This Day In Iraqi History - Feb 26

1917 3 British gunboats fired upon by 4 Ottoman ships at Nahr-al-Kalek, Wasit 3 Turkish ships

sunk and 4^th captured

1983 Iran’s Op Fajr al-Nasr in Maysan to seize Basra-Baghdad road ended

1984 Iraq counterattack pushed back Iran’s Op Kheibar in Basra marshes

(Musings On Iraq book review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

1987 Iran officially ended Op Karbala 5 in Basra Suffered 52,000-62,000 casualties vs 40,000 Iraqis

casualties

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)

(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 Saddam announced withdrawal from Kuwait Iraqi army started pulling out

1991 Saddam called on Iraqis to applaud the army for fighting 30 countries Claimed Iraq won and it was a

great victory

1991 US 3^rd inf Div attacked 52^nd Armored Div 17 Div Adnan and Tawakalna Divs

1991 Battle of 73 Easting US 2^nd Arm Cav Rgt fought Iraq’s Tawakalna Div

1991 Battle of Norfolk US 1^st Arm Div UK 1^st Arm Div destroyed Iraq’s 26^th, 25^th, 31^st, 48^th Divs and 52^nd

Arm Div

1991 US aircraft began attacking retreating Iraqi forces from Kuwait on Highway of Death

1991 Iraq said it was willing to end annexation of Kuwait and pay reparations for a ceasefire in Gulf War

and end of sanctions

1991 Bush admin officials said they wanted to keep sanctions on Iraq to provoke a coup

2002 Fmr Amb Wilson arrived in Niger to investigate Iraq trying to buy uranium

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

2002 MI6 Chief Dearlove said US would demand weapons inspectors under conditions Saddam wouldn’t

accept to justify military action

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2003 Bush speech at American Enterprise Institute Said that Iraq was direct threat to US due to WMD and

links to terrorists Said other nations would help rebuild Iraq and US would stay in Iraq as long as necessary but “not a day more” Said spreading democracy to Iraq would be an inspiration to Middle East

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq’s Future The aftermath of regime change)

(Musings On Iraq book review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

2004 Gen Taguba handed in his report on Abu Ghraib prison abuse case

2004 Ayatollah Sistnai dropped demand for elections to be held by 6/30/04 but said they had to happen by

end of year

2006 Al Qaeda in Iraq assassinated Gen Saab Manfi Mohammed al-Rawi of Albu Rawi Member of Anbar

security council

(Musings On Iraq book review Illusions of Victory, The Anbar Awakening And The Rise Of The Islamic State)

2007 Cabinet approved draft oil bill Never passed

2007 Report EFP cache found in Hillah and another in Diyala US military said proof that Iran was providing

weapons to Iraqi militias

(Musings On Iraq interview with Galen Wright of Arkenstone blog on Iranian arms shipments to Iraqi militias) 

2011 Riot police broke up demonstration in Sulaymaniya city 1 protester killed

(Musings On Iraq interview with journalist Wladimir Van Wilgenburg on 2011 KRG protests)

2016 Sadrists joined Friday protests in Baghdad saying they would end support for Abadi if cabinet wasn’t

reformed Said would storm Green Zone

(Musings On Iraq interview with Cambridge’s Michael Clark on Sadr’s protests and demands on PM Abadi)

2016 Kurdish Alliance said they would not give up their ministries to go along with Abadi’s reforms 

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