This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 24 Kurds announced tentative deal with Saddam for Kurdish autonomy Would lead to Kurdistan Regional Government

 

1916 British attempt to re-supply besieged garrison at Kut failed

1920 UK gave France 25% of Turkish Petroleum Company in return for agreeing to British mandate

in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review The Creation of Iraq 1914-1921)

1941 PM Gaylani and Mufti of Jerusalem met with Italian amb Told him they were angry Axis had

done nothing to help Iraq vs British

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

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

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

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

1963 Kurdish delegation headed by Talabani met with govt PM Bakr talked about national

decentralization instead of Kurdish rights

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

(Musings On Iraq review Journey Among Brave Men, Travels in Kurdistan)

1970 Mar Eshai Shimun religious leader of Assyrians invited back to Baghdad by Bakr Given back

citizenship Bakr promised cultural rights to Assyrians but talks failed Bakr tried to create buffer with Kurds using Assyrians and move them away from KDP

1974 Iraqi planes bombed Qala Diza during Kurdish rebellion killing 130 wounded 400

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

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

1991 Saudi Arabia under US and UK pressure agreed to allow 30,000 Iraqi refugees and 15,000

POWs into country

1991 Kurdish leaders announced tentative deal with Saddam over autonomy and returning refugees

who fled during revolt

1999 Were clashes between Iraqi forces and Iraqi opposition in south

2002 Gen Franks met with commanders in Qatar Said they needed to start war preparations

(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 Bush said Iraq might have destroyed its WMD before invasion but US would find them

(Musings On Iraq How The Administration Reversed Itself On Finding Iraq’s WMD)

(Musings On Iraq review Hoodwinked, The Documents That Reveal How Bush Sold Us a War)

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

2003 NY Times article Iraqi scientists said Saddam expanded WMD programs and secret facilities

but destroyed stocks Wasn’t true

2003 US seized warehouse in Baghdad thought to contain WMD agents Proved false 

2003 Trailer found near Mosul was suspected of being mobile WMD labs Wasn’t

(Musings On Iraq How Iraqi Defector CURVEBALL Became Basis For US Claims That Iraq Had WMD)

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

2003 Dep PM Tariq Aziz surrendered to US Said Iraq had no WMD

2003 INC’s Zubeidi declared himself mayor of Baghdad

2003 ORHA head Garner met with 60 Iraqis in Kut to talk about security and how city should pick

city council

(Musings On Iraq review Hard Lessons, The Iraq Reconstruction Experience)

2003 ORHA head Garner said INC’s Chalabi was not US’s choice to run Iraq and Iraqis could pick

their own leaders

2003 Gen McKiernan ground commander in Iraq told ORHA’s Garner security #1 priority for

postwar Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq and Back, Inside The War To Win The Peace)

2003 Sec Def Rumsfeld called Sec State Powell to propose Paul Bremer as new presidential envoy to

Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review My Year in Iraq, The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope)

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

Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq review State of Denial, Bush At War, Part III)

(Musings On Iraq Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Chapter 6 Charting A New Course)

(Musings On Iraq US Army History Of Iraq War Vol 1 – Ch 6 Lost In Transition May-July 2003)

2003 Sec Def Rumsfeld called Garner and told him he would be replaced by Bremer Garner said he

would quit Rumsfeld asked him to stay

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Dysfunctional Democracy)

2003 Sec Def Rumsfeld said that Iraqis could form any govt they wanted as long as it wasn’t a

theocracy like Iran’s

2003 UN Res 1476 extended Oil For Food Program past US invasion

2003 Was anti-American march and 2 drive by shootings on US base in Kut ORHA head Garner

blamed Iran for demonstration

(Musings On Iraq Early Report On Iran’s Activities In Iraq)

