2003 Invasion of Iraq

Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003

Musings On Iraq review The Bush Administrations and Saddam Hussein, Deciding on Conflict

Musings On Iraq review Bush At War

Musings On Iraq Coalition Armor vs Iraqi Forces, Iraq 2003-06

Musings On Iraq Review Cobra II, The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq

Musings On Iraq review The Endgame, The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George

W. Bush to Barack Obama

Musings On Iraq review The Fall of Baghdad

Musings On Iraq review Fiasco: The American Military Adventure In Iraq

Musings On Iraq review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War

Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Future: The aftermath of regime change

Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Perspectives Project, A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam’s Senior Leadership

Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest

Foreign Policy Tragedy

Musings On Iraq review Losing Iraq, Inside The Post War Reconstruction Fiasco by David Phillips

Musings On Iraq review The Next Attack, The Failure of the War on Terror and a Strategy for Getting it Right

Musings On Iraq review Operation Hotel California, The Clandestine War Inside Iraq

Musings On Iraq review Overreach, Delusions of Regime Change In Iraq

Musings On Iraq review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To

Invade Iraq

Musings On Iraq review Shaping the Plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom, The Role of

Military Intelligence Assessment

Musings On Iraq review Special Operations Forces in Iraq

Musings On Iraq review Target Basra, The High Octane Story of the Royal Marine

Commandos In Iraq

Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009

Musings On Iraq review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq

Musings On Iraq Review Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush’s

War on Iraq

Musings On Iraq From 9/11 To The Invasion of Iraq Analysis of Bush Administration Decision Making

Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter The Invasion of Iraq

 

2001

Sep 11 Joint Chiefs of Staff asked Central Command to begin contingency planning against

5 countries including Iraq Request denied because Command too busy with Afghanistan

 

Sep 17 Bush signed order for war in Afghanistan that also called for revising Iraq war plan

Sep 17 Bush told Rumsfeld to revise Iraq war plans but that it wasn’t a priority with

Afghanistan

(Musings On Iraq review The Endgame, The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from

George W. Bush to Barack Obama)

 

Sep 26 Bush told Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to plan for Iraq invasion but do it informally

(Musings On Iraq review The Endgame, The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from

George W. Bush to Barack Obama)

 

Sep 29 Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld ordered review of all existing Iraq war plans

(Musings On Iraq review The Endgame, The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from

George W. Bush to Barack Obama)

 

Nov 21 Bush told Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to update war plans for Iraq Wanted it

            done secretly Was first official step in eventual invasion of Iraq

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

(Musings On Iraq review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest

Foreign Policy Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq Review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Bush Administrations and Saddam Hussein, Deciding on Conflict)

(Musings On Iraq review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To

Invade Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review The Endgame, The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from

George W. Bush to Barack Obama)

 

Nov 27 Defense Secretary Rumsfeld told CENTCOM commander Gen Frank Bush wanted

revised Iraq war plan

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

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign

Policy Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To

Invade Iraq)

 

Dec 1 Defense Secretary Rumsfeld issued order to Joint Chiefs to begin revising war

planning for Iraq CENTCOM commander Gen Franks was only given 3 days to revise the plan and present it to Rumsfeld

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

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign

Policy Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To

Invade Iraq)

 

Dec 4 CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Franks briefed Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen

Meyers on revised Iraq invasion plan Franks revised 1990s Op Plan 1003 Cut troops from 500,000 to 400,000 to be deployed in 6 instead of 7 months Franks said couldn't scrap Op Plan 1003 because never knew what would be needed Said would take a long time to revise Iraq war plan Rumsfeld said Afghanistan showed US didn’t need such a large and long invasion plan for Iraq Rumsfeld wanted a battle plan that could be executed in a very short time not months Franks agreed with Rumsfeld but said Op Plan 1003 only thing they had at moment Rumsfeld told Gen Franks goal of any military action against Iraq would be removing Saddam Franks given one week to revise plan Angry that Rumsfeld went from plan not important to it being urgent

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

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest

Foreign Policy Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To

Invade Iraq)

 

Dec 12 CENTCOM commander Gen Franks briefed Rumsfeld on invasion preparations

            and estimated costs with start time in spring 2002

 

Dec 19 CENTCOM commander Gen Franks made 3^rd presentation to Rumsfeld of revised

            Iraq war plan

 

Dec 27 CENTCOM commander Gen Franks briefed Rumsfeld on war planning

 

Dec 28 CENTCOM commander Gen Franks presented latest version of Iraq war plan to

Bush in Crawford, Texas Franks had 7 lines of operation that could be used independently or in conjunction Were bombings and missile attacks Special Forces penetrating into Iraq Ground operations by army and marines Information deception and psychological operations CIA support for Iraqi opposition diplomacy and humanitarian aid to Iraqi population Included 9 “slices” of Iraq that could be targeted Were Leadership internal security and intelligence agencies WMD missiles Republican Guard territory of Iraq Iraqi army infrastructure and civilian population Plan would need support of Kuwait Saudi Arabia Jordan Turkey Bahrain Qatar UAE Oman and England Could start with just 105,000 troops and then 230,000 more coming in next 60-90 days Franks wanted to start building up forces and supplies in region immediately get CIA to start building up support within Iraq and diplomacy to build up support amongst Gulf States Franks said US would be ready for Iraq invasion by April to June 2002

Dec 28 Bush told Secretary of State Powell and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld that they

            needed to start building up support amongst countries around Iraq for US action

Dec 28 Bush asked Gen Franks if war plan good enough to win Franks said yes with

            work Bush said he wanted Saddam removed soon and suggested 2002 for war to start

 

2002

Jan 9 Gen Franks briefed Rumsfeld on latest war plan

Jan 9 Secretary of State Powell called Franks and voiced his concern that Rumsfeld was trying to push a small an invasion force as possible and not give into that pressure

 

Jan 17 Gen Franks briefed his commanders at CENTCOM on initial Iraq war plans for 1^st

            time

 

Jan 27 Gen Franks briefed Rumsfeld on latest war plan Franks said review found Iraqi military seriously degraded by sanctions Claimed that more US got involved against Iraq the less the Iraqi people would support regime Cut war plan down from 7 months to just 150 days with 245,000 troops Franks wanted to lesson timeline even more Wanted to start information campaign against Saddam immediately to pressure him

 

Feb 1 Gen Franks briefed Rumsfeld on war plans with start time April 2002 with 300,000

            Troops

 

Feb 7 Gen Franks presented revised Iraq invasion plan to Bush at White House

 

Feb 10 CIA presented covert action plan against Iraq

 

Feb 13 Bush at press conference said he had a number of options for dealing with Iraq

Feb 13 Bush admin officials told several media outlets they had decided to move against

            Iraq

 

Feb 14 National Security Adviser Rice called Blair Foreign Policy Adviser Manning

            saying US was only reviewing its Iraq policy

 

Feb 16 Bush signed secret NSC directive calling for covert action against Iraq by CIA Had budget of $189 mil for 2 years Included supporting Iraqi opposition carrying out sabotage inside Iraq working with third countries to support covert action an information campaign against Baghdad attacking Iraqi revenue sources and disrupting Baghdad’s smuggling operations

 

Feb 20 Secret CIA team entered Kurdistan to prepare for ops inside Iraq Called Northern

            Iraq Liaison Elements

 

Feb 24 CENTCOM intelligence staff completed first draft of intelligence estimate for Iraq

            invasion

 

Feb 25 1^st war game for Iraq invasion ran at Scott Air Force Base Illinois

 

Feb 28 Gen Franks delivered target list for air strikes in Iraq to Rumsfeld

 

Mar 6 Gen Franks briefed VP Cheney on which Middle East countries needed to be

            Lobbied to help with Iraq invasion before trip to region

Mar 6 CIA held meeting on covert and unconventional warfare capabilities against Iraq

Mar 6 US war game held on political and military implications of Iraq invasion

 

Mar 17 Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz and Blair’s adviser Manning talked about

            building international support for military action vs Iraq

 

Mar 21 Gen Franks met with US commanders in Germany to go over war plans Said war

            was going to happen and they needed to be ready

 

Mar 23 Joint Chiefs did paper drill running through Iraq invasion plan

 

Mar 29 Gen Franks briefed military service chiefs on Iraq war planning

 

Mar 30 Gen Franks presented new revised Iraq war plan to Bush

 

Mar 31 Blair offered a division and UK bases to US for invasion

 

Apr 7 Blair and Bush met Blair pushed going to UN against Iraq Some claimed Blair

            okayed war with Iraq at meeting Blair denied that

Apr 7 Bush told network he’d decided Saddam must go

 

Apr 11 Gen Franks talked with Rumsfeld about war preparations that could start now

            without gaining much notice

 

Apr 15 End of deadline set by Bush for invasion plan for Iraq to be completed

 

Apr 20 Gen Franks briefed Bush on Iraq war plans Franks said he wanted to cut timeline

            by 1/3 and could start with 180,000 troops

 

Apr 24 Gen Franks met with commanders in Qatar Said they needed to start war preparations

 

May 9 Gen Franks ordered commanders to plan for including Turkey in Iraq invasion plans

Franks didn’t believe Ankara would agree to allow US troops to use country for invasion but needed to plan for it

 

May 10 Gen Franks discussed war plans with Rumsfeld who was afraid Iraq might take

            initiative and launch a pre-emptive attack

May 10 Gen Franks briefed NSC on Middle Eastern countries and their role in invasion plans

 

