Security In Iraq Jun 15-21 2019

(Iraqi News)

Despite the Islamic State being in the third month of its spring-summer campaign Revenge of the Levant incidents have decreased every week of June. There were 26 the first week, 25 the second, and then 16 the third week. That could be because two of the main sources on violence in Iraq are offline so there were likely more incidents then were recorded this month.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 24

1933 Interior Minister would not let Assyrian leader Mar Shimun leave Baghdad after being in

capital for nearly a month

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review State and Society in Iraq)

1981 UK signed trade pact with Baghdad that would expand trade to more than $2 bil/yr

1982 9^th Regional Baath Party Congress held in secret Saddam said party infiltrated by enemies and suffered

bad decisions to get rid of dissenters Health Min Hussein who said Saddam might step down was executed Saddam changed party leadership to ensure his control

1984 Iraq air raids resumed on Iranian oil infrastructure with attack on Kharg Island Iran’s main oil

terminal Destroyed docking bay but operating again in 5 days

(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)

1994 SCIRI claimed govt building new canal to drain southern marshes and drive out displaced and rebels

2003 Def Sec Rumsfeld said Iraq had chemical weapons but not nuclear weapons

(Musings On Iraq article on how poor US intel work led to claim Iraq rebuilt its nuclear weapons program)

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

2003 UN head inspector Blix said inspectors were not impressed with Sec State Powell’s Feb 03 speech to

UN on Iraq’s WMD

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2003 Weapons search in Maysan’s Majar al-Kabir led to shootout and death of 6 British soldiers

2003 UK intel report believed Iran backed Mujahedeen for Islamic Revolution in Iraq that killed 6 British

soldiers

2003 Fallujah’s mayor’s office hit by RPG for working with US

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq carried out multiple car bombs and attacks on police in Baghdad Baquba Fallujah

Ramadi and Mosul killing 92 wounding 285 Took over police station and city hall in Baquba and held city center for 6 hours

2004 Sadr announced unilateral ceasefire with US in Sadr City

2014 Operation to try to free Tal Afar launched and failed

2018 Protest in Diyala over electricity cuts Province had not received 35% of its power

Jun 25 1933 Iraqi army sent to Dohuk in show of force against armed followers of

            Assyrian leader Mar Shimun

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review State and Society in Iraq)

1961 Gen Qasim called for Kuwait to be re-united with Iraq Egypt said it was opposed to

            idea

1988 2^nd Op Tawakal ala Allah using chemical weapons Iraq attacked Majnoon Islands Retook

islands

(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 Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)

(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 Iraqis fired on UN weapons inspectors at suspected nuke site

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Report Sec 1.1 UK Iraq Strategy 1990 To 2000)

2003 Report Captured Zarqawi operative in Germany said Zarqawi independent

            terrorist not part of Al Qaeda

2003 Report State Dept WMD analyst told Congressional hearing he felt pressured to

            tailor intel to fit Bush admin agenda on Iraq

2003 UN Sec Gen Annan met with PM Blair Annan said that UN was pushing Bremer to transition

to Iraqi control as quickly as possible Said Bremer good at making fast decisions but that mean he didn’t talk to others Complained deBaathification had gone too far

2004 Captured Iraqi doc Iraq intel and bin Laden met in 90s Iraq agreed to air anti-

            Saudi tapes but request for joints ops unanswered by Iraq

2006 Maliki announced national reconciliation program Included Reconciliation Council National

Dialogue Plan fighting terrorism Reviewing Debaathification Commission Amnesty for prisoners not involved in terrorism Compensation for terrorism and Saddam victims and IDPs Improving services Dealing with militias Fighting poverty and joblessness

2006 Health Ministry recorded over 50,000 Iraqi deaths since 2003 from terrorism and

            military clashes

2006 Report CIA officer Drumheller warned Agency before Bush’s Jan 03 State of the Union and Sec

State Powell’s Feb 03 UN speech not to use story Iraq had mobile WMD labs

2006 Report CIA officer warned that source of mobile labs story Iraqi named

            CURVEBALL held by Germans was unstable and story not verified

2006 Report Germans warned CIA that CURVEBALL was unreliable and refused to

            allow CIA access to him

2006 CIA Dir Tenet told Sec State Powell it had multiple sources confirming Iraq mobile lab story while

preparing Powell’s UN speech CURVEBALL was only real source

(Musings On Iraq article on CURVEBALL)

2006 Right before Sec State Powell’s speech CIA Dir called CIA officer Drumheller to fact check speech

Told Tenet not to use mobile labs claim

(Musings On Iraq article on mobile labs story)

