Security In Iraq Nov 22-28, 2021

Security has been relatively stable in Iraq. For the last ten weeks attacks by the Islamic State have been in the teens and tens. Pro-Iran groups are slowly ramping up their operations against the U.S. however.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 30

 

1915 Ottomans attacked retreating UK forces from Ctesiphon/Salman Pak at Um at Tubul

Forced UK to retreat further south UK suffered 37 dead 218 missing 218 wounded 520 taken prisoner along with 2 ships Turks had 748 casualties

1918 UK India office authorized head political officer Wilson to hold plebiscite on future of

Mesopotamia Wilson made questions so would only support British rule and only administered to areas where people would respond positively

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

1920 British said all of its colonial offices were under control of Iraq council of state

1971 Iran backed by UK occupied uninhabited Lesser Tunb Island and took Greater Tunb Island after

fighting with Iraq Baghdad condemned move

1973 Soviets said Bakr govt policies leading Iraq towards socialism

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Since 1958, From Revolution To Dictatorship)

1980 Iranian air force attacked Iraq’s nuclear reactor at Tuwaitha and Faw Peninsula in Basra

(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 Bush said he invited Foreign Min Aziz to Washington for talks

1990 Saddam asked how Iraq could not have coastline Accused UK of clipping off Iraq’s

access to sea by creating Kuwait

1991 After fighting ended Iraq and KDP restarted talks over Kurdish autonomy

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

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

2001 Def Sec Rumsfeld told press US knew Iraq had WMD because defectors said so

(Musings On Iraq Iraq One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

2003 US soldiers repelled 3 ambushes on convoy in Samarra Iraqis later claimed US fired

indiscriminately killing civilians

2003 Senior CIA analyst said 2002 Nat Intel Est on Iraq’s WMD lacked specifics on the programs

2004 Report War mismanagement sanctions destroyed Iraq’s health care system

2005 Aide to PM Jaafari wanted to know whether KRG signing oil deal with DNO was constitutional

2005 White House released National Strategy for Victory in Iraq Lacked any substance on what

strategy was

2005 Bush speech announced new National Strategy for Victory in Iraq Said goal was to train Iraqi forces

to take over the war New US strategy was actually a withdrawal plan not one to win war

(Musings On Iraq Did the US Ever Have A Strategy To Win In Iraq Before the Surge?)

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

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

George W. Bush to Barack Obama)

(Musings On Iraq review What Happened, Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception)

(Musings On Iraq review The U.S. Army In The Iraq War: Volume 1, Invasion, Insurgency, Civil

War, 2003-2006)

2005 Pentagon contracted Lincoln Group to place pro-US stories in Arab media about Iraq

2006 Bush met PM Maliki Said he wanted more control over ISF Maliki also presented plan for ISF to

take control of Baghdad Bush said no Bush told Maliki he had lost control of Baghdad and about to lose Iraq Maliki agreed Bush told Maliki US was going to have troop surge Maliki had to back it and agree to reconciliation Maliki said yes

(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 Sadrists walked out of parliament and cabinet for PM Maliki meeting with Pres Bush in Jordan

Sadrists had 30 MPs and 5 ministers Came after 6 car bombs killed 215 in Sadr City Sadrists blamed US for insecurity in Iraq 

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

2007 US Govt Accountability Office report US designating ISF units as independent and fully

independent meaningless because still completely relied upon US for logistics intel and other services

2007 US military complained govt had no plan to help returning displaced/refugees No plans to settle

property disputes in Baghdad after major population changes No plans for aid shelter or services

(Musings On Iraq review Children of War, Voices Of Iraqi Refugees)

(Musings On Iraq Refugees International Report On Iraq’s Refugees and Displaced)

(Musings On Iraq January 2009 U.N. Report On Iraq Refugee Returns)

2008 South Korea withdrew its military forces from Iraq

2008 5 committees created to try to work with KRG to pass oil law Baghdad said it would allow KRG to

exports its oil via Turkey if deal made Didn’t happen

2008 Report Honor killing of women up 70% in Basra 81 women killed there in 08 vs 47 women killed in

07 Police said they supported killings Could hire killer for $100 to kill a woman Some women killed for talking to a man in public 9 of 12 women groups in Basra closed

2014 IS put travel restrictions on people trying to leave Mosul

2019 Protesters in Najaf set entrance to shrine of Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim on fire

ISCI’s Ashura Brigades shot at crowd killing 3 Protests then turned on ISCI official in city

(Musings On Iraq UN Report On Violence Against Iraqi Protesters)

2019 Solidarity protests in Kirkuk and Mosul

View the Iraq History Timelines 

U.S. Army History Iraq War Vol 1 - Chapter 22 – The Failed Transition

 

