Review Iraq and Imperialism, Thomas Lyell’s The Ins and Outs of Mesopotamia

Rich, Paul, Edited, Iraq and Imperialism, Thomas Lyell’s The Ins and Outs of Mesopotamia, San Jose, New York, Lincoln, Shanghai: Authors Choice Press, 2001

 

Thomas Lyell was a British officer who served in Iraq during the British Mandate. He was a judge in a criminal and then a land claims court. His The Ins and Outs of Mesopotamia was published in 1923. The first two thirds of the book are about his mostly disparaging remarks about Shiism and Iraqis which was largely influenced by his seeing the underside of society as part of the judiciary. The ending is about what England should do with Iraq. Lyell was an imperialist and a racist that led to his conclusion that the British should stay in Iraq, develop and administer it so that it could be a profitable part of the empire because the population was incapable of self-rule.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 31

 

1920 High Commission Sir Cox reported that many sheikhs of large confederations

supported Mandate and didn't want an Iraqi govt

(Musings On Iraq review Inventing Iraq: The Failure of Nation Building and a History Denied)

1961 Gen Qasim admitted Barzani revolt restarted

(Musings On Iraq review The Kurdish Revolt 1961-1970)

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

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

1980 Attacks upon Iranian oil facilities and ports cost it $6 bil in 1980 Attacks on Iraqi oil facilities

and ports cost $4 bil

1981 End of 1^st yr of Iran-Iraq War 22,000 Iraqi 38,000 Iranian dead

(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 review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

2002 UN inspector told press they were finding no evidence of Iraq’s WMD and Western intel

providing nothing substantive

(Musings On Iraq UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Inquiry Section 3.6 Development of UK Strategy and Options, November 2002 to January 2003)

2003 Bush said couldn’t tell whether Iraq had a nuclear weapon or not

(Musings On Iraq How US Intelligence Created An Iraqi Nuclear Threat In 2002)

2003 Protest by Arabs and Turkmen in response to PUK-KDP rallies over capture of Saddam turned violent

as some marched on govt building and guards fired at them killing 4 and wounding 24

2007 Iraqi govt reported 16,232 civilians deaths in 07 up from 12,360 in 06

2007 Deadline to hold referendum on future of disputed territories under Constitution’s Article 140

passed

2007 Deadline for committee to revise Iraqi constitution missed Was 4^th time delayed Never finished

job

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

2007 Report Govt had hired 150,000 police from Sep to Dec 07 8 provinces asked for 45,000 more police

Most had no training Interior Min only agreed to 12,000

2008 Prices for Iraqi oil went from $145 per barrel in July 08 to $38 per barrel setting off economic crisis

in Iraq

2008 Auditors hired by Oil Ministry found only 33% of oil installations had meters Meant Iraq had no

            idea about numbers of its most important industry

2011 US withdrew forces from Iraq under Status of Forces Agreement

(Musings On Iraq review Quicksilver War, Syria, Iraq and the Spiral of Conflict)

(Musings On Iraq review The Endgame, The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from

George W. Bush to Barack Obama)

2011 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq and Sadrists got into gunfight in Sadr City and Kadhimiya Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq Asaib Ahl Al-Haq From A Breakaway Sadr Militia To Defenders Of Iraq)

2013 Anbar council negotiated withdrawal of 2 ISF units from Ramadi to try to control protests and

fighting

2013 PM Maliki said he would withdraw ISF from cities in Anbar after closed protest sites led to fighting

2013 Speaker Nujafi announced Mutahidun withdrawing from govt to protest PM Maliki shutting down

Ramadi protest site

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s PM Maliki Goes From Offensive Against Al Qaeda To Crackdown On Anbar Protestors)

2013 10 houses in Babil’s Jurf al-Sakhr blown up by ISI forcing 84 families to flee

2013 Army base outside Ramadi hit by rockets Base in Baghdadi Anbar shot at Police station in

Ramadi taken over 2 army bases in Haditha and Baghdadi overrun

(Musings On Iraq Security In Iraq’s Anbar Province December 2013)

(Musings On Iraq Aftermath Of Shutting Down Ramadi Protest Site In Iraq)

2019 Pro-Iran Hashd groups Kataib Hezbollah Badr Saraya al-Khorasani Asaib Ahl Al-Haq

Harakat Nujaba let into Green Zone Attacked US Embassy Demanded US forces withdraw from Iraq Set fire to part of Embassy Set up protest camp outside

(Musings On Iraq Pro-Iran Groups Take Next Step To Expel US Forces From Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Asaib Ahl Al-Haq From A Breakaway Sadr Militia To Defenders Of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Khorasani Brigade Another Iraq Militia That Returned Home From Syria To Fight The Insurgency)

