This Day In Iraqi History - May 12

1920 US protested to UK about San Remo agreement that divided up Iraq’s oil between UK and

France saying London promised open door policy in region

(Musings On Iraq book review Supremacy And Oil, Iraq, Turkey, and the Anglo-American World Order, 1918-1930)

1941 Soviet Union recognized PM Gaylani’s govt

1941 British reinforcements from Palestine and Transjordan attacked by a German bomber

1941 German air force liaison officer killed while trying to land in Baghdad during dog fight between Iraqi

and British fighter planes

1941 PM Gaylani told German ambassador to Turkey made offer to be middleman with England Gaylani

feared Ankara would intervene in Iraq

(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 Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

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

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq And Syria 1941, The Politics and Strategy of the Second World War)

1948 Railway strike against Anglo-Iraq Treaty

1969 Dispute over Shatt al-Arab discussed at UN after Iran protested Iraq expelling 10,000 Iranians

1982 Iranian Op Bait al-Moqaddas Reached Khorrmashahr across from Basra Drove Iraqi forces out of

Susangerd area

(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)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)

1986 US intel report Iraq was talking with China to build a covert nuclear power plant

1990 Italy said it seized parts headed for Iraq to make a 130 ft long supergun

1990 Iraqi govt extended amnesty for Iraqi fighters until June

1991 Baghdad took journalists to mass grave with 100 bodies it claimed were killed by Iranians and Shiite

rebels in southern Iraq

1996 Sec State Albright interviewed on 60 Minutes Was asked whether 500,000 Iraqi children dying as a

result of sanctions was worth it Albright said yes

(Musings On Iraq book review The United States And Iraq Since 1990: A Brief History with Documents)

2003 Paul Bremer arrived in Iraq to take over new CPA During meeting Bremer suggested shooting

looters Remark leaked angering Iraqis

2003 Only 4000 Iraqi police on duty in Baghdad to cover 7 mil inhabitants

2003 UK ForSec Straw said that Coalition failed to restore order in Baghdad

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

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2003 Report on INC defector ex-nuke scientist Hamza Saddam’s son-in-law Kamal called Hamza a

liar Hamza and former UN inspector Albright tried to get book published on Iraq’s nuke program Said Iraq failed to build bomb Not published Hamza got book published Saddam’s Bombmaker claiming Iraq was closer to building a bomb than anyone knew

2004 1800 new pictures of prison abuse at Abu Ghraib released

2004 Sec Def Rumsfeld told Senate US interrogation methods used in Iraq were legal and cleared by

Pentagon lawyers

2006 Bush invited 10 former Secretaries of State and Defense to ask them opinions about Iraq war

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

2007 Report US GAO found 100,000-300,000 bar of oil missing each day Worth est $5-$15 mil Smugglers

likely culprit

2007 Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq dropped revolution from its title Also said that it

would look towards Ayatollah Sistani more than Ayatollah Khamenei Party was trying to distance itself from its pro-Iran history

2008 Sadr issued another ceasefire to try to stop govt offensive against Mahdi Army

2008 United Iraqi Alliance and Sadrists agreed not to attack each other politically after ceasefire announced

2009 Presidential council vetoed 2009 budget

2009 Tribal march in Mosul for Hadbaa list and against Peshmerga and Asayesh presence in province

(Musings On Iraq article on Kurd-Al Hadbaa dispute in Ninewa)

2009 Mass grave in Qadisiyah found with 100 Kurds killed during Anfal campaign

(Musings On Iraq article on Anfal campaign)

2010 US general warned Sadrists carrying out attacks extortion intimidation in southern Iraq

2011 Parliament elected 3 VPs after 2010 elections Mahdi Hashemi and Khuzai

2013 Iraqi paper got memo showing PM Maliki okayed purchase of fake bomb detectors

2013 Supreme Council and Fadhila agreed to form coalition in 7 new provincial govts in south

2015 ISCI accused Kataib Hezbollah of attacking its offices in Basra Baghdad and other provinces

2016 IS began final assault on Ramadi with 12 suicide car bombs

2018 Iraq held fifth election for parliament 44% voter turnout lowest since elections started in 2005

(Musings On Iraq article on May elections)

(Musings On Iraq article on early election results)

(Musings On Iraq article on 18 provinces election results)

(Musings On Iraq interview with IRIS-Chatham House’s Mansour on 2018 elections)

2018 PUK attacked Gorran HQ in Sulaymaniya Widespread accusations of voting fraud in Sulaymaniya and

Kirkuk provinces

(Musings On Iraq article on election crisis in Kirkuk and Kurdistan)

2018 Quds Force head Gen Suleimani arrived in Baghdad for elections Reportedly started talks afterward to

form anti-Sadr coalition

View the Iraq History Timelines