This was the last chapter in the U.S. Army’s first volume on the Iraq War before the Conclusion. It deals with the end of 2006 when the American military believed it would be handing over responsibilities to the Iraqis and allowing a withdrawal. Instead Iraq was in the middle of a civil war with the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Maliki government actively involved on the side of Shiites. The failure of U.S. policy was due to Iraqi commander General George Casey’s continued misreading of the situation and refusing to change his strategy. The White House was also responsible for not providing any real leadership even when it finally realized things were going wrong. England was doing no better in southern Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 29

 

1914 Gen Barrett and Sir Percy Cox asked that UK occupation of Basra be announced as

permanent believing it would sway Arabs to UK side Request turned down

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

1920 Gertrude Bell wrote few tribes were talking about self-rule and many rejected it in Basra Said

only way Iraq would be at peace was if Arab govt created and tribes subdued by force after 1920 Revolt

(Musings On Iraq review of Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

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

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)

(Musings On Iraq review of Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

1927 UK Foreign Sec Chamberlain told King Faisal talks over Anglo-Iraq Treaty should be delayed for

two years and Faisal would have to run Iraq on his own British knew Faisal afraid of potential unrest and was trying to intimidate him Tactic worked

1934 Border dispute between Iraq and Persia escalated

1936 PM Sulaiman named new cabinet 1922-58 were 59 cabinets

1980 Iranian marines destroyed Mina al Bakr and Khor al Amaya oil terminals in Iraq Attack cut

Iraqi exports from 3.24 mil/bar/day to 550,000 bar/day

1981 Iran Op Tariq al-Quds began to free Bostan in south Started with drive in Susangard Pres

Rafsanjani told parliament he would push Iraqis back to the border

(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 UN Resolution 678 gave Iraq until 1/15/91 to withdraw from Kuwait

(Musings On Iraq review from storm to Freedom, America’s Long War with Iraq)

1990 Iraq released all the foreign hostages it held trying to sway world public opinion

1990 Sec State Baker met French UK China USSR foreign ministers Endorsed trying one

more round of talks with Iraq

2001 UN Res 1382 extended Oil for Food program

2001 Amer Enterprise Institute panel said Saddam had to be removed before US could confront

radical Islam

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Road to Iraq, The Making of a Neoconservative War)

(Musings On Iraq review America at the Crossroads, Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy)

2002 UK Defense Min told Blair that US still had no political strategy for Iraq

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

2002 American Enterprise Inst group of experts started work on paper on what U.S. facing after

9/11 Would focus on Iraq

2003 Insurgent attacks killed 7 Spanish intelligence officers and 2 Japanese diplomats in Iraq

2004 Bush told NSC January 2005 Iraqi election had to happen on time

2005 Def Sec Rumsfeld told press “insurgent” should no longer be used when reporting on Iraq because

they didn’t believe in anything He then explained that they stood for overthrowing the Iraqi system and creating a caliphate Rumsfeld said US forces didn't have to report abuse and torture by ISF Joint Chiefs head Gen Pace then used insurgent when describing security in Iraq and said US forces absolutely had responsibility to report any abuses by Iraqi forces

2005 Report Badr infiltrated Inter Min Mahdi Army regular police Both carrying out murders torture

abuse Inter Min Inspector General said police carrying out extrajudicial killings Inter Min intel chief Kamal said there was abuse going on but was not official policy of the Ministry

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Occupation of Iraq, Winning The War, Losing The Peace)

(Musings On Iraq review The Occupation, War And Resistance In Iraq)

2005 Ceremony for DNO to start drilling for oil at field in Zakho KRG

2006 Report PM Maliki wanted more control over ISF increased US training Bigger weapons Said

couldn’t disarm militias when Iraqis didn’t trust ISF and US Said his govt would collapse if he moved against militias Said he would find a political solution to problem

2006 Adviser to Saudi govt said would be a massive intervention by Riyad to save Iraq’s Sunnis from

Shiite militias if US withdrew

2006 Inter Min announced it was creating monitoring unit that would take legal action against

media that reported fake news Quoted AP story of 6 men burned to death in Baghdad mosque Claimed police captain in story didn’t exist AP talked to police captain for 2 years and been in his office Also found 3 witnesses to story and more people came forward afterward

2007 Car bomb found outside offices of Accordance Front leader Adnan Dulaimi Would lead to him

being placed under house arrest

2008 Bosnia and Herzegovina withdrew its military forces from Iraq

2009 Chilcot Inquiry Letter from Attny Gen Lord Goldsmith to PM Blairn Jul 02 that invasion of

Iraq would be illegal UN only allowed self-defense and UK couldn’t use previous UN resolutions Goldsmith threatened to resign because Blair didn’t listen to him

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

2019 PM Abdul Mahdi said he resigned after Ayatollah Sistani’s Friday message

2019 Najaf police chief resigned after massacre of protesters Nov 28 2^nd Dep Gov of Najaf

resigned Said protesters were being murdered

(Musings On Iraq UN Report On Violence Against Iraqi Protesters)