(Musings On Iraq Instrument Of Iran’s Power In Iraq And Syria Kataib Hezbollah)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Sheikh Akram Al-Kaabi and Hezbollah al-Nujaba)

(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)

 

View the Iraq History Timelines

Security In Iraq Dec 22-28, 2020

For the last month Islamic State attacks have gone down in Iraq. At the same time, pro-Iran groups have picked up their operations against the Americans as the anniversary of the deaths of Hashd al-Shaabi leader Abu Muhandis and the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Commander General Qasim Soleimani nears in January.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 30

 

1959 Qasim govt passed Law of Personal Status Equalized inheritance for men and women

Restricted polygamy Set legal marriage age at 18

2002 UK Foreign Sec Straw and Sec of State Powell thought UN inspections would not provide

smoking gun against Iraq so alternatives needed

2002 UN inspectors said they had gone to all major suspected WMD sites and found nothing

(Musings On Iraq UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2002 Report Reagan admin and its Middle East envoy Rumsfeld did nothing while Iraq used WMD

in Iran-Iraq War

2002 NYTimes article said CIA looking into Iraq buying smallpox from a Russian scientist

2003 White House meeting on what to do about Governing Council going to UN to ask them with

help to transition to sovereignty White House decided they would try to block any UN plans for Iraq because wanted to keep control of process Meeting then turned to security VP Cheney said he wanted to eliminate Sadr

2005 Oil Min Uloom put on leave after opposing govt plan to increase prices on gas and cooking oil

Replaced by Dep PM Chalabi

2005 South Korea’s parliament okayed plan to withdraw 1/3 of its forces from Iraq Korea had 3^rd

largest Coalition force in Iraq

2006 Iraqi govt hanged Saddam Hussein while Sadrists taped it and chanted Moqtada

2006 Naqshibandi insurgent group formed by Baathists

2007 Basra police chief escaped 2 IEDs Was 7^th attempt on his life since Jun 07

2008 Govt announced it had allocated $129 mil from 08 budget for Maysan Was supposed to fund 241

            projects Only 41 completed

2009 British hostage Peter Moore released by Asaib Ahl Al-Haq in return for release of leader Qais

Khazali Moore and 4 bodyguards kidnapped from Fin Min building Baghdad in May 2007 Op planned by Iran’s Rev Guard Brits were held in Iran for most of 2 year captivity 4 bodyguards were killed

(Musings On Iraq Iranians Planned Kidnapping And Held British Captives Taken In Iraq) 

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

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

(Musings On Iraq Asaib Ahl Al-Haq From A Breakaway Sadr Militia To Defenders Of Iraq)

2009 2 suicide bombers hit provincial council building in Ramadi killing 27 and injuring 100

including Gov Fahadawi

(Musings On Iraq Voter Dissatisfaction Growing In Anbar?)

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

2013 Anbar sheikhs gave govt 12 hour ultimatum to release MP Alwani arrested by PM Maliki

2013 PM Maliki used death of army’s 7^th Div cmdr to order Ramadi and Fallujah protest camps to be

closed Led to call to arms in Fallujah Closure helped insurgency to return

2013 Gunmen appeared in Fallujah after protest site there closed setting up checkpoints and fighting

with ISF Some mosques in Ramadi called for jihad Police cars seized in Ramadi and burned Clashes in Hit

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s PM Maliki Goes From Offensive Against Al Qaeda To Crackdown On Anbar Protestors)

(Musings On Iraq Aftermath of Shutting Down Ramadi Protest Site In Iraq)

2013 Army base east of Fallujah hit by mortars as part of new insurgent offensive

(Musings On Iraq Security In Iraq’s Anbar Province December 2013)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 29

 

1979 US placed Iraq on list of State Sponsors of Terrorism for backing Palestinian terrorist

Abu Nidal and others

1981 Syria said it would start talks with Iran to try to end Iran-Iraq War

1988 Iran-Iraq agreed to joint commission to implement ceasefire to end war

(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 review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1990 Joint Chief head Gen Powell told CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Schwarzkopf to be ready to start Gulf

War by 1/17/91

1996 Dawa announced campaign to assassinate top Iraqi officials

(Musings On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa Party)

(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)

2002 US Senate authorized war against Iraq

2003 Iraqi Governing Council voted to replace family laws with sharia

2005 Zarqawi took responsibility for rocket attack on Israel Said he was fulfilling promise to bin Laden

2005 US military found 3 more secret prisons run by Badr within Interior Ministry where torture used

(Musings On Iraq interview with Jerry Burke police and Interior Min adviser on how Badr took over Interior Ministry)

(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)

2006 Military Times did poll of its military subscribers Found 50% thought success possible in Iraq

Down from 83% in 2004 42% said they disapproved of Bush’s handling of the war versus 35% who approved 41% said US should have gone to war with Iraq in the first place Down from 65% in 2003 13% said US should have no troops in Iraq

