This Day In Iraqi History - Mar 30

1921 Cairo Conference decided on indirect rule in Iraq Would make Faisal King

            of a pro-British Iraqi govt allowing withdrawal of British forces 

1921 Cairo Confernce decided to keep UK High Commissioner for Iraq British advisers

            in govt naval presence in Basra and RAF squadrons in rest of country

1939 King Ghazi gave pan-Arab speech saying he was interested in Arab brothers in

            Syria Palestine Kuwait

1940 Fmr PM Said put together new govt with Rashid Gaylani becoming PM Said

            became Foreign Minister Had backing of British

1980 Baath made membership in Dawa punishable by death

1982 Saddam admitted that Iraqi forces retreated from southern Iran

1984 UN condemned use of chemical weapons in Iran-Iraq War but didn’t mention

            Iraq as perpetrator

1984 US banned export of 5 chemicals to Iraq that could be used to make chemical

            weapons

1991 Saddam’s troops re-entered Dohuk and Irbil to put down Kurdish rebellion

1991 Majid al-Khoei met with Saudi intelligence and was turned down for aid because

            US objections

1995 INC and PUK attacked Iraqi forces in Kirkuk district destroying 2 brigades hoping

            to create a revolt against Saddam

2002 Gen Franks presented new revised Iraq war plan to Bush

2003 British began 2^nd attack to take Basra city with 600 commandos

2003 UK Defense Minister Hoon told US didn't think taking Basra City important US

            wanted UK to hold south oil fields & Um Qasr port

2003 US intensified air strikes on Republican Guard units with 800 sorties

2003 Saddam believed U.S. invasion was stalemated

2003 Saddam’s secretary told Iraqi For Ministry to tell France and Russia they would

            only accept an unconditional withdrawal by U.S.

2003 Iraqi TV aired footage of Saddam Qusay and Uday handing out medals and money

            to soldiers

2003 Rumsfeld told ABC that US knew exactly where Iraq’s WMD were Claimed they

            were around Tikrit and Baghdad

2003 Rumsfeld accused Syria of giving military aid to Iraq Syria claimed US

            committing crimes vs Iraqi civilians

2003 Dep Sec of Def Wolfowtiz said Iraq war about WMD and that they would

            eventually be found

2003 Blair foreign policy adv Sir Manning worried that Baghdad when attacked could

            turn into drawn out urban battle

2003 Iraqis shot down US Apache helicopter during invasion

2006 Report Albu Mahal went from insurgency to fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq after

            objected to Islamic law being imposed

2006 Report Albu Mahal entered into months of fighting with Salmani and Karabila

            tribes allied with Al Qaeda in Iraq in WAnbar Qaim dist Was expelled

2006 Report Albu Mahal went to US formed Desert Protectors Got help to have

            tribesmen join Iraqi army

2008 Sadr announced ceasefire in Basra but said Mahdi Army would not give up their

weapons

2008 Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen Suleimani helped negotiate Sadr ceasefire

2008 Mahdi Army fired rockets at Green Zone again

2008 Tribes in Dhi Qar and Dulaim in Wasit joined govt in crackdown against Mahdi

            Army

2008 Nasiriya said to be cleared of Mahdi Army

2008 SIIC held pro-govt demonstration in Karbala against Sadr

2010 Allawi complained about Iran’s interference in forming new Iraqi government

2010 VP Hashemi said Iran trying to unite Shiite parties behind 2^nd Maliki term

2011 Accountability and Justice Comm ruled 2 nominees for Interior and Defense

            Ministers made by Maliki were disqualified for Baathist past

2011 Turkey’s Erdogan went on tour of Iraq to Baghdad 1^st Sunni leader to go to Najaf

            shrine 1^st Turkish leader to go to Irbil

2012 Pres Barzani said Maliki becoming authoritarian

2016 Kurdish Alliance said they would not give up any of their ministers

2016 Supreme Council MP complained that Abadi didn’t consult with others about

            his reforms

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Political Posturing By Iraq And Turkey

Iraq and Turkey have been trying to avoid a confrontation over the latter’s threat of a military operation into Ninewa’s Sinjar. As part of that process Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and Turkey’s Premier Binali Yildrim had a conversation where they each promised to respect each other’s sovereignty, while in practice neither was doing so.