2019 Clashes between protesters and ISF continued in Nasiriya Another 17 killed Crowd

tried to storm shrine of Mohammed Baqir al-Mohammed ISCI’s Ashura Brigade fired at crowd killing 5 

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 28

 

1915 Arabs attacked UK ships on Tigris River forcing one to run aground and captured another

1935 UK Foreign Office rejected King Faisal mediating Palestine dispute believing he had

aspirations over territory

1947 Iraq’s Foreign Minister Jamail told UN that creation of Israel would lead to unrest in Middle

East

1958 Shah criticized Iraq for refusing to settle navigation down Shatt al-Arab Pres Qasim responded

by claiming all of waterway for Iraq

1980 Iran’s Op Morvarid continued into next day Iranian planes sunk 7 Iraqi boats Rest of day

Iranian planes bombed Faw port Basra destroying more Iraqi ships In total Iran lost 1 ship Iraq lost 2 oil terminals 100 dead 2 planes 13 ships Was 80% of its ships Iraqi navy was out of commission 

(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)

1997 Iraq said inspectors could not go to presidential and sovereign sites

(Musings On Iraq review The Greatest Threat, Iraq, Weapons of Mass Destruction, And The Growing Crisis Of Global Security)

2001 UK intel report Iraq not connected to 9/11 not working with Al Qaeda not giving WMD to

terrorists Said Iraq WMD threat “slight”

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

2001 Pentagon officials told Time after Afghanistan US would target Iraq as next step in war on

terror

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

Tragedy)

2001 Fmr CIA Dir James Woosely told Nightline that Saddam was a danger to world peace

2002 UN inspectors went to Dawrah Foot and Mouth Disease Facility Said facility couldn’t be used for

WMD Reporters said it was mostly destroyed Was abandoned in 1996 US listed it as major WMD site

(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 review The WMD Mirage, Iraq’s Decade of Deception and America’s False Premise for War)

2005 Dep Human Rights Min Usayran and Gen Samarriae told Knight Ridder Iraqi forces torturing

and abusing prisoners

2005 Arrest warrant for police Volcano Brigade commander Gen Gharwai Never given to Interior

Min to carry out

2005 Anbar Gov Alwani hosted meeting of US forces and sheikhs interested in working with US against

insurgents Led to creation of Anbar security council of sheikhs religious leaders and former soldiers

(Musings On Iraq Anbar Before And After the Awakening Pt X, 2005-09 Governor Mamoun Alwani)

(Musings On Iraq The Demise But Not Death of Al Qaeda In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq How A Change In Perceptions Led To The Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Carter Malkasian on Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq review Confronting Al Qaeda, The Sunni Awakening and American Strategy In Al Anbar)

(Musings On Iraq review The Marines Take Anbar, The Four-Year Fight Against Al Qaeda)

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

2006 CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Abizaid and US cmdr in Iraq Gen Casey said they opposed troop surge

Said it could only last 6-8 months and better to shift forces within Iraq

(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 Sadrists walked out of parliament and cabinet for PM Maliki meeting with Pres Bush in

Jordan Sadrists had 30 MPs and 5 ministers Came after 6 car bombs killed 215 in Sadr City Sadrists blamed US for insecurity in Iraq 

2006 Report US intel official said 1000-2000 militiamen had gone to Lebanon for training by

Hezbollah organized by Iran Summer 06 Mahdi Army commander said he’d sent 300 of his men to Lebanon US officials said Iran providing IEDs and training to militiamen Iran might have directed some attacks by militiamen

(Musings On Iraq Hezbollah’s Role In Iraq)

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

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Overview of Iran’s Influence In Iraq)

2006 Report after Sadr City bombings Sunni militias expelled Shiites from Dora and allowed Sunnis kicked

out of north Baghdad into homes

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

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

2006 Report Ninewa Dep Gov said 70,000 Kurds fled Mosul due to violence Fed Police cmdr in

Diyala’s Khanaqin said sectarian civil war going on there Local Khanaqin councilman said around 100 killed there a week Was gun battle between Sunni and Kurdish police in Jalawla when Kurds refused new Sunni Arab police chief

2006 Report on US Marine intel report on Anbar Said Sunnis were fighting for survival Shiites

carrying out “pogroms” against Sunnis in Iraq and was forcing Sunnis into hands of ISI Said Sunnis believed that Iran was taking over Baghdad and Anbar and Sunnis marginalized Said Sunnis couldn’t rely upon US because thought it was going to leave Said no economic revival in Anbar Govt offices had disintegrated Baghdad not paid salaries of Anbar officials and ISF Said US needed 15,000-20,000 more troops and billions in aid to change situation Said violence would be worse without US troops