2007 bin Laden video said that insurgency had to rally around ISI Criticized Awakening and those

undermining the jihad

2013 Head of Anbar council called for end of Ramadi protests in exchange for govt releasing MP

Alwani

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s PM Maliki Goes From Offensive Against Al Qaeda To Crackdown On Anbar Protestors)

2016 2^nd phase of Battle of Mosul officially began attacking east side of city Attack actually began

Dec 24

(Musings On Iraq Mosul Campaign Day 74, Dec 29, 2016)

(Musings On Iraq Review They Will Have to Die Now: Mosul and the Fall of the Caliphate)

(Musings On Iraq Review Shatter the Nations, ISIS and the War for the Caliphate)

2019 US hit 3 Kataib Hezbollah bases in Anbar 28 killed 48 wounded 3 Iranians also died

Was retaliation for Dec 27 rocket attack on K1 Military Base in Kirkuk that killed US contractor

(Musings On Iraq Instrument Of Iran’s Power In Iraq And Syria Kataib Hezbollah)

(Musings On Iraq US Retaliates Against Kataib Hezbollah Raising Question Of What Comes Next?)

(Musings On Iraq Kataib Hezbllah’s Role Along The Iraq-Syrian Border: Security Profits Supporting Iran)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Review Arrows of the Night: Ahmad Chalabi and the Selling of the Iraq War

Bonin, Richard, Arrows of the Night: Ahmad Chalabi and the Selling of the Iraq War, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland: Doubleday, 2011

 

Arrows of the Night: Ahmad Chalabi and the Selling of the Iraq War by 60 Minutes producer Richard Bonin was the second book on the controversial figure. Much of it is based upon conversations the author had with Chalabi. The book highlights his greatest achievement of helping to convince the United States to overthrow Saddam Hussein to his many faults from his financial corruption to his turn towards sectarian politics. The book starts off giving Chalabi’s view of Iraq and then becomes more critical as it progresses.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 28

 

1929 Fmr Iraq High Comm Dobbs said if Iraq moved forward in its own dysfunctional way

and was better off than it was under Ottomans England would have succeeded

1998 US began attacks upon Iraqi air defense system in north as part of no fly zones

1998 Italian paper claimed Saddam and bin Laden made pact to act against US and Iraq offered

Saddam safe haven False story

2001 CENTCOM commander Gen Franks presented latest version of Iraq war plan to Bush in Crawford,

Texas Franks had 7 lines of operation that could be used independently or in conjunction Were bombings and missile attacks Special Forces penetrating into Iraq Ground operations by army and marines Information deception and psychological operations CIA support for Iraqi opposition diplomacy and humanitarian aid to Iraqi population Included 9 “slices” of Iraq that could be targeted Were Leadership internal security and intelligence agencies WMD missiles Republican Guard territory of Iraq Iraqi army infrastructure and civilian population Plan would need support of Kuwait Saudi Arabia Jordan Turkey Bahrain Qatar UAE Oman and England Could start with just 105,000 troops and then 230,000 more coming in next 60-90 days Franks wanted to start building up forces and supplies in region immediately get CIA to start building up support within Iraq and diplomacy to build up support amongst Gulf States Franks said US would be ready for Iraq invasion by April to June 2002 Had no postwar plan Had no postwar plan

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

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2001 After Gen Franks briefing Bush asked CIA Dir Tenet about intel on Iraq Said was very thin CIA

only had 2 sources inside Iraq and contact with them erratic

2001 CIA Dir Tenet said Iraqi opposition wouldn't work with US without seeing strong commitment

from Washington

2001 Bush ordered State and Defense Depts to start building up support amongst regional countries

for Iraq invasion

2001 Bush asked Gen Franks if plan good enough to win Franks said yes with some work Bush told Gen

Franks he wanted Saddam removed as soon as possible and suggested 2002 for war

(Musings On Iraq Review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Bush Administrations and Saddam Hussein, Deciding on Conflict)

2001 Def Sec Rumsfeld told Bush Iraq war would be over fast and quick US would quickly turn over power

to Iraqis and withdraw

(Musings On Iraq Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction’s “Hard Lessons” – Part I: Planning for Postwar Iraq September 2001 to May 2003)

(Musings On Iraq review Liberate And Leave, Fatal Flaws In The Early Strategy For Postwar Iraq)

2001 Pentagon’s Def Policy Board’s Richard Perle OpEd in NY Times said US had to attack Iraq

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

2002 Report NSC Sr Dir Near East Abrams drafted plan for US to seize control of Iraq’s southern oil

fields

2003 Iraqi Governing Council wrote letter to UN about CPA’s plans to hold caucuses instead of

elections for new Iraq parliament

2004 Bin Laden online statement praised Zarqawi giving him allegiance

(Musings On Iraq interview with former CIA analyst Nada Bakos who tracked Zarqawi)

