This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 22

1915 Lord Curzon asked why British should promise Basra and Baghdad vilyats to Arabs if they were fighting on Ottoman side

1916 British attacked Sannaiyat but Ottomans turned them back British suffered 1,200 casualties

1923 British troops occupied Rowanduz in military campaign to subdue Kurds opposed to being included in

new Iraq Mandate

1969 After Shah ended 1937 border treaty with Iraq Iran sailed ship down Shatt al Arab waterway in

violation of treaty

1969 Iraq retaliated by expelling 10,000 Iranians for Shah ending 1937 border treaty over Shatt al-Arab

waterway

1980 Khomeini revealed that Ayatollah Baqir al-Sadr had been executed and called for overthrow of

Saddam

1991 Report that Iranian intel and Revolutionary Guard working in Iraq to help revolts

(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)

(Musings On Iraq book review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)

1998 Tariq Aziz letter to UN Said inspectors ignored last 7 yrs of progress Said intrusive inspections work of

US to create justification for US military strike

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2003 ORHA head Garner went to KRG to talk with Barzani and Talabani about interim Iraqi govt

2003 Barzani and Talabani suggested group of Iraqi advisers to help Garner rather than interim Iraqi govt

2003 Sadrists held second day of protests after its cleric Fartusi was arrested by US

2003 Only 10% of Baghdad’s electricity restored since city fell to US forces

2003 US sent 1000 more experts to look for Iraq’s WMD

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

2003 Chief UN inspector Blix told BBC US tried to discredit inspections at the Security Council

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2003 UK general warned that British military not trained for postwar operations called for in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2003 NYTimes’ Miller told PBS NewsHour US found info on Iraq’s WMD Had destroyed stocks right

before invasion Fooled UN inspectors False story

2004 Bremer said some Baathist officials would be able to return to their jobs

2004 After no real weapons turned over by insurgents in Fallujah Gen Conway said militants had days to do

so or city would be attacked again

(Musings On Iraq book review The Battle for Fallujah, Occupation, Resistance and Stalemate in the War in Iraq)

2006 Pres Talabani Asked Maliki to form new govt

(Musings On Iraq interview with Reuters’ Parker on Maliki’s biography)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Inside Iraqi Politics’ Sowell on whether Maliki became a dictator)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Historian Phebe Marr comparing PM Maliki with MP Said)

2007 ISI stopped bus and took 23 Yazidis off and executed them in Bashiqa, Ninewa

2008 PM Maliki promised $150 mil to rebuild Sadr City after fighting Mahdi Army was over

2008 Female suicide bomber attacked Baquba police station

(Musings On Iraq article on female suicide bombers)

2009 16 Kurdish towns in Ninewa threatened to not cooperate with new Hadbaa run Ninewa council calling

it Baathists

2010 Parliamentary election results were supposed to be certified but political disputes delayed that

2011 Protests in Baghdad, Mosul and other cities calling for release of prisoners better services fighting

corruption

2011 Sadr announced new social organizing project Munasiroon in Basra

2012 Attack on Najaf offices of Ayatollah Fayadh in wave of attacks against Iraq’s top clerics

2012 Turkey’s Erdogan compared PM Maliki to Saddam

2013 Tigris Ops Command stopped parliamentary delegation from visiting Hawija protest site after

checkpoint attacked

2014 Pres Barzani threatened independence of Kurdistan if oil dispute with Baghdad continued

2015 Day after IS attacked Sahl al-Malih, Ninewa Peshmerga expelled Arab residents, looted and burned

village

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 21

1802 Wahabi army from Arabia sacked Karbala 2,000-5,000 killed

1917 Battle of Istabulat in Diyala started between British and Ottomans with the Turks being defeated

1926 Turks told British it no longer wanted Mosul just a stake in the province’s oil

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

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

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

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

1941 PM Gaylani asked UK Amb that no more British troops land in Iraq and they all had to leave

Iraq

1941 Hitler told military aid to Iraq could only be delivered by air and that would require stop in

Syria which would need approval of Vichy France Hitler got intel of large British forces in Iraq and more arriving so was skeptical of providing aid to Gaylani govt