2008 Japan announced it would end its military mission in Iraq Deployed in 2004

2008 KRG Natural Resource Min Hawrami said KRG would start exports at 100,000 bar/day with goal of

250,000 bar/day by end of 09 Oil Ministry said hadn’t agreed to that

2017 Mujahadeen Coalition announced for pro-Iran Hashd units to run in 2018 elections

2019 Sadr said protests could lead to end of Iraq if PM Abdul Mahdi didn’t resign Abadi

warned of collapse of govt if didn’t resign

2019 60 protesters killed in Nasiriya 10 killed in Najaf 4 killed in Baghdad Police station

burned in Nasiriya in one of deadliest days since unrest started in Oct

(Musings On Iraq One Of The Deadliest Days Of Protests At Least 25 Killed In Nasiriya)

(Musings On Iraq UN Report On Violence Against Iraqi Protesters)

2019 PM Abdul Mahdi announced crisis cells between military and governors to deal with

protests

2019 Dhi Qar governor got head of new crisis cell to be dismissed for deaths of protesters

Then governor resigned

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 27

 

1914 London told Gen Barrett wasn’t time to seize Baghdad vilayet but that Qurna, Basra

should be taken

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

1963 Syrian govt said it was withdrawing its army brigade from Iraq that was helping fight

Kurds

1980 Iranian Op Morvarid began to destroy Iraqi oil terminals in Gulf and attempted to

destroy Iraqi navy Iranian commandos landed at 2 Iraqi oil terminals and destroyed them ending Iraq’s ability to export oil from Basra 2 Iranian ships then waited at mouth of Shatt al-Arab to bait Iraqi navy to come out of its bases Sank 3 Iraqi boats

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

1980 Iran retook Susangard in Khuzistan

1983 Truck bomb hit Baghdad killing around 100 Iraq blamed Iran and said it would retaliate

(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 Gorbachev gave up on diplomatic effort to defuse Kuwait crisis and backed use of force against

Iraq

1994 Iraq finally agreed to border with Kuwait

2001 Rumsfeld told CENTCOM cmdr Gen Frank Bush wanted revised Iraq war 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)

(Musings On Iraq review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To

Invade Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq US Army History Of Iraq Vol 1 – Chapter 2 Regime Change)

2001 Saddam rejected Bush’s call for UN weapons inspectors to return to Iraq

2001 Wash Post survey found 78% of Americans supported military action against Iraq

2002 UN weapons inspections carried out first inspections under new regime

(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 review The WMD Mirage, Iraq’s Decade of Deception and America’s False Premise for War)

2004 Report 1/3 of property Hallliburton contracted to manage in Iraq lost

2006 Dep Natl Sec Adv Crouch presented idea of Surge

2006 Joint Chiefs told Bush was leaning towards a troop surge in Iraq

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

2006 Frederick Kagan wrote 3^rd OpEd in Weekly Standard calling for a troop surge in Iraq Kagan

helped draft plan that would become the Surge

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

2006 Sec State Rice and Asst Sec State Near East Welch said US wanted Saudi Arabia Egypt Jordan to push

Iraqi parties to back PM Maliki so he would move away from Sadr Also wanted Arab countries to pressure insurgents to reduce violence

2006 England said it would pull out most of its 7000 troops in Iraq by end of 2006 Poland and

            Italy said all their forces were withdrawing

2006 Fighting between Al Qaeda in Iraq vs Albu Soda and US in Anbar ended 55 Albu Soda and 68 Al

Qaeda in Iraq killed

2007 77,542 sahwa in total in 192 groups US said they planned on capping sahwa at 100,000 Dep Natl

Sec Adv Hussein said worried what would happen after US stopped running program Said Interior and Defense Mins couldn't hire them all

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

2008 Iraq passed Status of Forces Agreement with US setting withdrawal date for US forces 12/31/11

(Musings On Iraq The Status Of Forces Agreement)

(Musings On Iraq SOFA Passes)

(Musings On Iraq July SOFA Referendum)

2018 Protesters blocked govt offices in Basra city highway in Faw ISF cleared protest

outside Majnoon oil field Govt building burned in Dhi Qar Roads blocked in Karbala and Najaf Iranian consulate burned Ashurba Brigades shot at protesters outside Ayatollah Hakim shrine Killed total of 27 over 4 days

(Musings On Iraq Iraq Protests Escalate Once Again)

(Musings On Iraq UN Report On Violence Against Iraqi Protesters)

2019 Report Quds Force Cmdr Gen Suleimani arrived in Baghdad to block resignation of

            PM Abdul Mahdi Got support of Badr’s Amiri

(Musings On Iraq Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Commander General Suleimani And His Role In Iraq, An Interview With The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins)

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

2020 Sadrists held rallies across Iraq to show support before 2021 elections Claimed they were the

force for political change and reform Followers in Nasiriyah attacked sit-in square Killed 7 and wounded 69

(Musings On Iraq Sadrists Attack And Kill Protesters While Proclaiming They Are The Saviors Of Iraq)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Review Invisible War, The United States And The Iraq Sanctions

Gordon, Joy, Invisible War, The United States And The Iraq Sanctions, Cambridge, London: Harvard University Press, 2010

 

