Saturday, January 20, 2024

This Day In Iraqi History - Jan 20 Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance created to run Iraq 2 months before war


 

1915 UK troops and ships attacked Turks and Arabs in Ruta Creek, Basra Turned back Did wound Ottoman

commander in Basra who was sent to Baghdad

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

 

1917 British made rare bombing raid on Baghdad

1929 PM Sadoun resigned because no progress in talks over new Anglo-Iraq Treaty

1936 Treaty of Arab Brotherhood and Alliance signed between Iraq and Saudi Arabia Agreed to settle

disputes

1943 Fmr PM Gaylani in exile in Germany made radio broadcast claiming Iraq still in state of war with

England

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

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

1948 March by railway workers and students against Anglo-Iraq treaty fired upon by police killing 4

Opposition demanded PM Jabr resign Part of Wathba/Great Leap

(Musings On Iraq review The Modern History of Iraq)

1952 2 members of underground Zionist group hung in Baghdad to a large crowd Blamed for

bombings of Jewish sites

(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Jews, A History of Mass Exodus)

1970 Failed military coup against Pres Bakr led by ex-Gen Rawi and Col Samarraie backed by Iran

1970 Iran expelled Iraq’s ambassador military attache and four embassy staff over failed coup

1970 Shah of Iran opposed to Baathism’s Pan-Arabism and socialism Moved troops to border after

coup attempt leading to war scare

1988 Iraqi air raid on Lavan oil refinery led to fuel shortages in Iran Trapped majority of Iranian

Revolutionary Guard units in north and couldn’t move for rest of 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 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)

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

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

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

1991 Saddam said Iraq’s army hadn’t started fighting but when it did Coalition would suffer heavy

casualties and leave

1991 Iraq put 3 US 2 UK 1 Italian 1 Kuwait pilot on TV Talked about how tough Iraqi air defense was Said they

were against war

1991 60 Minutes interviewed man said he was former Saddam bodyguard Said he planted

bomb on Def Min Khairallah’s helicopter that killed him in May 1989

1991 2 Al-Hussein missiles fired at Saudi Arabia

1991 State’s Eagleburger and Defen’se Wolfowitz went to Israel to assure it during start

            of Gulf War

1992 Report UN inspectors found equipment to build 2,000 centrifuges German and Austrian companies

sold parts for program Iraqi scientists said Saddam wanted nuclear bomb to compete with Israel

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

(Musings On Iraq When The World Remembered It Armed The New Hitler Saddam)

2003 Bush and VP Cheney met with Joint Chiefs Bush asked if anyone had any concerns about the

invasion No objections made

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

Tragedy)

2003 Military Industrialization Commission ordered its director generals to come forward with any

info on WMD Gen Amin told military leaders to completely cooperate with inspectors

2003 White House gave report to Congress on Iraq’s noncompliance with UN inspectors Included

Iraq not mentioning trying to buy uranium from Africa Didn’t happen

(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)

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

2003 National Security Presidential Directive 24 gave Pentagon control of postwar Iraq

Pentagon would dismiss previous NSC planning and kick out State Department officials

(Musings On Iraq review Losing Iraq, Inside The Post War Reconstruction Fiasco)

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

2003 Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) created to run post-war Iraq

2 months before invasion

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

(Musings On Iraq review Losing Iraq, Inside The Post War Reconstruction Fiasco)

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

(Musings On Iraq Only 3 of 13 Reconstruction Contracts Were Signed Before War)

(Musings On Iraq on Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Chapter 3 The Department of Defense Takes Charge)

2003 UK announced it deployed ground forces for Iraq War

2003 France’s Foreign Min deVillepin said there was no justification for war against Iraq

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Inquiry Section 3.7 Development of UK Strategy and Options, 1 February to 7 March 2003)

2003 Sec State Powell furious at French statement because took threat of war off table at UN and

strengthened Saddam

2004 Bush’s State of the Union said US was committed to spreading democracy to Iraq Said Iraq

Survey Group found Iraq’s WMD programs and if US hadn’t invaded Iraq would still have them

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review Overreach, Delusions of Regime Change In Iraq)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Future The aftermath of regime change)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq Overview of America’s Policy Towards Iraq: From The Clinton Years To The

Sectarian War of 2006)

2004 Ahmad Chalabi attached himself to Iraqi Governing Council Pres Pachachi to attend State of Union

(Musings On Iraq Ahmad Chalabi Was Not President Bush’s Man For Iraq)

