This Day In Iraqi History - May 31 Kurdish revolt led by Barzinji put down by UK’s RAF

 

1915 British began breakout from Qurna, Basra and took Turkish occupied islands

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

Review Richard Haass, War of Necessity, War of Choice, A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars, Simon & Schuster, 2009

Haass, Richard, War of Necessity, War of Choice, A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars, Simon & Schuster, 2009

 

Richard Haass worked in both the George H.W. Bush and the George W. Bush administrations. Originally he was in the National Security Council under National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft and then went to work for Secretary of State Colin Powell in the Policy Planning Staff at the State Department. These positions led him to be involved in making policy over Iraq. Haass argues that the Gulf War was a necessary war to preserve America’s national interests while the 2003 invasion of Iraq was not needed.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 30 UK-Turkey deal Turkey got 10% of Mosul oil in return for giving up claim to province

 

1920 Head political officer in Iraq Wilson got report that revolt in Mosul being planned

Iraq Announces New Water Initiatives As Global Warming Continues To Disrupt Economy And Lives

As summer nears the Iraqi government has announced several initiatives to address climate change. The question remains is if they will do enough as conditions continue to deteriorate and the country faces an environmental disaster.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 29 1920 Ayatollah Shirazi issued statement supporting Iraqi independence from UK

 

1920 UK judicial secretary Carter wrote Sir Wilson head political officer warning Sunni-Shiite

unity would threaten British rule in Iraq

Iraq’s Oil Ministry Sues Kurdistan Over Signing 2 New Natural Gas Contracts

The Iraqi central and Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) are entering into a new dispute over energy policy. This started when the Kurds signed two new natural gas deals with American companies only for the Oil Ministry to declare them illegal.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 28 Govt had Assyrian leader Mar Shimun come to Baghdad to discuss Assyrian issue

 

1933 Interior Min had Assyrian leader Mar Shimun come to Baghdad to discuss differences with

govt over settling community in north Interior said it was willing to acknowledge Mar Shimun as spiritual leader but would not give him any political power Said UK officer arriving to help settle community Mar Shimun said he would help with settlement Pledged loyalty to King Faisal

(Musings On Iraq review The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

Iran Cuts Natural Gas Exports To Iraq Again As Summer Heat Approaches

On May 22 Iraq’s Electricity Ministry said it lost 3500 megawatts of electricity due to a drop in Iranian natural exports. This mostly hit Diyala province where power outages lasting up to 16 hours began as a result. This is the latest example of how Iran is an unreliable partner.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 27 Barzani decided to leave Iraq for USSR after his followers arrested and his brother surrendered to govt

 

1917 UK Col Clayton in Egypt worried Sykes-Picot would create opposition by Sharif of

Mecca against UK taking Baghdad Included independent Arab state for Sharif

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

(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)

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

This Day In Iraqi History - May 26 Future PM Jamil Midfai led Al-Ahd forces to attack Tal Afar in attempt to start revolt vs UK Mandate in Iraq

 

1915 US consulate report Discontent in Baghdad against draft for war growing UK tried

to bribe tribes south of Baghdad to turn on Ottomans

This Day In Iraqi History - May 25 Turkey launched 1st raid into Iraq to fight PKK under Iraq-Turkey security agreement

 

1918 11 leaders of Najaf revolt executed in Kufa by British

This Day In Iraqi History - May 24 Iran’s Op Beit al-Moqaddas pushed Iraqis back to border in Basra Iran-Iraq War

 

1922 Cleric Khalisi informed southern tribes British were trying to get their way in new Anglo-

Iraq Treaty

Review Nicole Watts, Republic of Dreams, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Struggles, and the Future of Iraqi Kurdistan, New York University Press, 2025

Watts, Nicole, Republic of Dreams, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Struggles, and the Future of Iraqi Kurdistan, New York University Press, 2025

 

Republic of Dreams, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Struggles, and the Future of Iraqi Kurdistan by Nicole Watts is a fantastic book following a Kurdish family from Halabja in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan. It starts with the gas attack upon Halabja during the Iran-Iraq War and ends with the COVID pandemic. It tries to document how an average Kurdish family lived and dealt with the major events in modern Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 23 CPA disbanded Iraq’s military

 

1919 Persian Kurds under orders of Barzinji took Sulaymaniya town Barzinji then declared himself

ruler of all Kurdistan

This Day In Iraqi History - May 22 Patriotic Union of Kurdistan formed

 

1941 Iraq attempt to recapture Fallujah failed

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s First Battle Of Fallujah 1941)

