This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 25 Saddam told Amb Glaspie US plotting against him and that he would act against Kuwait if it didn’t give into his demands Glaspie warned him not to use force

 

1915 British attack on Nasiriya restarted and took city

 

1915 UK Mesopotamia cmdr Gen Nixon said necessary to take Kut to secure command of Tigris and

Euphrates and the Bani Lam tribe

(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)

1920 Karbala joined 1920 Revolt Tribal fighters beat British at Raranjiya

(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)

1920 British reinforcements to Hillah devastated in route 1920 Revolt

1961 Gen Qasim claimed Kuwait as part of Iraq for 2^nd time

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

1968 PM Naif announced press censorship was ending

1985 Congress agreed to State Dept request to remove Iraq from list of states supporting terrorism

Was part of Reagan’s move towards Iraq

1985 Iran launched new attack in Ras al-Abed-Sidikan sector of Kurdistan

(Musings On Iraq Remembering The Iran-Iraq War Interview With Author Anthony Tucker-Jones)

(Musings On Iraq The Iran-Iraq War Interview with Author Tom Cooper)

(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)

1990 OPEC agreed to raise oil prices and follow quotas allaying Iraq complaints Kuwait and UAE

overproducing and lowering prices

1990 Saddam met US Amb to Iraq Glaspie Said he wanted meeting to be message to Bush Saddam

said US and Iraq didn’t have close understanding of each other that could lead to problems and misunderstandings Claimed US was plotting against him Said UAE and Kuwait forcing down oil prices which was an attack upon Iraq Said US supporting Gulf States at expense of Iraq Said US had to choose sides Said that he would not threaten Kuwait if it forgave debt agreed to OPEC quotas Saddam said he would talk to Kuwait but would not sit and wait while Kuwait waged economic war on Iraq Said that Gulf States refused to renegotiate Iraq’s debt and this was conspiracy led by Kuwait Claimed he would talk with Kuwait about dispute if they didn’t give into Iraqi demands he would act Warned that if US attacked Iraq it would retaliate using terrorism

(Musings On Iraq How Saddam’s View Of the US As A Threat Led To Kuwait Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq review the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait)

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Outlaw State, Saddam Hussein’s Quest for Power and the Gulf Crisis)

1990 Amb Glaspie told Saddam Bush wanted better Iraq-US relations Apologized for bad press on

Iraq Asked why Saddam had placed troops near Kuwait border Told Saddam US had no opinion on Iraq-Kuwait border dispute but warned not to use force

1990 US Defense Special Assessment said Iraq trying to pressure Kuwait to give into its demands and

didn’t think it would use military force

1990 Sec of State Baker told Commerce Dept export controls needed on US technology going to Iraq

that could be used for weapons programs

1990 Asst Sec State for Near East Kelly cancelled interview with Voice of America that would have

warned Iraq about troops buildup along Kuwait border

1990 US intel observed Iraqi trucks moving supplies from Baghdad to troops in Basra on

Kuwait border

1990 Pres Mubarak called Saddam worried about Iraq putting troops on Kuwait border Claimed

Saddam promised not to attack Kuwait Saddam later denied that

1990 Iraqi press complained about foreign threats to Iraq in response to joint US-UAE military

exercise

1990 Kuwait military attache in Basra warned that Iraq would invade Kuwait

1990 Iraqi General Military Intelligence Directorate report Said if Kuwait invaded would try

to internationalize event US would defend Kuwait

1992 PUK head Talabani said he wanted to join a democratic Turkey rather than stay part of Iraq

Came after talks between Turkey and KDP-PUK after Gulf War and pledges by them to stop the PKK

2003 Sadr held rally in Najaf saying that he would form his own army to oppose US occupation

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

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

2003 Japan authorized largest deployment of troops since 1945 to be sent to Iraq

2003 CENTCOM cmdr Abizaid memo to Rumsfeld Situation in Iraq met definition of insurgency US

shouldn’t be afraid to use term

2005 New US Amb Khalilzad said security was his top priority

2005 Sunni members of constitutional committee ended boycott after member assassinated

(Musings On Iraq How Faults With Iraq’s Constitution Undermines The Country, Interview with Constitutional Scholar Zaid Al-Ali)

2006 Op River Falcon to secure Sayifiya south of Baghdad started

2007 Iran gave PM Maliki his own personal jet

2007 US cmdrs SBaghdad met on reconstruction Found Shiite areas had water provided by govt

Sunni areas facing huge water shortage US had to provide water Talked about pressuring Maliki govt but it was unresponsive because sectarian

2009 KRG held parliamentary and presidential elections Kurdistan List of KDP-PUK won 57% of

vote Gorran 23% Pres Barzani won 69% of vote for presidency

(Musings On Iraq Implications of the Kurdish Elections On Iraq’s Parliamentary Vote)