2003 UK cabinet agreed to expand control from Basra and Maysan to Dhi Qar and Muthanna despite

warnings might not have capabilities to deal with them

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

2003 UN SecGen Annan said US Coalition had to follow intl law as occupying power in Iraq US

rejected occupier title

2004 US reported that 40% of Iraqi police deserted during Sadrist uprising in Najaf and Kut

2004 Insurgents launched boat attack upon Basra oil terminal killing 2 US sailors

2004 US agreed to joint Marine-Iraqi National Guard patrols in and around Fallujah National Guard

refused

2006 Sunni politicians accused ISCI of taking over Interior Min and staffing it with Badr militiamen

and killing civilians

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

(Musings On Iraq From Bad To Worse How Military Moved Into The Iraqi Police Force And The United States Failed At Nation Building Part Two Of An Interview With Jerry Burke Former Advisor To The Baghdad Police And Interior Ministry)

2006 Zarqawi released video portraying himself as military commander in Iraq

2006 Fmr CIA officer Drumheller said Iraq war was a policy failure by White House not intel

agencies Said Bush committed to war no matter what the intel Part of White House and CIA blaming each other for war

2006 Iraqiya MP said new Maliki govt wasn't national unity one but just Shiite Kurdish and Sunni

parties dividing up ministries

2006 US Iraq cmdr Gen Casey said fighting in Iraq about competition for political and economic

power instead of fighting US

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 19 The Iraqi Civil War Comes Into The Open, January-June 2006)

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 20 Baghdad Burns, Summer-Fall 2006)

2007 Report Anbar Salvation Front expanded from Ramadi to Amiriya Fallujah with alliance with

Albu Issa tribe

(Musings On Iraq 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)

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

2008 ISF gained full control of central Basra Phase 4 of Charge of Knights began with sweeps

through 5 Mile Market

2008 Captured ISI letters showed complaints about War Min Masri not consulting with others and

didn't take criticism Said ISI was passing off old Zarqawi videos as new operations

2008 US report Most Iraqi ministries under control of militias Acquittal of Sadrist Dep Health Min

Zamili on charges of corruption and running death squads and senior officials tendency to protect their subordinates made officials believe they were above the law 11 of 32 ministries either had acting ministers or no top officials PM Maliki kept many ministries leaderless so he could directly run them Said US attempts at better governance were fragmented and incoherent US agencies and military did not cooperate Recommended removing Chief Justice Medhat for screwing up Dep Health Min case and lackluster approach to prosecuting govt officials

2009 2 suicide bombers targeted Baghdad’s Khadmiya shrine 60 killed 125 wounded

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

2009 Report PM Maliki trying to gain control of ISF Put them under direct control of his office

even though not part of chain of command Personally ordered arrests and security operations

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq After America, Strongmen, Sectarians, Resistance)

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

2009 Report 06 insurgent leaders told reporter they were defeated Were pushed by Al Qaeda in

Iraq militias and US They said militias would win because had backing of ISF Led to Sunnis to try to make deals with US forming sahwa PM Maliki now playing divide and conquer with Sunnis to enhance his power

2009 Report Since 08 Foreign Affairs Min passed names of Iranian diplomats to US for vetting

Around 20% possible Quds Force/intelligence agents

2010 Report Finance Min auditor warned pay and pensions of Iraqi politicians could eventually

wreck budget 2008 avg pay in Iraq $266/mo MP earned $7,700/mo Got 30 bodyguards Free accommodations that cost up to $10,000/mo Fmr MPs and officials got 80% of their salary Eligible for low interest loans worth up to $70,000 Auditor warned paying govt workers diverting money from investment

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Officials Becoming Drain On Budget)

2011 Ayatollah Haeri in Iran issued fatwa against extending US troop presence in Iraq past 2011

2011 Sadrists said they opposed any troop extension for US past end of year

2011 Kurd opposition parties said KRG could either negotiate with protesters or suppress them

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

2011 Press freedom group said 226 violations by KRG against media trying to cover Sulaymaniya

protests

2011 Bomb at Sacred Heart church in Baghdad

2011 6,000 protested in Mosul demanding reform releasing prisoners end of US presence

2011 Report Oil companies boosted production but Iraq didn’t have capacity to export more Led

some companies to cut back on output Iraq had contracts to build 16 new storage facilities 3 new pipelines 4 new floating terminals in Basra New pipeline and terminals contracts given after bribes