(Musings On Iraq book review of Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The National Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq And Syria 1941, The Politics and Strategy of the Second World War)

1981 Kuwait gave Iraq $2 bil interest free loan to help pay for Iran-Iraq War

1985 Saddam offered another ceasefire in war Iran continued to demand Saddam step down and repatriation

of Shiites back to Iraq

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper 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)

1987 Iraqi 5^th Corps began 1^st phase of collectivizing in Kurdistan Destroyed towns and forced people

into govt run villages 661 villages affected 200,000 displaced

1991 Iraqi govt forces began attack on southern marshes in Maysan Basra and Dhi Qar to root out rebels

2002 Telegraph reported Iraq supported Ansar al-Islam Al Qaeda affiliate in Kurdistan

2003 CPA created to take over running Iraq for US replacing ORHA

2003 ORHA staff and head Garner entered Baghdad Gen Franks had kept them out He didn’t want civilians

to get in way of military

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

2003 Rumsfeld took advice of Gen Franks and cancelled sending 50,000 additional troops to Iraq from 1^st

Cavalry Div

2003 5,000 Sadrists protested arrest of its cleric Fartusi by U.S.

2003 NY Times article claimed Iraq had destroyed WMD right before war and moved rest to Syria

Said Iraqi scientist told US Iraq had been working on WMD for years and led US soldiers to banned precursors Story proved false

2003 UK Foreign Sec Straw told Blair he was skeptical evidence of Iraq’s WMD wound be found Thought it

might be destroyed

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2003 2 US congressmen went to Syria and got Assad’s promise not to harbor any Baathists and expel those

that tried to flee there

2004 5 car bombs in Basra and Abu al-Khasib 68 killed

2004 CIA analyst told Congress no working relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda

2004 Report Mar 04 CPA memo said Iraqi Governing Council a failure because corruption and nepotism

Called for removal of 4 corrupt ministers Criticized Bremer for trying to centralize power in his hands Said progress was made by Iraqis despite the CPA not because of it

2006 United Iraqi Alliance nominated Dawa’s Nouri al-Maliki as new PM Mahmoud Mashadani of

Accordance Front would become Speaker of Parliament

2008 Oil Minister objected to Kurds’ independent oil deals

2008 US general said if Sadr didn’t hold back Mahdi Army US would fight them

2009 Sahwa in Adhamiya put “X”s on houses of displaced Shiites and told them not to come back

2010 State of Law said Sadr reason no new govt after elections because Sadr opposed to Maliki 2^nd term

2011 Human Rights Watch report Govt arrested and tortured protesters in Baghdad and held some in secret

prison at Muthanna Airport

2011 Drive by shooting on opposition radio station that supported protests in Sulaymaniya

2011 2 offices of Kurdistan Islamic Group attacked in Sulaymaniya

(Musings On Iraq interview with journalist Wladimir Van Wilgenburg on 2011 KRG protests)

2011 Lawyers protested in Fallujah demanding US withdrawal and release of prisoners

2011 Clash in Mosul as army tried to stop demonstration

2011 PM Maliki told US joint chiefs head Adm Mullen ISF could handle security after US withdrawal

2011 5,000 Sadrists held march in Basra to commemorate formation of Mahdi Army

2013 PM Maliki blamed anti-govt protests for increase in violence in country

2013 Protest leader in Hawija said army arrested 114 demonstrators after checkpoint was attacked and 1

soldier killed

2015 Pres Barzani and other KRG politicians complained about PKK being in Sinjar Claimed trying to take

over district

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 20

1921 Churchill wrote Iraq High Comm Cox that Feisal needed to be told all British would be out of

Iraq by end of year unless he gave up demands for more power

(Musings On Iraq article on Churchill’s views on Mesopotamia)

