 1973 Arab-Israeli War

1977 Ayatollah Khomeini’s son Mustafa died in exile in Najaf Iranian secret police believed to be

behind it

1980 US said Iran’s national integrity was threatened by Iraq Pres Carter was trying to get US

hostages released by Iran

(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)

1991 Baghdad imposed economic embargo on Kurdistan in retaliation for clashes with

            Peshmerga

1996 PUK and KDP signed ceasefire brokered by US, UK and Turkey

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

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

1997 UN Resolution 1134 said that Iraq had to fully comply with weapons inspectors and

condemned non-cooperation Were splits within UN security council over continued weapons inspections

2002 US and UK submitted draft UN resolution for new inspections in Iraq

2003 Madrid Conf began with 76 countries to garner international aid for Iraq Germany Russia

France offered nothing having opposed war

2003 US guards at Abu Ghraib prison photographed an Iraqi prisoner with a leash on and other

abuses

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq dressed as police took 49 Iraqi soldiers off bus and executed them in Diyala

2005 Islamic Army got in gun battle with Al Qaeda in Iraq in Taji north Baghdad over the latter

killing members of the Islamic Army

2006 Report UN recorded 1.6 mil refugees 1.5 mil displaced 40,000 Iraqis arriving in Syria per month

365,000 new refugees since Samarra bombing in Feb 06

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Oil Minister Reverses Transfer Of 9 Companies To National Oil Company He Will Head

Outgoing Oil Minister Jabar al-Luabi cancelled his order from October 18 to transfer nine state owned oil and service companies to the new Iraq National Oil Company that he now heads. The move raised the ire of Prime Minister Designate Adel Abdul Mahdi who issued a statement on his Facebook page that Prime Minister Haidar Abadi and President Barham Salah had to stop any unconstitutional and illegal appointments and orders as the Abadi government came to an end. An Iraqi official told Iraq Oil Report this was aimed at Luabi. He then reversed his order.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 22

1965 Gen Nasser said he supported Iraqi govt against Mustafa Barzani’s Kurdish rebellion

1980 Iraqi forces surrounded and began siege of Abadan Iran

1981 UN backed Islamic Conference Organization’s attempt to end Iran-Iraq War

1983 Iranian Op Wa al-Farj 4 reached Penjwin Kurdistan Iraqi counterattack pushed Iranians back

(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)

1991 Baghdad told Kurdish workers that if they wanted to keep their jobs they had to move to govt

controlled areas of Kurdistan due to clashes with Peshmerga

2004 Sistani aide Safi in Friday sermon said voting in 2005 elections was a religious duty

2006 Report criticized Lancet report that est 400,000-800,000 Iraqis deaths since 2003 Lancet

claimed 40 consecutive households were questioned within one day Public health researcher Hicks didn’t think that possible One Lancet author Roberts said 80% of deaths recorded had a death certificate and that deaths had been underreported Report criticized for main street bias only surveying main streets where violence more likely Lancet author Burnham said off streets were included Then said he actually didn’t know how survey was conducted Lancet author Roberts said some of the raw data was destroyed to protect people’s safety Also said that findings could easily be replicated by other studies

(Musings On Iraq article Major Flaws in Lancet Report Pt 1)

(Musings On Iraq article Major Flaws in Lancet Report Pt 11)

(Musings On Iraq article New Study Refutes Lancet Reports)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mark Van Der Laan on Lancet Reports)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Michael Spagat on Lancet reports)

2006 Report US in talks with Islamic Army in Amman

2006 Fmr Finance Min Allawi said $750-$800mil in defense spending under PM Allawi stolen Ziad

Cattan head of military procurement convicted in absentia for stealing from defense deals

2010 Wikileaks released thousands of classified US reports on Iraq

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day in Iraqi History - Oct 21

1980 Iraqi forces reached city center in Khorramshahr, Iran

1980 Taha Yassin Ramadan head of Baath Popular Army said Khuzistan oil was Iraq’s until Iran

opened negotiations to end war

(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)

1991 Iraq told UN weapons inspectors it had program to build a nuclear bomb

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

1992 Peshmerga helped Turkish troops fight PKK in northern Kurdistan

1996 PUK backed by Iran recaptured most of territory it lost to KDP except Irbil

2000 Izzat al-Duri attended Arab summit saying Iraq believed only jihad could save Palestinians in

latest conflict with Israel

2000 King Hussein called for end of sanctions on Iraq at Arab summit

2002 Report Czech Pres Havel told White House 9/11 terrorist Atta did not meet with Iraq

intelligence in Prague

2004 US soldier found guilty of abuse in Abu Ghraib prison scandal given 8 yrs in prison

2006 ISF and US forces patrolling Amara to enforce ceasefire between Mahdi Army and Badr

Suweira Mahdi Army and Badr clashed Mahdi Army blamed for bombing ISCI office in Hamza al-Sharqi

