This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 30 Qasim passed Agrarian Reform Law Broke up power of landlords who had ruled Iraq since Mandate

 

1922 PM Naqib Gaylani named new cabinet Was to pass new Anglo-Iraq Treaty before

            parliament formed so it wouldn’t be debated Ensured British control of Iraq

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 29 Def Sec Rumsfeld ordered review of all Iraq war plans

(Reuters)

 

1914 Royal Naval dispatched ships to patrol Shatt al-Arab to protect Persian oil concessions

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

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

Review Crusade, The Untold Story Of The Persian Gulf War

Atkinson, Rick, Crusade, The Untold Story Of The Persian Gulf War, Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993

 

Rick Atkinson’s Crusade The Untold Story Of The Persian Gulf War is a blow by blow account of the planning and execution of the Gulf War by the American military. It starts with the Iraqi surrender and then flashes back to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the American response. It’s a quick moving story with information for both the casual reader and the military historian. It’s main focus is upon General Normal Schwarzkopf and his strengths and weaknesses.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 28 After invasion plan failed Saddam asked for ceasefire one week into Iran-Iraq War

(PBS)

 

1915 British attacked Ottomans at Es Sinn with frontal attack Ottomans held and then retreated at

night

Ruling Parties Seek To Control Iraq’s Election Comm Before Dec Vote

(Reuters)

Iraq’s next elections are set for December and there are already reports of the ruling parties attempting to fix the results to ensure their victory.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 27 US published letter from Al Qaeda to Zarqawi Warned him about vanity Said he had to consult with Al Qaeda more and cooperate with other insurgent groups

(Wikipedia)

 

1915 Battle of Es Sinn began 1^st move by British to take Kut from Ottomans

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

Iraqi Govt And KRG Resolve Budget Dispute

On September 17 Baghdad and Irbil resolved their differences over the budget. The Sudani government agreed to send 3 monthly loans of 700 billion dinars ($538 million) starting this month. This came after Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani visited the capitol to argue for more money to deal with the region’s financial crisis. That was caused by Turkey closing down its oil pipeline which Kurdistan was dependent upon. Beforehand the KRG was earning an average of $733 million a month from oil exports. Instead of blaming Ankara for its problems Barzani focused upon the central government. That’s because Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party is aligned with Turkey and won’t go against it publicly.

This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 26 Bush told Def Sec Rumsfeld to secretly start Iraq war plans

(USA Today)

 

1914 Gen Barrow at India Office said UK had to stop Turkish-Arab alliance and declaration

of jihad which could spread to Afghanistan and threaten India UK should make show of force in Shatt al-Arab to deter Arabs from backing Ottomans and if war started should seize Basra vilayet

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

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

Security In Iraq Sep 15-21, 2023

The Islamic State was barely active for another week in Iraq. From September 15-21 there were only 2 incidents. The week before there was 1 and the first week of the month there was 1 as well. This was the 32^nd straight week and the 34^th of 35 weeks during the year where there was single digit incidents.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 25 KRG held independence referendum Iraqi forces would attack Kurds and seize disputed areas afterward

(Wikipedia)

 

1913 US consul in Baghdad reported Basra Reform Society issued constitution Sep 

Demanded autonomy no foreign concessions recognition of Arabic language

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 24 UN inspectors found over 50,000 docs on Iraq’s nuclear program when it denied it had such a program

(AP)

 

1920 British took Fallujah during 1920 Revolt

(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)

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 23 Natl Sec Adv Rice said Iraq would be next stage in war on terror

 

1948 Shafiq Ades Jewish merchant in Basra hanged on accusation he smuggled weapons to Palestine

Part of anti-Jewish feelings that spread after creation of Israel

(Musings On Iraq review Last Days in Babylon, The Exile of Iraq’s Jews, the Story of My Family)

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 22 Iraq invaded Iran starting Iran-Iraq War

(Getty Images)

 

1961 After Barzani’s forces overran army and police outposts and pushed back pro-govt Kurdish

tribes Qasim ordered counterattack Iraqi air force bombed 500 villages destroying 270 of them

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

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq Explaining Kurdish Nationalism Interview With Teen Tech Univ Prof Michael Gunter)

Review What Kind of Liberation? Women and the Occupation of Iraq

Al-Ali, Nadje and Pratt, Nicola, What Kind of Liberation? Women and the Occupation of Iraq, Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press, 2009

 