(Musings On Iraq book review Churchill’s Folly, How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq)

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

1935 Duweilim tribe fired on train in Rumaitha Demanded govt end confiscation of land and exempt tribes

from conscription Govt refused and Iraqi air force bombed tribe

1941 Churchill told For Sec Eden that British troops landed in Iraq to set up a base in Basra to control

province

1941 PM Gaylani told UK Amb that Iraqi forces in Basra would be reinforced to a full division Said

UK had no right to land troops and keep them in Basra

(Musings On Iraq book review of Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The National Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq And Syria 1941, The Politics and Strategy of the Second World War)

1948 Operation Hametz began with Jewish forces attacking Arab villages held by Iraqi volunteers in 1^st

Arab-Israeli War

1983 Iraq-Turkey security deal allowed each country to carry out cross border raids into each others’

territory against Kurdish rebels

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

1986 Iraq’s 1^st attempt upon Fao-Um Qasr road failed Iran claimed it killed 1500 Iraqis wounded 2600 Took

1000 Iraqi prisoners

1987 Iraq agreed to allow UN team to visit and investigate its use of chemical weapons in Iran-Iraq War

(Musings On Iraq article on the origins of Iraq’s WMD programs)

1987 Iran Op Karbala 10 attacked Mawat to help KDP in Kurdistan

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)

1988 UN mediated end of last war of cities Iran-Iraq War Iraq fired 200 missiles at Iran killing 2000

Iran fired 77 missiles at Iraq Two sides were almost out of missiles leading to deal

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper 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)

1988 End of 3^rd Anfal campaign that targeted PUK in Sulaymaniya Civilians were rounded up and put into

camps Mass executions

(Musings On Iraq article on Anfal campaign)

1991 Bush White House didn’t think Saddam was going to be overthrown anymore after Gulf War

(Musings On Iraq article on how US encouraged 1991 uprising)

(Musings On Iraq book review The United States And Iraq Since 1990: A Brief History with Documents)

1991 SCIRI claimed it started attacks upon govt forces in southern Iraq Came after Shiite revolt put down

1991 500 Marines landed in Kurdistan to set up safe-haven for displaced Kurds

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

2002 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

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

2003 1^st Arbaeen pilgrimage conducted after Saddam Was previously banned

2003 US forces arrested Sadrist cleric Fartusi leading to days of protests

2003 Riot in Mosul against Mishan Jabouri declaring himself mayor

2003 ORHA head Garner held meeting Said top priority was getting to Baghdad and establishing its

presence

2003 ORHA head Garner said when staff got to Baghdad had to get Iraqi ministries up and running

2003 ORHA staff finally allowed to enter Iraq by US military

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

2003 Report US wanted long term military relationship with Iraq and use of up to 4 bases

2003 Report Kurds expelled 2000 Arabs from Daquq, Kirkuk

2003 Apr 10-20 up to 40 people killed in Arab-Kurd violence in Kirkuk city

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

2003 UnderSecDef Feith cancelled State Dept plan to set up Kirkuk committee to return displaced set up

compensation etc

2004 US forces surrounded Najaf that was under control of Mahdi Army

2006 Jaafari stepped down as Iraq’s premier under pressure from Sadr Kurds US Said he wouldn’t give up

office until Ayatollah Sistani told him to

2007 ISI sent letter to Ansar al-Sunnah apologizing for past attacks and asking for unification Ansar said no

(Musings On Iraq article on splits within insurgency)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency)

2007 Ramadi sheikhs said they would turn Awakening into political party to run in 09 provincial elections

2007 Abu Sheibani captured by US Was deputy of network that delivered EFPs from Iran to militias

(Musings On Iraq interview with Galen Wright of Arkenstone blog on Iranian arms shipments to Iraqi militias) 

(Musings On Iraq article on Iran’s Iraq policy)