May 11 Gen Franks briefed Bush on war plans at Camp David Said he would attack Iraq on 5 fronts: west for special operations south would be main invasion front from Kuwait north would be Turkey if it agreed to be involved center would be Baghdad attacked by air strikes and last would be information campaign

May 11 At Gen Franks briefing Sec Def Rumsfeld claimed 2 brigades and special forces

company could invade Iraq Was 2^nd time he brought it up

 

May 18 British govt issued order to prepare for military action against Iraq

 

May 20 Rumsfeld asked Gen Franks to plan for a fortress Baghdad scenario where

            Saddam would withdraw all his forces into capital for an urban battle

 

May 21 Gen Franks lied to press saying he had no Iraq war plans and had not been asked to

make any Franks had been working on war plans since Nov 2001

 

May 23 During trip to Germany Bush said he had no Iraq war plans

 

May 24 Rumsfeld issued order to Joint Chiefs to begin Phase Four postwar planning for Iraq

 

May 26 During trip to France Bush said he had no Iraq war plans Ordered revision of war

plans Sep 2001

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

 

Jun 1 Bush gave speech at West Point arguing for pre-emptive war against rogue

            states because couldn’t be contained

Jun 1 Bush told Natl Sec Adv Rice “Fuck Saddam. we’re taking him out”

 

Jun 3 General Franks briefed Rumsfeld on new Running Start war plan to begin conflict before all US forces were in theater Rumsfeld liked plan and wanted more on it Franks also talked about dealing with Fortress Baghdad scenario by destroying Iraq’s command and control and attacking Iraqi units outside city to stop them from falling back into capital

 

Jun 5 Blair told Rumsfeld UK would be with US in any military action against Iraq

 

Jun 19 US told UK that it was ready for its input on military planning against Iraq

Jun 19 Gen Franks briefed Bush on war plans

 

Jun 26 General Franks met with his commanders in Germany Told them to switch from original Generated Plan for war with Iraq to new Running Start which would begin conflict before all forces in theater

 

Jul 5 Supporters of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld leaked a CENTOM document to the NY Times stating that US would use air strikes from 8 countries and Special Forces and CIA operatives to carry out covert operations within Iraq to hunt SCUD missiles and WMD

(Musings On Iraq How Arguments Over Iraq Invasion Plan Were Fought Through Press

Leaks)

 

Jul 17 Rumsfeld told Gen Franks that costs for war preparations if completed by 12/1/02 would be around $700 mil US was working to expand air fields in Kuwait and built new fuel distribution system to pre-position fuel in northern Kuwait

 

Jul 19 General Franks presented Running Start war plan to Bush Said four brigades would be in Kuwait soon with Marine Expeditionary Force in region Two divisions would arrive in 2-3 weeks for a total of 100,000 troops to begin war within 30 days if needed

Jul 19 MI6 head Dearlove said US already decided on military action to remove Saddam

            talk was now about how and when

 

Jul 30 Pres Chirac said that Germany and France would only support an invasion of Iraq

            if backed by a UN resolution

 

Jul 31 Bush said US goal was regime change in Iraq but denied any war plans were on his

            desk

Jul 31 NSA had drill on Iraq Found it had little signals intel on country

 

Aug 1 Senate Foreign Relations Committee began hearings on possible postwar Iraq

Scenarios Senator Biden warned that unless US gained international support it could spend $70-$80 bil rebuilding Iraq

 

Aug 5 Secretary of State Powell told Bush that Iraq invasion would dominate 1^st term and US would be responsible for Iraq afterward Said US had to go through UN to disarm Iraq and build international Coalition Bush said he wanted a coalition

Aug 5 CENTCOM cmdr Gen Franks briefed Bush on latest version of Iraq war plan Had

original Generated Start plan Running Start which would have quicker build up and new Hybrid Plan which would be immediate start to war

 

Aug 6 General Franks told his commanders to switch to Hybrid War Plan which could start

            immediately

 

Aug 12 Supporters of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld told Time that Iraq war would be

            simple and quick and that US military questioned using a large invasion force

(Musings On Iraq How Arguments Over Iraq Invasion Plan Were Fought Through Press

Leaks)

 

Aug 13 Gen Franks briefed Rumsfeld on progress with Hybrid war plan Was approved by Rumsfeld

 

Aug 14 National Security Presidential Directive included liberating people of Iraq and

            spreading democracy

(Musings On Iraq review Overreach, Delusions of Regime Change In Iraq)

Aug 14 NSC meeting Powell said US had to build coalition against Iraq Said Bush should

address Iraq in his UN speech on 9/12/02 Rice agreed Cheney told NSC Bush’s UN speech should attack organization for inaction on Iraq Rice agreed

 

Aug 15 National Security Adviser Rice said US needed to launch pre-emptive strike

            against Iraq before it got too strong

 

Aug 29 Bush signed Iraq: Goals, Objectives, Strategy that said US would use all means

            to remove Saddam

Aug 29 Bush and Blair talked about tough UN resolution on Iraq disarmament and how

            Saddam wouldn't comply leading to conflict

 

Sep 2 Bush told NSC he wanted Congressional resolution for use of force vs Iraq

            Thought it would be easy with elections coming

 

Sep 3 White House group met and decided to ask for Congressional resolution of force

            vs Iraq before midterm elections

 

Sep 4 Bush met with Congressional leaders to lobby for resolution on use of force vs Iraq Many were receptive to idea House majority leader Dick Armey told Bush if he invaded Iraq US would be stuck in a quagmire 

Sep 4 Rumsfeld briefed large number of Congressmen on Iraq He wasn’t prepared and

            wouldn’t divulge any info on threat

 

Sep 6 Rumsfeld and Gen Franks briefed Bush and NSC on latest war plans Gen Franks told Bush and NSC US had been looking for Iraq SCUDs and WMD for 10 yrs and hadn’t found any Gen Franks believed Iraq had WMD but hadn’t found any to target

Sep 6 NSC met without Bush Cheney argued going to UN was waste of time and said Bush just needed to give speech at body saying Iraq was a threat Powell argued for new UN resolution on Iraq and warned of consequences of war Cheney said Saddam was a threat and nothing else mattered

 

Sep 7 Blair and Bush met and decided on new UN resolution demanding new inspections in Iraq Blair told Bush they should seek 2 UN resolutions 1 for inspectors 2^nd for if Iraq didn’t comply Blair said that UK would take part in any military action against Iraq

 

Sep 8 Day 1 of White House PR campaign about Iraq WMD and nuclear threat

 

Sep 17 National Security Strategy for Bush admin released Called for preemptive war to

            deal with rogue states

 

Sep 19 Bush met with 11 Congressmen to lobby them on Iraq policy Said war on terror

            going well but real threat was Iraq and WMD

Sep 19 White House released language it would use in Congressional resolution to use

            force vs Iraq

 

Sep 20 Pentagon set up planning group to deal with rebuilding Iraq’s oil industry after

            invasion

 

Sep 20 Powell testified to House International Relations Committee to lobby for Congressional use of force resolution vs Iraq

 

Sep 26 Bush met with 18 Congressmen to lobby them on Iraq Said Iraq had WMD and building facilities to make more If it got uranium could build a bomb in 6 months Repeated British claim that Iraq could use WMD in 45 min CIA Dir Tenet had warned Bush not to use claim because came from questionable source

 

Oct 1 Bush said military option wasn’t first choice with Iraq but disarming country was

 

Oct 2 Bush appeared with Democrats and Republicans calling on Congress to pass

            use of force resolution on Iraq

 

Oct 9 Bush told CENTCOM Commander Gen Franks he was not happy with Iraq war plan

 

Oct 15 Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld wrote list of 29 things that could go wrong with Iraq war Went over them with Bush Included not finding WMD another state taking advantage of US focus on Iraq, oil shocks Iraq could strike US or allies beforehand could be high collateral damage could lead to ethnosectarian conflict in Iraq Iraq would use WMD on Shiites Iraq could convince world US at war with Muslims

 

Oct 18 Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld told Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Feith to create postwar planning office for Iraq Cancelled few days later by White House that worried postwar planning could derail invasion

 

Oct 29 Gen Franks briefed Bush on war plans again

 

Oct 30 Vice President Cheney told head UN Inspector Blix that inspections couldn't last

            forever and US was ready to discredit them anyway to disarm Iraq

 

Oct 31 Iraqi opposition met in Salahddin Kurdistan Said they were united to remove

            Saddam Wanted to end sectarianism Create federal democratic state

 

Nov 1 UN head inspectors Blix and El Baradei visited Bush and Cheney at White House

            Bush said inspections had full US backing

Nov 1 Under Secretary of State Bolton told conference if Iraq got fissile material it could

            have a nuclear bomb in a year

 

Nov 6 Secretary of State Powell got ok from National Security Adviser Rice to make deal with France over language of new UN resolution to allow weapons inspections in Iraq

 

Nov 8 UN Resolution 1441 said Iraq was in violation of previous resolutions and authorized new weapons inspections anywhere in Iraq and would face serious consequences if didn’t

 

Nov 13 Def Sec Rumsfeld memo to Bush Said inspections were important because Saddam

would make a mistake and the military would be ready to react as soon as Bush gave the order

 

Nov 15 US asked UK and other allies for military support against Iraq

 

Nov 21 NATO summit Bush was talking about war with Iraq and using new U.N. inspections as catalyst for action

 

Nov 26 Gen Franks presented deployment plan for Iraq invasion to Rumsfeld Was for 300,000 troops to be sent from summer 02-spring 03 Rumsfeld said large deployment would undermine diplomatic moves US making on Iraq Rumsfeld decided to go through entire deployment process for Iraq invasion Ended up breaking it up and controlling entire process