What Kind of Liberation? Women and the Occupation of Iraq by Nadje Al-Ali and Nicola Pratt argues that Iraqi women were worse off after the 2003 invasion. It covers a myriad of issues they faced during the U.S. occupation such as violence, being targeted by religious groups, and marginalization by the new political system. The book is inconsistent and a bit dated. For all the information about how difficult it was for women in post-Saddam Iraq it goes into all kinds of women’s organizations that may not even be around today. Still it’s a worthwhile read because there are so few books on women’s issues in Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 21 Coup plot by PM Razzaq vs Pres Arif discovered Led to Baathist purge from govt

(Wikipedia)

 

1941 PM Midfai resigned over argument with Finance Min Kamal

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 20 Bush talked with Blair about seizing Iraq’s southern oil fields

 

1917 Sir Percy Cox made civil commissioner in Iraq

More Evidence Iraqi Govt Not Serious About Water Crisis

Iraq is in the midst of a growing water crisis brought on by recurring drought, the lack of rainfall, dams being built by neighboring countries, and no strategy by Baghdad. Recent statements by the Water Ministry show the government is not serious about dealing with this issue.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 19 Bush again asked for report on Iraq-Al Qaeda ties after already told none existed

(White House)

 

1914 UK sent 3 gunboats to Shatt al-Arab to protect Persian oil fields

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

Security In Iraq Sep 8-14, 2023

The Islamic State continues to die a slow death in Iraq. During the second week of September there was only 1 incident. There was 1 incident the week before as well. The last time there were more than 5 incidents in one week was the second week of May.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 18 PM Said threatened to expel Jews from Iraq over Israel

(Historica Wiki)

 

1916 British leaders told troops to continue advance in Mesopotamia vs Ottomans after huge loss

at Kut One of biggest British defeats in WWI

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 17 Saddam renounced 1975 Algiers Treaty with Iran Claimed sole control of Shatt al-Arab Prelude to Iran-Iraq War

(Vanity Fair)

 

1953 Mohammed al-Jamali became PM Was a Shiite Cabinet included Kurdish Interior Minister 7

Shiites most ever and ministers from opposition United Popular Front and Independence Party Presented land and civil service reform which parliament rejected Landowners blocked land reform MPs blocked civil service reform accusing Jamali of sectarianism

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

(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Statesman, A portrait of Mohammed Fadhel Jamali)

(Musings On Iraq review Relations Of The People to The Land In Southern Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 16 Iraq’s 1st PM Gailani resigned over protests against Anglo-Iraq Treaty

(Wikipedia)

 

1922 PM Gaylani resigned over protests over Anglo-Iraq Treaty

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 15 Bush said he thought Iraq involved in 9/11 and would be dealt with later

 

(AFP)

1934 PM Ayubi Jawadat called for new elections Hoped to pack parliament with his followers

who were loyal to King Ghazi by fixing vote Parliament criticized for being overly Sunni

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Democratic Moment)

(Musings On Iraq review Independent Iraq 1932-1958, A Study in Iraqi Politics)

Review Iraq Against The World, Saddam, America, And The Post-Cold War Order

Helfont, Samuel, Iraq Against The World, Saddam, America, And The Post-Cold War Order, New York: Oxford University Press, 2023

 

Professor Samuel Helfont of the Naval War College has written his second book, Iraq Against The World, Saddam, America, And The Post-Cold War Order, again largely based upon Baathist documents that were captured after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. This time he focuses upon how Iraq tried to break down the new world order that President Bush proclaimed after the Gulf War. The U.S. hoped that there would be an international system based upon rule of law and enforced by the United Nations. Iraq was the focus of this strategy as it had U.N. sanctions and weapons inspectors for over a dozen years. Saddam’s response was to have Baathist offices and embassies around the world organize information campaigns and protests against Iraq’s treatment. Helfont breaks new ground with this work as few have delved into this topic before.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 14 Iraq helped found OPEC

1929 Acting Iraq High Commissioner Air Vice Marshal Brooke-Popham told King Faisal that UK

had not changed its position on new Anglo-Iraq Treaty or Iraqi independence

Iraq Now Stating The Obvious, It’s Up To Turkey To Re-Open Oil Pipeline

(Pipeline and Gas Journal)

It took over five months for Baghdad to publicly announce that Turkey was not serious about re-opening its oil pipeline to Iraq. This was after numerous false stories that Ankara was ready to compromise.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 13 Iraq told inspectors in July 91 it secretly destroyed all its WMD

(BBC)

 

1929 Jews attended meeting of Arab nationalists in Baghdad against UK and Zionists in Palestine

accused the Iraqi government of being under British influence

Iraq’s Water Storage Which Was Supposed To Help Get Through 3rd Yr Of Draught Running Dry

(AFP)