2007 ISI suicide bomber killed Sheikh Gaood of Albu Nimr tribe Sheikh Rifai al-Fahdawai of Albu Fahad

Sheikh Azziz al-Fahadawi Sheikh al-Assafir head of the Albu Assaf tribe in Baghdad hotel before meeting with US officials Were all Awakening members

2007 US cmdr Op Arrowhead Ripper in Baquba said ISF not capable of holding areas cleared by US

General in southern Baghdad said same thing

2014 Al-Nusra commander on Syrian-Iraq border gave allegiance to ISIS

2014 Ishaqi Salahaddin declared freed 3^rd time in just a few days

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Northern Front Stalemate In Salahaddin)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Musings On Iraq in The News

Musings On Iraq was cited in "Reclaiming The Initiative: Proxy Warfare In The Middle East" by Yaniv Friedman and Lazar Berman in Small Wars Journal.

Link to all of Musings On Iraq's citations, appearances and original work.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 23

1991 US Gen said in opening day of bombing during Gulf War US tried to kill Saddam

1996 Iyad Allawi interviewed in WashPost saying Iraqi National Accord supported a military uprising in

Iraq

2003 Oil Ministry made first foreign oil sale to Turkish company since invasion

2003 Official US found more evidence since Iraq invasion to prove Iraq-Al Qaeda ties

2003 US defense official complained to press Iraq-Al Qaeda ties were based on politics before war not based

on intelligence

2003 Bush at NSC meeting asked why US wasn’t pushing elections in Iraq and maybe they should come

before writing constitution

2003 Cheney chief of staff Libby told NYTimes reporter Miller Fmr Amb Wilson’s wife worked at CIA in

retaliation against Wilson Implied Wilson’s wife set up her husband’s trip to Niger

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq-Niger uranium story)

2003 Cheney chief of staff Libby complained that CIA was selectively leaking info to press to lesson its role

in claims about Iraq’s WMD

2004 Pentagon report said only 6% of Iraqi police had finished training Said ISF lacked equipment

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with Jerry Burke police and Interior Min adviser on how US failed to develop the Iraqi police)

2004 Report were two waves of foreign fighters to Iraq one before and one after 2003 invasion

2004 Report cooperation between Baathist and jihadist insurgents in Iraq and international terror

networks including Al Qaeda

2004 DepDefSec Wolfowitz said what was going on in Iraq was not an insurgency Said it was former

regime elements who didn't want to give up

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

2004 US delivered $1.4 bil in cash to KRG for administration Went unaccounted for

2005 15 Sunnis and 1 Sabean added to constitutional drafting committee and 10 more Sunnis as advisers

(Musings On Iraq interview with constitutional scholar Zaid al-Ali on Iraq’s constitution)

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

2006 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey briefed Bush on withdrawal plan Bush approved

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

2008 Report govt came up with new displaced program to force squatters out of homes and make them

return to their original areas Were 2.7 mil displaced and 2.5 mil refugees

(Musings On Iraq article on govt’s new displaced program)

(Musings On Iraq book review Children of War, Voices Of Iraqi Refugees)

2013 Parliament amended 2008 Provincial Powers Law but not implemented

2014 ISIS held large military parade in Mosul after city fell

2014 Fighting between ISIS and Hawija Brigades in Hawija, Kirkuk for control

2014 Jihad and Reform Front agreed to work with ISIS in summer offensive Said tribal revolutionaries

would sweep over Anbar

2014 Albu Mahal tribe surrendered Qaim Anbar to ISIS

(Musings On Iraq article on Albu Mahal tribe)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Western Front Is Anbar Next To Fall?)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 22

1922 Standard Oil told State Dept that it and other US companies were interested in exploring in

Iraq

1922 Gertrude Bell wrote that Shiites were all under the pay of leading cleric Sheikh Mahdi al-Khalisi who

she said wasn’t an Arab but a Persian

(Musings On Iraq book review of Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

1963 Govt forces captured Saqsaq and Tobzawa from KDP Peshmerga

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

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

1982 Commander in chief of Iranian army said Iran-Iraq War would continue until Saddam

overthrown

(Musings On Iraq book review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

1982 Saddam complained that Iran was defeated in 1980 but didn’t give up

1983 Iraqi govt ordered all Kurds born from 1963-64 to be drafted into army

(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)