(Musings On Iraq Kurdish Election Results And Implications)

(Musings On Iraq Full Kurdish Election Results)

(Musings On Iraq Ruling Kurdish Parties Try To Co-Opt And Intimidate Opposition)

2011 US showed off weapons from Iran Said most came through official ports and border crossings

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

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

2013 PM Maliki said Electricity Min was responsible for power failures Said Ministry committed

fraud Part of Maliki’s step back from claiming power shortages would end in 2013

(Musings On Iraq Iraq No Closer To Solving Its Electricity Problems)

(Musings On Iraq More Hollow Promises By Iraq’s Electricity Ministry)

2013 Dep PM Shahristani said he was responsible for strategy and coordination on energy file Said

power failures Electricity Ministry’s fault Rejected criticism Said he approved buying gas turbines even though Iraq didn’t have natural gas to fuel them because Electricity Min said they would work on any fuel

2013 Protest in Muthanna and Dhi Qar for better services fighting corruption jobs Sadr said he

supported protests

2013 Report Interviewed Iraqis who fought with Abu al-Fadhl al-Abbas Brigade in Syria Said

commanded by Hezbollah Fought in Damascus suburbs not by Zainab shrine as brigade claimed Most recruits came from Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq Said Maliki govt turning blind eye to Iraqis fighting in Syria

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

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

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

2014 Ayatollah Sistani released statement that Iraq’s leaders shouldn’t cling to power Was referring to

PM Maliki seeking 3^rd term

(Musings On Iraq Pressure Grows On Iraq’s Premier Maliki To Give Up On A Third Term)

2014 Report IS put up banner at mosque with rules such as women had to cover faces and dress

modestly in Mosul

(Musings On Iraq review Mosul Under ISIS, Eyewitness Accounts Of Life In The Caliphate)

(Musings On Iraq Review What Kind of Liberation? Women and the Occupation of Iraq)

2014 IS gave Army of Islam Ansar al-Islam Naqshibandi Mujahadeen Brigades Islamic Army in

Sadiya Diyala 48 hours to give it allegiance or be attacked

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

2014 Report Russia said it would send Mi-35 attack helicopters and Su-25 jets to Iraq Already sent

some in Jun No sign Su-25s used because no pilots ground crews and infrastructure for them

2014 Albu Alwan and Ibrahim bin Ali tribes around Garma Anbar started fighting insurgents

2014 Hashd abducted head of Baghdad govt and 4 bodyguards Took them to secret facility and beat

them Tried to get him to confess that he supported insurgency and planning attack upon Baghdad Released after Speaker Jabouri PM Maliki and Western diplomats intervened Asaib Ahl Al-Haq blamed

2015 ISF attacked Saqlawiya after it was declared freed 2 times Asaib Ahl Al-Haq said 40% of

Baiji Refinery cleared 2 days before Hashd said it was 80%

(Musings On Iraq Battle To Retake Iraq’s Anbar Province Continues)

2016 KRG Pres Barzani said independence only way forward for Kurds Said accepting status quo

unacceptable Said Kurds neglected by Baghdad

2018 Protest in Dhi Qar Called for removal of governor

2018 Report Iraq Election Comm warned that using electronic voting machine could undermine trust

in vote Told machines had major problems South Korean company would not properly audit vote Used them anyway

2018 Report Ninewa facing water crisis Less rain Less water on Tigris due to Turkish dam

Equipment damaged by IS People leaving farms Ninewa councilman said Water Min had no plan to deal with problem

2020 Protests in Najaf Diwaniya Basra Babil Karbala Dhi Qar over electricity lack of services

and govt workers not being paid

(Musings On Iraq National Protests Start In Iraq During The Weekend UPDATED)

(Musings On Iraq Ebb And Flow Of Protests In Iraq)

2020 PM Kazemi ordered ISF to 14 border crossings to take control of them Didn’t work

2021 KRG PM Barzani said KRG public workers would be paid full salaries if PM Kazemi

continued to send monthly budget payments

2021 Villages in Hamrin along Diyala-Salahaddin border emptying due to IS attacks

2021 Son of activist kidnapped Jul 23 found dead in Basra His mother campaigned against young

people joining Hashd She got death threats and had been targeted before

2022 Coordination Framework nominated State of Law’s Mohammed al-Sudani to be prime

minister Was nominated PM in 2019 and rejected

(Musings On Iraq Coordination Framework Picks Its Candidate For Iraq PM But Doesn’t Resolve Anything)

2023 Defense Comm said large displacement from villages and rural areas due to water

shortages

2023 KRG Finance Min Janab said KRG’s income not enough to pay its govt workers

Blamed new budget for taking away 50% of region’s domestic income KRG wasn’t delivering money to Baghdad Was due to KRG’s failed oil policy

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

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