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

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest

Foreign Policy Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To

Invade Iraq)

 

Dec 5 Rumsfeld aid Herbits said he was taking over postwar Iraq planning because it was a mess Herbits said Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Feith was screwing up planning

 

Dec 6 Official troop buildup for Iraq invasion began Wasn’t made public until Feb 03

 

Dec 8 Saddam changed defensive plan Set up concentric circles around Baghdad for Republican Guard Some commanders objected but silenced by Qusay Plan had no details on how it was to work Different divisions couldn’t coordinate out of fear of coup Regular army presented its defensive plan for rest of Iraq Saddam never approved it

(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Perspectives Project, A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam’s Senior Leadership)

Dec 8 Gen Thurman and McKiernan went to Gen Franks and asked for more troops for Iraq

invasion

 

Dec 11 Pentagon started another post-war planning group just 3 months before invasion

 

Dec 13 Bush said military would have small pox vaccinations Was actually protection

            against possible Iraq WMD attack during invasion

 

Dec 14 Pentagon report on postwar Iraq warned that US could win the war and lose the peace Warned there would be no Iraqi govt after the invasion so there could be chaos in the country Warned that US was only planning for the war and not the peace Said Iraq’s economy was a wreck and that US should maintain the military and not carry out an extensive deBaathification because could freacture Iraq

 

Dec 18 Pres Bush said war was inevitable with Iraq at NSC meeting

Dec 18 Sec Def Rumsfeld ordered start of civil administration to run postwar Iraq 3 months before invasion

 

Dec 19 Gen Franks briefed Bush again on war plans Went over what could go wrong and

            lessons from war game

 

Dec 24 UK Foreign Secretary Straw told Sec of State Powell a 2^nd UN resolution was

            needed to gain UK political support and legal justification for war

 

Dec 29 US Senate authorized war against Iraq

 

2003

Jan 6 Bush met with cabinet and said needed strong case vs Iraq for war

Jan 6 Report 100 US Special Forces and 50 CIA officers had been sent into Iraq end of 2002

            along with Australian Jordanians and British commandos to find targets for invasion

 

Jan 8 Bush met with Congressional leaders and said he would make case to Congress and

            US public for war

Jan 8 Bush met with Republican leaders saying Saddam wasn’t complying and he would

            have to address US about war

 

Jan 9 Pentagon asked Jay Garner to head ORHA to run postwar Iraq 2 months

            before invasion He initially said no

Jan 9 Gen Franks briefed Bush on war plan Talked about Turkey’s refusal to allow in US troops Franks worried about Jordan and Saudi Arabia staying on board for war Said he’d be ready for invasion by Feb 03 but March would be better

 

Jan 10 Bush met with 3 Iraq dissidents Rend Francke Hatim Mukhlis Kanan Makiya Bush

said he thought Iraqis could have a democracy Mukhlis told Bush all Iraqis wanted Saddam out Makiya said removing Saddam would change US’s image in region Makiya told Bush that U.S. forces would be greeted with sweets and flowers in Iraq Mukhlis told Bush if US troops didn’t win support of Iraqis Iraq would turn into Somalia in 2 months 

(Musings On Iraq “We Will Be Greeted As Liberators” Why The Bush Administration Saw Iraq As A War Of Liberation)

(Musings On Iraq review Overreach, Delusions of Regime Change In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Future The aftermath of regime change)

(Musings On Iraq review The Assassins’ Gate, America In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review What Happened, Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception)

 

Jan 11 Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs head Gen Myers met Saudi Amb to US Bandar to get

            Saudi support for invasion Bandar said he needed Bush’s word to get Saudi support

 

Jan 13 Bush told Powell he’d decided on war and needed his support Powell said he

would back president Powell reminded Bush that if US invaded Iraq it would have to run the country

Jan 13 Powell decided he had to play out diplomacy with Iraq at UN despite Bush’s

            decision to go to war

Jan 13 Bush met Saudi Amb Bandar Gave assurance that US would remove Saddam

Jan 13 UK Attorney General Lord Goldsmith told Blair and Foreign Secretary Straw that

            there needed to be a 2^nd UN resolution against Iraq to go to war

 

Jan 14 Bush met Polish Pres Kwasniewski Said he would support US in war but asked

            about consequences

 

Jan 15 Bush received 1^st brief on postwar Iraq plans from NSC’s Abrams Went over

humanitarian aid Emphasized feeding public Abrams said money had to be secretly sent to aid groups that would work in Iraq because they didn’t want to be seen supporting war Abrams said Oil for Food program would be maintained after invasion to feed public Abrams said that 2 mil Iraqis might be displaced during invasion NSC officials had gone to military to make sure things like health centers weren’t bombed during invasion Bush thought humanitarian aid after war very important Thought could change image of US in Middle East

Jan 15 Blair said 2^nd UN resolution not necessary for use of force against Iraq

 

Jan 16 Blair told cabinet 2^nd UN resolution was not necessary for military action against

            Iraq even though he was told it was

 

Jan 19 Pentagon officials opposed to Rumsfeld’s invasion plan complained to Time that

the Defense Secretary was taking over deployment orders for invasion Included comment by Ret Gen Norman Schwarzkops that Rumsfeld was interfering too much

(Musings On Iraq How Arguments Over Iraq Invasion Plan Were Fought Through Press Leaks)

(Musings On Iraq review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To

Invade Iraq)

 

Jan 20 Bush and Cheney met with Joint Chiefs and president asked if anyone had any

            concerns about the invasion No objections made

Jan 20 National Security Presidential Directive 24 gave Pentagon control of postwar Iraq

Pentagon would dismiss previous NSC planning and kick out State Department officials

Jan 20 Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) created to

            run post-war Iraq 2 months before invasion

 

Jan 21 Blair said 2^nd UN resolution not necessary for use of force against Iraq

 

Jan 24 Gen Franks presented final war plan to Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs head Gen Myers

 

Jan 28 UK Foreign Secretary Straw told Foreign Office legal adviser Wood that he didn’t

think 2^nd UN resolution was necessary for action vs Iraq

 

Jan 30 UK Attorney General Goldsmith wrote Blair telling him UN Res 1441 didn’t

            authorize use of force against Iraq

 

Jan 31 Bush and Blair said that invasion would start Mar 10 2003 Blair told Bush he

needed a 2^nd UN resolution for use of force against Iraq for domestic politics Bush agreed Decided a 2^nd U.N. resolution would be good against Iraq but not necessary to go to war Talked about provoking Iraq to help justify war including getting US spy plane fired upon Bush said fighting between Iraqi factions would be unlikely after invasion

 

Feb 6 UK Foreign Secretary Straw wrote Attorney General Lord Goldsmith challenging need

            for 2^nd UN resolution to go to war with Iraq

 

Feb 15 Bush told Rumsfeld to slow troop deployments because getting ahead of

            diplomacy

 

Feb 22 Bush administration officially announced it was deploying forces for invasion

            Actually started Dec 02

Feb 22 ORHA drill found US would not have enough troops for Iraq postwar security Was

worried not enough funding for postwar Iraq that could leave behind unstable country ORHA found US had no plans for what kind of govt they wanted in Iraq and how to achieve it ORHA Dep Head thought US had faulty assumptions overly optimistic lacked

 

Feb 24 US outlined general humanitarian relief plan for postwar Iraq including finances

            and implementation

 

Feb 25 Army chief Gen Shinseki told Senate US needed several hundred thousand troops to

            successfully occupy Iraq

Feb 25 Gen Franks told UK commander Adm Boyce US not thinking of WWII type Japanese

            or German rebuilding effort in Iraq

 

Feb 27 UK Attorney General Goldsmith changed his position that UN Resolution 1441

            alone could be legal basis for action against Iraq

 

Mar 3 US and British planes hit five targets in Wasit and Basra as part of no fly zone Was

attempt to weaken Iraq’s air defense system before invasion

Mar 3 Russia threatened to use veto power in UN to stop any resolution authorizing

            war vs Iraq

 

Mar 4 Blair told that US was thinking about starting war on 3/12/03 despite UK desire

            for 2^nd UN resolution against Iraq

Mar 4 UK Foreign Secretary Straw told parliament committee Iraq was in material

            breach of UN Resolution 1441 and that gave legal authority for action

Mar 4 Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Feith briefed Bush and NSC on Pentagon’s

postwar plans Goals were to maintain integrity of Iraq improves living standards create a democracy destroy WMD fight war on terror get international support for rebuilding gain support of Iraqis get Iraqis to rule as quickly as possible to accomplish all tasks quickly Had no strategy on how to achieve goals

(Musings On Iraq review Overreach, Delusions of Regime Change In Iraq)

 

Mar 5 France Russia Germany said they would not vote for a UN resolution authorizing

            force against Iraq

Mar 5 Powell told Congress 2^nd UN resolution against Iraq would pass while his staff told him

            wasn’t likely

Mar 5 CENTCOM commander Gen Franks briefed Bush on war preparations Were

            208,000 forces in Middle East with 50,000 more arriving in 2 weeks

Mar 5 ORHA head Garner got ok from Rice to use frozen Iraqi assets to pay for postwar

Plans He told Rice he didn’t think there would be enough troops to maintain security after invasion When asked if the White House had put together any plans for a post-Saddam govt he got no answer

 

Mar 7 UK Attorney Gen Goldsmith said that 2^nd UN resolution was needed for action against

Iraq

 