This Day In Iraqi History – Mar 29

1946 Iraq-Turkey Friendship Treaty Would cooperate over Tigris and Euphrates

            Security education communication economies

1947 Sayid Salih Jabr became premier 1^st Shiite PM of Iraq

1982 Saddam offered to withdraw to international border between Iran-Iraq Rejected by

            Iran

1984 US intel found Iraq buying equipment from West German company to make

            chemical weapons W. Germany denied story

1984 US intel reported Iraq had 5 sites producing chemical weapons for Iran-Iraq War

1987 Ali Hassan al-Majid given special powers over all govt agencies in northern

            Iraq to deal with Kurds

1991 Iraqi troops recaptured Kirkuk from Kurdish rebels

1991 Iraqi troops captured Tanuma, Basra from rebels

1994 Saddam became prime minister of Iraq

2002 Gen Franks briefed military service chiefs on Iraq war planning

2003 UK Embassy in Washington Bush mad at press reports invasion not going

            according to plan

2003 1^st Suicide bomber in Iraq war hits US checkpoint in Najaf killing 4 soldiers

2003 Iraq VP Ramadan said suicide bombers would become routine in Iraq and

            threatened England and US with them

2003 VP Ramadan said that foreign fighters had arrived in Iraq to help defend it against

            Americans

2003 Iraqi govt removed commander of Iraqi air defense in Baghdad after

            missiles misfired and hit the capital

2003 Iraq fired 2 SCUDS at Kuwait but shot down by US Patriot missiles

2006 US intel report said 1707 Sunni and Shiite families moved in Baghdad after

            Askari bombing Mahdi Army kidnapping and executing people

2007 National Police kidnapped 5 British security guards from Eastern Baghdad

2007 New US Amb Ryan Crocker arrived in Iraq

2007 Suicide bombings in Baghdad kill 82

2008 Fighting between ISF and Mahdi Army continued in Karbala, Hillah, Baghdad,

            Basra

2008 Mahdi Army fired rockets at Green Zone again in retaliation for Charge of Knights

2008 Maliki delegation met with Sadr in Iran to work out ceasefire in Basra

2008 Sadr said he was talking with Ayatollah Sistani to negotiate ceasefire with Maliki

2008 Sadr also called for Qais Khazali and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq to rejoin his organization

2009 Provincial election results announced State of Law won 126 of 440 seats 28%

            ISCI went from 200 to 50 seats

2009 Maliki govt said in talks with Asaib Ahl Al-Haq to get 5 British hostages it

            kidnapped released

2009 PKK rejected call by Pres Talabani and Pres Barzani to disarm

2009 Sahwa in Dora, Baghdad protested over not getting paid by govt

2009 US and ISF disarmed Sahwa in Fadhil, Baghdad after fighting broke out day before

when its commander arrested

2010 Peshmerga withdrew from Jalawla, Diyala after argument over control of

            disputed areas with Baghdad

2011 Maliki presented nominees for security ministries never filled after 2010

            elections

2011 Najmuddin Karim elected governor of Kirkuk

2011 ISI attacked Tikrit provincial council building leaving 150 casualties

2011 Parliament human rights committee found chronic abuses in Diyala prisons

including torture

2011 Opposition parties boycotted KRG parliament because govt hadn’t responded

            to protest demands

2011 Turkish Premier Erdogan went to Kurdistan first Turkish leader to visit region

2015 Most Hashd had pulled out of Tikrit op to protest US airstrikes

2015 Abadi met with Hashd leaders to talk about Tikrit offensive and their

            protests over US airstrikes

2015 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq said it would not join future ops in Anbar and Ninewa

            if US involved

2016 Deadline set by Sadr for Abadi to announce new technocratic cabinet

2016 State of Law said Abadi ready to present candidates for cabinet but

            ruling parties were not cooperating

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This Day In Iraqi History - Mar 28

