This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 31 U.S. withdrew troops from Iraq

 

1920 High Commissioner Sir Cox reported that many sheikhs of large confederations supported

British Mandate and didn't want an Iraqi govt

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 30 Saddam executed while Sadrists chanted Moqtada Body later kicked and spat on by Shiite politicians

 

1915 Gen Aylmer in command of UK relief force for Kut said he was going to move his

entire corps at once in methodical advance rather than sending one division ahead to reach Kut was quickly as possible

Iraqis Going To Fight In Ukraine Due To Lack Of Opportunities At Home

 

The Iraqi press has recently been full of stories about Iraqis joining the Russian army to fight in Ukraine. The reporting has led the government to threaten action to stop its people from going to the war.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 29 2nd Phase of Battle of Mosul began with attack upon eastern side of city

 

1934 Yasin al-Hashemi Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani criticized PM Ayubi Jawadat for elections he

held because excluded them Senate criticized vote PM started being called a tyrant

(Musings On Iraq review Independent Iraq 1932-1958, A Study in Iraqi Politics)

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 28 Def Sec Rumsfeld told Bush Iraq war would be short and US would withdraw quickly

 

1929 Fmr Iraq High Comm Dobbs said if Iraq moved forward in its own dysfunctional way

and was better off than it was under Ottomans UK would have succeeded

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 27 Kataib Hezbollah blamed for rocket attack upon Iraqi base that killed 1 US Contractor Trump admin would retaliate by killing Iran’s Gen Soleimani and Hashd leader Abu Muhandis

 

865 Ibn Tahir deposed Abbasid Caliph Mutasin Ordered people of Baghdad to pledge allegiance to

Mutazz as new caliph City rejected Mutazz Forced Ibn Tahir to back down Caliph Mutasin appeared saying he was still caliph

Review Aaron Glantz, How America Lost Iraq, Penguin Books, 2005

 

Aaron Glantz was a reporter for the San Francisco Bay Area’s Pacifica Radio. He went to Iraq from 2003-05 to report on the conditions of everyday Iraqis. He came away with two main impressions. One was that the Left and Right in America didn’t care about Iraqis at all just their own political agendas. The second was that the U.S. lost Iraq just a year into the occupation because of their misrule.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 26 Political parties started discussing removing PM Maliki in no confidence vote accusing him of being an autocrat

1920 Iraq High Commissioner Sir Percy Cox wrote Iraqis wanted an outsider as ruler UK didn’t need

an election to pick one Could fix it so Faisal would become King

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 25 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq threatened to attack Interior Min and free men arrested for rocket attack upon Green Zone

 

1920 Gertrude Bell wrote that Faisal was the only solution to Iraq and its first choice to be king

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

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 24 PM Jamil Midfai overthrown in military coup by pan-Arab Golden Square officers

 

1638 Ottoman Sultan Murad IV conquered Baghdad Looting led to resistance by defeated

Persian soldiers and then massacre Up to 50,000 killed

Signs Of Pending Financial Crisis In Iraq Increasing

 

Iraq is battling a rising budget deficit and is unwilling to do anything about it. Economists and analysts warn that Baghdad may not be able to meet its bills but the elite are unmoved as usual.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 23 Iraq-Syria border set with Deir Azzor going to latter

1920 Iraq-Syria border set with Deir Azzor going to latter

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

Iraq’s Oil Revenues Dip In November 2025

 

Iraq is exporting the highest level of oil in its history as it attempts to earn as much as possible while prices are declining. This is an attempt to stave off a financial crisis.

This Day In Iraqi History Dec 22 Ottoman Sultan Murad IV began siege of Baghdad

1638 Ottoman Sultan Murad IV began siege of Baghdad Captured it by end of year

Massacred Shiites

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 21 Saddam paid Carlos the Jackal and PFLP to kill Saudi and Iranian oil ministers at OPEC meeting for supporting Kurdish revolt Ministers were taken prisoners but then released

1956 Communist uprising in Al-Hay put down and leaders executed

(Musings On Iraq review The Modern History of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Red Star Over Iraq, Iraqi Communism Before Saddam)

(Musings On Iraq A History Of The Iraqi Communist Party Interview With Univ of East Anglia’s Johan Franzen)

