This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 31 Upon invitation of Barzani Saddam invaded Irbil to attack the PUK

 

1922 Gertrude Bell wrote King Faisal telling him he was vain and weak

(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)

(Musings On Iraq review A Quest in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 30 US govt report PM Maliki govt full of corruption and human rights abuses

 

1919 War Min Churchill wrote that half the British forces in Mesopotamia should be sent home

(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 U.S. Policy In Post-Saddam Iraq)

Review Hans Blix, Disarming Iraq, Pantheon, 2004

Blix, Hans, Disarming Iraq, Pantheon, 2004

 

President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair justified their invasion of Iraq based upon the threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction. They quoted United Nations weapons inspections in the 1990s which found a vast program to build chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. When inspectors returned to Iraq in 2002 however their work was largely criticized by the U.S. and UK because they didn’t support those countries’ claims against Saddam. Hans Blix was a chief inspector during both regimes and wrote Disarming Iraq to express his perspective on what happened. His book is an argument for the work of the United Nations inspectors and against the actions of both Iraq and the United States.

This Day In Iraqi History – Aug 29 SCIRI head Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim killed by Zarqawi in Najaf bombing 125 dead 500 wounded

 

1922 Turkish troops testing border with Iraq attacked Rania in Sulaymaniya

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 28 Iraq annexed Kuwait as 19th province

 

1915 British started attack on Kut starting in Suqada Marsh Took Turkish trenches

            forcing them to retreat to Kut

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 27 Iraq denied Assyrian massacre which killed 600 people and destroyed 60 villages

 

1920 British forced to withdraw from Shatra during 1920 Revolt British were able to retake

Baquba from tribes

(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)

Mass Banning Of Candidates Could Be Around The Corner In Iraq

Iraq is set for parliamentary elections this November. The biggest news isn’t the platforms of the parties vying for power but rather the mass banning of candidates. Almost 600 have been disqualified so far for crimes and Baathist ties. Reports are this is the tip of the iceberg.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 26 Saddam ordered shelling of Iranian border looking for excuse to invade

 

1920 War Minister Churchill wrote PM George that he thought reinforcements from India

            would lead to victory in 1920 Revolt Said 20 battalions were being sent

(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 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)

KRG Continues To Jail Its Critics

Kurdistan promoted itself as the “Other Iraq” which was supposed to be more stable and democratic than the rest of the country. In fact, the Kurdish ruling parties are just as autocratic as the rest. In August two prominent opposition figures were arrested on trumped up charges and a journalist as denied release.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 25 British invaded Iran from Iraq after Shah refused to expel Germans

 

1914 British admiralty ordered 2 ships to be sent to Shatt al-Arab to block Ottoman

supplies and ground forces and to protect oil interests in Persia

(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 - Aug 24 Ayatollah Khomeini said Iran would fight until Saddam deposed

 

1922 On anniversary of King Faisal’s coronation opposition gave him a petition calling for an

assembly to draft a constitution, elections for a parliament, and independence for Iraq

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 23 UK High Commissioner for Iraq Cox led crackdown against anti-UK forces in Baghdad exiling and deporting opposition leaders

 

1922 Iraqi National Party and Iraqi Awakening declaration called for protests against British and a

Shiite premier Mohammed al-Sadr

Review Richard Engel, A Fist In The Hornet’s Nest, On The Ground In Baghdad Before, During & After The War, Hyperion, 2004

Engel, Richard, A Fist In The Hornet’s Nest, On The Ground In Baghdad Before, During & After The War, Hyperion, 2004

 

Richard Engel was an American journalist who decided to go to Iraq before the 2003 invasion and try to get a job with a U.S. media outlet. A Fist In The Hornet’s Nest, On The Ground In Baghdad Before, During & After The War is a collection of his experiences in the Iraqi capital during those tumultuous months. While it’s emphasis is obviously on what it was like being a journalist at that time it includes enough stories about everyday Iraqis to make it a well-rounded story.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 22 Saddam’s son-in-law Hussein Kamal told UN Iraq ended all its WMD programs after Gulf War US and UN didn’t believe him Was telling the truth

 

1920 TE Lawrence wrote OpEd in Sunday Times Said UK led into trap in Mesopotamia Blamed UK

High Commissioner Wilson for bad administration that disgraced the British empire Said it was worse than Ottomans Said UK was wasting money Asked when problems would end