Mar 8 Def Sec Rumsfeld sent note to Joint Chiefs head Gen Myers Said he didn’t want to send excessive forces to Iraq Said only wanted enough forces to defeat Saddam

 

Mar 9 Blair told Bush he needed a 2^nd UN resolution authorizing force against Iraq to get

parliament’s support for war Bush said he couldn't wait Blair said he would back US

 

Mar 10 Bush talked to his advisors about giving an ultimatum to Saddam to leave power

Mar 10 Bush told Blair 2^nd UN resolution against Iraq was waste of time Was major

            policy goal of Blair

Mar 10 NSC briefed on postwar Iraq plans Included excluding 25,000 top Baathists from

govt Using Iraqi courts and police Establishing law and order Bush said US needed to get Iraqis running new govt and US would not pick new Iraqi leaders Powell said US had to get a new UN resolution for the US led interim administration in postwar Iraq US Treasury Sec Snow said that US dollars could be used as interim currency in Iraq until new dinar created Bush approved light deBaathification after war and using dollars as temporary currency in Iraq

 

Mar 11 Rumsfeld said US could attack Iraq by itself without other nations Said British

might not participate UK Embassy in US furious at Rumsfeld remarks and complained to White House Rumsfeld forced to issue clarification saying British would take part in Iraq war

Mar 11 UK acknowledged couldn't get 2^nd UN resolution authorizing force against Iraq

            before US timetable for war

Mar 11 UK Chief of Def Staff Adm Boyce said military needed legal directive for war

            with Iraq

Mar 11 National Security Advisor Rice issued memo on postwar Iraq plans Said interim

Iraqi authority consisting of Iraqis Kurds and exiles would be formed followed by meeting in Baghdad to bring in more Iraqis like what happened in Afghanistan Included previous NSC decisions on oil and currency

 

Mar 12 Bush called Blair and said that vote on 2^nd UN resolution was dead

Mar 12 Bush endorsed Pentagon plan for quick transition to Iraqi authority made up of

            exiles and Kurds after war

Mar 12 Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Feith briefed NSC on postwar plans for

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry military and intelligence services Said Foreign Ministry and embassies needed to be purged of top Baathists and intelligence officers Wanted to disband intelligence agencies Special Republican Guard Republican Guard State Security Office and militias Wanted to reduce military to just 3-5 army divisions

 

Mar 13 UK Foreign Office legal advisor Brummell wrote Attorney General Lord

            Goldsmith saying didn’t need 2^nd UN resolution to go to war with Iraq

 

Mar 15 Saddam finally realized war inevitable Divided up Iraq into 4 districts with loyalists in control of each

 

Mar 16 Azores summit with Bush Blair Portuguese Premier Barroso Bush said that Iraq

war would start in days not weeks Blair got transcript of 60 Minutes interview with Pres Chirac who said he wanted 30 more days for UN inspections Blair Bush Barroso agreed to give 2^nd UN resolution 24 more hours and pull it if didn’t have enough votes

Mar 16 Bush and Blair gave UN 24 hour ultimatum to enforce its own resolutions

            on Iraq disarming or they would invade

 

Mar 17 Bush met with Congressional leaders telling them UN route with Iraq was dead

            Blamed France Sen Byrd only one who said he opposed war

Mar 17 Bush in TV speech said Iraq had WMD and was hiding them Gave Saddam

            and sons 48 hours to leave office or face invasion

(Musings On Iraq Iraq One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq review What Happened, Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception)

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter The Invasion of Iraq)

Mar 17 Blair gave Saddam ultimatum to comply with UN resolutions

 

Mar 18 Saddam refuted Bush’s ultimatum to step down and leave Iraq

Mar 18 Joint Chief of Staff met to discuss withdrawal plans for post-invasion Iraq

Mar 18 UK military given official order to prepare for Iraq invasion

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Mar 18 CIA source claimed he saw Saddam and his family at Dora farm south of

            Baghdad CIA Dir Tenet told Bush

Mar 18 US named 30 countries willing to join Iraq war Became known as Coalition of

            the Willing

Mar 18 Khalilzad went to Turkey Offered to allow 20,000 Turkish troops into Kurdistan

creation of buffer zone along Iraq-Turkey border blocking Peshmerga from entering Mosul and Kirkuk Disarming Kurds allow operations against PKK if Ankara would allow US troops to use country for invasion Erdogan said no

 

Mar 19 German France and Russian Foreign Ministries condemned impending Iraq invasion

            saying it had no UN approval

Mar 19 CIA told Pentagon Saddam Uday Qusay might be at Dora farms in south Baghdad

            Rumsfeld took intel to White House

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter The Invasion of Iraq)

Mar 19 Secretary of State Powell Defense Secretary Rumsfeld National Security Advisor

Rice Chief of Staff Hadley all advocated hitting Dora farm to try to take out Saddam and family

Mar 19 US Stealth bombers hit Dora farm hoping to kill Saddam and family Saddam

            appeared on state TV later that day US would speculate for weeks that he was dead

Mar 19 US Polish Australian Special Forces entered southern Iraq seizing oil and port infrastructure US Special Forces destroyed dozens of observation outposts along Iraq-Kuwait border

(Musings On Iraq review Special Operations Forces in Iraq)

Mar 19 US Special Forces seized airbase in eastern Anbar to be used for operations in rest of

province Other Special Forces entered west Anbar from Jordan to look for SCUD missiles

Mar 19 U.S. Special Forces seized key road crossings and bridges around Nasiriya and

Samawa to allow invasion force could move north

Mar 19 Army Chief Gen Shinseki told Congress he couldn’t say how much rebuilding

Iraq would cost

Mar 19 UN inspector said WMD decontamination trucks US pointed out were water or

            fire trucks

Mar 19 Turkish parliament approved US overflights for invasion

 

Mar 20 Bush went on TV to announce war

Mar 20 White House spokesman told press disarmament of Iraq had begun

Mar 20 Bush called Coalition members to tell them war starting

Mar 20 US forces crossed into Iraq and attacked Um Qasr port in Basra Start of ground invasion of Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Mar 20 US Amb to UN Negroponte letter to Security Council said Iraq failed to comply

            with weapons inspectors since end of Gulf War justifying use of force

(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)

Mar 20 State Dept legal adviser Taft said Iraq hadn’t complied with UN resolutions since

            1990s justifying use of force

Mar 20 Gen Franks said Special Forces were in control of Anbar desert to prevent SCUD

            missiles

Mar 20 British commandos attacked Fao Peninsula

(Musings On Iraq review Target Basra, The High Octane Story of the Royal Marine

Commandos In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Special Operations Forces in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Mar 20 British received reports Iraqi forces disintegrating in south and might have to

            intervene in war earlier than planned

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Inquiry Section 8: The Invasion)

Mar 20 Iraq fired 17 missiles at Camp Commando, Camp Doha and assembly area of 101^st

            Airborne Division in Kuwait but none did damage

Mar 20 Saddam speech said war “shameful crime” Said US would give up out of fear

            of Iraqi soldiers

(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Perspectives Project, A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam’s Senior Leadership)

Mar 20 Iraq halted oil flows due to start of war

Mar 20 China France and Russia criticized the Iraq invasion

Mar 20 Bush signed executive order freezing all Iraq funds in US and allow money to be

shipped to Iraq to pay pensions and salaries of Iraqi public workers

Mar 20 Blair thought Iraq wanted to draw Coalition into cities for street fighting and

            afraid of WMD attacks

Mar 20 Bush and Blair discussed sudden collapse of Iraqi forces during start of

            invasion

Mar 20 ORHA staff went to CENTCOM in Qatar and found military had parallel

            post-war admin set up isolated from ORHA

(Musings On Iraq on Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Chapter 3 The Department of Defense Takes Charge)

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy Tragedy)

Mar 20 UN Sec Gen Annan called on Security Council to change Oil for Food program

            so he instead of Iraqi govt could run it

Mar 20 Turkey asked for written guarantee from US it would allow Turkish troops into

            Iraq US said no

 

Mar 21 Shock and Awe bombing campaign started Only lasted 9 hours

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Mar 21 US commanders reported that Iraqi soldiers were abandoning their units

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter The Invasion of Iraq)

Mar 21 Parts of Um Qasr port seized by US forces Rumsfeld declared Um Qasr taken It

wasn’t

Mar 21 British and US forces began seizing oil fields in Basra 15 oil fields set on fire by

            Iraqis

(Musings On Iraq review Target Basra, The High Octane Story of the Royal Marine

Commandos In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Special Operations Forces in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Mar 21 British reached Basra and started fighting Fedayeen

Mar 21 MI6 was trying to incite a popular uprising in Basra against Saddam

Mar 21 Op Viking Hammer launched to destroy Ansar al-Islam camps in Halabja Started with cruise missile attack Kurdistan Islamic Group also hit with missiles

(Musings On Iraq Why Didn’t Bush Strike Zarqawi And Ansar al-Islam In 2002?)