2007 Report Sadr came out against Basra Gov Waeli Called for his followers to join demonstrations

against governor Mahdi Army and Fadhila militia clashed in city in recent weeks

2008 Sadr said he gave final warning to Baghdad to stop offensive against his followers

2008 Report that Thar Allah head Sinawi executed in Baghdad after being captured in Basra during Charge

of Knights

2009 Kurdish Alliance complained about Hadbba rule in Ninewa excluding them

2009 Suicide bomber in Iraqi army uniform attacked US soldiers visiting Baquba mayor killing 11

2011 Mass grave found in Anbar with more than 800 bodies in it Victims of Saddam

2011 Arab League delayed summit in Baghdad due to Iraqi govt complaints about crackdown in Bahrain

against Shiites

2011 Independent TV station and a Kurdish poet said they were attacked by security forces during

crackdown on protests

(Musings On Iraq interview with journalist Wladimir Van Wilgenburg on 2011 KRG protests)

2011 Protest in Fallujah demanded withdrawal of ISF after man killed by army

2012 Oil Min said Exxon could continue work at West Qurna oil field despite signing oil deal with Kurds

2012 Sadr met with KRG PM Barzani in Tehran to talk about removing PM Maliki

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq From War To A New Authoritarianism)

2012 Pres Barzani gave speech saying power sharing agreement after 2010 elections was dead due to Maliki

2012 Pres Barzani speech said that PKK would not be tolerated if continued to use violence

2012 PM Maliki called Turkey a hostile country

2013 Provincial elections held in 12 of Iraq’s 18 provinces No voting in KRG or Ninewa, Kirkuk and Anbar

2014 Anbar Ops Command announced offensive to retake Fallujah while Anbar council said no op started

2015 IS held ceremony where Ramadi sheikhs gave it baya

2015 80 Anbar sheikhs called on PM Abadi to provide more military aid and called on Hashd to help fight

in province

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 19

1916 German commander of the Ottoman forces in Mesopotamia Gen Goltz died of typhoid

1920 Start of San Remo meeting with Britain France Italy and Japan Decided on split up of Ottoman

Empire and creation of Iraq

1922 Colonial Sec Churchill said King Feisal’s demand that mandate be dropped from     Iraq impossible under

League of Nations that created mandate

(Musings On Iraq article on Churchill’s views on Mesopotamia)

(Musings On Iraq book review Churchill’s Folly, How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq)

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

1941 British 20^th Inf Brigade finishes its landing in Basra and 7 planes flown into Habaniya airbase

(Musings On Iraq book review of Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq And Syria 1941, The Politics and Strategy of the Second World War)

1954 PM Jamali resigned over disagreement with Nuri al-Said about Syrian elections Jamali wanted to

influence vote with propaganda Said thought that waste of money

(Musings On Iraq book review of Ropes Of Sand that includes Iraq plots against Syria)

1969 Iraq expelled Shiites claiming they were Iranians Backed Iran dissident groups Claimed Khuzistan due

to Shah voiding 1937 Shatt al-Arab Treaty

1981 Revolutionary Command Council member Tariq Aziz said he hoped for better relations with US but

skeptical it would happen

1983 Baath meeting in Amara over army desertions in southern Iraq Came up with military operation to

arrest them

1986 Iraq launched 1^st of 2 attacks upon Fao-Um Qasr road in Basra Accused of using chemical weapons

1988 Rafsanjani went on TV saying that war had shifted against Iran

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper 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)

1990 White House rejected limiting high-tech exports to Iraq that could be used for military

1990 Saddam met with Yasser Arafat and discussed retaliatory attacks upon Israel and US if Iraq was

attacked

(Musings On Iraq article on Saddam’s motivation for threatening Israel before the Kuwait invasion)

2002 UK intel report Iraq not seen as a threat in Middle East except by Kuwait

2003 Protest in Baghdad’s Adhamiya against U.S. occupation

2003 Gen Mattis said that U.S. didn’t have enough troops to secure Iraq

2003 Turkey threatened to send troops if Kurds took over Kirkuk

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

2003 US afraid Badr infiltrating into Diyala from Iran would start fighting MEK US threatened to attack

Badr if didn’t withdraw in 24 hrs Pulled back into Iran

(Musings On Iraq article on the history of Badr Organization)