If you want to learn about the United Nations sanctions on Iraq which lasted from 1990-2003 then Professor Joy Gordon’s Invisible War, The United States And The Iraq Sanctions should be on the top of your list. The U.S. wanted to use the sanctions to make sure Iraq could never rebuild its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and contain Saddam Hussein. Washington argued that it was Saddam’s fault that the sanctions lasted, that he abused the system, and that Iraq received all the basic necessities it needed all of which were false. In fact, U.S. policy devastated the people of Iraq and destroyed the economy.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 26

 

1914 Gen Barrow in India was against further advances by British in Mesopotamia Did want to seize Qurna,

Basra

1920 Last British correspondence saying that 1920 Revolt had ended UK lost 2,269 Iraqis 8,450

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

1969 Bakr govt executed opponents in central Baghdad Meant to rally support for regime

1980 Iraq sent letter to UN saying it was still following the 1975 Algiers Accord on Shatt al-Arab

and Iran was violating it

1983 Pres Reagan signed NSDD114 saying U.S. would back Iraq in Iran-Iraq War to prevent it from

losing

(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 Saddam Tapes)

(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 1984 Germany companies helped build WMD plant and equip it 1985 German company

built nerve gas plant in Fallujah Another built plant in Samarra 1987 Companies sent technicians to Iraq to help with agents for WMD Berlin warned about companies but did nothing

1993 Iraq accepted UN Resolution 715 to extend UN weapons inspections Initially rejected

resolution Also agreed to long term monitoring of WMD sites

(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)

1999 Baath paper said Iraq couldn’t accept sanctions and spies at same time but sanctions easier to

accept then spies and crises they created to prolong sanctions

1999 Sec State Albright said No Fly Zones were about containing Saddam

2001 Bush called Saddam a terrorist who would be held accountable and said Iraq needed to allow

UN weapons inspectors back in

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

Tragedy)

2001 White House spokesman Fleischer said US afraid Al Qaeda might try to get nuclear weapons

from Iraq

2002 Gen Franks presented deployment plan for Iraq invasion to Def Sec Rumsfeld Was for 300,000

troops to be sent from summer 02-spring 03 Rumsfeld said large deployment would undermine diplomatic moves US making on Iraq Rumsfeld decided to go through entire deployment process for Iraq invasion Ended up breaking it up and controlling entire process

(Musings On Iraq review of 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)

(Musings On Iraq review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To Invade Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 3 Maneuvering Into Position)

2003 Ayatollah Sistani said he opposed CPA’s plan for caucuses to be formed to draft new Iraq

constitution Wanted Islamic identity to be included in any new Iraqi government

(Musings On Iraq review The Occupation of Iraq, Winning The War, Losing The Peace)

(Musings On Iraq review Patriotic Ayatollahs, Nationalism In Post-Saddam Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Squandered Victory, The American Occupation And the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq)

2006 US Iraq strategy review presented to Bush Said PM Maliki unable or unwilling to act against

violence Said US should continue with withdrawal plan but could have temporary surge of troops

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

(Musings On Iraq review The U.S. Army In The Iraq War: Volume 1, Invasion, Insurgency, Civil

War, 2003-2006)

2006 Sec State Rice told Bush US should step back from Iraq Was opposed to surge Natl Sec Adv Hadley

told Bush US should have a surge to bring down violence Bush said he would consult with everyone and decide on a new Iraq strategy in Dec 06

(Musings On Iraq Did the US Ever Have A Strategy To Win In Iraq Before the Surge?)

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

2006 NYTimes got Jun 06 US govt report Said insurgency now self-financed via crime Raised est

$70-$200 mil/yr $25-$100 mil from oil smuggling $36 mil from kidnapping 05 Foreign govts including France and Italy paid $30 mil in ransoms 03 insurgents financed by Baathists 04 were funded by foreigners By 05 self-financed

2006 Militiamen attacked 2 Sunni mosques and market in Baghdad’s Ghaziliya Up to 45 killed

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

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

2006 TV comedian Walid Hassan was gunned down in Baghdad

2006 Al Qaeda in Iraq attacked Albu Soda tribe in Anbar for opposing it Sheikh Jasim head of tribe called

for US help which was given

2007 US and Iraq signed declaration of principles to start negotiation for Status of Forces Agreement to

maintain US troops and ties to Iraq

2007 US general in charge of southern Baghdad said Iraq wanted to start paying Sahwa Govt spokesman

Dabbagh said he didn’t know of any such plan

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

2007 PM Maliki told Bush he was afraid insurgents were infiltrating the sahwa

2007 Report govt was inflating return numbers Counted every Iraqi crossing border from Syria as return

whether refugee or not Nov Iraqi general said 46,030 refugees had returned and 28,017 displaced in Oct 07

(Musings On Iraq review Children of War, Voices Of Iraqi Refugees)