Iraq Remains Most State/Oil Dependent Country In World

Each prime minister of Iraq talks about diversifying the economy and promoting the private sector. In reality every government is increasing state control funded by oil to maintain its political power.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 21 Faisal coronated as 1st king of Iraq

 

1916 UK parliamentary inquiry began into defeat at Kut

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 20 Iran-Iraq War ended

 

1915 Gen Townshend given OK by Secretary of State in London to move on Kut

2025 The Year Of Banned Candidates Before Iraq’s Elections?

Iraq is due to have parliamentary elections in November 2025. In the run up to the vote the Election Commission and the Accountability and Justice Commission are banning dozens and dozens of candidates, some of them very well known. This a throwback to 2010 when the same thing happened to help ensure the ruling Shiite parties remained in power.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 19 Al Qaeda in Iraq bombed UN HQ in Baghdad 23 killed including UN Rep de Mello

 

1921 UK cabinet decided Faisal would be coronated king and then Anglo-Iraq treaty drafted

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

(Musings On Iraq review Imagining The Nation, Nationalism, Sectarianism and Socio-Political Conflict in Iraq)

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 18 Army held victory parade for massacring Assyrians Made Gen Sidqi national hero

 

1930 UK High Commissioner Humphrys and PM Said signed agreement that RAF was to evacuate 2

bases and those be given to Iraq Iraqi Railways was to be turned over to a corporation Port of Basra was to be run by trust

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 17 PM Sulaiman resigned over threat of military revolt by Pan-Arab officers

 

1920 Ex-Ottoman Iraqi officers asked Shiite clergy for money Were rejected by Sayid Tabikh who

called the officers mercenaries

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 16 KDP founded as alliance between urban intellectuals led by Hamza Abdullah and tribal forces of Mulla Mustafa Barzani

 

1915 Aziz Ali al-Misri leader of secret Arab society al-Ahd met with UK military intel

officer in Cairo Talked about his idea of Arab revolt in Iraq and Syria that he wanted UK to back Officer turned him down

Review Sana Murrani, Rupturing Architecture, Spatial Practices of Refuge in Response to War and Violence in Iraq, 2003-2023, Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2024

Murrani, Sana, Rupturing Architecture, Spatial Practices of Refuge in Response to War and Violence in Iraq, 2003-2023, Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2024

 

Rupturing Architecture, Spatial Practices of Refuge in Response to War and Violence in Iraq, 2003-2023 by Sana Murrani reads like a thesis that was turned into a book. It follows a common format of laying out the literature on the topic which is trauma and space, then goes through the theories that will be used, the research which was interviews with Iraqis about their experiences during the war and 2019 protest movement, and finishes with some suggestions. Murrani wanted to analyze how people reacted and adapted to violence in the spaces that they lived in. The highlight is the firsthand stories of the Iraqis. Unfortunately Rupturing Architecture is a failure overall because the theory adds nothing to the subject matter.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 15 King Faisal demanded full power from British

 

1920 UK PM George wrote that French objected to Faisal becoming king of Iraq George and

French both thought he was weak leader

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 14 Referendum on Faisal Approved him as king of Iraq

 

1921 Referendum finished that picked Faisal as king British fixed results

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

Iraq Govt Takes On Kataib Hezbollah Over Baghdad Gun Battle

On August 9 the spokesman for the office of commander in chief announced the findings of an investigation into the July 27 gun battle at the Karkh Agriculture Directorate in Baghdad. It found that elements of Kataib Hezbollah’s 45^th and 46^th Hashd Brigades were responsible. The former Karkh agriculture director Iyad Kazim Ali was also implicated in corruption, document and contract forgery and the illegal seizure of land which benefited the Hashd.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 13 UK Foreign Min Balfour said one goal of WWI in Mesopotamia was to gain oil

 

1918 UK Foreign Min Balfour said one war aim was to secure agreement over Mesopotamia to secure

            oil there

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 12 1920 Revolt spread to Fallujah During Saddam era claimed this was start of revolt

 

1919 Churchill wrote PM Lloyd George saying were too many troops in Mesopotamia that

could crush its finances

(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 U.S. Policy In Post-Saddam Iraq)