2005 UN endorsed December elections for a permanent Iraqi parliament

2006 Report Mahdi Army moving block by block across Ghaziliya Baghdad forcing out Sunnis Many

displaced Sunnis moved to center of district where sheikh set up militia to protect them from Mahdi Army

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

(Musings On Iraq Columbia University Charts Sectarian Cleansing Of Baghdad)

2006 NSC agreed that Gen Petraeus would be new Iraq commander for Surge

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mansoor on the Surge)

(Musings On Iraq interview with New America Foundation’s Ollivant On Reassessing the Surge)

2010 PM Maliki said no changes would be made to the SOFA agreement with the US and all its

troops would leave Iraq

2010 Sadrist became governor of Maysan in return for Sadr’s support for Maliki’s 2^nd term

(Musings On Iraq Sadrists Gain Control Of Maysan Governorship)

2012 Protests spread from Fallujah to Diyala Ninewa and Salahaddin in response to PM Maliki issuing

warrant for Fin Min Issawi

(Musings On Iraq Prime Minister Maliki Targets Another Member Of The Iraqi National Movement In An Act Of Political Intimidation)

2013 PM Maliki ordered arrest of MP Alwani for taking part in protests Gun battle ensued killing

Alwani’s brother and some of his bodyguards

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s PM Maliki Goes From Offensive Against Al Qaeda To Crackdown On Anbar Protestors)

2013 Speaker Nujafi said arrest of MP Alwani illegal due to parliamentary immunity Called for

investigation

2013 Speaker Nujafi’s parliamentary investigative group into arrest of MP Alwani blocked from

entering Anbar by ISF

2013 PM Maliki ordered arrest of Sheikh Sulaiman for his role in Anbar protests Sulaiman fled to Irbil

(Musings On Iraq With Fighting Still Going On In Anbar Province Iraq’s Premier Maliki Continues To Issue Arrest Warrants From Protest Leaders)

2013 Curfew imposed in Ramadi

2014 Iran announced Iranian Rev Guard Gen Taqavi died in Salahaddin fighting IS 5^th IRGC

member killed in Iraq during war

(Musings On Iraq Fifth Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force member Dies In Iraq)

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

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

2015 Iraqi forces freed Ramadi

2016 Last bridge crossing Tigris in Mosul destroyed by Coalition airstrike to prevent IS retreating

from eastern to western section of city

2017 KRG PM Barzani said that PM Abadi was punishing the Kurds and unwilling to compromise

while Maliki was offering reconciliation Came after Maliki gave interview to Rudaw saying that Baghdad-Irbil relations needed to be improved

(Musings On Iraq Maliki-KDP Reconciliation In Iraq)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Iraq’s PM Kazemi Might Finally Be Standing Up To Pro-Iran Groups

PM Kazemi meeting with members of the Counter Terror Service on the streets of Baghdad on Christmas Day (Twitter)

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Kazemi has taken a second stand against the pro-Iran Hashd factions. This time he has the backing of not only the United States but Iran, which may turn his fortunes and that of his government if he plays his cards right.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 27

 

1945 Regent of Iraq gave speech promising political reform improved social security fighting

employment redistribution of wealth

(Musings On Iraq review ‘Independent Iraq’ The Monarchy & British Influence, 1941-1958 on Said govt)

1986 Iraq counterattack recaptured Um al-Rassas island in Basra Ended Iran Op Karbala 4

            Iran lost 800 dead 200 prisoners Iraq lost 800 dead 2000 wounded

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1990 100 congressmen asked Bush to give Iraq sanctions chance to work

1993 State Dept accused Iraq of indiscriminate shelling/bombing burning villages and executions in

southern marshes

2001 Gen Franks briefed Rumsfeld on war planning

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

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2003 Attacks on govt buildings and foreign troop bases in Karbala killed 19 wounded 120

2004 Al Jazeera aired bin Laden tape calling Zarqawi the prince of Al Qaeda in Iraq Bin Laden said

focus of the Islamic world was war against US in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq interview with former CIA analyst Nada Bakos that tracked Zarqawi)

2004 Iraqi Islamic Party withdrew from January 2005 election saying violence made vote impossible

2005 Al Qaeda in Iraq fired 2 rockets from south Lebanon into Israel

2005 Kurdish Col in army’s 2^nd Div in Ninewa said unit would not allow Def Min to add Arab

soldiers to division

2006 Frederick Kagan and Ret Gen Jack Keane wrote OpEd in Wash Post arguing for troop Surge in

Iraq that they conceived

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mansoor on the Surge)

(Musings On Iraq review The War Within, A Secret White House History 2006-2008)

2007 Report Islamists running many US prisons Camp Bucca indoctrinating prisoners into Islamism ISI

members went after Anbar tribal members in prison blaming them for Awakening

2008 3,000 marched in Basra city demanding province be turned into a federal region