Mar 21 1^st Coalition casualties of Iraq war 8 UK 4 US soldiers died in Kuwait helicopter

accident 1 US Marine killed in fighting in Um Qasr

Mar 21 Natl Sec Adv Rice briefed Bush and NSC and all agreed on war goals democracy and put Iraqi face on occupation

(Musings On Iraq review Overreach, Delusions of Regime Change In Iraq)

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

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign

Policy Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Future The aftermath of regime change)

(Musings On Iraq review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Fiasco: The American Military Adventure In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review The Assassins’ Gate, America In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review What Happened, Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception)

(Musings On Iraq Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction’s “Hard Lessons” – Part I: Planning for Postwar Iraq September 2001 to May 2003)

Mar 21 UK Gen suggested revising postwar plans for Iraq Needed to improve lives of

            Iraqis Balance withdrawal with forces necessary for stability

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Inquiry Section 8: The Invasion)

Mar 21 White House press secretary said no question Iraq’s WMD would be found

Mar 21 INC’s Chalabi told NBC that Iraqis would welcome US as liberators

(Musings On Iraq review The Man Who Pushed America To War, The Extraordinary Life, Adventures, and Obsessions of Ahmad Chalabi)

(Musings On Iraq review Arrows of the Night: Ahmad Chalabi and the Selling of the Iraq War)

 

Mar 22 British forces seized Rumaila oil field in Basra

(Musings On Iraq review Special Operations Forces in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Mar 22 US Marines thought no more resistance within Um Qasr and moved towards port

Mar 22 Iraqi 51^st Mechanized Div attacked Coalition forces but destroyed by casualties and defections in Basra

Mar 22 US intel saw trucks full of Fedayeen moving through Karbala Gap 1^st real reports on this force which US knew little about

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter The Invasion of Iraq)

Mar 22 US forces in Samawa attacked for first time by Fedayeen

Mar 22 Saddam received report large U.S. force attacking west Iraq Led him to believe

            invasion coming from Jordan not Kuwait

(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Perspectives Project, A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam’s Senior Leadership)

Mar 22 Iraqi 1^st Air Defense Region claimed it had averted or shot down 130 cruise missiles planes helicopters Didn’t happen Part of false reports Saddam got that Iraq was winning war

Mar 22 International protests in several major cities against Iraq war

 

Mar 23 British commandos took control of Um Qasr port while heaving fighting continued

            in the town

(Musings On Iraq review Target Basra, The High Octane Story of the Royal Marine

Commandos In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Special Operations Forces in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Mar 23 US Marines reached Nasiriya Were to seize bridges quickly Found army convoy got lost in city and attacked Marine commander ordered unit to rescue soldiers and take 2 bridges without plan Fought Fedayeen Led to biggest battle of invasion 29 Marines dead Countless Iraqi casualties

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

(Musings On Iraq review Ambush Alley, The Most Extraordinary Battle of The Iraq War)

Mar 23 US B-52 bombers carried out raids on Baghdad Iraqi govt claimed 106 civilians

            killed

Mar 23 British Tornado jet is accidently shot down by US patriot missile killing 2 crewmen

Mar 23 US soldier Jessica Lynch taken prisoner by Iraqi forces during invasion when her

            supply convoy attacked

Mar 23 32 Apache helicopters sent on raid to destroy Republican Guard units in Karbala Turned back by Iraqi fire

Mar 23 US forces reached outside Najaf Claimed they found WMD facility Story proved

            false

Mar 23 CENTCOM commander Gen Franks said no doubt Iraq had WMD

Mar 23 White House said no question Iraq had WMD and that they would be found

Mar 23 Intel agents leaked to press they felt pressured by White House to come up with

            intel to justify Iraq war

Mar 23 SCIRI leadership said US was going to impose a military commander on Iraq and that should be opposed Said Islamic world turned against US for refusing to support the Iraqi people to overthrow Saddam Said wouldn’t cooperate with US Was because US refused to allow SCIRI to take part in invasion

 

Mar 24 Sandstorm allowed ground forces cmdr Gen McKiernan to pause advance on Baghdad to clear out Fedayeen in south threatening supply lines

(Musings On Iraq Review Cobra II, The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq)

Mar 24 Marine Task Force secured Nasiriya bridgehead US 3^rd Infantry Div moved to take control of bridge at Kifl in Najaf

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Mar 24 US B-52 bombers began attacks on Republican Guard positions south of Baghdad

Mar 24 British forces took Basra airport Heavy fighting with Fedayeen led British forces

to withdraw from Basra City

(Musings On Iraq review Target Basra, The High Octane Story of the Royal Marine

Commandos In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Mar 24 British received reports of uprising within Basra city put down by Fedayeen and

Baath militia

Mar 24 British military told govt local Iraqi militias putting up tough fight in Basra

Mar 24 Red Cross warned of humanitarian emergency in Basra city as water running out

Mar 24 Dow Jones reported no WMD found at suspected facility in Najaf

Mar 24 Iran decided to send in operatives and Badr Brigade to carry out ops against US in

Iraq

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

(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)

(Musings On Iraq Early Reports On Iran’s Activities In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Iraq Policy)

Mar 24 Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei and Pres Khatami recorded talking about sending

            forces to 5 Iraq cities to incite anti-US violence

Mar 24 Arab League voted 21-1 demanding U.S. and UK forces withdraw from Iraq

Mar 24 Putin called Bush and said there would be great suffering during war Bush said

            everything would be under control

Mar 24 Tariq Aziz gave presser saying US was after Iraq’s oil

Mar 24 Al Qaeda spokesman called on Muslims to join the jihad against the US in Iraq

Mar 24 Iraqi Army General Command release said Al Quds Army turned back US forces

outside Muthanna and forced them to retreat after suffering heavy losses Never happened Part of false reports Saddam got during war that Iraq was winning

(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Perspectives Project, A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam’s Senior Leadership)

Mar 24 Iraqi report Russians said its sources at US CENTCOM found US failed to take Iraqi cities Were going to avoid them and attack from Anbar with more forces coming from Jordan that had been turned away from Turkey

Mar 24 UK’s top military lawyer in Iraq argued Geneva Conventions be applied to prisoners Told it wouldn’t because Iraq part of War on Terror

 

Mar 25 Information Minister Sahaf began giving press conferences claiming that U.S. was

            losing war

Mar 25 Republican Guard II Corps cmdr Gen Hamdani sent 3^rd Special Forces Bgd to Hilla Babil Found Baath officials in panic Quds Army forces in chaos and deserting

Mar 25 Fedayeen Saddam unit claimed it destroyed 42 Abrams tanks and 49 armored personnel carriers near Karbala Didn’t happen Part of false reports Saddam received that Iraq winning war

(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Perspectives Project, A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam’s Senior Leadership)

Mar 25 Russian Amb to Iraq provided U.S. invasion plans to Baghdad including

            invasion routes

(Musings On Iraq Russia Provided Iraq With Details Of US Plans Right Before Invasion)

Mar 25 UK and ISCI reported locals in Basra rose up against Saddam Fedayeen

Mar 25 UK forces reported Iraqi army was firing mortars on civilians in Basra to put

            down anti-govt revolt

Mar 25 British bombed Basra city Secured Um Qasr in Basra

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

(Musings On Iraq review Target Basra, The High Octane Story of the Royal Marine

Commandos In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Mar 25 British government confirmed its first two combat deaths in Iraq invasion in Basra

Mar 25 Marines arrived in Diwanaiya Fought Fedayeen who’d been preparing for US arrival

Mar 25 Heavy fighting between US forces and Fedayeen in Najaf 3^rd Inf Div attacked bridge at Kifl in Najaf Used to bring Fedayeen into Najaf 7^th Cav Rgt attacked bridge south of Najaf to encircle city

Mar 25 US bombed Republican Guard positions south of Baghdad

Mar 25 Retired generals in TV interviews began saying invasion wasn’t going well because

            didn’t have enough troops

Mar 25 Report that Saddam was thinking of using chemical weapons when US forces

            attacked Baghdad Iraq had no WMD

Mar 25 NY Times reported facility found outside Najaf was not a chemical weapons site

Mar 25 U.S. forces found chemical weapons gear in Nasiriya

Mar 25 UK General recommended govt plan for its forces to stay in Iraq until March 2004

            for postwar operations

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Inquiry Section 8: The Invasion)

Mar 25 Report Council on Foreign Relations est Iraq’s oil industry needed $5-$7 bil in

investment for 2 yrs to return to 1977 oil production of 3.5 mil/bar/day Would need another $20 bil to increase production Other experts thought Iraq needed $40-$50 bil over 10 yrs

 

Mar 26 US forces began move on Kut Wasit Surrounded Najaf Iraqi 3^rd Special Forces Brigade attacked US 3^rd Infantry Div in Kifl Najaf with no effect Bridge at Kifl taken Used to bring Fedayeen into Najaf Iraqi counterattack south of Najaf failed

Mar 26 Iraqi Republican Guard Al Madina Div moved to Karbala Gap under cover of sandstorm to block US advance on Baghdad Saddam then ordered Al Madina to halt believing it was heading into a trap

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Mar 26 US 173^rd Airborne Brigade landed in northern Iraq to cooperate with Peshmerga

            move into Kirkuk

(Musings On Iraq interview with Petit of 173^rd Airborne Bgd on operations in Kirkuk)

Mar 26 Iraq claimed US missile hit market in Baghdad US Air strikes failed to take Iraq

            state TV off the air

Mar 26 Bush and Blair met at Camp David to discuss Iraq invasion

Mar 26 ORHA sent list of 16 sites that needed to be protected in Baghdad to US military

            HQ in Kuwait but was ignored

Mar 26 Rumsfeld told Garner he had some replacements for Americans going to run Iraq

            ministries Wanted them all from Pentagon

(Musings On Iraq on Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Chapter 3 The Department of Defense Takes Charge)

Mar 26 British intel report Hope that Iraqi govt would quickly fall within days of

            invasion fading

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Inquiry Section 8: The Invasion)

 