2004 CENTCOM emailed dir Joint Chiefs Adm Keating Def Sec Rumsfeld’s military aide Gen Craddock

US Iraq Cmdr Gen Sanchez that abuse happened at Abu Ghraib and were photos of it

2004 Sadrists marched in Baghdad Najaf Karbala against Kurdish federalism and US occupation

(Musings On Iraq review The Triumph of the Martyrs, A Reporter’s Journey into Occupied Iraq)

2005 Zarqawi statement Declared victory in 2nd Battle of Fallujah even though US won Said US losses in

fighting would result in Bush rethinking Iraq strategy Claimed 800 Israelis took part in 2nd Battle of Fallujah Said 80% of ISF in Fallujah were Shiites and rest Kurds Said he was aligned with bin Laden Called for boycott of Jan 05 elections

2006 Dec 05 election results announced United Iraqi Alliance 128 seats Kurds 53 Accordance Front 44

Iraqiya 25 National Dialogue Front 11

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

War, 2003-2006)

2006 Al Qaeda in Iraq said Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi had become emir of new Mujahedeen

Shura Council

2006 Amb Khalilzad met with Iyad Allawi and Fadhila head Jabiri Jabiri promised president spot if he

broke with United Iraqi Alliance and backed Allawi Sunnis and Kurds

2006 Iyad Allawi told his followers he would get Fadhila head Jabiri to back him as PM after he

broke with United Iraqi Alliance

2006 Report Allaw’s Def Min ran front companies Made cash payments Bought equipment never delivered

Had rest houses for army cmdrs Cmdrs stole salaries of soldiers US couldn’t verify what happened to $8.8 bil given to Iraqi ministries under CPA and Allawi

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 17 Innovation In The Face Of War, Summer-Fall 2005)

(Musings On Iraq Corruption In Iraq An Interview With Stuart Bowen Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Trouble Fighting Corruption Interview With Vincent Foulk Former US Anti-Graft Official)

2007 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq in an Iranian Revolutionary Guard planned op attacked Karbala Center and

kidnapped and killed 5 US soldiers Was retaliation for US arrests of Iranian operatives in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq 2007 Political Kidnappings In Iraq Involving Asaib Ahl Al-Haq)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s History In Iraq, Interview With Naval Postgraduate School’s Afshon Ostovar)  

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

2008 US general said number of EFP attacks down but Iran showed no sign of ending supplies and

training to militias

(Musings On Iraq How Iran Used Explosively Formed Projectiles (EFPs) To Influence events In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq A History Of Iranian Weapons Shipments To Iraq Interview With Arkenstone Blog’s Galen Wright)

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

2009 Iraq Election Comm announced autonomy plan in Basra failed to gain enough signatures to

hold referendum on issue

(Musings On Iraq Basra Federal Region Plan Fails)

(Musings On Iraq Basra Wants Another Shot At Becoming An Autonomous Region)

2009 VP Abdul Mahdi said PM Maliki was trying to be an autocrat Accused him of blocking

development in south Iraq

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

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

2009 Pres Barzani attacked PM Maliki’s Tribal Support Councils again Said any Kurd that joined

one was a traitor Said councils would not be allowed in KRG Compared Maliki to Saddam

(Musings On Iraq Disputes Over Tribal Support Councils)

2009 New poll of Iraqis 73% said they would vote in 09 provincial elections 42% said would vote

for secularists 31% said supported religious parties

2009 Report All the major Awakening heads Abu Risha Hayes etc were running in 09 provincial

elections against each other

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

2010 VP Hashemi said banning candidates for Baathist ties illegal Said Accountability and Justice

Comm had no authority because never approved by parliament

(Musings On Iraq Timeline of Iraq’s De-Baathification Campaign)

2010 VP Biden criticized Accountability and Justice Comm Report that Obama admin told

Baghdad new govt wouldn’t be recognized if bans stayed in place

2010 PM Maliki sent army unit to occupy Salahaddin govt building to stop new governor from

taking office

(Musings On Iraq Struggle Over Control of Salahaddin Province)

(Musings On Iraq Maliki Steps Into Middle of Governor Dismissal In Salahaddin)

2010 PM Blair’s Communications Dir Campbell told Chilcot Inquiry Blair wrote letter to Bush UK

shared US concerns about Iraq and UK would join war if diplomacy failed Said Blair believed Iraq intl problem that needed to be confronted Denied he changed anything in WMD dossier