2012 Sound bomb at offices of Ayatollah Najafi in wave of attacks upon leading ayatollahs

2012 Pres Barzani said that Exxon would follow through with its contracts to work with KRG

despite threats from Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq How the New Chevron Deal Affects Oil Dispute Between Iraq’s Central Government And Kurdistan)

(Musings On Iraq The State Of The Kurdish Regional Government In Iraq, An Interview With National Defense Univ’s Dr Denise Natali)

2012 Parliament’s energy comm said electricity production and imports down Rejected Electricity

Min claim that production was at 9,000 megawatts Said it was only at 4,000 Predicted massive power shortages during summer

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Parliament And Cabinet Argue Over Future Electricity Output)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Government Failing Again To Solve Country’s Power Outages)

2012 Report Nov 2011 car bombing of parliament building involved adviser to MP and 2 bodyguards

2012 Sadrists said some parties talked about replacing PM Maliki Said it supported Maliki Sadr had

been criticizing Maliki before

(Musings On Iraq The Sadrists’ Double Game: Criticizing Iraq’s Prime Minister, While Supporting Him At The Same Time)

(Musings On Iraq What Does Iraq’s Sadr Want?)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Sadrist Back Off Attacks Upon Prime Minister Maliki For Now)

2013 Report Iran recruiting Iraqis to fight in Syria Went to Iran for training Some joined Kataib

Hezbollah and Abu Fadhl al-Abbas Brigade associated with it

(Musings On Iraq The Increasing Flow Of Iraqi Fighters To Syria, An Interview With University Of Maryland’s Phillip Smyth)

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

(Musings On Iraq Abu Fadhl Al-Abbas Brigade From Fighting In Syria To Iraq)

2013 Report Dawa big loser in provincial elections Number of seats declined from 2009 State of Law

did well

2013 PM Maliki speech said protests had to follow rule of law and were sectarian and threatening

Said they were criminals that threatened political process

(Musings On Iraq Understanding Iraq’s Protest Movements, An Interview With Kirk Sowell, Editor of Inside Iraqi Politics)

2013 Mutahidun complained PM Maliki allowed militias to operate in Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq Rumors Spread Of Militias At Work In Iraq)

2013 Insurgents took control of Suleiman Beq Salahaddin after ISF attacked Hawija protest site

Heavy fighting in Mosul and Baquba

(Musings On Iraq Hawija The Moment Iraq’s Insurgency Was Reborn)

2013 Hawija protest group announced that it was joining Naqshibandi after ISF attacked protest site

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Protest Movement And Insurgency Split About Response To Hawija Raid)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Resurgent Insurgency Interview With Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi)

2014 Was fighting between ISIS and Military Council in Fallujah

2015 Report that ISF was charging displaced Anbaris money to get into Baghdad

2015 Report Hashd imposed movement restrictions within Tikrit Investigating Camp Speicher

massacre and not allowing others to be involved Most of presidential palaces in Tikrit seized by Hashd

2015 IS took army regiment HQ in Anbar Executed 22 soldiers

2016 KRG MP on Finance comm said 110,000 ghost Peshmerga 69,000 were with KDP 41,000

with PUK

2017 Gorran said it wouldn’t join independence referendum committee Said KRG parliament had

to be brought back and pass referendum first

(Musings On Iraq What’s Next For Kurdistan After The Referendum?)

(Musings On Iraq review The Great Betrayal, How America Abandoned The Kurds And Lost The Middle East)

2017 KDP official said KRG independence referendum would include Kirkuk and all disputed

areas

2018 Report 18,000 properties in 7 provinces belonging to IS families seized by govt and given to members of the ISF and martyr families as part of govt program

2018 Report Gap between ISF and peshmerga in disputed areas being exploited by IS Some areas IS appearing during day time

2020 Resigned PM Abdul Mahdi said he didn’t accept 4 pro-Najaf Hashd leaving Hashd

Commission Said he wanted to keep all Hashd united

(Musings On Iraq Resigned PM Abdul Mahdi Doesn’t Accept Units Leaving Hashd Commission)

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