Maliki Starts Playing On Baathist Card For 2025 Iraq Elections

Al Mada reported that Nuri al-Maliki and his State of Law list are pushing a Baathist threat to Iraq once again. There are claims that up to 500 candidates will be banned by the Accountability and Justice Commission for their Baathist ties and that there are 27,000 former regime members within the government. A parliamentarian told Al Mada that these accusations are being exaggerated. This is a tried and true theme of Maliki and his followers. They most infamously used it in the 2010 election when hundreds of people were struck from lists for their connections to Saddam.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 11 Iraqi army led by Gen Sidqi attacked Assyrians in 2 villages 315 Assyrians killed

 

1918 UK Foreign Sec Balfour War in Mesopotamia should be justified by securing water that would

also give it control of oil Balfour’s statement prompted PM Lloyd George to call for UK to seize Ottoman Mosul province

(Musings On Iraq How The Ottoman Province Of Mosul Became Part Of Iraq)

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

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

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 10 Treaty of Sevres Began break-up of Ottoman Empire Mesopotamia went to UK

 

1920 Treaty of Sevres started break-up of Ottoman Empire after WW I Ceded Mesopotamia to UK

Included call for Kurdish state Full protection for Assyrians Turkey rejected treaty and claimed Mosul province citing Madrid armistice

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Great Betrayal, How America Abandoned The Kurds And Lost The Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

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

(Musings On Iraq review Turkey, the US and Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 9 Iraq held victory celebration for end of Iran-Iraq War

 

1914 US consulate report Martial law declared in Baghdad Vilayet would provide 15,000

recruits for war Ottomans called on all Muslims to serve

Review Sgt. David Bellavia, House to House: An Epic Memoir of War, Pocket Star, 2008

Bellavia, Sgt. David, House to House: An Epic Memoir of War, Pocket Star, 2008

 

House to House is about how combat affected Sergeant David Bellavia while he was deployed to Iraq in 2004. There’s nothing about strategy or tactics or the big picture in the war. It’s just about Bellavia and his men who went from fighting militiamen to the 2^nd Battle of Fallujah. He almost lost his humanity as a result.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 8 Iraqi army executed captured Assyrians Looted villages along with Kurds

 

1920 TE Lawrence wrote piece for Observer newspaper criticizing UK for trying to block self govt

in Iraq Said UK wasting money and solution was to get rid of chief political officer Wilson and set up a more efficient administration

Kataib Hezbollah Kill Policeman, Civilian In Gun Battle to Keep Political Ally in Office in South Baghdad

 

The power and lawlessness of the pro-Iran Hashd was once again on display in Baghdad at the end of July. A routine replacement of a district agricultural director led to a gun battle between Kataib Hezbollah and the police as the former was relying upon the official to seize land to enrich itself. The government as usual did nothing of consequence to stop this faction.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 7 Op Desert Shield began US sent troops to Saudi Arabia after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait

 

1933 Kurds began attacking and killing Assyrians in Dohuk and Zakho

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

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

Iraq’s Oil Exports Hit 4 Month High

 

Iraq’s oil output took a jump in July as a result of OPEC+ increasing the country’s production quota. That resulted in a four month high in sales and revenues.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 6 Captured Assyrians were executed by Iraqi army

 

1920 UK Cabinet decided to send Sir Percy Cox to Baghdad to help deal with 1920 Revolt

 

Pro-Iran Groups Escalate Attacks Upon Kurds In July 2025

 

Iraq’s pro-Iran Resistance escalated its campaign against the Kurds in July with two dozen incidents. The Islamic State also made a rare appearance during the month.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 5 Pres Bush said Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait would not stand

 

1933 Iraqi army swept through Jebel Behkair executed any Assyrians found

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

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 4 French deported Assyrians from Syria who then attacked Iraqi army believing they were sent to kill them Captured Assyrians executed

 

1914 US consulate report Ottomans ordered mobilization and draft in Baghdad

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 3 IS took Sinjar starting Yazidi genocide

 

1922 New cabinet formed under PM Abd al-Rahman al-Gaylani

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 2 Iraq invaded Kuwait

 

1914 Ottomans signed alliance with Germany that would bring Mesopotamia into WW1

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 1 Iraq walked out on talks with Kuwait which would lead to invasion

 

883 Mohammed leader of Zanj slave rebellion killed by Abbasid army led by Caliph

Muwafaq

(Musings On Iraq review The Revolt Of African Slaves In Iraq in the 3^rd/9^th Century)