(Musings On Iraq Basra Federal Region Update)

2009 Barzani held meeting to create Peshmerga Ministry in attempt to unify KDP and PUK’s forces

2009 Dep US Cmdr in Iraq said govt integration of Sahwa would have to wait until after 2010

elections Maliki govt originally agreed to integrate them by end of 2009

(Musings On Iraq Integration Of Sons Of Iraq Delayed Until Mid-2010)

2011 Salahaddin council voted to turn province into a federal region Blocked by PM Maliki Was to

            protest Maliki govt

2012 Protest in Mosul called for Iraqi forces to withdraw from city after arbitrary arrests

2012 Tribal delegation from Basra joined Ramadi protest

2013 PM Maliki said would be last time Friday prayers held at Ramadi protest site Demanded tribes end

protest

2013 Iraqi forces tightened security around Ramadi protest site searching people coming and going

2013 Army vehicle attacked near Ramadi protest site Blamed on ISI

2013 Pro-Maliki Sheikh Hayes said Ramadi base for Al Qaeda Called on PM Maliki to burn down the

Anbar protest camps Hayes met with delegations from Albu Diab Albu Jaber Albu Ali al-Jassim Albu Fahd Albu Shaban Albu Hamza tribes who all pledged support for govt

(Musings On Iraq Violence In Iraq’s Anbar Highlights Divided Tribes There)

2013 Several sheikhs warned govt about closing down Ramadi protest site

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s PM Maliki Goes From Offensive Against Al Qaeda To Crackdown On Anbar Protestors)

2013 Commander Anbar Rapid Reaction Force hit by IED Army base east of Ramadi hit by mortars Part of

new insurgent offensive in Anbar

(Musings On Iraq Security In Iraq’s Anbar Province December 2013)

2013 Ansar al Sunna claimed ISI killed 40 of its members in inter-insurgent fighting

(Musings On Iraq review The Caliphate At War, Operational Realities and Innovations of the Islamic State)

2015 IS head Baghdadi released message US afraid to fight IS and Islam destined to rule world until

judgment day

2019 Kataib Hezbollah blamed for rocket attack on K1 Military Base Kirkuk that killed 2

Iraqi police 1 US contractor and wounded 2 Iraqi soldiers and 4 US soldiers

(Musings On Iraq Instrument Of Iran’s Power In Iraq And Syria Kataib Hezbollah)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Iran Warns Its Allies About Attacking US Targets In Iraq

Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Cmdr Qaani has been in Baghdad twice recently to try to talk pro-Tehran groups out of targeting Americans fearing Trump admin retaliation (Al Aalem)

Iran appears to be afraid that if its allies continue to attack U.S. targets in Iraq that the Trump administration will retaliate against it. The head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force General Ismail Qaani was recently in Baghdad where he met with Hashd al-Shaabi factions and Shiite political leaders and told them to stop targeting American interests. This came as President Trump tweeted that the recent attack upon the Green Zone in the Iraqi capital used rockets supplied by Iran. The president warned that if any American was killed the U.S. would strike back.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 26

 

1961 Iraq announced it would reconsider diplomatic relations with any country that recognized

Kuwait as independent country Withdrew diplomats from US Jordan Tunisia Lebanon and others as a result

(Musings On Iraq review Unholy Babylon, The Secret History of Saddam’s War)

1980 Saddam said frontline in war would be new border with Iran and demanded Tehran give self-

rule to Arabs in southwestern Iran

(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 review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1991 Syria invited Iraqi opposition parties to Damascus

1998 Iraq said no fly zones were illegal and would oppose them

2006 Appeals court upheld Saddam’s death sentence

2007 Car bomb hit Sahwa-army checkpoint in Baiji killing 25 Suicide bomber hit funeral of Sahwa

fighter in Baquba Part of ISI campaign against Sahwa

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

2007 Iraqi soldier shot 5 US soldiers, 2 died at military outpost in Mosul

2007 Kurds agreed to delay implementing Article 140 on referendum on Kirkuk for 6 months

Constitutional review committee would miss Dec 31 deadline to amend constitution 4^th time missed deadline

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

2008 Report Talk of no confidence vote against PM Maliki Major parties met start of Dec to discuss

removing him Complained he was becoming an autocrat

2009 Pilgrims to Karbala launched protest against PM Maliki over corruption and Iranians stealing oil

(Musings On Iraq Anti-Government Protests In Both Southern and Northern Iraq)

2012 Fin Min Issawi addressed Ramadi protest camp condemning actions of PM Maliki

(Musings On Iraq Prime Minister Maliki Targets Another Member Of The Iraqi National Movement In An Act Of Political Intimidation)