(Musings On Iraq interview World War II In Iraq and Syria Interview With Case Western’s Prof Broich)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 21 Treaty of Arzurum set line between Ottoman and Persian empires with Iraq as border area

 

1847 Treaty of Arzurum tried to set border between Ottoman Empire and Persia Gave

Sulaymaniya to Ottomans Shatt al-Arab to Persia Set up commission to demarcate border between Ottomans and Persia but never finished

(Musings On Iraq review An Analysis of Hanna Batatu’s The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq)

New Personal Status Law Causes Legal Chaos In Iraq

Al Mada reported that the new Personal Status Law is leading to legal chaos in Iraq. There is confusion over whether courts should apply civil law or let the different religious institutions to decide cases. Men are also appealing their divorce and custody cases hoping to get more favorable rulings from religious authorities.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 20 Bush said he opposed lifting sanctions on Iraq as long as Saddam in power

 

1917 Sharif Hussein of Nijaz agreed to UK control of Baghdad vilayet after WWI

Iraq’s Public Employment Policies Unsustainable

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently said that the Iraqi government’s public employment policies are unsustainable. It is a drain upon the economy which is dependent upon fluctuating oil prices.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 19 Gen Maude said UK came to Iraq during WWI as liberators not conquerors

 

869 Adv to Abbasid Caliph Mutazz confronted ministers accusing them of hoarding money Were

tortured and imprisoned but had no money

This Day In Iraqi History - May 18 German planes attacked UK Transjordan force in Anbar Anglo-Iraq War

1941 British bombed Fallujah while troops began surrounding town

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s First Battle Of Fallujah 1941)

(Musings On Iraq interview World War II In Iraq and Syria Interview With Case Western’s Prof Broich)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 17 British planes bombed Mosul and Baghdad in Anglo-Iraq War

 

1920 Huge joint Sunni-Shiite demonstration in Baghdad during Ramadan against British rule

(Musings On Iraq review A Short History of Iraq)

Review Gary Livingston, An Nasiriyah, The Fight for the Bridges, Caisson Press, 2003

Livingston, Gary, An Nasiriyah, The Fight for the Bridges, Caisson Press, 2003

 

Gary Livingston’s An Nasiriya, The Fight for the Bridges is a combat history of the battle for two bridges in the city of Nasiriya during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The author wanted to valorize the Marines and gives a very in depth narrative of all the fighting that took place. In the process he skips over many of the mistakes and problems that were made.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 16 Sykes-Picot agreement made between French and UK officials to divide up Ottoman Empire in Mideast

 

1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement broke up Ottoman Empire Basra and Baghdad to UK Mosul to France

Would be independent Arab state under UK and French influence

(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)

(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)

(Musings On Iraq review U.S. Policy In Post-Saddam Iraq)

Security In Iraq May 8-14, 2025

After a long hiatus there were two incidents involving the Islamic State in May.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 15 Iraqi army attacked Israel in 1948 Arab-Israeli War

 

1919Governor of Sulaymaniya Barzinji seized control of district in revolt vs UK

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

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

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

Syria’s Pres Shara Backs Out of Arab Summit In Baghdad, Hit For Iraq’s PM Sudani

Syria’s President Ahmad al-Shara decided not to attend the Arab Summit to be held in Baghdad. This was due to repeated protests and threats by Iraqi parties. It is also a setback for Prime Minister Mohammed Sudani who has been reaching out to the new Syrian government to boost his image in the region and within the country before the November elections.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 14 Pres Bakr brought Communists into National Front govt to co-opt Baath’s largest opponent

 

1935 Iraqi army and air force began campaign to bomb tribal areas Destroyed towns and burned

crops to put down tribal revolt in Rumaitha

(Musings On Iraq review Wings of Iraq, Volume 1: The Iraqi Air Force, 1931-1970)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 13 German planes attacked UK forces at Habaniya air base Anglo-Iraq War

 

1915 British forces moved north to try to encircle Ottoman forces in Qurna

(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 - May 12 Sec State Albright said if 500,000 Iraqi children died under sanctions would be worth it to contain Saddam

 

1920 US got copy of San Remo agreement that divided Iraqi oil between UK and France US Amb

to UK Davis sent message to UK Foreign Sec Lord Curzon Said end of WWI countries agreed there would be equal treatment in development ex-Turkish territories Complained UK controlled Iraqi oil

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

This Day In Iraqi History - May 11 2nd time Sec Def Rumsfeld claimed 2 brigades and a company of special forces roughly 10,000 troops could invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam

 

1925 UK Colonial Secretary wrote Arab elites knew Iraq was being held together by British

This Day In Iraqi History - May 10 Army forced PM Talib to resign Pres Arif became PM

 

