This Day In Iraqi History - Mar 21

1921 Colonial Sec Churchill wrote PM George lobbying for Feisal to be approved as new ruler of

Mesopotamia

(Musings On Iraq article on Churchill’s views on Mesopotamia)

(Musings On Iraq book review Churchill’s Folly, How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq)

1925 King Faisal signed new election law and constitution

1935 UK report Baghdad afraid to deploy army because didn’t trust it especially because much of the rank

and file were Shiites

1941 Regent told UK Amb that he would dismiss PM Hashemi govt if it didn’t deal with Golden Square

officers

(Musings On Iraq book review of Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The National Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Role of the Military In Politics, A case study of Iraq to 1941)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

1980 Ayatollah Khomeini’s son Ahmad said that Iran had to use all means necessary to spread its

revolution to other countries

1982 Iran attacked Fakkeh Shush and Naderi and took Ein Kosh in central front in 1^st phase of Op Fatah 1^st

time Basij used with Revolutionary Guard in human wave attacks as diversionary operation continued

(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)

(Musings On Iraq book review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)

1985 State Dept spokesman claimed US thought Iraq had defeated Iran and said Tehran should accept

negotiated settlement

(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 Govt offensive to retake Kirkuk from Peshmerga began day after Kurds took it

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

1991 Govt announced state of emergency in Baghdad due to uprising

(Musings On Iraq interview with National Univ of Singapore’s Fanar Haddad on the Impact of the 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on 1^st hand accounts of 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on Saddam’s view of 1991 Uprising)

(Ahulbayt Video on 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on how US encouraged 1991 uprising)

1991 UN survey of Gulf War damage to Iraq called it almost apocalyptic Said bombing had put Iraq in

preindustrial age

2002 Gen Franks met with US commanders in Germany to go over war plans Said war was going to happen

and they needed to be ready

(Musings On Iraq book review of Shaping the Plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom, The Role of Military Intelligence Assessment)

2003 Shock and Awe bombing campaign started Only lasted 9 hours

(Musings On Iraq book review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

2003 US commanders reported that Iraqi soldiers were abandoning their units

2003 Parts of Um Qasr port seized by US forces Rumsfeld declared Um Qasr taken It wasn’t

2003 British and US forces began seizing oil fields in Basra 15 oil fields set on fire by Iraqis

(Musings On Iraq book review Target Basra, The High Octane Story of the Royal Marine Commandos In Iraq)

2003 British reached Basra and started fighting Fedayeen

2003 MI6 was trying to incite a popular uprising in Basra against Saddam

2003 Op Viking Hammer launched to destroy Ansar al-Islam camps in Kurdistan

2003 1^st casualties of Iraq war 8 UK 4 US soldiers die in Kuwait helicopter accident 1 US Marine killed in

fighting in Um Qasr

2003 Natl Sec Adv Rice briefed Bush and NSC and all agreed on war goals democracy and put Iraqi face on

occupation

(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)

(Musings On Iraq article on Part I Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Planning for Postwar Iraq September 2001 to May 2003)

2003 UK Gen suggested revising postwar plans for Iraq Needed to improve lives of Iraqis Balance

withdrawal with forces necessary for stability

2003 White House press secretary said no question Iraq’s WMD would be found

2004 11 U.S. soldiers suspended for prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib

2005 State Dept’s Jeffrey told Bush Allawi trying to drag out govt formation process and he should stop

because was not going to retain premiership

2006 Blair said that Iraq war was part of the struggle between spreading democracy vs violence in world

2006 Bush said there was sectarian fighting in Iraq but it was not a civil war after Allawi said it was

2006 Insurgents took police station and courthouse in Baghdad Killed 17 police Freed 20 prisoners

2006 Insurgents took Muqtadiya police station Executed 19 police Freed 33 prisoners

2006 Report insurgents infiltrated into Tal Afar after successful counterinsurgency program by 3^rd Armored

Cav Reg and unit left

2006 CIA report Insurgency undermining political and economic development in Iraq Said even if Sunnis

given larger role in Iraq govt Al Qaeda in Iraq would not stop attacks

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency)

2007 Report 2 Mahdi Army commanders said Iran had been paying militiamen since 2005 to break away

from Sadr Said Iran trying to get Sadrists to join Asaib Ahl Al-Haq Said Iranian backed groups tried to assassinate Sadr City mayor Said militia receiving training from Hezbollah and Iranian Rev Guard in Iran Many militiamen also went to Iran to escape Surge

(Musings On Iraq article on Hezbollah presence in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)

(Musings On Iraq book review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)

2008 Maliki told Gen Petraeus of his plans to take on Mahdi Army in Basra

2010 Maliki asked Supreme Court to interpret what largest bloc meant for forming govt after elections

when his State of Law came in 2^nd Decision undermined Allawi’s Iraqiya right to form a new govt and gave it to Maliki’s State of Law

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

2013 Sheikh Abu Risha demanded cabinet reverse delayed provincial elections in Anbar

2013 Sadr called cabinet decision to postpone provincial vote in Anbar unconstitutional

2013 Sadr cleric gave Friday sermon calling on Maliki to step down

2016 Sadr said quotas in govt should be ended

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

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