Mar 27 Coalition ground forces commander Gen McKiernan ordered halt to operations to

            regroup forces

Mar 27 U.S. forces entered Samawa, Muthanna and encountered fierce fighting by

            Fedayeen Saddam

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter The Invasion of Iraq)

Mar 27 Iraqi forces began withdrawing in Kirkuk Looting started

(Musings On Iraq interview with Petit of 173^rd Airborne Bgd on operations in Kirkuk)

(Musings On Iraq How Did Kirkuk Become Such A Divisive Issue? A Portrait of The City In

2003)

Mar 27 Iraq Defense Ministry reviewed war Told US capturing transportation hubs

            attacking multiple targets at same time Report ignored by Saddam

Mar 27 ORHA had meeting of all 4 postwar groups to come up with unified plan for Iraq Didn’t happen The 4 groups had all been created separately within Bush administration with no coordination between them

(Musings On Iraq on Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Chapter 3 The Department of Defense Takes Charge)

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign

Policy Tragedy)

Mar 27 Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz told House of Representatives

            committee Iraq oil would pay for reconstruction

(Musings On Iraq Iraqi Oil Would Pay For Reconstruction)

Mar 27 USAID disaster response team entered Um Qasr, Basra to assess humanitarian

            situation in city

Mar 27 Report sent to Washington that after examination 2 trailers found during invasion

            were not mobile WMD labs as originally thought

(Musings On Iraq How Iraqi Defector CURVEBALL Became Basis For US Claims That Iraq Had WMD)

Mar 27 Pres Assad called on Arab countries to stand up against US invasion

Mar 27 Iraqi govt claimed 350 civilians killed in Coalition air strikes during invasion

Mar 27 Opposition Leadership Council statement said Iraqi army should join the opposition That Council would form provisional govt and then national assembly

Mar 27 Top UK military lawyer in Iraq went to UK detention facility in Basra Saw prisoners hooded and witnessed tribunal which he questioned legality of Complained to commander of facility who agreed practices illegal but said he wasn’t getting any support from command to change things

 

Mar 28 Gen Wallace Cmdr US V Corps told press war not going as planned due to

            resistance of Fedayeen Def Sec Rumsfeld asked if Wallace fit for command Wanted him relieved of duty Wasn’t

Mar 28 Royal Marines attacked Abu al-Khasib Basra city suburb

(Musings On Iraq review Target Basra, The High Octane Story of the Royal Marine

Commandos In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Mar 28 US 173^rd Airborne Brigade and Peshmerga took Irbil 101^st Airborne Div sent to clear Najaf city

(Musings On Iraq interview with Kevin Petit of 173^rd Airborne Brigade)

Mar 28 PUK and 10^th Special Forces Group began main attack upon Ansar al-Islam camp in Halabja

(Musings On Iraq review Special Operations Forces in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Why Didn’t Bush Strike Zarqawi And Ansar al-Islam In 2002?)

Mar 28 US and UK military meeting Surprised Iraqis weren’t rising up against Saddam

Mar 28 UN Res 1472 extended Oil for Food program for 45 days after US invasion

Mar 28 US forces received warning of imminent WMD attack

Mar 28 Rumsfeld accused Syria of sending military aid to Iraq

Mar 28 British accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to use its territory to enter Iraq

Mar 28 Chief weapons inspector Blix said US gave up on inspections in early 2003

(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)

Mar 28 Aid ship arrived in Um Qasr Basra with 200 tons of food medicine and blankets

            for Iraqis

Mar 28 Bush told group of veterans important to win the peace after the war

 

Mar 29 UK Embassy in Washington Bush mad at press reports invasion not going

            according to plan

Mar 29 UK forces took Abu al-Khasib, Basra

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Mar 29 1^st Suicide bomber in Iraq war hits US checkpoint in Najaf killing 4 soldiers

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

Mar 29 Iraq VP Ramadan said suicide bombers would become routine in Iraq and

threatened England and US with them Said foreign fighters had arrived to help defend Iraq against Americans

Mar 29 Iraqi govt removed commander of Iraqi air defense in Baghdad after

            missiles misfired and hit the capital

Mar 29 Iraq fired 2 SCUDS at Kuwait but shot down by US Patriot missiles

Mar 29 Red Cross met with UK cmdr Gen Brims and top military lawyer in Iraq Said they filed formal complaint about conditions at prison camp in Basra Gen Brims said UK was doing its job Lawyer was told not to talk about his complaints such as hooding prisoners and tribunals After meeting lawyer personally met with Red Cross and listed his problems

Mar 29 Top UK military lawyer in Iraq told UK cmdr Gen Brims to take action at prison camp in Basra Officer said hooding prisoners covered in document but wasn’t Wasn’t until Brims’ PR officer said there might be a controversy that Brims decided to ban hooding Didn’t end

 

Mar 30 US restarted advance on Baghdad after stop for supplies 3^rd Inf Div cleared Kifl

Najaf

Mar 30 British began 2^nd attack to take Basra city with 600 commandos attacking western

Abu al-Kacib

(Musings On Iraq review Target Basra, The High Octane Story of the Royal Marine

Commandos In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Mar 30 UK Defense Minister Hoon told US didn't think taking Basra City important US

            wanted UK to hold south oil fields and Um Qasr port

Mar 30 US intensified air strikes on Republican Guard units with 800 sorties PUK and 10^th

Special Forces Group took Ansar al-Islam camp in Halabja Most of Ansar fled to Iran

Mar 30 Saddam believed U.S. invasion was stalemated

Mar 30 Saddam’s secretary told Iraqi For Ministry to tell France and Russia they would

            only accept an unconditional withdrawal by U.S.

Mar 30 Iraqi Republican Guard II Corps cmdr Gen Hamdani asked Qusay if he could defend Karbala Gap where US forces were going to move through during advance on Baghdad Chief of Staff of Republican Guard criticized him

Mar 30 Iraqi TV aired footage of Saddam Qusay and Uday handing out medals and money

            to soldiers

Mar 30 Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld told ABC that US knew exactly where Iraq’s WMD were Claimed they were around Tikrit and Baghdad Accused Syria of giving military aid to Iraq Syria claimed US committing crimes vs Iraqi civilians

(Musings On Iraq How The Administration Reversed Itself On Finding Iraq’s WMD)

(Musings On Iraq review What Happened, Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception)

Mar 30 Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowtiz said Iraq war about WMD and that they

            would eventually be found

Mar 30 Blair foreign policy adviser Sir Manning worried that Baghdad when attacked

            could turn into drawn out urban battle

Mar 30 Iraqis shot down US Apache helicopter during invasion

Mar 30 SCIRI head Ayatollah Hakim told followers in south Iraq that they shouldn’t support Coalition invasion Demanded foreign troops leave Iraq as soon as possible Warned of armed struggle if they turned into occupiers 

Mar 30 CENTCOM issued order to disarm Badr members who were in the streets Not

enforced

 

Mar 31 CENTCOM cmdr Gen Franks flew to ground forces cmdr Gen McKiernan’s HQ Grilled him saying only special forces and UK fought so far Franks dismissed Fedayeen as an enemy force Franks said Fedayeen could be easily swept up Said US had to push north and engage Republican Guard Franks also wanted to destroy 2 Iraqi divisions NE of Basra which McKiernan thought no threat

Mar 31 Saddam didn’t give televised speech as expected Instead Information Minister Sahaf did calling on Iraqis to carry out suicide missions against the invaders

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

Mar 31 1^st car bomb in Iraq hit US checkpoint north of Najaf

Mar 31 US forces engaged Fedayeen and Republican Guard south of Baghdad 101^st Airborne and 3^rd Inf Divs attacked Najaf city 82^nd Airborne attacked Samawa to clear them of Fedayeen

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter The Invasion of Iraq)

Mar 31 US forces launched raid on Shatra Dhi Qar after receiving information Ali Hassan

            al-Majid Chemical Ali was there

Mar 31 British military believed it could start popular uprising in Basra to take city

            rather than having to attack it

Mar 31 Sir David Manning told British would have huge shortage of troops for postwar

            operations in Iraq

Mar 31 UK Foreign Office official wrote Foreign Secretary Straw saying Iraqis

            mistrusted US and US occupation would be humiliation and untenable

Mar 31 Israeli Infrastructure Min Paritzky said he wanted to reopen Kirkuk-Haifa pipeline by end of 03 Was based upon promises INC’s Chalabi made before war that he would get Iraq to export oil to Israel after Saddam

(Musings On Iraq Review Iraq and the Politics of Oil, An Insider’s Perspective)

Mar 31 Def Sec Rumsfeld memo said important to create Iraqi interim authority as quickly

as possible so Iraqis were in power Had to pick pro-US Iraqis Said exiles could be core for new authority because they supported US goals in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest

Foreign Policy Tragedy)

 

Apr 1 Republican Guard II Corps cmdr Gen Hamdani recalled to Baghdad Saddam told him real invasion was coming from Jordan through Anbar

(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Perspectives Project, A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam’s Senior Leadership)

Apr 1 Republican Guard Al Nida Div ordered to move towards Baghdad to defend city Was combat ineffective with most soldiers having deserted

Apr 1 US attacked Kut Hindiya Headed towards Hillah and Numaniya to cross Tigris Rangers took Haditha Dam to prevent Saddam from blowing it up

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Apr 1 3^rd Infantry Div moved through Karbala Gap and destroyed Medina Republican Guard Div

Apr 1 UK forces took Zubayr, Basra

Apr 1 ORHA head Garner made 1 day trip to Um Qasr port 1^st time in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq and Back, Inside The War To Win The Peace)