2007 US general in charge of northern Baghdad said attacks down 75% but EFP attacks by Iranian

supported militias increased in Oct 07 2 Iranians captured in Nov

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

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

2007 Report Islamic Army faction in Mosul condemned sahwa Said would continue fighting US

2007 US general in charge of training ISF said turning over all provinces to govt by end of 2007

not possible Said ISF still lacked leadership logistics and suffered from sectarianism Situation in each province would determine when handed back to Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review The U.S. Army In The Iraq War: Volume 1, Invasion, Insurgency, Civil

War, 2003-2006)

2009 Former UK Amb to US Meyer testified to Chilcot Inquiry Said US decided on Iraq war

before UN weapons inspectors returned in Nov 02 Said US already had invasion plan with war starting Jan 03 which was pushed back to March Meyer said UN inspectors had no time to finish their work US and UK only wanted a smoking gun to justify war Meyer said hours after 9/11 Natl Sec Adv Rice said she believed Al Qaeda behind 9/11 but she was looking into Iraq role

(Musings On Iraq Former British Diplomat Confirms that U.N. Inspectors Were Means To War With Iraq)

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

2016 Parliament made Hashd an independent military force under the commander and chief

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 25

 

1915 Battle of Ctesiphon/Salman Pak ended British lost and withdrew to Kut

1986 Iraq air strike on Larak Island oil facilities Longest air raid of war Used Saudi air base for refueling Iran

transferred loading tankers there after Kharg and Sirri Islands hit by Iraq Hit 5 tankers

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

(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 Report US companies sold Iraq equipment for nuke triggers 1984-90 US approved $25 mil in computer

sales to Iraq that helped nuke program EEurope helped Iraqi scientists with nuke research Yugoslavia built uranium enrichment lab in Baghdad Got uranium from Brazil Portugal Niger Germany Italy France Soviet Union Poland and Czechoslovakia provided explosives for program

1997 KDP broke own ceasefire by attacking PUK positions

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

2002 UN Res 1443 extended Oil for Food program

2002 US Navy report claimed uranium from Niger was in a warehouse in Benin heading for Iraq

Report later found to be false

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

2002 Head weapons inspector Blix told Security Council inspections would begin in Iraq on 11/27/02

(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 US intelligence took pictures of trucks moving materials from Amiriya Institute In Feb 2003 UN

speech Sec State Powell claimed this was Iraqis hiding WMD before UN inspections restarted US analysts did not believe anything unusual was happening in photos

(Musings On Iraq Iraq One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

(Musings On Iraq review The WMD Mirage, Iraq’s Decade of Deception and America’s False Premise for War)

2003 Def Sec Rumsfeld testified to Senate Said former Iraqi army officers could be called back into

service if they were not Baathists

2004 Defense Science Board report Iraq invasion gave jihadists around the world a cause and

supported their narrative

2006 ISI attacked Albu Soda tribe in Sufiya outside Ramadi for being neutral Tribe called US for

help and fought off insurgents Sheikh Suwadawi of Abu Soda tribe joined Anbar Awakening afterward

(Musings On Iraq The Demise But Not Death of Al Qaeda In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq How A Change In Perceptions Led To The Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Carter Malkasian on Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq review Confronting Al Qaeda, The Sunni Awakening and American Strategy In Al Anbar)

(Musings On Iraq review The Marines Take Anbar, The Four-Year Fight Against Al Qaeda)

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

2006 1^st Inf Div Cmdr Gen Ham in charge of US training mission in Iraq said previous effort was

“hit and miss” US did poor job picking soldiers for mission No standardized training program for Iraqis Lacked support

(Musings On Iraq review The U.S. Army In The Iraq War: Volume 1, Invasion, Insurgency, Civil

War, 2003-2006)

2007 Natl Sec Adv Rubaie suggested banning sahwa south of Baghdad except in Hillah over fears of

US recruiting Shiites

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

2007 DeBaathification bill introduced in parliament Sadrists objected Bill withdrawn to be amended Bill

was agreed upon in Aug by major parties

2007 Report Surge was supposed to improve security and lead to political reform and reconciliation

Didn’t happen so Bush admin dropped benchmarks to show progress Hoping Iraq would spend budget and hold provincial elections as signs of progress

2008 BBC went to Rusafa Prison Baghdad Found it overcrowded Many prisoners never charged

Justice system overloaded with cases

2009 Sir William Ehrman director of international security at Foreign Office testified to Chilcot

Inquiry Said British intel on Iraq WMD was spotty before the invasion No strong evidence of Iraq-Al Qaeda relationships

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

2009 Tim Dowse head of counterproflieration at Foreign Office testified to Chilcot Inquiry that no

evidence Iraq was going to give its WMD to terrorists No evidence of relationship with Al Qaeda Said Saddam didn’t want to associate with it Thought Iraq’s nuke program dismantled by inspectors in 90s

2009 England got intel report that Iraq’s chemical weapons had been dismantled Dismissed

because British thought Iraq was lying and hiding its WMD

2018 Protest at Basra Oil Company demanding jobs broken up by security guards and in

front of govt offices in Basra city over corruption

2018 Report Trump twice asked PM Abadi for Iraq’s oil in return for invading Iraq

(Musings On Iraq Why Did Trump Ask Iraq For Its Oil?)

