This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 13

1929 PM Sadoun shot himself due to criticism he faced over his performance

1963 Baath National Guard commander Wandawi began bombing Rasheed Camp while Guard

rampaged through Baghdad

1963 Baath Sec Gen Sadi said party run by new 15 member council headed by Bakr

1980 Iraq launched new attack in Khuzistan province southern Iran Attacked Dezful but stopped

after only a few miles Iran counterattacked and recaptured Alvan Shush Naderi Iraq attacked Ahwaz but got stuck

1981 UN Resolution 36/27 again criticized Israel’s destruction of Osirak nuclear reactor and said

Israel should pay for damages

1982 Saddam ran informal referendum backed by pro-Saddam marches

1986 Rev Command Council meeting believed Israel was behind Reagan selling weapons to Iran in

Iran-Contra scandal

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1991 Saddam replaced Interior Minister Ali Hassan al-Majid with Wathban Ibrahim Hassan

1992 Turkey began withdrawing troop after month long operation in norther Kurdistan against PKK

1995 KDP and PUK restarted US brokered peace talks to end civil war but came to no agreement

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

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

1998 Tariq Aziz told CNN UN inspectors spying for US and Israel

1998 UN chief Annan sent letter to Saddam saying he had to cooperate with inspectors to avoid a

US-UK military strike Annan told Iraq that if cooperated with inspectors Security Council would discuss Iraq’s disarmament to move towards ending sanctions

1998 Countries told Iraq that if it didn’t back down on inspectors it would be hit by US within 24

hours

1998 Iraq sent letter to UN blaming US for blocking review of Iraq’s disarmament Said because of

UN chief Annan it would cooperate with inspectors again

1998 Tariq Aziz went on CNN to say that Iraq would let inspectors return US B-52 bombers were

only about an hour away from bombing Iraq Clinton recalled them

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2002 Iraq accepted UN Resolution 1441 to allow UN weapons inspectors

2002 Blair said that goal of resolution was disarming Iraq not regime change

2002 Blair told UK cabinet that 1441 meant military action could be taken against Iraq in case of

violations without a 2^nd resolution

2003 US forces launched Op Iron Hammer to hunt down insurgents in Baghdad

2005 US forces found 173 prisoners in secret prison in Baghdad run by Badr unit of Interior Ministry

Prisoners were tortured

2005 18 Sunni men found handcuffed blindfolded and shot in Baghdad

2006 Bush met Iraq Study Group Said Iraq part of ideological struggle in world Said US needed to

back Maliki Group didn’t think Bush knew what victory in Iraq meant besides platitudes

2006 Iraq Study Group met with US Cmdr Iraq Gen Casey who said Iraqis had to eventually take

control of own affairs Casey told Iraq Study Group that sectarian violence problem in Iraq but Maliki only talked about Baathists

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

2006 Iraq Study Group met CIA Dir Hayden who said Maliki govt only talked about Baathists not

sectarian violence Hayden told Iraq Study Group stable and democratic Iraq may not be possible

2006 Dep Cmdr US forces in Anbar said Baghad wasn’t paying police in province and Anbaris felt

Baghdad neglecting them Maliki govt claimed ghost police hindered paying forces

2006 Weekly Standard had two OpEds by Frederick Kagan criticizing Bush admin for not sending

enough troops to Iraq and calling for temporary troop surge to stabilize country Kagan helped draft plan that would lead to Surge

2013 Fallujah’s mayor killed by a sniper

2015 Peshmerga freed Sinjar town

2016 Iraqi forces freed Nimrod Ninewa

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Protests Return To Iraq’s Basra After Having Failed To Achieve Goals During Summer

Sit in tent outside West Qurna 2 oil field (Al Mirbad)

During the summer Iraq’s annual protests over services and better government turned into riots in Basra. Prime Minister Haidar Abadi responded by sending the security forces and Counter-Terrorism Unit, making promises of future jobs and water, while attempting to discredit the activists. Things eventually calmed down, and the focus returned to Baghdad where new Premier Abdul Mahdi is struggling to put together his new government. Not having achieve anything substantive the protests have quietly restarted in the province.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 12

1914 British forces in Fao launched reconnaissance in force near Salhan, Basra

1927 Kurdish MP Rowanduzi said Shiites and Kurds both opposed govt conscription for army

1963 Baath founder Aflaq went to Iraq to solve internal Baath dispute

1968 68 coup member Nasir al-Hani special adv to Pres Bakr assassinated

1991 Govt and Kurds agreed to ceasefire Iraq would end blockade of Kurdistan and Peshmerga

would withdraw to Irbil

1997 Iraq expelled 6 US weapons inspectors claiming they were spies Almost entire inspection staff

withdrawn as a result

1997 UN Resolution 1137 demanded Iraq allow full and unhindered weapons inspections

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

1997 Wall St Journal op ed by David Wurmser called for US supporting INC and revolt in Iraq

1998 Iraq Amb to UN told military strike impending if did not agree to work with weapons

inspectors again

2001 INC presented Iraqi defector Lami who claimed Iraq training terrorists at Salman Pak and had

anthrax

2002 CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Franks said if US didn't act on Iraq it could acquire and use a nuclear

weapon

2002 Attny Gen Lord Goldsmith told Foreign Sec Straw that he wasn’t sure UN Resolution 1441

would give legal basis for war with Iraq Straw told Goldsmith he thought 1441 meant Iraq had to comply or else