Apr 1 Def Sec Rumsfeld wrote Bush VP Cheney and NSC Argued for interim Iraqi govt Said couldn’t have long debate within NSC about issue

 

Apr 2 US forces took Karbala US 1^st Marine Div crossed Tigris after destroying Baghdad Republican Guard Div Moved on Nida Republican Guard Div Iraqi 16^th Infantry Div in Mosul told to move south to support Republican Guard around Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Apr 2 Emergency meeting of Republican Guard in Baghdad with Qusay Hussein He said

Saddam ordered Republican Guard Al Nida Div to move west to block coming US invasion from Jordan Saddam got Russian intel that’s where real invasion coming from Republican Guard Corps cmdr Gen Hamdani objected Said he needed forces to block US forces in Karbala heading for Baghdad 1^st time Iraqi leadership heard how far US had advanced Defense Min Chiefs of staff of Republican Guard and regular army dismissed Hamdani Def Min said Saddam made order and no changing it Qusay also had all Republican Guard divisions retreat towards Baghdad Opened way to capital During meeting heard US attacked Jurf al-Sakhr in Babil confirming US advance Gen Hamdani said it was like Hitler in the bunker at the end of WWII

(Musings On Iraq Russia Provided Iraq With Details Of US Plans Right Before Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Perspectives Project, A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam’s Senior Leadership)

Apr 2 Russian Amb to Iraq told Iraq Foreign Min US was going to cut off Baghdad from south north east with biggest force in Karbala US was concentrating bombing on Baghdad Final attack wouldn’t happen until around Apr 15 when 4^th Inf Div would arrive in Iraq

Apr 2 Republican Guard II Corps cmdr Gen Hamdani tried to set up new defensive line in Yusifiya but Republican Guard Chief of Staff ordered him to launch counterattack Hamdani ordered Republican Guard Medina Div to carry out attack While moving into north Babil was attacked by US air strikes

Apr 2 US raid freed US POW Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital

Apr 2 Talabani said Peshmerga would not attack Kirkuk city to stave off criticism from

            US and Turkey Kurds ended up taking city

(Musings On Iraq How Did Kirkuk Become Such A Divisive Issue? A Portrait of The City

In 2003)

Apr 2 Rumsfeld sent memo to military to cooperate with ORHA because wasn’t helping

            it

Apr 2 State Dept leaked complaints to LA Times about Pentagon’s postwar plans to

            exclude UN and support Chalabi and INC

 

Apr 3 Republican Guard Medina Div carried out counterattack vs US in north Babil but

destroyed

Apr 3 Republican Guard began withdrawing north towards Baghdad while under attack by

US Republican Guard II Corps cmdr Gen Hamdani told his staff to go home War over

Apr 3 US 3^rd Inf Div launched probing attack on Saddam Intl Airport in Baghdad to test

Iraqi defense Met Republican Guard and Fadayeen and defeated them US decided Iraqis weak and sent brigade into Baghdad 1^st Marine Expeditionary Force reached Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Apr 3 Information Minister Sahaf denied U.S. had taken Karbala or Um Qasr in Basra

            and said all those stories were lies

Apr 3 British forces made deep thrust into Basra City

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Apr 3 Baath officials began fleeing Baghdad

Apr 3 Sadrists held march in east Baghdad

Apr 3 US sent SEAL team up Shatt al-Arab to block any Iraqi attacks down waterway or

escape attempts Met by Iranian Revolutionary Guard who turned them back Gave Iran control of waterway

 

Apr 4 3^rd Inf Div captured Saddam International Airport in Baghdad Fedayeen Saddam

counterattack turned back Took 3 days to clear airport Saddam finally accepted US would attack Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Apr 4 US forces sent to southern Baghdad to destroy Republican Guard units but they

            fled instead of fighting 101^st Airborne and 3^rd Inf Divs cleared Najaf City

Apr 4 Iraqi defenders in Baghdad down to Fadayeen Saddam and foreign fighters who

couldn’t stop Americans

Apr 4 UK assault upon Basra city began Hit Baath offices

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Apr 4 Saddam appeared on Iraqi TV touring Baghdad neighborhood

Apr 4 Information Minister Sahaf finally admitted US forces were in Baghdad at airport

Apr 4 US forces hit by female suicide car bomb at Haditha Dam Women had made video beforehand aired on Al Jazeera

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

Apr 4 Blair sent letter to Iraqi people saying Saddam would fall and Coalition would

            not be in Iraq longer than necessary

Apr 4 Power surge knocked out most of the power in Baghdad Would be out for

            weeks after war over

(Musings On Iraq Special Inspector General For Iraq Reconstruction’s Hard Lessons Chapter

14 Rebuilding the Electricity Sector)

Apr 4 Natl Sec Adv Rice said US wanted a democratic Iraq with no WMD that would not be

            threat to neighbors

(Musings On Iraq review America at the Crossroads, Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy)

(Musings On Iraq review The Road to Iraq, The Making of a Neoconservative War)

(Musings On Iraq review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest

Foreign Policy Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq review The Assassins’ Gate, America In Iraq)

 

Apr 5 US 3^rd Inf Div launched Thunder Run into Baghdad Immediately ran into trouble when tank knocked out Were other stops as vehicles hit and casualties taken Afterward unit did not want to go back into Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq Review Cobra II, The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Apr 5 Republican Guard Hammurabi Adnan Baghdad div and special Forces and Special Republican Guard attacked Baghdad Airport Suffered heavy losses Defeat led to mass desertions

Apr 5 US air strike in Basra attempted to kill Chemical Ali Missed Killed 17 civilians

            Most in Basra believed Ali died

Apr 5 US National Intelligence Commission memo said documents claiming Iraq-Niger

            uranium purchase were fakes and 2002 report on deal was not credible

(Musings On Iraq How US Intelligence Failed The Iraq-Niger Uranium Story)

(Musings On Iraq Review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War)

Apr 5 Secretary of State Powell said he was sure Iraq’s WMD would be found

(Musings On Iraq review Hoodwinked, The Documents That Reveal How Bush Sold Us a War)

(Musings On Iraq review What Happened, Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception)

Apr 5 DIA task force said Baathists made plans for an insurgency with help of jihadists

            Would later prove false 

(Musings On Iraq Did Saddam Plan The Insurgency In Iraq?)

 

Apr 6 US 3^rd Inf Div attacked west Baghdad and seized bridges Iraqis counterattacked for

next 60 hrs 82^nd Airborne cleared Samawa of Fedayeen Marines crossed Tigris moved on Kut and east Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Apr 6 Iraq Def Min memo said Iraq was doing great in war Told staff not to exaggerate US capabilities

Apr 6 Saddam met with aides in Baghdad Had Tariq Aziz read a letter Aziz thought it was a goodbye Said Saddam finally realized war was near end

Apr 6 Saddam met with Qusay and Uday Defense min Chief of Staff of Quds Army Chief of

Staff of Republican Guard Chief of Staff of Fedayeen Saddam Told them Republican Guard needed to withdraw into Baghdad to defend city Guard was already destroyed

Apr 6 British raid into Basra City led to overall attack to take city Looting began

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Inquiry Section 8: The Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Apr 6 US raided Salman Pak Claimed found foreign fighters there proving Iraq was connected to terrorism Thousands of foreign fighters had come to Iraq to defend against a western invasion Weren’t terrorists

Apr 6 Pentagon flew Chalabi and his Free Iraqi Forces into Nasiriya Rumsfeld wanted

            him flown to Baghdad but Gen Franks said no

Apr 6 Iraq Info Min Sahaf took journalists to see US tank destroyed in Baghdad Claimed US Thunder Run defeated

 

Apr 7 US 3^rd Inf Div conducted 2^nd Thunder Run into Baghdad This time stayed in downtown Attacked by Fedayeen Saddam Iraq’s Info Min Mohammed Sahaf denied U.S. forces were in Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Apr 7 US Marines entered east Baghdad

Apr 7 US got intel Saddam in Mansour Baghdad Carried out air raid that killed 18 civilians

Apr 7 Saddam met with Baath leadership Divided Baghdad into 4 sectors each with a commander They made pledge to fight to the death

Apr 7 British took Basra city

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Apr 7 Ayatollah Haeri named Moqtada al-Sadr his representative in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

Apr 7 Looting reported in Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq review The Fall Of Baghdad)

Apr 7 NY Times reported 4 drums of possible nerve agents found near Karbala Story

            proved false

Apr 7 Rumsfeld opponents within military leaked details of Rumsfeld micromanaging

            invasion plans to Seymour Hersh

 

Apr 8 US forces surrounded Baghdad US A-10 jet shot down by Iraqi surface to air

            missile over city US 3^rd Infantry Div reached downtown Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Apr 8 US Special Forces and Peshmerga took Tuz Kharmato Salahaddin to cut off Kirkuk from the south

Apr 8 Site south of Baghdad searched for chemical weapons but nothing found

Apr 8 British army appointed Muzahim Tamimi former general and Baathist as head of

            Basra province Provoked demonstrations leading to Tamimi’s removal

 

Apr 9 Abu Dhabi TV showed Saddam at Adhamiya Baghdad urging crowd to fight

            invasion Saddam Qusay Uday left city that day

Apr 9 Ali Hassan al-Majid left Bahgadd Tried to organize tribes to fight US but refused

Apr 9 Baghdad fell Iraqis in Firdos Square pulled down Saddam statue with help of US Marines