2013 2 Suicide bombers attacked 1^st Rapid Reaction Brigade HQ in Garma Anbar Ops Command HQ

mortared in new insurgent offensive in Anbar

(Musings On Iraq Security In Iraq’s Anbar Province December 2013)

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

2019 Pres Salah offered to resign over Bina list nominating Basra Governor Eidani for premier

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s President Threatens To Resign Over Unpopular Nominations For Premier)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 25

 

1920 Gertrude Bell wrote that Faisal was the only solution to Iraq and its first choice to be king

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

1943 PM Nuri al-Said formed his 3^rd cabinet Made Mullah Mustafa Barzani Minister of Kurdish

Affairs in failed attempt to co-opt him and end his revolt

(Musings On Iraq review ‘Independent Iraq’ The Monarchy & British Influence, 1941-1958 on Said govt)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Kurdish Revolt 1961-1970)

(Musings On Iraq review The Chatham House Version and other Middle-Eastern Studies)

1986 Iraqi counterattack pushed Iranians back into Shatt al-Arab Ended Iran’s Op Karbala 4 Iran lost

9,000-12,000 casualties vs 3,000 Iraqi 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 review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

2005 Report US mismanaged developing Iraq’s electricity network Installed 26 natural gas turbines

at 7 plants when Iraq didn’t have gas or infrastructure to support them

2012 Iraqiya boycotted cabinet 2^nd time over arrest warrant for Fin Min Issawi

(Musings On Iraq Prime Minister Maliki Targets Another Member Of The Iraqi National Movement In An Act Of Political Intimidation)

2013 Acting Def Min Dulaimi said govt would not shut down Ramadi protest site

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s PM Maliki Goes From Offensive Against Al Qaeda To Crackdown On Anbar Protestors)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 24

 

1922 Anglo-Iraq declaration to League of Nations talked about giving Kurds rights and own

govt in their region

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Kurdish Revolt 1961-1970)

1938 Golden Square army colonels overthrew PM Jamil Midfai for trying to remove pan-Arab

officers Coup backed by Nuri al-Said who became PM and Taha al-Hashimi who became Def Min Rashid al-Gaylani became Chamberlain of Royal Office 1922-58 were 59 cabinets

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Modern History of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review The Chatham House Version and other Middle-Eastern Studies)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Between the Two World Wars, The Militarist Origins of Tyranny)

1938 PM Said moved to punish ex-PM Sulaiman

1963 Arif govt promised to settle problems with foreign oil companies

1980 Iraq air force bombed Iran’s main oil terminal at Kharg Island for 1^st time Iran bombed Basra

refinery in retaliation

(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)

1980 Iraqi division moved into Iran in north Took control of Rashah and Rayat Passes to block any

Iranian move upon Sulaymaniya

(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 review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

2002 UK For Sec Straw told Sec of State Powell a 2^nd UN resolution was needed to gain UK political

support and legal justification for war

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

2002 Niger Premier said that his country did not try to sell uranium to Iraq

2003 Report President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board found White House disregarded

warnings by CIA about Iraq-Africa uranium story

(Musings On Iraq How US Intelligence Failed The Iraq-Niger Uranium Story)

(Musings On Iraq Review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War)

2004 Def Sec Rumsfeld told troops in Iraq insurgency could be defeated

2005 National Security Adv Rubaie met with Ayatollah Sistani Said Sistani rejected calls for revote

due to complaints and violations Rubaie said Iraq would re-arrest Baathist officials just released by US

2005 Iraq court barred 90 candidates from election for Baathist ties

2006 Acting upon warrants issued by Basra judge for 62 police officers UK forces raided HQ of Serious

Crime Unit in Basra city Found 127 prisoners 80% were tortured Some Basra councilman protested against raid Interior Min Bolani said he would disband Serious Crime Unit PM Maliki Basra Gov Waili and sheikhs all supported raid Crime Unit responsible for death squads Attacks on UK Criminal activity Ties to Mahdi Army

2007 Report US general in charge of northern Iraq said most people in Sahwa were there for $ Of

15,000 Sahwa in north only 20% wanted to join ISF In some areas more people were volunteering for Sahwa then needed Iraqi economy didn’t have enough jobs for Sahwa after US money for program ended

2007 US military said violence in Iraq down 60% from Jun to Dec 07

2008 Iraqi National Dialogue Council left the Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) claiming that the Islamic

Party was attempting to monopolize power Ended IAF

(Musings On Iraq Iraqi Accordance Front Beaks Apart)

2009 2^nd day of protests in Pirmargrun Sulaymaniya over mayor and lack of services PUK guards

broke up demonstration using gunfire

(Musings On Iraq Anti-Government Protests In Both Southern and Northern Iraq)

2013 PM Maliki ordered ISF to surround Ramadi protest site

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s PM Maliki Goes From Offensive Against Al Qaeda To Crackdown On Anbar Protestors)