On August 20 the Iraqi parliament’s agriculture and water committee announced that levels at Iraq’s water storage facilities had reached a “dead” level. It blamed the government for failing to get neighboring countries to cooperate on the issue.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 12 Pres Bush asked govt to look into whether Iraq involved in 9/11

 

1915 British forces launched campaign to capture Baghdad starting in present day Wasit

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

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

Security In Iraq Sep 1-7, 2023

The slow death of the Iraqi insurgency continued for another week. From September 1-7 there was only one security incident. This was the 30^th straight week and the 32^nd of 33 weeks during the year where incidents were in single digits.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 11 Bush and others immediately suspected Iraq involved in 9/11 terrorist attacks

(AP)

 

1916 Retreating British attacked and broke up tribesmen harassing them in Sahilan, Dhi Qar

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 10 1st Iraqi cabinet formed under new King Faisal govt

(Wikipedia)

 

1921 1^st Iraqi cabinet formed under newly coronated King Faisal Abd al-Rahman al-Gaylani became

Iraq’s 1^st PM

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

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 9 Sheikh Abu Risha announced the Anbar Salvation Council to fight Al Qaeda in Iraq in Ramadi

(Wikipedia)

 

1914 India Viceroy requested 3^rd ship to be sent to Shatt al-Arab and to seize Basra vilayet

before start of WWI

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

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 8 King Faisal died of a heart attack in Switzerland

(Wikimedia Commons)

 

1922 Gertrude Bell wrote that while King Faisal was beloved he was also weak because he was

Oriental Was in relation to Faisal’s demand for Iraqi independence which Bell believed was due to Faisal’s nationalist advisers that she saw as troublemakers

(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)

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

Review Iran-Iraq Naval War, Volume 1: Opening Blows September-November 1980

Cooper, Tom, Ebrahimi, Sirous & Hooton, E.R., Iran-Iraq Naval War, Volume 1: Opening Blows September-November 1980, Warwick: Helion & Company Limited, 2023

 

Helion & Company has released a series of excellent military histories on the Iran-Iraq War. Its latest offering is Iran-Iraq Naval War, Volume 1: Opening Blows September-November 1980. Like its other books it is very detailed going into not only the opening strategy of the two opponents during the war but a history of the two navies, their equipment and the first clashes.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 7 New Al Qaeda in Iraq War Min Masri called on members to kill an American and a Shiite in next 15 days

 

1938 Iraq wrote UK saying Iran was threatening Shatt al-Arab waterway Iraq wanted outlet to sea

via Kuwait UK said Iran not threat because ally and Kuwait wouldn’t allow canal through its territory

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

Iraq Sees Highest Oil Prices And Revenues In Months

In August 2023 Iraq benefited from the highest oil prices in 10 months. This is good for the new budget which is the largest in Iraqi history.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 6 Ali Hassan al-Majid ordered Kurdish families be deported and all males be arrested

1930 Riots in Sulaymaniya against parliamentary elections after some had called for boycott and

Baghdad replaced some local officials

Political Disputes Explodes In Protests And Deaths In Kirkuk City

Over the weekend the city of Kirkuk exploded in violence after two opposing groups of protesters came together. The dispute was fueled by rival political parties and broke the relative peace the city has experienced over the last several years.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 5 PM Said broke relations with Nazi Germany Arrested all Germans in Iraq and deported them to India

(Historica Wiki)

 

1920 Gertrude Bell wrote that Iraq was in the middle of a jihad during 1920 revolt

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

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

(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)

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

Security In Iraq Remains Stable In August 2023

Security in Iraq has remained at the same level since February 2023. That’s due to the fact that the Islamic State is barely active in the country anymore. Pro-Iran groups have returned to the scene however.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 4 Saddam mobilized armed forces and ordered seizure of disputed border towns to find excuse to invade Iran

(IranWire)

 

1921 Colonial Secretary Churchill memo said he supported Iraqi govt and independence to

maintain British influence in Iraq

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review Britain In Iraq, Contriving King and Country)

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 3 Qasim offered amnesty to Kurdish rebels Asked Barzani to return to Iraq

(Wikipedia)

 

1920 UK army ordered two outer camps in Samawa be abandoned during siege of town Led to

heavy losses during 1920 Revolt

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 2 King Faisal left Iraq for his health Would die a week later

(Financial Times)

 

1922 Turkish troops tested border with Iraq Seized Rania in Sulaymaniya after four days of

fighting

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 1 Colonial Sec Churchill argued for UK to withdraw from Iraq to save money

 

1919 Jews sent letter to two Iraqi papers declaring their support for Arabs against the Balfour

Declaration where UK said it supported creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine