Final Results Of Kurdistan’s Provincial Elections

Iraq’s Election Commission announced the final results of Kurdistan’s parliamentary vote.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 31 Iraq suspended cooperation with UN weapons inspectors

 

1914 India ordered 6^th Div to seize Faw and clear Turks out of Shatt al-Arab before WWI

started

(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 - Oct 30 Armistice of Mudros ended WWI in Iraq as Ottomans surrendered

 

1918 Armistice of Mudros signed between British and Ottomans 6^th Army in Mesopotamia

surrendered to UK Ended WWI in Iraq UK wasn’t able to seize Mosul province and its oil before end of war

(Musings On Iraq interview with Princeton’s Sara Pursley on Sykes-Picot and creation of Iraq)

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

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

Security In Iraq Oct 22-28, 2024

Only the Iraqi Islamic Resistance was active during the fourth week of October. For the third week the Islamic State carried out no operations in Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 29 Hikmat Sulaiman and Gen Sidqi led 1st coup in Iraq overthrowing PM Hashemi

 

867 Riot by Turkish soldiers in Abbasid capital Samarra against two top advisers Wasif and

            Bugha over salaries Wasif beheaded

(Musings On Iraq review when baghdad ruled the muslim world, the rise and fall of islam’s

greatest dynasty)

Integrity Commission Head Resigns Over Bribery Charges After Accused Judge Of Covering Up Theft Of The Century

Integrity Comm head Judge Hanoun's Irbil press conference where he attacked another judge for covering up corruption and was later forced to resign in retaliation (Al Aalem)

On October 23 Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani named Mohammed Ali al-Lami the new head of the anti-corruption Integrity Commission. This was after the former head Judge Haidar Hanoun resigned in a cloud of controversy after attacking another judge and having bribery charges leveled against him.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 28 Iraqi Forces massacred protesters in Karbala Over 800 casualties

 

1913 Secret Al-Ahd Association of Ottoman officers formed Included many Iraqis that would

become leaders and prime ministers under monarchy such as Nuri al-Said Yasin Hashemi Jamil Midfai and others Called for Arab autonomy

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 27 White House told Bremer to revise his political plan for Iraq because wanted to withdraw quickly

 

1932 King Faisal asked PM Said to resign Faisal wanted a national unity govt that would include

opposition and carry out reforms

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 26 UK High Commissioner for Iraq Sir Cox created provisional Iraqi govt in response to 1920 Revolt

 

1920 UK High Commissioner Sir Cox formed Iraqi provisional govt after 1920 Revolt led

British to give up direct rule Abd Naqib of Baghdad was premier Had 21 ministers 12 with no portfolios Naqib opposed giving any ministries to Shiites

(Musings On Iraq review Dictatorship, Imperialism & Chaos, Iraq since 1989)

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’is Of Iraq)

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

Review A Quest in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq

Lukitz, Liora, A Quest in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq, I.B. Tauris, 2006

 

In A Quest in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq Liora Lukitz attempts to paint the personal and professional life of Gertrude Bell. The story constantly switches back and forth between those two aspects using her correspondence as a uniting factor. The author portrays Bell as a woman who fled the constraints of her upper class family in England for the adventure of the Middle East where she helped create the country of Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 25 Jaafar Askari made Defense Min Began creation of Iraqi army

 

1920 Jaafar al-Askari former Ottoman officer Faisal’s military commander during Arab Revolt

and officer in Arab Kingdom of Syria made Defense Minister Used 10 officers including brother in law Col Nuri al-Said to begin creation of new Royal Iraqi Army

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Between the Two World Wars, The Militarist Origins of Tyranny)

Elections Maintain Status Quo In Iraq’s Kurdistan

Kurdistan held parliamentary elections on October 20 which had been delayed for two years. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) came in first as expected but lost seats.

This Day In Iraqi History Oct 24 – Iraq said it took Khorrmanshahr major city in south Iran Was supposed to be taken in first week of war Took 1 month

 

1915 UK cmdr in Mesopotamia Gen Nixon told to march on Baghdad

(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 Oct 15-21, 2024

The Islamic State was inactive for another week in Iraq while the Iraqi Islamic Resistance made sporadic attacks upon Israel.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 23 UK picked Abd al-Gaylani to be Iraq’s first prime minister

 

1915 UK cabinet ordered UK cmdr Gen Nixon to take Baghdad

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

Demonstrations Breakout In Nasiriya As Police Arrest Those Involved In 2019 Protest Movement

On October 18 protests broke out in Nasirya the capitol of Dhi Qar province demanding the release of detainees. Activists said there was a political campaign to arrest people involved in the 2019 protest movement.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 22 Report Iranian Rev Guard set up crisis cell in Baghdad to put down protests

 