1982 Saddam ordered Iraqi forces to withdraw from Shush Lost 3 divisions

            25,000 casualties 15-20,000 captured

1982 Iran suffered 30,000 casualties due to human wave attacks during Op Fath

            ol-Mobin to retake Shush

1990 US-UK officials seized equipment at Heathrow Airport meant for nuclear triggers

1991 SCIRI head Hakim said Shiite rebels in south only fighting in rural areas after

            lost cities to Iraqi army

1991 Iraqi intelligence memo said it had contacts with bin Laden

1997 Sec of State Albright said Iraq had lied and blocked UN inspections Said inspections

            and sanctions had contained Iraq

1998 UN Res 1154 okayed agreement between UN Sec Gen and Iraq to allow inspectors

            into presidential palaces and other sites

2002 Arab League called on Iraq to comply with all UN resolutions and end

            sanctions Rejected military action

2002 Gen Franks briefed Joint Chiefs on Iraq war plans Said he would be ready by

            10/1/02

2003 Gen Wallace Cmdr US V Corps told press war not going as planned due to

            resistance of Fedayeen

2003 US 173^rd Airborne Brigade and Peshmerga took Irbil

2003 US and UK military meeting Surprised Iraqis weren’t rising up against Saddam

2003 UN Res 1472 extended Oil for Food program for 45 days after US

            invasion

2003 US forces received warning of imminent WMD attack

2003 Rumsfeld accused Syria of sending military aid to Iraq

2003 British accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to use its territory to enter Iraq

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

2003 Aid ship arrived in Um Qasr Basra with 200 tons of food medicine and

            blankets for Iraqis

2003 Bush told group of veterans important to win the peace after the war

2004 CPA shut down Sadr’s al-Hawza paper for inciting violence

2006 Anbar Revenge Brigade claimed it killed 4 Al Qaeda in Iraq leaders and a member

            of Ansar al-Sunna

2007 ISI set off chlorine bomb in Anbar

2007 Police and militias carried out retaliatory attacks on Sunnis in Tal Afar after truck

bombing day before

2008 Maliki offered money to militiamen that turned in their weapons during Charge

            of Knights op against Mahdi Army

2008 Government spokesman said talks going on with Sadrists

2008 Maliki met with tribes in Basra that supported government

2008 U.S. and British planes bombed Mahdi Army in Basra

2008 Mahdi Army fired rockets at Badr offices in Amarah, Maysan

2008 Fighting in 13 neighborhoods in Baghdad between Mahdi Army and ISF

2008 Pres Talabani met with Gen Suleimani about stopping fighting between govt

            and Mahdi Army

2009 Counterterrorism Unit arrested Fadhil Sahwa leader in Baghdad on terrorism

            charges leading to firefight

2010 Supreme Court ruled that any coalition that gained a majority after elections could

            get 1^st opportunity to form a new govt

2010 Supreme Court ruling undermined Allawi’s Iraqiya right to form a new govt and

            gave it to Maliki’s State of Law

2012 Baghdad said it would pay KRG $558 mil for Kurdish oil exports from budget

2013 Iran delivered bodies of Iraqi militiamen killed fighting for it in Syria

2014 Families from Qara Tapa, Diyala started fleeing militias

2016 Abadi said wanted 9 member cabinet with Electricity and Defense ministers

            staying

2017 Kirkuk council voted to fly the Kurdish flag over government buildings in

            province

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Turkey Bluffs Its Way Into Getting PKK To Withdraw From Iraq’s Sinjar

After threats of a false military operation, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was able to force the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to withdraw its fighters from Sinjar in western Ninewa along the Syrian border. On March 19, President Erdogan said that Turkey would launch a military operation in Sinjar any time to fight the PKK. He made the same threat two days later. That led the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to demand the PKK to pull out of the district to protect civilians from an impending Turkish threat. Then on March 25, Turkey announced that it was intervening in Sinjar. Back in February, Turkey’s Foreign Minister said that it was planning a military operation in Kurdistan to force the PKK out of both the Qandil Mountains and Sinjar. On March 16, Turkish forces moved 15 kilometers into Irbil in the latest attempt to wipe out the Workers’ Party bases in northern Kurdistan.

