This Day In Iraqi History - Feb 27

1923 UK High Comm Cox wrote London that Faisal complained Anglo-Iraq treaty was only new

phase of mandate instead of ending it

1982 US removed Iraq from list of terrorist countries in step towards restoring relations

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

1984 Iran captured Majnoon Islands Iraqi counterattack began Iran built pontoon bridges from Iran

to Majnoon to supply 2 divisions defending area Was turning point in war

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

1984 Iraq bombed Iran’s main oil terminal Kharg Island Said it would continue to attack oil industry until

Iran agreed to end war

1984 Iraq used leased French Super Etendard jets for 1^st time attacking two Iranian tankers

1988 Iraq fired missiles on Saqqez Iran killing 26  Also bombed Tehran refinery Iran bombed Baghdad in

retaliation

(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 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 Battle of Medina, Basra US 1^st Armored Div and 3^rd Inf Div defeated Iraq’s Medina and Adnan Divs in

largest tank battle of Gulf War

1991 Battle of Kuwait Airport US 1^st Mar Div took airport

1991 Pres Bush declared Kuwait liberated

1991 Voice of Free Iraq radio station aired broadcast calling on Iraqis to rise up against Saddam

1991 Joint Chiefs head Gen Powell said he was ready to recommend end of Gulf War in 24 hrs Bush said

should end it now

1991 Bush offered ceasefire Iraq accepted it

1995 Car bomb in Zakho killed 76 PUK blamed Baghdad KDP blamed PUK

1996 Iraq provided new declaration on missile program with more info to UN inspectors

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2001 Sec of State Powell got Arab states to agree to new smart sanctions on Iraq

2001 DepDefSec Wolfowitz told Senate US reviewing Iraq policy and how to work with groups like INC

2002 UK Def Min said govt had to consider military action against Iraq

2003 Wolfowtiz told House Comm admin had no estimates of costs of reconstructing Iraq and wouldn’t

know until it got there Said calls for more troops to handle postwar Iraq were “outlandish”

2003 ORHA head Garner learned he only had $27 mil to run postwar Iraq

2003 UK Att Gen Goldsmith changed his position that UN Res 1441 alone could be legal basis for action

against Iraq

2003 UK oil firms met with govt officials saying they thought US firms were getting deals for postwar Iraq

over them

2003 State Dept paper said multiple sources claimed Iraq had mobile WMD labs

(Musings On Iraq article on mobile labs story)

2003 State Dept analysis said creating democracy in Iraq would be difficult and likely undermined by

internal and external issues

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

2003 CIA told Sen Levine that it didn’t believe Iraq-Niger uranium deal made but Iraq might have been

interested in one in 1999

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

2004 Deadline to finish Iraq’s interim constitution Transitional Administrative Law missed

2004 Fmr chief UN inspector Blix told Guardian he thought US spied on him

2007 Bombing at Municipalities Ministry aimed at VP Mahdi 7 killed including Dep Municipalities Min

Anbari and 31 wounded Mahdi blamed Sadrists

2007 Mahdi Army began attack on UK bases in Basra

2007 Report US carrying out talks with factions of Mahdi Army Military and intelligence sources said

claims of rogue elements of Mahdi Army were not true and just used to excuse it actions

2007 Report Mahdi Army men turning up dead in north and east Baghdad Allegedly killed by special

teams sent from Najaf to eliminate criminals and disloyal militiamen

2007 US National Intel Dir McConnell told Senate Iraq in civil war Security and political trends in Iraq

going in negative direction and would be nearly impossible for Iraqi leaders to change things Said Samarra bombing had increased polarization Said Iran training Iraqi militias in Iran and Lebanon

2007 DIA Dir Gen Maples told Senate avg 180 attacks per day Jan 07 Same as previous high in Oct 06 US

officials claimed immediate decrease in violence when Surge started in Jan

2007 US announced it would meet with Iran and Syria to talk about Iraq

2009 Pres Obama announced withdrawal plan for U.S. forces from Iraq by 2011

(Musings On Iraq article on Obama’s withdrawal announcement and US public opinion)

2011 Maliki set 100 day deadline to reform government in response to national protests

2011 After Imam gave speech at Sulaymaniya protest was arrested and beat by peshmerga

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

2011 Babil Gov Zarkani resigned after protests and pressure from Maliki

2012 Diyala governor forced to resign after supported autonomy for province

2012 Head of Election Commission said that it got forms to register voters for referendum on Salahaddin

autonomy

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq From War To A New Authoritarianism)

2013 Wissam al-Hardan elected new head of Awakening Was move against Ahmed Abu Risha who

supported Anbar protests Hardan aligned with PM Maliki

2016 Sadr led demonstrations in Baghdad calling for ending corruption and reforming govt

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

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