1920 Iraq High Commission Sir Cox asked Jafaar al-Askari to return to Baghdad Would become

1^st Defense Minister Askari ex-Ottoman officer Was Faisal’s military commander during Arab Revolt

Iraq To Import Natural Gas From Turkmenistan, Experts Not Impressed

While Turkmenistan’s Minister of State Maksid Babayev was visiting Baghdad Iraq’s Electricity Ministry signed a deal to import natural gas from the Central Asian country. Experts say this will not really do much to meet Iraq’s demand and that it would be better off developing its own gas fields which are far behind schedule.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 21 UK decided to seize Baghdad during WWI Would say would be there temporarily but created Iraq as a British mandate

 

1914 Ottoman Basra Governor demanded UK withdraw warship from Shatt al-Arab docked in

            Persia to protect oil concession Ottomans began shooting at ship UK agreed

(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 - Oct 20 Iraqi forces and Peshmerga fought in Kirkuk in aftermath of Kurdish independence referendum

 

1922 Interior Min Sadoun told governors to start preparing for parliamentary elections and to

            urge voters to only elect candidates who would back Anglo-Iraq Treat

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 19 Saddam said Iraq couldn’t win Iran-Iraq War because outnumbered

 

1830 Daud Pasha’s Mamluks assassinated governor sent to replace him in Baghdad Sultan

Mahmoud declared Daud a rebel and appointed another governor

Review Operation Babylon, The Story Of The Rescue Of The Jews Of Iraq

Hillel, Shlomo, Operation Babylon, The Story Of The Rescue Of The Jews Of Iraq, Doubleday, 1987

 

Shlomo Hillel was a Mossad agent in charge of getting Jews out of Iraq in the 1940s-50s. His book Operation Babylon, The Story Of The Rescue Of The Jews Of Iraq is a personal narrative of his experiences. Much of the time he writes about the difficulties he faced trying to smuggle people out. His account also raises questions about how much of his story was propaganda to justify his actions and how much he misconstrued Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 18 ISI held march in Ramadi to declare it capital of its caliphate

 

1920 Najaf surrendered to British in 1920 Revolt Was one of the centers of rebellion

(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 - Oct 17 Zarqawi pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden and his group became Al Qaeda in Iraq

 

1909 Mosul representatives to new Ottoman Assembly left for Istanbul Was part of Young Turks’

reforms

Tit For Tat Between Integrity Commission And Judiciary Over Corruption In Iraq Continues

On October 15 a warrant was issued for the head of the anti-corruption Integrity Commission Judge Hanoun. Reportedly there is a recording of him talking about taking bribes. This is the latest controversy between the Integrity Commission and the judiciary.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 16 Govt forces took south Kirkuk and Kirkuk city after fighting Peshmerga Aftermath of KRG independence referendum

 

1914 UK convoy with 16^th Indian Bgd on way to Egypt told it was being sent to Persian Gulf to

            secure Persian oil fields and occupy Basra

(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 Oct 8-14, 2024

The Islamic State’s attempt at a comeback in Iraq faltered during October. It also seemed like Baghdad and Tehran’s pressure on the Iraqi Resistance finally came to fruition as they cut back their attacks upon Israel.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 15 UN inspectors found Iraq worked on hydrogen bomb

 

1905 British Amb to Turkey O’Connor sent memo written by Sir Sykes to Foreign Office

            detailing oil deposits in Mosul vilayet

US Army In The Iraq War Volume 2 Chapter 12 A New Iraq Policy For The United States

The twelfth chapter of the U.S. Army’s 2^nd Volume on the Iraq War is about the 2011 U.S. withdrawal and its impacts upon Iraq. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki continued his concentration of power and was using the security forces to go after his opponents, the Islamic State of Iraq began its comeback while the Americans willingly gave away its influence with Baghdad.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 14 Oil discovered in Kirkuk

 

1920 UK military took Kifl railway station Major transportation hub in mid-Euphrates during

            1920 Revolt

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 13 Al Qaeda in Iraq became the Islamic State of Iraq

 

1920 UK military relief force fought rebels outside Samawa Rebels withdrew during night

(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 - Oct 12 Dawa Party founded

 

1920 Tribes lost Rwairij to British during 1920 Revolt Led to clerics in Karbala to begin to surrender

(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 - Oct 11 Turkish Pres Erdogan said didn’t need permission to operate in Iraq Told PM Abadi he needed to stay in his place

 

1920 UK military force set out from Hillah to relieve garrison at Kufa Burned houses of Fatla tribe

along the way 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)

Review Raid On The Sun, Inside Israel’s Secret Campaign That Denied Saddam The Bomb

Claire, Rodger, Raid On The Sun, Inside Israel’s Secret Campaign That Denied Saddam The Bomb, Broadway Books, 2004

 