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

(Musings On Iraq What Happened When Saddam’s Statue Came Down In Baghdad On

April 9, 2003? The Creation Of An Iraq War Myth)

(Musings On Iraq Review Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush’s

War on Iraq)

Apr 9 Kurdish Peshmerga seized Kirkuk US Special Forces and Peshmerga began attack upon Iraqis lines to move on Mosul

(Musings On Iraq How Did Kirkuk Become Such A Divisive Issue? A Portrait of The City

In 2003)

Apr 9 Gen Franks told Bush war going according to plan Bush wanted to collect info on

            life under Saddam to compare with life after to show improvements US brought

Apr 9 CENTCOM said war reached tipping point Iraqis realized Saddam was done

Apr 9 VP Cheney said Iraqi govt collapsing showing criticism of war was wrong Said with a little investment Iraq could produce 2-3 mil/bar/day of oil by end of year

Apr 9 US intel report Baathists Fedayeen Iraqi forces operating independently of orders

            Would continue to fight until eliminated

(Musings On Iraq review The Terrorists of Iraq, Inside the Strategy and Tactics of the Iraqi Insurgency 2003-2014)

Apr 9 Sadrists held first Friday prayers reviving tradition of Ayatollah Sadiq al-Sadr

Apr 9 US forces ordered Badr Brigade to disband but didn't

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

(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)

 

Apr 10 CENTCOM told Coalition ground forces to set up local govts in Iraq’s provinces

Apr 10 Saudis called on Saddam to step down to end war

Apr 10 Iraq’s 5^th Corps surrendered to US Special Forces as they entered Mosul Special

Forces then moved to block KDP from taking over city

Apr 10 After Kirkuk fell Kurds Arabs and Turkmen carried out attacks on each other for 2

            days 40 killed Looting also started in city

(Musings On Iraq interview with Petit of 173^rd Airborne Bgd on operations in Kirkuk)

Apr 10 Talabani announced PUK setting up interim govt to run Kirkuk city

Apr 10 Bush administration told Turkey that US forces would take control of Kirkuk city

(Musings On Iraq How Did Kirkuk Become Such A Divisive Issue? A Portrait of The City

In 2003)

Apr 10 Powell told Turkey that US stood for territorial integrity of Iraq meaning

            wouldn’t support Kurds separating

Apr 10 PUK told Turkey that it would withdraw its Peshmerga from Kirkuk city

Apr 10 Sadr’s followers killed Sheikh Abdul Majid al-Khoei in Najaf Surrounded

            Ayatollah Sistani’s house but driven off by tribesmen

Apr 10 US moved 2,000 Peshmerga backed by US Special Forces to Diyala’s Khanaqin to

try to block Badr Brigade moving in from Iran Badr wanted to threaten MEK camp in province and had hit lists of 1000s of opponents to assassinate in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq Early Reports On Iran’s Activities In Iraq)

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

(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)

Apr 10 Def Sec Rumsfeld said that it was important for US to find Iraq’s WMD

(Musings On Iraq review Hoodwinked, The Documents That Reveal How Bush Sold Us a War)

Apr 10 Sec State Powell said he was sure US would find Iraq’s WMD

Apr 10 White House spokesman Fleischer said Iraq’s WMD would be found

Apr 10 Defense Policy Board’s Adelman OpEd in Washington Post Reminded readers 14 months before he said war would be a cakewalk Said Iraqis would start coming forward telling US where Iraq’s WMD were hidden

(Musings On Iraq Iraq One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

Apr 10 Suicide bomber hit Marine checkpoint in Baghdad wounding 4

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

Apr 10 2 Iranian Rev Guards intel reports said its agents and allies were in control of Kut

Wasit and Amarah Maysan

 

Apr 11 Saddam fled Baghdad for Ramadi Qusay and Uday tried to escape to Syria but turned back at border Went to Mosul

Apr 11 British forces entered Amarah, Maysan during invasion Looting started

Apr 11 UK Defense Minister Hoon told parliament British troops would soon be able to withdraw from Iraq

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Inquiry Section 9.1 March to 22 May 2003)

(Musings On Iraq review Burning Horizon, British Veteran Accounts Of The Iraq War 2003)

Apr 11 US forces withdrew from bridges in Baghdad leading to looting to spread to west

            side of city

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

(Musings On Iraq review Losing Iraq, Inside The Post War Reconstruction Fiasco by David Phillips)

Apr 11 “Stuff happens” Rumsfeld said freedom was untidy in response to looting in Iraq Criticized press for focusing on looting in Iraq and missing all the positive stories happening Said US would help Iraq rebuild but ultimately it would be up to Iraqis to run and rebuild their country

Apr 11 Suicide bomber attacked Marine checkpoint wounding 4 in Baghdad 2 US soldiers killed and several dozen wounded in firefights in different parts of Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

Apr 11 Iraqi V Corps surrendered in north Iraq

Apr 11 Armed men reported hunting down Baathists in Basra to kill them

Apr 11 US took over control of security in Kirkuk and Peshmerga began withdrawing

            Turkey sent military observes to watch process Looting reported in Kurdish sections of Kirkuk

(Musings On Iraq How Did Kirkuk Become Such A Divisive Issue? A Portrait of The City

In 2003)

Apr 11 With backing of US Special Forces notables picked Abdul Munim Abud as Najaf city mayor and police chief Worked with US but was fmr Baathist

Apr 11 Turkey said it would send military observers to Kirkuk Threatened to send troops

            to Kirkuk if Kurds were to take over city Turkish Foreign Min got assurances from US that Americans not Kurds would control Kirkuk

Apr 11 Talabani said Peshmerga would start withdrawing from Kirkuk because of

            Turkish complaints

(Musings On Iraq interview with Petit of 173^rd Airborne Bgd on operations in Kirkuk)

Apr 11 US tried to kill Saddam’s half brother in air attack in Anbar Killed Sheikh

            Harbit and 21 family members Turned Dualim tribe against US

Apr 11 Iraqi physicist Jaffar interviewed by CIA in UAE said Iraq had no WMD and

            no nuke program

 

Apr 12 US forces advanced on Tikrit Faced sporadic fighting

Apr 12 US forces captured Saddam’s half brother Watban al-Tikrit

Apr 12 Turkmen in Kirkuk complained that Kurds were looting their homes

(Musings On Iraq interview with Petit of 173^rd Airborne Bgd on operations in Kirkuk)

(Musings On Iraq How Did Kirkuk Become Such A Divisive Issue? A Portrait of The City In

2003)

Apr 12 Chief UN Weapons Inspector Blix said inspections could’ve contained Iraq andUS and UK never believed in process Said US and UK fabricated evidence against

            Iraq to justify war

(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)

 

Apr 13 US Marines captured Tikrit

Apr 13 Bush criticized press for reporting on looting in Iraq Blamed Saddam for postwar

            chaos

(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

Apr 13 Rumsfeld said US would find Iraq’s WMD when people started coming forward

            and providing intelligence about where they were hidden

(Musings On Iraq Iraq One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

(Musings On Iraq How The Administration Reversed Itself On Finding Iraq’s WMD)

(Musings On Iraq review Hoodwinked, The Documents That Reveal How Bush Sold Us a War)

Apr 13 US forces found suspicious missile warheads that might have contained WMD

            Didn’t 

Apr 13 Turkmen accused Kurds of killing a child Crowd called for revenge and Turkish

            intervention

Apr 13 KDP ordered Turkmen Front out of their HQ in Kirkuk Said there would be trouble if

they didn’t leave

(Musings On Iraq How Did Kirkuk Become Such A Divisive Issue? A Portrait of The City In

2003)

Apr 13 Kuwait’s Sheikh Sabah told US it had to provide security for Najaf shrine otherwise

Iran would and become the overseer of Iraq’s shrine cities

 

Apr 14 Pentagon said major fighting in Iraq was over Bush claimed there was some

            evidence Saddam was dead

Apr 14 1^st joint patrol in Baghdad between Iraqi police and U.S. forces

(Musings On Iraq interview with Col Ted Spain on how US struggled to establish law and order in post-invasion Iraq)  

Apr 14 White House said Iraq had WMD that was what war was about and they would be

            found

(Musings On Iraq review What Happened, Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception)

(Musings On Iraq review Hoodwinked, The Documents That Reveal How Bush Sold Us a War)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

Apr 14 Final IAEA report given to UN Found no active Iraq nuclear program Niger

            docs were fakes aluminum tubes for rockets not centrifuges

(Musings On Iraq How US Intelligence Failed The Iraq-Niger Uranium Story)

(Musings On Iraq Review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq How US Intelligence Created An Iraqi Nuclear Threat In 2002)

Apr 14 Report PUK was telling Arabs to leave villages around Kirkuk city 40 people killed in fighting between Kurds and Baathists in Kirkuk City

(Musings On Iraq interview with Petit of 173^rd Airborne Bgd on operations in Kirkuk)

(Musings On Iraq How Did Kirkuk Become Such A Divisive Issue? A Portrait of The City In

2003)

 

May 1 Pres Bush gave Mission Accomplished speech declaring victory against Iraq Bush linked invasion of Iraq to 9/11 attacks Said war had eliminated ally of Al Qaeda and a funding source Now terrorists could not get WMD from Iraq

May 1 White House officials gave briefings that they thought Saddam had been killed

            during start of invasion

 

Jul 17 Gen Mosely said from 2002-03 US-UK aircraft conducted 21,736 sorties and dropped more than 600 bombs on 391 targets Air raids were part of No Fly zones but were aimed at weakening Iraqi defense before 2003 invasion