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 20 Reagan envoy Donald Rumsfeld met with Saddam to improve US-Iraq ties

1974 Govt secretly tried 25 Shiite leaders and executed 5 of them after religious pilgrimage

turned into protest against Pres Bakr

Review James Moore, Bush’s War For Reelection, Iraq, The White House, and The People, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2004

 

There are bad books and then there is Bush’s War For Reelection, The White House, and The People by James Moore. From the title you would think this is about President Bush trying to sell the war to get re-elected but it’s not. It is a hodgepodge collection of stories thrown together to try to show that Bush didn’t serve his country during Vietnam and the costs of his decision to invade Iraq. It’s so badly put together there is no reason to read it.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 19 PM Maliki issued warrant for Finance Min Issawi on terrorism charges 1 yr after issued warrant for VP Hashemi Would lead to Sunni protests and revival of insurgency

 

869 Abbasid Caliph Muhtadi had to flee capital Samarra as Turkish troops looted palace Muhtadi

confronted troops calling for their loyalty and received it

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 18 Qasim began supporting Arabs in Iran as part of his dispute with Tehran

 

1959 Gen Qasim called Ahwaz and Mohammareh in Iran Arab Started supporting Arabs in

Khuzistan province

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 17 PM Maliki issued warrant for VP Hashemi on terrorism charges Latest move by Maliki vs his opponents

 

1917 US consulate report Since British took Baghdad all trade cut off Businesses closed People out

of work

US Threats Against Pro-Iran Factions In Iraq Escalate

 

The Trump administration is getting serious about ending Iran’s influence in Iraq. The president’s new special envoy to the country is constantly commenting upon bringing pro-Iran factions under state control and a defense spending bill pending in congress threatens to cut funding if those groups are not disarmed.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 16 League of Nations set Turkey-Iraq border with Mosul going to Iraq

 

1915 German Gen von der Goltz and 30 German officers arrived in Baghdad to take charge of

Mesopotamia campaign vs British

KRG Makes Up Conspiracy To Explain Unrest In Irbil And Khor Mor Gas Field Attack

Much has been made about Baghdad suppressing protests which occurred for several years straight demanding jobs and political reforms but the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is no better. Recently protests demanding employment led to a government crackdown and violence. Instead of admitting to the causes however the regional government blamed an international conspiracy.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 15 Elections held for Iraq’s 1st permanent parliament after 2003 invasion

 

1932 League of Nations Mandate Comm rejected Assyrian petition for autonomy Said Iraqi

govt would settle Assyrians within country or outside of it

(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 - Dec 14 PM Askari and UK agreed on new Anglo-Iraq Treaty Would put Iraq under UK influence for decades

 

1927 PM Askari and Foreign Office agreed on new Anglo-Iraq Treaty Had to be passed by Iraqi

parliament

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

 

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 13 US forces captured Saddam

 

1916 British made diversionary attack at Sannaiyat and took Hai in offensive to retake Kut from

Ottomans

Review Dahr Jamail, Beyond The Green Zone, Dispatches From An Unembedded Journalist In Occupied Iraq, Haymarket Books, 2007

 

Dahr Jamail was opposed to the U.S. overthrowing Saddam Hussein. That inspired him to go to Iraq several times from 2003 to the start of 2005 as a freelance journalist to report on how bad the American occupation of the country was. He said he wanted to put Iraqis in the forefront of his stories which he did. Ironically he mostly portrayed them as victims of the U.S. with no agency unless they were in the insurgency. His position on the war also led him to take all kinds of stories he was told at face value even though many were not true. His book suffers massively as a result.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 12 Dawa members including Abu Muhandis bombed US & French embassies in Kuwait killing 8 Retaliation for air strikes in Lebanon

1916 Gen Maude began new campaign to defeat Ottomans in Mesopotamia British now had numerical

advantage in troops and new supplies

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 11 Gen Qasim nationalized 99% of Iraq Petroleum’s concessions and created Iraq National Oil Company Was only unused land though

 

1922 UK Colonial Office wrote only reason King Faisal accepted in Iraq was because he was

backed by British

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 10 PUK made deal with Saddam not to fight for Iran in Iran-Iraq War 3000 peshmerga quit in protest