2013 Acting Def Min Dulaimi’s convoy hit by IED

(Musings On Iraq Security In Iraq’s Anbar Province December 2013)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Security In Iraq Dec 15-21, 2020

During the third week of December Islamic State attacks took a small dip in Iraq. On the other hand, pro-Iran groups launched three operations showing that the October ceasefire is over.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 23

 

1920 Iraq-Syria border set with Deir Ezzour going to latter

(Musings On Iraq interview with Princeton’s Sara Pursley on Sykes-Picot and creation of Iraq)

1929 General Taha al-Hashemi made Chief of General Staff

1983 Jordan gave Iraq $125 mil line of credit to help Baghdad in Iran-Iraq War

1986 Iran Op Karbala 4 Crossed Shatt al-Arab to attack Fish Lake defensive line before Basra city

Iraq warned beforehand by intel

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1990 Report 1980 Iraq began setting up network of front companies to buy equipment for nuclear bomb

program Main focus building centrifuges to produce uranium Program suffered setbacks

1998 Russia and China called for Chief UN inspector Butler to be removed for working with US

2004 UK intel did review of its 2002 reporting on Iraq’s WMD and said its assessments were all wrong

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

2004 Fallujah was reopened to displaced to return after 2^nd battle for city

2004 UK intel report 2005 elections would happen on time Assassinations and intimidation would likely

increase beforehand Hardline Sunnis would reject any new govt and continue with insurgency

2005 IMF approved $685 mil loan for Iraq

2006 Report Baladiyat Zayun Ghadir Nariya neighborhoods in Baghdad almost all Shiite now 400

Shiite families fleeing Baquba settled in Nariya and New Baghdad Iraqi army helped Shiite families move into Adil Mahdi Army moved into Sabi al-Bour northern Baghdad town to secure it Public Works Ministry proposed land grants to victims of Saddam and insurgents in 6 Sunni towns known for being insurgent bases Was believed to be move by Maliki govt to move Shiites into those areas

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

(Musings On Iraq Columbia University Charts Sectarian Cleansing Of Baghdad)

2007 Shootout in Baghdad’s Dora between Sahwa and Mahdi Army

2007 Dep Natl Sec Adv Hussein said that if Sahwa continued would lead to civil war with militias Said

half of Sahwa were insurgents and contacting Baathists

(Musings On Iraq review Surge, My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War)

2008 El Salvador announced it would withdraw its troops by end of 08 Had been deployed since 03

2008 Outgoing Speaker Mashadani praised reporter for throwing shoe at Pres Bush and PM Maliki

2008 Sadr said he would not support any party during 09 elections but back independent candidates

2008 Iraq signed $80 mil contracts to survey and improve Basra ports Wanted to increase oil production

to 6 mil/bar/day and oil exports to 5 mil/bar/day by 2018 By 2018 Iraq would only avg 3.4 mil/bar/day in exports

2008 Report With violence down Maliki govt was trying to get professionals to return 200,000 had left

Iraq since 03 30,000 medical professionals fled after 05 Less than 1,000 had come back

2008 Report VP Cheney threatened to destroy reputation of head UN weapons inspector Blix and head of

Intl Atomic Energy Agency El Baradei if they didn’t find WMD

(Musings On Iraq UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2009 Protest in Pirmargrun Sulaymaniya turned into a riot after mayor said population didn't

appreciate his improvements to the community People complained about corruption and lack of services Asayesh and riot police called out

(Musings On Iraq Anti-Government Protests In Both Southern and Northern Iraq)

2009 Protests in Karbala and Anbar against Iranian troops occupying Well No 4 in Fauqi oil field in Maysan

(Musings On Iraq More Questions Than Answers On Iran-Iraq Oil Field Dispute)

2011 PM Maliki adviser said that Fin Min Issawi suspected of connections to terrorism Sadrists would

not go along with his removal

(Musings On Iraq Is Iraq’s Finance Minister Next On Maliki’s Hit List?)

2012 Iraqiya boycotted parliament over arrest warrant for Fin Min Issawi

(Musings On Iraq Prime Minister Maliki Targets Another Member Of The Iraqi National Movement In An Act Of Political Intimidation)

2013 Sheikh Sulaiman said tribes would protect Ramadi protest site against Maliki govt

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s PM Maliki Goes From Offensive Against Al Qaeda To Crackdown On Anbar Protestors)

2013 Anbar Ops Command outside Ramadi hit by mortars in new insurgent offensive

(Musings On Iraq Security In Iraq’s Anbar Province December 2013)

2017 PKK said it was creating its own region in Qadil northern Kurdistan

 

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Review The Man Who Pushed America To War, The Extraordinary Life, Adventures, and Obsessions of Ahmad Chalabi