2019 Police stormed bridge blocked by protesters in Hillah Main roads in Basra and Najaf

blocked Highway blocked and houses of 2 politicians burned in Dhi Qar

(Musings On Iraq Iraq Protests Escalate Once Again)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Sadr Calls For Hashd To Be Disbanded In Latest Move Against His Foes During Iraq Govt Formation Process

In Moqtada al-Sadr’s latest move to undermine his rivals in the Fatah List he has called for the Hashd al-Shaabi to be disbanded. As a sign of his seriousness he said that his own militia the Promised Day Brigades would close its offices. Kataib Hezbollah responded by claiming that it’s Popular Defense Brigades were demobilizing. At the same time, it warned that if anyone tried to marginalize groups it could lead to a civil war.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 24

 

1915 UK decided to retreat from Ctesiphon/Salman Pak due to heavy casualties

1915 UK cabinet approved 2 more divisions from France and Egypt be sent to Mesopotamia after defeat at

Ctesiphon/Salman Pak

1921 Churchill memo said when King Faisal could pay for his own govt he could decide the future

of Iraq Until then UK was footing the bill

(Musings On Iraq Churchill In His Own Words On Mesopotamia/Iraq)

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

1952 Soldiers opened fire on protests against Regent of Iraq killing 18 and wounding 84 during Intifada Led

to riots

1967 Iraq signed deal with France ERAP to develop North Rumaila oil field

1968 7^th Baath Party Congress Izzat Mustafa ousted from Revolutionary Command Council One of

Saddam’s main rivals

1988 Iran and Iraq began prisoner exchange from Iran-Iraq War

1994 Barzani and Talabani signed ceasefire to end KDP-PUK civil war

1997 KDP declared unilateral ceasefire in KDP-PUK civil war

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

1998 UN Res 1210 renewed Oil for Food program for another 6 months

2000 UK Foreign Office report Arab countries no longer supported sanctions on Iraq

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

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Report Section 1.2 UK Iraq strategy September 2000 To September 2001)

2001 Weekly Standard’s William Kristol told Fox that debate within Bush White House was no

longer if the US would go after Saddam but how

2003 US jailers used dogs to intimidate Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib

2003 Prison riot at Abu Ghraib 9 prisoners killed 9 American guards injured

2003 Weekly Standard published UnderSecDef Feith’s Iraq-Al Qaeda briefing claiming two had over

50 meetings since 1990s

2003 Pentagon released statement that Under Sec Def Feith’s Iraq-Al Qaeda work was based upon raw

intel and not analysis of relationship between them

2003 CIA sent Under Sec Def Feith list of problems with his Iraq-Al Qaeda work Said claim Zarqawi given

safehaven by Saddam was disputed

2003 Report Iran brought Hezbollah into Iraq to help it

(Musings On Iraq Hezbollah’s Role In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

2003 NSC meeting with Bremer US cmdr in Iraq Sanchez CENTCOM cmdr Gen Abizaid Said 5,000

Baathists were core of insurgency

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency)

(Musings On Iraq review The U.S. Army In The Iraq War: Volume 1, Invasion, Insurgency, Civil

War, 2003-2006)

2004 Sec State Powell told Bush not enough US troops in Iraq to secure country

2004 Report US portrayed Zarqawi and foreigners leading Battle of Fallujah but leaders were local

Iraqis

(Musings On Iraq review Insurgent Iraq, Al Zarqawi and the New Generation)

2006 Militias carried out retaliatory attacks upon Sunnis in Hurriya Ghaziliya Baquba Kirkuk for 6

car bombs the day before in Sadr City that killed 215 5 mosques in Hurriya burned another shot at another declared a Shiite husseiniya by Mahdi Army Total 19 killed 29 wounded Militias expelled Sunni families from Hurriya and threatened 90 more families to leave

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

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

2006 After funeral processions for those killed Nov 24 in 6 car bombs Sadrist imams blamed US for

insecurity and demanded US withdrawal from Iraq Sadrists threatened to walk out of parliament and cabinet if PM Maliki met with Pres Bush in Jordan

2006 Sunni imams in Ghaziliya Amiriya Adhamiya called on followers to protect neighborhoods and

attack Mahdi Army and police if they entered

2007 Oil Min Shahristani said oil deals signed by KRG were illegal and companies would be

blacklisted Said made deals with neighboring countries not to export oil from KRG Aug 07 Kurdistan passed its own oil law and signed 15 deals with 20 companies