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

2010 US turned over Baghdad airport convention center to Maliki govt partially completed Never

finished Equipment stolen

2010 Report Shiite parties couldn’t run in 2010 election on good govt because failed to do that Tried to

rally voters behind fear of Baathism instead Campaign started in 09 when Shiite parties criticized PM Maliki for courting Dep PM Mutlaq and was talk of bringing back Saddam era ISF Maliki then joined anti-Baathist campaign

2011 2 ISI car bombs outside Karbala killed 45 Shiite pilgrims

(Musings On Iraq review The ISIS Reader, Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement)

2012 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq released body of McMenemy UK bodyguard group kidnapped in Baghdad Bodies

of 3 other guards returned 1 other Brit still held by group Were held and killed in Iran

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

2013 Dep PM Shahristani announced 300 prisoners released Part of effort by PM Maliki to appease protesters

2013 Report Iraqi and Lebanese militias announced creation of new group to protect Sayida Zainab shrine in

Syria

2013 Report Exxon wanted out of its contract for West Qurna 1 field in Basra Wanted to focus on

KRG 2011 signed deals for 6 blocks in KRG PM Maliki asked Exxon to drop KRG deals and focus on Basra Exxon first major oil company to sign with KRG Afterward Total Gazprom Chevron signed deals with KRG 3 of Exxon’s blocks in disputed areas

(Musings On Iraq Iraqi Kurdistan’s Failed Independent Oil Strategy)

2015 IS suicide car bomb and assault on Nikhaib Suicide truck bomb in Albu Ghanim Suicide car

bomb and assault upon Abu Risha 7 suicide car bombs in Ramadi

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Insurgents Pick Up Attacks In New Year)

(Musings On Iraq Islamic State Launches New Car Bomb Wave In Iraq)

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

2015 60 members of the ISF were executed in Mosul by IS

2016 Amnesty Intl Evidence that Peshmerga and Kurdish militias destroyed Arab towns Was revenge

for IS Destroyed villages in Diyala Salahaddin Ninewa Peshmerga took control of areas in June 2014 Destroyed villages afterward

2016 Report Protests restarted in Sulaymaniya province over KRG not paying salaries to govt workers

Some govt workers had been on strike for a week

2017 When Trump took office as president told Def Sec Mattis to come up with plan to increase war vs

IS

(Musings On Iraq review Degrade And Destroy, The Inside Story Of The War Against the Islamic State, From Barack Obama To Donald Trump)

2019 Report Nov 30 MPs from Nineaw told PM Abdul Mahdi Hashd smuggling oil in Ninewa

Said that they had govt protection Were using Hashd vehicles to smuggle oil from Qayara refinery Parliament set up committee to investigate Found economic offices of some Hashd units in Ninewa controlled businesses and real estate Abdul Mahdi said he closed down offices Only half of them closed

(Musings On Iraq Expansion of the Hashd al-Shaabi’s influence In Iraq, Interview With Clingendael’s Erwin van Veen)

2019 Report Survey found that high number of businesses said equipment stolen or damaged or

factories destroyed 69% of construction businesses and 66% of food businesses had been looted or destroyed during war vs IS Businesses lacked money

2020 Report Abdul Mahdi govt started arrest campaign against activists Also continued

assassinations Snipers were used against protesters 10 protesters killed by ISF in Baghdad Basra Karbala Diyala

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

(Musings On Iraq United Nations Faults Iraq For Failing To Protect Protesters)

2021 Report Since 2003 Iraq’s industry declined Insecurity corruption negligence lack of protections

cheap imports all contributed PM Kazemi said industry needed to be revived Govt had plan to rebuild 12 factories Nothing happened

2021 Report Pro-Iran groups launched Internet campaigns against activists Many accounts had pictures

of Iran’s Gen Suleimani or related to Kataib Hezbollah Some run by political parties

2022 Protest in Baghdad against political system Accused Coordination Framework of corruption

Demanded Maliki be put on trial Opposed PM Kazemi staying in office

2023 Report US trying to block dollars being bought at Central Bank of Iraq auctions and sent to other

countries like Syria Russia Lebanon Treasury and Federal Reserve officials sent to Iraq to enforce new rules All dollar purchases now have to be entered into e-form and confirmed by US and Iraqi officials 80% of requests denied last 2 months Central Bank of Iraq banned 4 banks from taking part in auctions 

(Musings On Iraq Iraq Suffers As Dollar Increases In Value)

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