Roston, Aram, The Man Who Pushed America To War, The Extraordinary Life, Adventures, and Obsessions of Ahmad Chalabi, New York: Nation Books, 2008

 

To people who know about the 2003 invasion of Iraq Ahmad Chalabi is a polarizing figure. Is he a hero or a villain? Is he a con man or a visionary? The Man Who Pushed America To War, The Extraordinary Life, Adventure, and Obsessions of Ahmad Chalabi by Aram Roston attempts to answer those questions. The book goes through the major points in Chalabi’s life from his time growing up under the Iraqi monarchy to his exile after the 1958 coup to his family’s financial problems to joining the opposition to Saddam Hussein. The author believes that Chalabi helped convince the U.S. to go to war with Iraq but that was only because Americans wanted to hear what he said.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 22

 

1638 Ottoman Sultvan Murad IV began siege of Baghad Captured it by end of year

Massacred Shiites

1916 British forces began digging lines towards Ottomans defenses at Khadairi Bend

1922 British cabinet said it wanted an independent Iraq and that Anglo-Iraq treaty would be best

way to maintain relationship

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

1986 Iraqi intel reported Iranians preparing for major offensive in Basra Saddam ordered bombing of

assembly areas

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1991 Chalabi appeared on 60 Minutes attacking King Hussein of Jordan for aligning with Saddam

Was actually meant as attack on Jordan for shutting Chalabi’s Petra Bank for corruption

1998 US said it would use its veto at UN to block ending sanctions on Iraq China Russia France

all wanted them to end

2002 Iraq invited CIA into country to find its WMD

2004 Kurdistan Referendum Movement presented petition with 1.7 mil signatures to UN calling for

            referendum on Kurdish independence

2005 Iraqi Islamic Party National Dialogue Front Iraqiya threatened to boycott new parliament

Called elections fraudulent Demanded new vote

2006 Ret Gen Keane told Natl Sec Adv Hadley US needed 5 brigade troop surge in Iraq not less

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mansoor on the Surge)

(Musings On Iraq review The War Within, A Secret White House History 2006-2008)

2006 PM Maliki spokesman said that Dawa and SCIRI close to agreement to crackdown on militias Were

also going to send delegation to Najaf to get Sadr back in govt

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

2006 US Intel report Mahdi Army was planning to kidnap US soldiers in Baghdad to undermine PM

Maliki’s reconciliation program Were using Mahdi Army commander who had been trained in Iran by Hezbollah and IRGC

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Hezbollah’s Role In Iraq)

2007 ISI leader Baghdadi described the Awakening as agents of the cross and called on followers to

kill them

2007 Ghazilya Guardians sahwa group bombed Blamed militia and Iraqi army Said they wanted

retaliation

2007 Def Min Obeidi said that after fighting over Sahwa would be disbanded Govt told US it would

integrate 25% of Sahwa into ISF and rest given jobs Interior Min agreed to hire 10,000 Sahwa

(Musings On Iraq review Surge, My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War)

2007 Anbar Sheikh Suleimani claimed Islamic Party using Sahwa to regain popularity and claimed

            he would form Awakening group loyal to Baghdad

2007 Top State Dept official on Iraq said that Iran had decided to cut back support for militias Evidence

was reduction in EFP attacks upon US

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

2008 Oil Min Shahristani said only central govt had authority to sign deals to develop Iraq’s oil Was

criticism of KRG

(Musings On Iraq Baghdad-Kurdistan Rivalry Continues)

2008 Report ISF reported attacks down 86% from 07 to 08 Went from avg 180 per day in 07 to avg 10 per

day in 08

2010 PM Maliki’s second administration approved

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

2011 Govt officials told press that Maliki govt would investigate Fin Min Issawi over allegations he

was connected to a militia in Fallujah that killed political opponents Some of Issawi’s bodyguards arrested as a result

(Musings On Iraq Is Iraq’s Finance Minister Next On Maliki’s Hit List?)

2012 Iraqiya boycotted cabinet over arrest warrant for Fin Min Issawi

(Musings On Iraq Prime Minister Maliki Targets Another Member Of The Iraqi National Movement In An Act Of Political Intimidation)

2013 PM Maliki announced major military campaign in western Anbar desert region after IS killed

leadership of 7^th Div

2013 Anbar council said it would work with govt to fight ISI

2013 PM Maliki said Ramadi protest site base for ISI and demanded it closed

(Musings On Iraq Crackdown On Protest Site In Iraq’s Anbar Province Seemingly Averted)

2013 Ramadi protest sheikhs said Ramadi would take up arms against any forces trying to stop

demonstrations

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s PM Maliki Goes From Offensive Against Al Qaeda To Crackdown On Anbar Protestors)

2014 Fmr Communications Minister Allawi acquitted of corruption charges for lack of evidence

View the Iraq History Timelines