Rodger Claire’s Raid on The Sun, Inside Israel’s Secret Campaign That Denied Saddam The Bomb is about the 1981 raid upon Iraq’s nuclear reactor. The government of PM Menachem Begin was convinced that Iraq was only a few years away from getting a nuclear bomb and decided to stop the program with an air strike. The author mainly focuses upon the Israeli decision making and then the pilots. Unfortunately the author relied upon an Iraqi defector for much of the information about Iraq’s program and was misled as a result.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 10 UK said it was destroying villages in southern Iraq and killing the residents as punishment for 1920 Revolt

 

1393 Baghdad surrendered to Tartars rather than fight and have city sacked

Security In Iraq Oct 1-7, 2024

Both the Islamic State and the Iraqi Islamic Resistance were active in Iraq during the first week of October.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 9 Nuri al-Said became PM 4th time Went after his opponents imprisoning 100s

 

1941 Nuri al-Said became PM 4^th of 9 times Went after supporters of former PM Gaylani Purged the

military and civil service Gave prison sentences to 100s

(Musings On Iraq Revolutionary Times, Gen. Qasim And Iraq’s 1958 Coup, Interview With Western Kentucky’s Prof. Juan Romero)

(Musings On Iraq Is Iraq’s Prime Minister Maliki More Like Premier Nuri al-Sa’id Than Saddam? An Interview With Historian Phebe Marr)

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

(Musings On Iraq review A History of Iraq)

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

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Democratic Moment)

(Musings On Iraq review The Other Iraq, Pluralism and Culture in Hashemite Iraq)

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

Baghdad Embarrassed By Iraqi Factions Who Are Increasing Attacks Upon Israel Leading To Worries Of Israeli Retaliation

Sunday Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Sudani called on the international community to save the Middle East from a widening conflict with Israel. Baghdad has been in talks with the U.S., U.K., Spain, Switzerland and others to try to prevent Israel from striking the Iraqi Islamic Resistance. The authorities have also been in discussion with the Resistance to try to halt its operations. The problem is the pro-Iran factions continue with almost daily attacks upon Israel with threats to escalate embarrassing the government.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 8 US UK France sent troops to Persian Gulf after Saddam sent his forces to Kuwait’s border because he felt Iraq was being ignored

 

1915 UK cmdr General Nixon said he could defeat the Turks and take Baghdad

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

Iraq Has 19 Month Low In Oil Revenues In Sep 2024

Iraq has finally started to cut oil production to comply with OPEC+ quotas. The organization is attempting to stabilize prices as they fall which poses a large threat to Baghdad’s budget.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 7 Baathist assassination attempt on Gen Qasim failed

 

1920 UK forces defeated insurgents in Hindiya south of Hillah 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 - Oct 6 Iraq sent forces to Syria while Iraqi jets in Egypt bombed Israeli targets in the Sinai as 1973 Arab-Israeli War began

 

1915 Sir Percy Lake new Chief of General Staff in India said UK must take Baghdad because

it would be turning point in war in East

(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 - Oct 5 King Faisal accepted Anglo-Iraq Treaty that put Iraq under British hegemony for decades

 

1915 6^th Army created by Ottomans under command of German Gen von der Goltz to defend

Mesopotamia from British

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 4 Saddam ordered unilateral ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War 2 wks in as invasion plans went wrong

 

1920 All of Upper Euphrates modern day Anbar was under British control 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)

Review The Iraq War

 Review Keegan, John, The Iraq War, Vintage Books, 2005

 

John Keegan is a noted British military historian. He made a notable achievement with his The Iraq War because it gets progressively worse the further you read into it.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 3 Iraq gained independence from the British

 

1920 Gertrude Bell called Shiite clergy a group of popes standing in the way of UK plans Claimed

Shiites were problem in Iraq Said Sunnis should rule Iraq because Shiites would impose a religions state That was why Mosul province had to be included in Iraq to add more Sunnis Said that British were looking for Iraqi to be new ruler but couldn’t find one so had to pick a son of the Sharif of Mecca

(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’is Of Iraq)

(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)

Iraq’s Islamic Resistance Records New High In Attacks Upon Israel In Sep 2024

September’s security news was dominated by attacks by the Iraqi Islamic Resistance. The Islamic State was also active during the month but still at a low level.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 2 David Kay head of Iraq Survey Group told Congress no WMD or nuclear program found in Iraq

 

1914 London told India to prepare to send ships and men to Shatt al-Arab and land troops in

Persia to protect oil interests

(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)

Growing Fears of Israeli Retaliation Against Iraq

Several articles have recently been published in the media voicing concerns that Israel will retaliate against the Iraqi Islamic Resistance. This comes as Resistance factions are picking up their attacks in support of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 1 Saddam halted military ops in Iran for 1 wk Sign invasion gone wrong

 

1920 Sir Percy Cox landed in Basra as new British high commissioner of Iraq Was told to

prepare for Iraqi independence