This Day In Iraqi History – Mar 27

1918 British defeated Ottomans in Battle of Khan al-Baghdadi

1979 Saddam told Baath meeting that Iraq was going to get a nuclear weapon

            with help of Soviets so he could go to war with Israel 

1979 Saddam believed having a nuclear bomb would allow a conventional war of

            attrition with Israel that could cost 50,000 Iraqi casualties

1979 Saddam discussed with advisers how to punish countries that backed Sadat’s

            peace treaty with Israel

1981 Start of second attempt by Islamic Conference to negotiate ceasefire in Iran-Iraq

            War

1984 Iraq began tanker war in Iran-Iraq War

1991 2^nd day fighting between Iraqi forces and peshmerga on Khanaqin-Jalawla road,

            Diyala

1991 White House spokesman said that US had made no promises to Shiites or Kurds

            and US public not interested in getting involved in an Iraqi civil war

1995 Fighting between KDP and PUK killed 100 in Irbil

1996 UN Resolution 1051 set up monitoring system for Iraqi imports-exports

under Oil for Food program

2003 U.S. forces entered Samawa, Muthanna and encountered fierce fighting by Fedayeen

            Saddam

2003 Iraqi forces began withdrawing in Kirkuk Looting started

2003 Iraq DefMin reviewed war Told US capturing transportation hubs attacking

            multiple targets at same time Report ignored by Saddam

2003 ORHA had meeting of all 4 postwar groups to come up with unified plan for Iraq

            Didn’t happen

2003 4 postwar Iraq groups had all been created separately within Bush admin

            with no coordination between them

2003 Dep Sec Def Wolfowitz told House of Reps committee Iraq oil would pay for

            reconstruction

2003 USAID disaster response team entered Um Qasr, Basra to assess humanitarian

            situation in city

2003 Report sent to Washington that after examination 2 trailers found during invasion

            were not mobile WMD labs as originally thought

2003 Pres Assad called on Arab countries to stand up against US invasion

2003 Iraqi govt claimed 350 civilians killed in Coalition air strikes during invasion

2004 Marine patrol got into 36 hr gunfight in Fallujah

2007 Anbar council said no oversight of border crossings and 40% of tariffs stolen

            due to corruption

2007 2 truck bombs hit market targeting Shiite Turkmen in Tal Afar leaving

152 dead 347wounded

2007 Shiite Turkmen launch retaliatory attacks in Tal Afar killing 70 after truck bombs

2007 1920 Revolution Brigade leader killed by ISI for refusing to join it and talking

with govt

2007 US Mil intel report that Iranian intelligence working with Badr and Mahdi Army

            to assassinate Industry Ministry officials

2008 Presidential Council approved General Amnesty Law

2008 Sadrists kidnapped Baghdad Operations Command spokesman

2008 Mahdi Army attacked Iraqi army units moving from Nasiriya to Basra

2008 Basra police chief escaped assassination attempt

2008 Mahdi Army fired rockets at Green Zone for 2^nd day

2008 Police in New Baghdad abandoned checkpoints 400 of 550 in 4^th National Police

            Brigade deserted rather than fight Mahdi Army

2008 US told that Maliki did not want US advisers in Charge of Knights just US

            firepower

2008 Fighting started between ISF and Special Groups in northern and southern Dhi

Qar

2008 Pipeline in Basra blown up cutting exports in 1/3

2010 Kurdish Alliance said wanted assurances on Kirkuk and Article 140 before it joined

            any new govt

2011 Iraq parliament cancelled deal with Chinese National Petroleum Corp for Ahdab

            field in Wasit

2012 Baghdad hosted Arab Summit marking major move back into Arab politics

2014 Islamic Party accused ISF of being involved in killing civilians in Buhriz, Diyala

2015 Tikrit operation re-started after US airstrikes requested by PM Abadi

2015 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq accused US of trying to save IS in Tikrit