2002 NYTimes article claimed Iraq bought anti-WMD drugs as sign that it had WMD and was going

to use it

2003 Zarqawi bombed Italian police in Nasiriyah killing 19 Italians 15 civilians and wounding

around 100

2003 Bush decided US should turn over sovereignty to Iraq early against CPA plan

2004 Marines attacked southern Fallujah 2^nd Battle of Fallujah

2004 Sec of State Powell told Bush and Blair weren’t enough ground forces in Iraq to secure country

2005 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey told Rumsfeld Iraq might take 9-13 yrs

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

2006 AP estimated avg of 45 killed per day in Baghdad UN estimated 100 violent deaths per day in

Iraq

2006 120 Albu Alwan tribesmen following Sheikh Raad Sabah al-Alwani volunteered for Anbar

police

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Carter Malkasian on Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Confronting Al Qaeda, The Sunni Awakening and American Strategy In Al Anbar)

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Marines Take Anbar, The Four-Year Fight Against Al Qaeda)

(Musings On Iraq book review Illusions of Victory, The Anbar Awakening And The Rise Of The Islamic State)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 11

1914 Battle of Basra began when Ottomans attacked and were turned back by British troops

1920 League of Nations announced British mandate over Iraq

1920 Abd al-Rahman al-Gaylani became Iraq’s 1^st prime minister

1922 UK Colonial Sec argued UK should keep Mosul Said if Turks gained Mosul would be threat to

UK holdings in Iraq and King Faisal

(Musings On Iraq article on how Mosul province became part of Iraq)

1956 Communists issued manifesto saying violence might be necessary for Iraq’s circumstances

(Musings On Iraq Interview with Prof Johan Franzen on the history of the Iraqi Communist Party)

1963 Baath election put moderates in control and Sec Gen Ali Sadi was exiled to Spain Sadi’s

supporters protested Baath militia went on rampage Attacked Rasheed military base in Bagdhad Sadi’s supporters in air force bombed presidential palace in Baghdad

1973 KDP attacked Communist villages in Sulaymaniya accusing them of taking arms from govt

and attacking party

1982 Iran ended Op Muharram after failing to gain much territory in Maysan and Diyala Iran lost

4000 dead Iraq 3000 dead and 3500 taken prisoner

1987 Arab League meeting condemned Iran for not ending Iran-Iraq War

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

1991 Saddam dismissed his son in law Gen Hussein Kamal as Defense Minister Replaced him with

his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid who was the Interior Minister

1998 UN Secretary Gen Annan appealed to Saddam to work with weapons inspectors again

2001 London Observer quoted INC defector Khodada that Iraq trained terrorists at Salman Pak to

hijack planes like 9/11

2003 US Cmdr in Iraq Gen Sanchez said US would be more aggressive fighting insurgency

2003 Bush said Iraq and war on terror were like struggle against Communism

2003 Rumsfeld said that US facing low-intensity war in Iraq

2003 Bremer called to Washington over unhappiness with his longterm plan for Iraq and transferring

sovereignty

2003 NSC meeting CIA official said US facing insurgency in Iraq Rumsfeld said that was wrong

word and wanted definition Bremer agreed with CIA official that US facing insurgency in Iraq Bush said he didn’t see an insurgency in press and didn’t want to hear about it in press Bush said US had to stay the course and succeed in Iraq Dep Sec of Sate Armitage thought Bush in denial about what was happening in Iraq Def Sec Rumsfeld said Iraqis had to take things over to show them they had to run their own country

2003 Pentagon refuted Weekly Standard and Under Sec of Def Feith claims of Iraq-Al Qaeda ties

since 90s

2004 Insurgents attacked police stations across Ramadi causing collapse of force

2004 Zarqawi arrived in Ramadi after leaving Fallujah during 2^nd battle

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq seized 14 police stations and established temporary control of Mosul

2005 Bush announced US Iraq strategy was clear hold build Didn't tell military beforehand and not

actual policy

2005 SecState Rice arrived in Mosul to announce first US Provincial Reconstruction Team

2007 Maliki put a freeze on hiring sahwa into govt fearing insurgent infiltration

2010 New parliament had 2^nd session in 5 months Elected Nujafi new speaker

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 10

1958 Iraqi Communist Party issued plan for Kurdistan saying it supported Kurdish self-

government within Iraq

1968 Baath assassinated former foreign minister Nasir Hani and arrested Western

businessmen

1980 Iraq captured Khorramshahr Iran Iraqis called it “city of blood” afterward Iran and Iraq lost

around 7000 casualties each

1980 Heavy Iraqi losses at Khorrmashahr meant wasn’t able to seize Abadan 10 miles away and

secure eastern shore of Shatt al-Arab waterway main goal of war

1980 Iraq claimed Iran started Iran-Iraq War by bombing border towns in Sep 80

1980 Iraq gave up claim to break up Iran but said its right to Iranian territory would be determined

on battlefield

1981 Iran rejected Iraqi call for a ceasefire and said it was a sign of weakness by Baghdad

1982 Saddam said Iran wanted to rule Iraq not just get rid of him

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1991 Iraqi army attacked Peshmerga in Dawud after they refused to retreat to Irbil

1994 Iraq parliament recognized Kuwait’s border and independence

1997 Iraq said it would not allow any US planes to be used for weapons inspections

1998 All UN weapons inspectors left Iraq after Baghdad refused to cooperate anymore

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2003 Bremer met Bush saying two routes for Iraq could be elections for new govt or CPA could hold

caucuses to pick govt Bush backed CPA

2003 CIA report more Iraqis joining insurgency Said Iraqi leaders not showing ability to run country

2004 Ayatollah Sistani called for a peaceful resolution of 2^nd Battle of Fallujah Expulsion of foreign

fighters Return of govt forces

2005 Al Qaeda in Iraq took responsibility for hotel bombings in Jordan Later realized attacks cost it

public support and tried to justify them by claiming they were targeting Israelis an Americans and would never attack Jordanian public

2005 Nat Sec Adv Hadley denied that White House manipulated Iraq intel before 2003 invasion

2006 Bush formally asked his staff to review Iraq strategy because not working

2006 Iraq Health Min estimated 150,000 deaths since 2003 Previous Iraqi counts were 45,000-50,000

Refuted Lancet study that estimated 655,000 deaths

2006 Report After rejecting a US timetable for ISF to take over security in Iraq PM Maliki wanted

one that would have Iraqi forces assume control of most of Iraq by end of 2006 which was in original US plan

2006 Dawa MP Adeeb said that including Sunnis in govt was mistake Accused Iraqi Accordance

Front of being front for insurgency Said Sunnis wanted to seize power in a coup Accordance Front MP Hayali said Shiites didn’t want to share power Didn’t follow through with promises to remove militias from ISF Committee was supposed to work out differences within govt after election but never happened Sadrist MP Shanshal said parties were told national unity govt was only way to save Iraq but didn’t work

2007 Lions of Adhamiya Sahwa group announced in Baghdad

2010 Barzani called meeting and agreed on new govt with Maliki PM Talabani Pres Allawi head of

new strategic council Nujafi speaker Called Irbil Agreement

2014 IS announced it got allegiance from groups in Egypt Libya Yemen Algeria Saudi Arabia

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Security In Iraq Nov 1-7, 2018

(Getty)

Since the fourth week of October 2018, incidents have been down in Iraq. That was true for the start of November. Despite the low number of attacks there was a car bomb in Salahaddin, which showed that the Islamic State was attempting more mass casualty bombings after a large dip during the summer.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 9

1914 With English attack on Basra coming locals went to Shiite clergy asking for help to

defend city

1933 Jamil al-Midfai became PM of Iraq, would hold office 5 times

1969 Revolutionary Command Council went from 5 to 15 All new members were Baathists Saddam

become vice chairman

1982 Saddam called for referendum in Iraq and Iran to see who was more popular he or Khomeini

1989 Sec of State Baker offered Iraq $1 bil in grain credits even though knew Iraq was abusing

program by demanding kickbacks

1990 UK intel report said Iraq had weaponized anthrax and plague and could use them at any time

Was based upon single source whose reliability had not been established yet

2004 Marines cleared Jolan neighborhood 2^nd Battle of Fallujah

2004 Insurgents seized 66% of Mosul’s police stations

2004 Iraqi Islamic Party withdrew from interim govt due to 2^nd Battle of Fallujah Industry Min

Hasani refused to quit and was expelled from party

2005 Al Qaeda in Iraq bombed 3 western hotels in Jordan Led to condemnation of Zarqawi by

Jordanians

2006 Spec Insp Gen for Iraq Recon Bowen told BBC Iraqi corruption could cost $4 bil a year Said

lack of skilled staff in Iraqi govt meant $8-$10 bil of budget couldn’t be spent

View the Iraq History Timelines