2004 Marines and Fallujah leaders worked out deal for insurgents to turn over heavy weapons

(Musings On Iraq book review The Battle for Fallujah, Occupation, Resistance and Stalemate in the War in Iraq)

2005 Report US intel discussed what torture techniques they could use on Iraqi prisoners in Aug 03

including electrocution

2006 NGO Survey found 19,548 kidnappings from Jan to April 2006

2006 KRG parliament proposed creating Natural Resource Ministry to run region’s oil industry

2007 ISI announced that Abu Ayub al-Masri was War Minister

2007 Sheikhs met in Ramadi to announce province wide Awakenign Council

(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)

2008 Sadr said he would continue to fight US and Maliki until stopped operations against his group

2008 ISF took Sadr stronghold in Hayaniya, Basra Fighting in Nasiriya as well

2008 Al Qaeda’s Muhajir called on Sunni Iraqis to unite behind ISI

2010 State of Law called for revote after lost to Iraqiya Charged fraud but no irregularities found

2011 Protest in Diwaniya over better work conditions broken up by police

2011 Sulaymaniya govt banned all demonstrations in city after protests broken up day before

(Musings On Iraq interview with journalist Wladimir Van Wilgenburg on 2011 KRG protests)

2012 Anbar councilman said province would move towards federal region

2012 ISI set off car bombs in Baghdad Kirkuk Samarra Baquba, Dibis 35 killed more than 100 wounded

2012 After meeting Pres Barzani Turkish officials accused Maliki of spreading sectarianism

2013 Checkpoint outside Hawija protest site attacked 1 soldier killed Led to stand off between 2 sides

2013 Hawija site was run by Naqshibandi that wanted to provoke confrontation with ISF to push

demonstrators towards violence

2014 Head of Ninewa Operations Command accused of extorting money and arresting people for ransom

2014 Protest in Baghdad and other provinces for reform

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Iraq Govt Not Dealing With Declining Farming And Environmental Problems Threatening Food Security

(AP)

Iraq’s food situation is running into increasing problems. Its farm sector is declining and running into more difficulties due to government interventions and environmental changes. That is increasing dependency upon imports. At the same time the most vulnerable Iraqis are facing food shortages. Baghdad has worked with the United Nations and others to try to come up with plans to address these issues, but is not funding them to make them successful. That means these issues will continue to worsen.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 18

1919 France and England signed Long-Berenger oil deal France got 20% of Iraqi oil via Turkish

Petroleum Company

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

1919 France agreed to help build oil pipeline from Iraq to Mediterranean

1941 Britain landed 20^th Infantry Brigade in Basra in response to PM Gaylani and Golden Square

officers coup Basra dock workers went on strike

1941 British battalion from India completed deployment to Shaiba air base in Basra

1941 PM Gaylani asked Italian Amb if Axis would give Iraq military aid against British and Axis air

power 1^st time Iraq asked for military intervention from Axis

1941 PM Gaylani asked UK Amb that no more British troops land in Iraq and they all had to leave

Iraq

(Musings On Iraq book review of Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The National Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq And Syria 1941, The Politics and Strategy of the Second World War)

1980 Iran said Baath at war with Islam and called on Iraqi army and people to overthrow Saddam

1984 Iraq escalated its attacks on tankers heading for Iran

1988 Iraq recaptured Fao Peninsula 5,000 Iranians died 10,000 captured Iraq lost 800 dead

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper 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 Report 500-1,000 displaced Kurds were dying a day along Iraq-Turkey border

