This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 6 Kataib Hezbollah fired into Baghdad protesters Killed 85 Wounded 130

1915 UK cmdr Gen Townsend sent his cavalry and transport south from Kut so would have fewer mouths

to feed Believed relief coming from Basra

 

1915 General Staff in India said costs of holding Kut outweighed benefits and Gen

            Townshend should retreat

1981 Iran freed Bostan strategic transportation center for southern Iran and forced an Iraqi retreat

Iraq lost 1500 dead 400 captured Iran lost 2500 dead 5000 wounded

(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 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 Iraq began issuing passports for Iranians to visit Shiites shrines in Iraq

1990 Saddam said he would release all foreign hostages held since invasion of Kuwait

2001 Letter to Wash Post by Senators McCain Liebermann and others said that Iraq had to be

included in war on terror

2002 White House accused Iraq of hiding WMDs from UN inspectors

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

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

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

2002 Official US troop buildup for Iraq invasion began Wasn’t made public until Feb 03

(Musings On Iraq review Shaping the Plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom, The Role of Military Intelligence Assessment)

2003 Bremer’s convoy attacked on Route Irish to Baghdad airport

2003 Def Sec Rumsfeld told Bremer Natl Sec Adv Rice was trying to take over political file on Iraq

Didn’t agree but was ceding role to her

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

2005 KDP followers attacked 4 offices of Kurdistan Islamic Union in Dohuk Killed 2 wounded

dozens for party withdrawing from Kurdish list KDP Dohuk governor claimed Islamic Union’s ideology led to attacks and he couldn’t stop them Beforehand Islamic Union called KDP admin in Dohuk corrupt and said election would be struggle between Muslims and nonbelievers Beforehand KDP attacked Islamic Union for helping Arabs against Kurds

2006 Iraq Study Group report issued Said Iraqis needed to eventually take over security Needed to

increases quantity and quality of Iraqi units Said US needed to increase its aid to Iraqi forces and move away from combat Called for all US combat brigades to be out of Iraq by start of 2008 Said US special forces should focus upon taking down Al Qaeda in Iraq Said US couldn’t have open ended commitment to Iraq Baghdad needed to set reconciliation goals and if not met US would cut aid

(Musings On Iraq Inside The Surge An Interview With Prof Peter Mansoor Former Executive Officer To Gen Petraeus)

2006 Report Neoconservatives launched media campaign to discredit Iraq Study Group and

            support troop surge instead

2006 UK Intel report Said Sadr controlled majority of Mahdi Army Routinely attacked Coalition and

Sunnis Didn’t always follow Sadr’s orders but didn't mean they were breakaway units No organizational control of militia Acts of other militias usually blamed on Mahdi Army Sadr had to balance his desire for political power and using violence and militia Said other militias mostly responsible for attacks on UK in Basra Some of those militias trained funded supplied by Hezbollah and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Sadr accepted Iranian aid but didn’t trust Tehran Iran thought Sadr frustrating partner Sadrists joined militia for variety of reasons causing divisions

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

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

(Musings On Iraq Hezbollah’s Role In Iraq)

2007 Basra police chief said he couldn’t secure the province after the British withdrawal at end of

year Said there were hundreds of police that didn’t answer to him and didn’t know who they answered to

2007 Report Surge and Awakening pushed insurgents out of Anbar and Baghdad into Mosul

including ISI War Min Masri

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

(Musings On Iraq Inside The Surge An Interview With Prof Peter Mansoor Former Executive Officer To Gen Petraeus)

(Musings On Iraq Reassessing The US Surge, And Recognizing Iraqi Agency In Ending The 2005-2008 Civil War In Iraq An Interview With New America Foundation’s Douglas Ollivant)

2007 Report PM Maliki announced 2008 as “Year of services” Promised $15 bil for rebuilding

2007 Report Insurgents forced out of Anbar and Baghdad to north Iraq Violence in Mosul

never changed during Surge Samarra and Baiji in Salahaddin and Muqdadiya in Diyala had increased insurgent activity Extorting businesses for finances

2011 Report Oil Min looked into lowering production targets Extending deadlines in contracts

Plan was to reach 12 mil/bar/day in oil capacity by 2017 Oil Min Luaibi said 8-8.5 mil/bar/day might be more realistic Iraq didn’t meet either target

2012 US mediated withdrawal of federal and Kurdish forces from Tuz Kharmato and creation of local

security forces along disputed areas US-Baghdad-Irbil agreement on security forces in disputed areas only partially implemented

2014 PM Maliki’s son arrested in Lebanon Had $1.5 bil in cash on him

2016 9^th Div entered north Mosul Seized al-Salam hospital which became command post

2016 6^th Annual Kurdistan-Iraq Oil and Gas Conference in UK DNO head said had been high profile

misses and disappointments for KRG Said realities of KRG oil industry didn’t meet expectations Said working in KRG more difficult than thought Said too many risks with security and economic crises Said KRG had to make regular payments to energy companies Natural Resource Min Hawrami angered that DNO was publicly criticizing KRG

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

2016 Report Exxon was going to leave 3 of its 6 blocks in KRG Since 2014 oil companies had left

19 blocks in KRG

2019 US sanctioned Asaib Ahl Al-Haq’s Qais and Laith Khazali for orchestrating suppression of

protests and sectarian cleansing of Sunnis in Diyala Hashd leader Hussein Al-Lami for suppressing protests Businessman Khamis al-Khanjar for corruption

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

(Musings On Iraq US Sanctions Iraqi Businessman Khanjar For Bribery And Supporting Iran)

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

2019 Kataib Hezbollah blamed for shooting protesters in Baghdad’s Al-Khalani Sq and

setting fire to parking garage Up to 85 killed at least 130 wounded

(Musings On Iraq Pro-Iran Hashd Carry Out Another More Deadly Attack Upon Baghdad Protesters)

(Musings On Iraq Kataib Hezbollah With Help From Security Forces Blamed For Friday’s Massacre Of Baghdad Protesters)

2020 Report Kataib Hezbollah tried to become dominant pro-Iran group Aug 2020 Raba Allah

affiliated group appeared Burned Dijlah TV office in Baghdad Other affiliated groups emerged Attacked opponents of Iran on social media Involved in attacking liquor stores and night clubs

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

2022 Hashd controlled Muhandis General Company got 1.2 mil acres of govt land in southern

Iraq free

2023 Sadrists attacked Hikma offices in 3 parts of Baghdad and in Diyala and Basra after

Hikma leader criticized Sadr’s boycott of 2023 provincial elections

(Musings On Iraq Sadrists Attack Their Rivals Before Iraq’s Dec Election)