 

1915 Turkish infantry assault on British in Kut began

Iraq Govt Doesn’t Name Names For Khor Mor Gas Facility Attack

 

On the night of November 26 pro-Iran groups launched two drones against the Khor Mor gas facility in Sulaymaniya. One hit a storage tank setting off a fire that temporarily shut down the plant. In the aftermath the Sudani government set up an investigative committee and promised to name names of those responsible. That did not happen.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 9 UN said Abdul Mahdi govt used excessive force and abused protesters While groups were abducting and killing activists

 

1914 Ottoman forces surrendered in Qurna, Basra 1,034 Ottomans taken prisoner End of 1^st

            phase of Mesopotamian campaign

Trump Said He Would Help End Gaza War If Iraq Nominated Him For Nobel Peace Prize

 

Donald Trump has been called a transactional president. He expects things in return for his actions. It was recently revealed that Trump took this approach with Iraq and the Gaza War.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 8 After US soldiers complained about not having adequate equipment Def Sec Rumsfeld said you go to war with the army you have

 

1925 Turkey told League of Nations it refused to accept League as arbiter of Mosul’s future

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 7 Saddam said Iraq going on defensive in Iran-Iraq War 3 months into war

 

1914 UK made 2^nd attack on Qurna, Basra forcing Ottomans to retreat Lost around 200 killed

130 taken prisoner UK lost 10 killed 118 wounded

(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 - 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

Review Jackie Spinner, Tell Them I Didn’t Cry, A Young Journalists Story Of Joy, Loss, And Survival In Iraq, Scribner, 2006

 

 

Jackie Spinner was a reporter for the Washington Post in Iraq from 2004-05. Her book Tell Them I Didn’t Cry, A Young Journalists Story Of Joy, Loss And Survival In Iraq gets its name from the time the author was almost kidnapped. She wanted the staff to know that she never cried when men were trying to take her. Her writing is like a journal about her time working in Iraq along with letters from her twin sister about how her trip was affecting her family.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 5 PM Maliki and his State of Law tried to stop case against Trade Min Sudani who stole $400 mil which helped fund party

 

1927 Draft of Anglo-Iraq Treaty written by UK Colonial Office Said Iraq independent state to

appease Iraqis when under British control

This Day In Iraqi History Dec 4 Siege of Kut began Would become UK’s 2nd largest defeat in WWI

 

1534 Ottoman Sultan Suleiman entered Baghdad and visited Sunni and Shiite shrines trying to

win over city

Iraq Heading Towards Financial Ruin

 

For several years now Iraq’s finances have been on shaky ground. It continuously expands its public workforce while oil which it is completely dependent upon goes up in down in price. This is growing to a crisis point as Iraq has passed the largest budgets in history recently but hasn’t been able to cover them leading to a growing debt that the state may not be able to cover for much longer.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 3 Arif govt shut down all media to try to control opposition

 

1915 Retreating UK forces reached Kut after loss at Battle of Ctesiphon/Salman Pak UK

suffered 5,187 casualties over last 10 days Started Turkish siege of Kut

Pro-Iran Rocket Strike On Khor Mor Gas Field Leads to Widespread Blackouts In Iraq’s Kurdistan

 

On the night of November 26 two rockets were fired at the Khor Mor natural gas facility in Sulaymaniya. One rocket fell short but the other hit a storage facility setting off a fire and shutting down operations.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 2 PM Pachachi govt told oil companies not to employ Jews after creation of Israel

 

1920 US Consul in Baghdad said England hadn’t taken any serious steps to create an independent

Iraqi govt

US Led Coalition Withdraws To Iraq’s Kurdistan

 

On November 27 it was announced that the U.S. led Coalition against the Islamic State had ended its mission in federal Iraq. Only 4-5 personnel were left in Baghdad to do logistics and diplomatic tasks. The rest of the 1,500 Coalition troops were all now in Kurdistan. This is the first part of the Coalition’s withdrawal from Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 1 UK got France to give up Mosul vilayet after WWI for stake in Iraqi oil

1915 Retreating British force attacked by pursuing Ottomans at Um at Tubul after loss at Battle of

Ctesiphon/Salman Pak