1991 First round of talks between Baghdad and Kurds started with Talabani heading delegation

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

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

1991 Saddam agreed to UN setting up offices in Iraq to help displaced following Shiite and Kurdish

uprisings

1991 Iraq provided first disarmament declaration to UN Was incomplete and hid lots of activities like nuke

and WMD programs

1996 State Dept official Deutsch went to Kurdistan to try to broker ceasefire in PUK-KDP civil war

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

2002 CIA report said Iraq might have been able to make chemical weapons since 1999

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

2003 Sadrists held demonstration in Sadr City to condemn U.S. and western culture

2003 Some American officials worried that Iraq had sent its WMD to other countries That’s why wasn’t

found

2003 INC head Chalabi said he expected an interim govt to be formed soon to run most duties in Iraq

2003 Rumsfeld said it would take time to find Iraq’s WMD

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

2003 Arabs that were expelled from Daquq Kirkuk by Kurds tried to retake town but driven off by Kurds

2004 Bremer admitted that Iraqi forces would not be able to deal with insurgency on their own when

sovereignty returned in June 05

2004 Spain’s new PM Zapatero announced he would withdraw 1300 troops from Iraq

2004 British report said Coalition troops and Iraqi police would soon restore law and order in Iraq

2006 Report CPA plan to disarm and integrate militias never funded and followed through with

2007 5 car bombs in Bagdhad killed 171 wounded almost 200

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

2007 PM Maliki said ISF would take over security for entire country by end of year Didn’t happen for

            several more years

2008 50 soldiers fled their posts in Sadr City rather than fight Mahdi Army

2008 Sadrist said Mahdi Army might disarm if Badr Brigade did the same

(Musings On Iraq article on the history of Badr Organization)

2008 Al Qaeda’s Zawahiri speech said US had been defeated in Iraq

2008 Shiekh Abu Risha complained that authorities were trying to stop his organizing for 09 provincial

elections by shutting down offices

2008 Suicide truck bomb hit funeral for Sahwa members killing 50 in Baghdad

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

2008 US forces raided district in Muqtadiya Diyala to arrest Iraqi police involved in death squads

(Musings On Iraq article on Sahwa-police tensions in Diyala)

2009 US and British officials went to Jordan to talk with ex-Gen Hamdani to talk about reconciliation with

former regime members

2010 U.S. and Iraqi forces killed ISI leaders Abu Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi near Tikrit

(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval War College’s Prof Whiteside on who Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was)

2011 Parliament repealed Article 136(b) that allowed ministers to stop corruption investigations

2011 Anbar anti-terror police arrested 12 officers involved with insurgents Some were working with Syrian

intelligence

2011 Protest in Mosul Baghdad other areas calling for better services Some said Maliki should step down

2011 Kurdish security forces moved to evict protesters from Sulaymaniya Police fired into crowd wounding

6, 1 died, another 90 hurt by beatings

2011 Kurdish court sentenced spokesman for Sulaymaniya protests to one month in jail for defaming a

KRG MP

2011 Were first protests in Irbil Were beaten by police 22 wounded

(Musings On Iraq interview with journalist Wladimir Van Wilgenburg on 2011 KRG protests)

2012 Oil Min Shahristani said Exxon would not start working in KRG until Baghdad approved contract

Exxon went ahead anyway

2014 ISIS commander killed fighting Ansar al-Sunna in Rashad, Kirkuk

2014 Anbar council asked if ISF were competent enough to retake Fallujah

2014 Former Diyala governor and Mutahidun MP said militias were trying to take over Mukhisa and force

people out of town

2014 Maliki gave speech in Babil calling for majority govt after elections

2015 Khorasani Brigade pledged allegiance to Ayatollah Khamenei and said it followed valayat al-faqih

Same time said didn’t take orders from Iran

2015 Govt claimed it fully controlled Baiji Refinery but IS still held sizeable amount of complex

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Security In Iraq Apr 8-14, 2019

(Shafaaq News)

The second week of April started with a major surge in violence as the Islamic State launched their annual spring-summer offensive. Then the Iraqi forces had a major coup when they took an IS headquarters in the Hamrin Mountains capturing important documents and killing a major insurgent leader. Can this setback derail the new campaign or was the week a preview of things to come?