2006 Inter Min Bolani met with Sadr in Najaf to try to get him to reign in Mahdi Army

2006 Insurgents started two days of attacks on police base in Baquba Up to 80 police killed

2007 Maliki complained to US about Oct 20 US raid into Sadr City and wanted investigation into

US abuses in Iraq

2008 ISF raided head of Sahwa in Buhriz Diyala Arrested spokesman for Diyala Sahwa and beat him

Was part of PM Maliki crackdown on Diyala Sahwa

(Musings On Iraq article on raids and arrests of Diyala Sahwa)

2010 Maliki went to Turkey to try to help his attempt to form new govt

2011 US announced it would withdraw its force from Iraq on Dec 31

2011 Obama told Maliki not getting stay behind US forces in Iraq was ok because US

            would still have influence

2014 New operation to try to clear Babil’s Jurf al-Sakhr started after Sep attempt failed

2016 Iraqi forces freed Bartella Ninewa

View the Iraq History Timelines 

PM Designate Mahdi Did Not Like Oil Minister’s Action On Iraq National Oil Company

Oil Minister Luabi (Reuters)

October 18 out going Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luabi transferred nine-state owned oil and service companies to the new National Oil Company (INOC) that he is heading. While this was part of the plan for the new oil business, the timing, a week before a new government is to be announced raised the ire of Prime Minister designate Adel Abdul Mahdi.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 20

1980 US said Iraq invasion of Iran threatened security in Gulf and land should not be seized

by force

1983 Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 4 seized 15 villages in Kurdistan

1984 Iraq held elections to prove legitimacy of Saddam Was 40% quota for Shiite deputies

(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)

1991 Report Saddam was arming PKK to fight Turkey

2000 British Foreign Office said wanted to offer end of sanctions to return inspectors but didn’t

think US would agree

2002 Czech Intel told US no evidence 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraq intelligence in Prague

2004 Report Jan 03 Natl Intel Council warned building democracy in Iraq would be long difficult

and turbulent Council warned that overthrowing Saddam could lead to ethnosectarian rivalries and power grabs in Iraq

2004 Transparency International ranked Iraq one of most corrupt countries in world

2005 One of Saddam’s lawyers kidnapped and killed

2006 Mahdi Army Badr and officials from PM Maliki’s office worked out ceasefire to end fighting in

Amara 10 police 15 militiamen killed 160 wounded

2007 US Special Forces raid into Sadr City hunting Special Groups led to huge firefight

2010 KRG Natural Resource Min Hawrami said Kurds were ready to send 60 bil cubic meters of

natural gas to Turkey

2015 Baiji town finally cleared of IS

2016 PM Abadi announced govt would not allow human rights violations during Mosul campaign

and investigative committee created to look into any

2017 Fighting broke out between Iraqi forces and Peshmerga in Altun Kupri Kirkuk as Kurds

worried federal forces were going to march on Irbil

(Musings On Iraq article on Kurds withdrawal from disputed areas)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Iraq Starts Reviving National Oil Company

On October 18 Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luabi announced that nine-state owned companies involved with the petroleum industry would be transferred to the new National Oil Company. This is part of the government’s plan to make the Oil Ministry into a strategic planning body, while the National Oil Company would be involved with implementation and day to day operations.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 19

1948 All Jewish govt workers fired after creation of Israel

1958 Gen Bakr forced to retire after Col Arif lost power struggle with Gen Qasim within govt

1980 Saddam speech said Iraq couldn’t win war because outnumbered by Iran

1983 Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 4 began to take Penjwin Valley from KDPI and cut supply line to Iraqis

(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)

2003 Powell said US had found evidence of Iraq’s WMD programs and that Saddam always wanted

nuclear weapons

2004 Head of aid group Care was kidnapped in Baghdad Later killed by insurgents

2004 Iraq conspiracy theorist Mylroie wrote OpEd in NY Sun that Iraq was training foreigners to

carry out terrorist attacks and working with Islamic groups

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

2004 PM Allawi got US to free insurgent leader Sheikh Jumaili in attempt to split

            militants in Fallujah against Zarqawi Failed

2005 Saddam’s trial started and pled his innocence

2005 Rice told Senate about Clear Hold Build counterinsurgency plan for Iraq Was not

            discussed with US military beforehand

2005 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey US Iraq Amb Khalizad later asked Rice what Clear Hold

            Build was and why not consulted

2005 Rumsfeld complained to Rice that he did not back Clear Hold Build and he

            was not consulted about it

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

2006 IED killed Amara police chief from Badr Police arrested brother of suspected bomber from

Mahdi Army 2 days of fighting started

2006 Mahdi Army stormed 3 police stations manned by Badr in Amara

2006 US military spokesman said Op Together Forward II failed to reduce violence in Baghdad Said

attacks up 22% since start of Ramadan US forces returned to Dora after it was touted as first area cleared during operation

2006 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey US Amb Khalzad gave press conference saying Op Together Forward

II in Baghdad working

2006 Report over 20 militias operating in Baghdad Mahdi Army splintering

2006 Report police unit blamed for killing 26 Sunnis at food factor in Baghdad’s Amil Unit was

            suspended

2013 IS held parade in southern Fallujah

View the Iraq History Timelines