2007 Report more Iraqis returning to Iraq then leaving Oct 07 43,799 Iraqis returned from Syria Was 5

times higher than Iraqis leaving Syria Jordan Lebanon Egypt put new restrictions on Iraqi refugees Govt said it would start bus convoys to bring Iraqi refugees back from Syria Only lasted 2 trips because govt unprepared for returns 60,000 displaced returned to Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq review Children of War, Voices Of Iraqi Refugees)

(Musings On Iraq Refugees International Report On Iraq’s Refugees and Displaced)

(Musings On Iraq January 2009 U.N. Report On Iraq Refugee Returns)

2007 Sadrists held march in Sadr City against US for crackdown on Mahdi Army in Karbala and

Qadisiya

2008 Female suicide bomber set off bomb in front of Green Zone 5 killed 17 wounded

(Musings On Iraq The Rise of Female Suicide Bombers0

(Musings On Iraq Motivations Behind Female Suicide Bombers)

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

2008 US official said PM Maliki considered Sunnis roadkill he could run over

2008 Baghdad mayor announced 10 yr $10 bil reconstruction plan for Sadr City

2008 After PM Maliki attacked KRG for oil deals Oil Min Shahristani met with PM

Barzani Agreed to Kurdish exports from Taq Taq and Tawke fields and partial development of Khurmalla dome field to try to get oil law passed Neither happened

2008 Report Sheikh Suleiman formed Tribal Support Council in Anbar to support PM Maliki

(Musings On Iraq Argument For Maliki Being Iraq’s Next Strongman)

(Musings On Iraq Disputes Over Tribal Support Councils)

2008 Reports some political parties discussing removing PM Maliki Hindered by Kurdish-Sunni divisions

2009 England started Chilcot Inquiry into causes of Iraq War

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

2009 Report Govt workers in Baghdad created fake workers and pocketed $20 mil in salaries

2009 Report US and UK officers differed in tactics in Iraq 2004 US wanted British to confront

militias in Basra UK wanted talks UK ended up giving Basra to militias

2019 Main roads in Basra city blocked by protests 7 killed as ISF cleared protest outside

Um Qasr port Road to West Qurna 1 and Majnoon oil fields blocked Govt building and Shiite Endowment burned main roads and bridges blocked in Nasiriya Protesters tried to storm govt building in Karbala

(Musings On Iraq UN Report On Violence Against Iraqi Protesters)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Security In Iraq Nov 15-21, 2021

Security has remained relatively the same for the last nine weeks. Attacks by the Islamic State have been in the teens to tens while incidents by Pro-Iran groups have fallen off since the October elections.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 23

 

1914 Sir Percy Cox issued statement in Arabic that British had occupied Basra and UK was

at war with Ottomans and had no ill will towards locals

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

1915 Sir Percy Cox telegram to India Said Arabs were pro-British and Baghdad vilayet could be taken easily

Said Sheikh Ajaimi of Montafiq Confederation wanted to submit to British Not true

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq In World War I, From Ottoman Rule to British Conquest)

1915 Ottomans launched counterattack vs British Battle of Ctesiphon/Salman Pak

1915 French diplomat Picot visited London told officials Mosul Baghdad Basra provinces should be

given to Arabs after WWI to placate them

1952 Gen Mahmoud formed new military govt and declared martial law to put down protests - Intifada

Police stations and US Info Library in Baghdad burned Clashes with army killed 12 wounded 25

1952 Nuredin Mahmoud became PM in new military govt 1922-58 were 59 cabinets

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

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

1958 National Front reformed with National Democratic Party Istaqlal Party Communists Called

for Iraqi independence and Arab solidarity

(Musings On Iraq review The Making of Iraq 1900-1963, Capital, Power and Ideology)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Western Kentucky’s Prof Romero on the Qasim govt)

1983 Iraq sank Greek cargo ship at Iranian port of Bushehr

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

(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 Bush said Saudis Egypt Syria agreed on UN resolution to allow use of force vs Iraq for invasion

of Kuwait

1993 UN reported that Iraqi govt had drained 40% of southern marshes to drive out displaced and

rebels

(Musings On Iraq How Saddam Destroyed An Eco-System And Its People In The Southern Marshes Of Iraq)

1997 Clinton said UN sanctions would stay until Saddam removed from power

(Musings On Iraq review Neighbors, Not Friends, Iraq And Iran After The Gulf Wars)

1998 Hosni Mubarak said US-UK attempts to overthrow Saddam would fail and regime change

could only come from Iraqi people

2006 6 car bombs and mortars by ISI hit Sadr City killing 215 and injuring 257

2006 Insurgents launched 2 hour attack upon Health Ministry in Baghdad run by Sadrists Militias

fired mortars upon Abu Hanifa mosque offices of Assoc of Muslim Scholars and 2 Sunni neighborhoods in retaliation

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

2007 Iran backed Special Groups believed to have been behind bombing of Baghdad market to stoke

sectarian tensions

2008 Sadr called for opposition to SOFA with US Thousands protested in Baghdad

View the Iraq History Timelines