1920 Nationalist Haras al-Istiqlal decided to increase campaign for independence in

Baghdad Agreed on joint Sunni-Shiite events during annual religious ceremonies

Review Colonel Rod Andrew, U.S. Marines in Battle, An-Nasiriyah, 23 March-2 April 2003, Marine Corps University, 2012

Andrew, Colonel Rod, U.S. Marines in Battle, An-Nasiriyah, 23 March-2 April 2003, Marine Corps University, 2012

 

Colonel Rod Andrew’s U.S. Marines in Battle, An-Nasiriya is about the most intense fighting during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. That took place in the southern city of Nasiriya as Marines tried to rescue a lost army unit and seize two bridges that were needed so that other forces could move on Baghdad. It turned into an unexpected fight where it seemed like the whole city had taken up arms against the Americans.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 9 German and Italian planes started landing in Iraq for Anglo-Iraq War

 

1919 UK approved Iraq political officer Wilson’s plan for mandate in Iraq run by a high

commissioner Foreign Office told Wilson to treat Mosul as an Arab province of Iraq Meant Mosul would be included in Iraq

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

(Musings On Iraq review U.S. Policy In Post-Saddam Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 8 Def Sec Rumsfeld gave CPA head Bremer draft of DeBaathification order Pentagon would later deny it wrote order

1927 Iraqi cabinet resolution said Assyrians would be settled in the country

(Musings On Iraq review Assyrians in Modern Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)

Iraq’s Oil Revenues Drop Again In April

Initial figures show a drop in oil revenues for Iraq in April.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 7 Fmr intelligence head Kazemi became interim PM

 

1918 British took Kirkuk based on false idea that it would stop Germans from organizing Persians

to attack India British would later leave Kirkuk Abandoned Kurds that flocked to British to oppose Turks

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

Iraq Continues To Import Iranian Energy Despite US Demands

In March the Trump administration ended Iraq’s waiver to buy energy from Iran. Despite that Baghdad continues to import natural gas and electricity from its neighbor.

This Day In Iraqi History May 6 Iraq launched largest air attack upon Habaniya air base during Anglo-Iraq War while army withdrew 409 Iraqi soldiers captured

 

1920 UK High Commissioner Wilson statement Said was aware of Kurdish anxiety about joining

Iraq Said Kurdistan connected to Iraq Would be Kurdish districts in Mosul province Would have representatives in assembly Sulaymaniya would be a subprovince

No Islamic State Activity In Iraq In April 2025

For the first time since 2003 there was no insurgent violence in Iraq during the month of April. Islamic State activity began dramatically dropping in late 2023. By 2025 there can no longer be said to be an insurgency in the country.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 5 British mandate in Iraq announced

 

1920 British mandate announced in Baghdad

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

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review An Analysis of Hanna Batatu’s The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq)

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review A Short History of Iraq)

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

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Since 1958, From Revolution To Dictatorship)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Democratic Moment)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 4 UK bombed Iraqi airfields and destroyed most of Iraqi air force WWII

 

1918 Najaf revolt ended after rebels gave up to UK after 2 month blockade Ended Zuqurt

and Shumurt control of city

This Day In Iraqi History May 3 Saddam had Algerian Foreign Min assassinated after accusing Algeria of siding with Iran in Iran-Iraq War

 

1913 US consulate in Baghdad reported Ottomans ordered documents to be published in

Arabic and Turkish in Baghdad vilayet as concession to Arab demands

Steven Strasser, Edited by, The Abu Ghraib Investigations, The Official Reports of the Independent Panel and the Pentagon and the Shocking Prisoner Abuse in Iraq, Public Affairs, 2004

Strasser, Steven Edited by, The Abu Ghraib Investigations, The Official Reports of the Independent Panel and the Pentagon and the Shocking Prisoner Abuse in Iraq, Public Affairs, 2004

 

The Abu Ghraib Investigations includes two of the major government reviews of the prisoner abuse that occurred at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad at the end of 2003. One report is by the James Schlesinger commission that tried to look at the overall causes and a review by General George Fay that went through each one of the cases reported. Both show how President Bush’s call for extreme measures during interrogation to fight the War on Terror spread confusion over what was acceptable which led to the Abu Ghraib scandal.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 2 King Faisal II born

 

1854 Riot in Mosul versus Ottoman reforms Attacked Christians and Jews for businesses they ran

and control of taxes that caused resentment

(Musings On Iraq review Christianity in Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 1 British decided on pre-emptive attack upon Iraqi army outside Habaniya airbase in Anbar

 

1919 War Min Churchill wrote PM George that British army was overstretched with new

additions like Mesopotamia

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

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