2016 Supreme Council complained that Abadi not consulted with them over his

            reforms

2016 Sadr went into Green Zone to start his own sit in protests

View the Iraq History Timelines

This Day In Iraqi History - Mar 26

1918 Battle of Khan Baghdadi between Ottomans and British started

1975 Iranian premier visited Baghdad and laid out steps to implement Algiers

            Agreement

1979 Iraq hosted anti-Sadat meeting to oppose new Egypt-Israel peace treaty

1984 US Special Envoy Rumsfeld arrived in Iraq for 2^nd time Rumsfeld presented

            secret proposal for Israeli aid against Iran Iraq rejected offer

1985 Iraq threatened to spread war to all sections of Iran if it didn’t agree to a peace

            settlement

1991 Fierce fighting between Iraqi forces and Peshmerga on Khanaqin-Jalawla road,

            Diyala

1991 Talabani returned to Iraq after 3 years during Kurdish revolt against Saddam

1991 White House meeting on Iraq revolts Was split over whether to help Iraqis or not

1991 Bush administration said they would not stop Iraq from using helicopters to

            put down uprisings

1991 Bush Natl Sec Adv Scowcorft secretly met Saudi King Fahd who told US to stay

            out of 1991 uprising

1996 Jordanian govt held party celebrating opening of Iraqi National Accord

new HQ in Amman

1996 PUK backed peace deal with KDP although talks had not worked out

1997 SecState Albright said Iraq not cooperating with inspections and US would not

            remove sanctions

2003 US forces began move on Kut, Wasit Surrounded Najaf

2003 US 173^rd Airborne Brigade landed in northern Iraq to cooperate with Peshmerga

            move into Kirkuk

2003 Iraq claimed US missile hit market in Baghdad US Air strikes failed to take Iraq

            state TV off the air

2003 Bush and Blair met at Camp David to discuss Iraq invasion

2003 ORHA sent list of 16 sites that needed to be protected in Baghdad to US military HQ

            in Kuwait but was ignored

2003 Rumsfeld told Garner he had some replacements for Americans going to run Iraq

            ministries Wanted them all from Pentagon

2003 British intel report Hope that Iraqi govt would quickly fall within days of

            invasion fading

2008 Badr Brigade got into shootout in Diwaniya likely with Mahdi Army elements

2008 Curfews in Kut Hillah Nasiriya Samawa Diwaniya to stop Sadrist protests

2008 Fighting between ISFand Sadrists continued for 2^nd day in Kut Mahdi Army seized

            7 neighborhoods

2008 Fighting between ISF and Mahdi Army in Hillah where Sadrists took 3 districts

2008 Fighting between ISF and Mahdi Army in Karbala

2008 Sadrists walked out of parliament over govt crackdown on movement

2008 US and Iraqi forces began moving into Sadr City as fight against Mahdi Army

            moved from Basra to Baghdad

2008 Fighting between Mahdi Army and ISF in north and east Baghdad

2008 Sadrists said they would call for a no confidence vote against Maliki

2008 Maliki gave gunmen 72 hours to turn in weapons in Basra

2008 Fighting resumed in 5 districts of Basra after short ceasefire

2008 Sadr said he would talk with Maliki if ISF left Basra

2010 Election results announced Iraqiya 91 seats State of Law 89 National Alliance 70

            Kurdish Alliance 43

2010 Pres Talabani and VP Mahdi went to Tehran to talk about national elections

2010 State of Law met with Sadr in Qom to try to win his support for 2^nd Maliki

            administration

2010 State of Law protest in Amara called for recount in national elections

2010 Human Rights Min said it found 84 mass graves in Baghdad and Diyala all from

post-03 violence

2011 Maliki warned of sectarian conflict in Gulf after Saudi Arabia and UAE sent

            troops to Bahrain

2011 Peshmerga announced withdrawal from parts of Kirkuk after political protests

2012 KRG said it would stop oil exports if it didn’t get paid for what it had already

            shipped Claimed owed $1.5 bil by Baghdad

2012 Pres Talabani announced national conference to solve political differences over

            Maliki govt on Apr 5 Barzani and Allawi said they wouldn’t attend

2013 Cabinet said that it agreed to meet major demands of protesters dealing with

arrests, amnesty, etc Never did

2014 Sadr condemned militias in Diyala after several reports of them killing civilians

            and destroying property

2014 Mutahidun said militias had killed civilians in Buhriz and destroyed houses

            and mosques

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