1996 UN and Iraq agreed on terms for allowing UN inspectors into Republican Guard Special Republican

Guard Special Security Organization Mukhabarat sites

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

1998 Grand Ayatollah Mirza Ali al-Gharawi assassinated by Saddam who blamed foreign agents

2001 US decided to provide new aid to Iraqi opposition against Saddam

2003 Bush blamed former regime elements for attacks in Iraq

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

2003 Bush claimed other intel services said Iraq had WMD and Iraq never proved it destroyed its WMD

arsenal

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

2003 Head weapons inspector Blix thought Iraq only had “debris” of WMD program since none found since

invasion

2003 Blix said pre-war reports by Iraqis that WMD were destroyed might prove true Cited Hussein Kamal in

94 who said no WMD left

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2003 Report 2002 National Intelligence Estimate questioned Iraq-Al Qaeda ties

2003 2000 Ayatollah Sistani supporters protested outside Green Zone demanding elections and

            new Iraqi govt

2003 British searches in Maja al-Kabir, Maysan led to shooting with locals 8 wounded

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq beheaded S Korean civilian Kim Sun-il

2004 UN audit on reconstruction in Iraq found spending and contracts full of errors and open to fraud

2004 UN audit found State Organization for Marketing Oil had no records on tenders contracts who won

bids etc

2004 Report White House claims Saddam Fedayeen members were in Al Qaeda based upon confusion of

their names

2005 US Cmdr in Iraq Gen Casey got report of prisoner abuse by ISF Ordered US forces to stop any

abuses they saw

2006 US Cmdr in Iraq General Casey told press that Iran giving weapons and training 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)

2008 Iraqi offensive against Sadrists in Maysan expanded to Dhi Qar and Wasit

2008 Report IEDs down 90% from 2007

2008 Female suicide bomber in Baquba killed 13 wounded 30

(Musings On Iraq article on female suicide bombers)

2008 Report US reconstruction projects in Hit halted due to corruption of mayor and police chief

2008 Baghdad Ops Command said PM Maliki issued order to integrate all Sahwa in province

2009 US commander in Diyala said govt had not paid 1000 Sahwa in province nor integrated them into

govt

2009 US turned over security in Anbar to Iraqi forces

2010 Protests in Ramadi and Nasiriya over lack of electricity

2010 Army arrested sons of protest organizer in Basra demanding leader turn himself in Basra council

condemned Army’s move

2011 Report Asaib Ahl Al-Haq carried out recruiting program to get people to attack US forces

before they withdrew from Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article on history of Asaib Ahl Al-Haq)

2011 Basra council voted to ban US military from operating in province

2012 Def Sec Panetta asked Iraq to hold Hezbollah operative Daqduq in prison Captured

            by US and turned over to Iraqis

(Musings On Iraq article on Hezbollah presence in Iraq)

2012 Iraq’s national grid ran out of fuel shutting down electricity across entire country for 24 hrs

2012 Sadr criticized Ayatollah Haeri and Iran for trying to interfere with his followers during no confidence

move vs PM Maliki

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

2013 ISF launched operation in Rawa, Anbar

2013 Anbar governor claimed Iraqi Islamic Party cheated in provincial elections paying off voters

2014 ISF withdrew from Qaim, Anbar ISIS seized Trebil and Walid border crossings

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Western Front Is Anbar Next To Fall?)

2014 ISF withdrew from Tal Afar, Ninewa turning it over to ISIS

2014 Fighting between ISIS and pro-Naqshibandi tribes in Hawija, Kirkuk for control

(Musings On Iraq Precarious Relationship Between The Islamic State of Iraq And The Baathist Naqshibandi)

2014 Human Rights Ministry report 480 Shiite prisoners were executed by ISIS in Badush prison after

Mosul captured

2014 Iraqi forces again claimed Jurf al-Sakhr, Babil freed of insurgents Wasn’t

2014 Report Iraq lost 60 of 243 Army battalions with all of their equipment 5 of Iraq’s 14 Divisions combat

ineffective

2014 Iran objected to US sending military advisers to help Iraq against insurgency Claimed US supporting

Baathists and ISIS

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 21

1920 UK Foreign Min Lord Curzon wrote that Iraq High Comm Wilson’s ideas were backwards

and him leading Mandate was a problem Wilson rejected self-rule

1922 Nephew of cleric Khalisi arrested for posting anti-election fatwa in Khadimiya Baghdad When

police tried to arrest man followers came to his aid but still detained

1922 Mujtahid Khalisi called for shop closings in Khadimiya to protest nephew’s arrest Few complied

1981 UN rep Palme took 4^th trip to Tehran to try to negotiate ceasefire to end Iran-Iraq War

1982 Ayatollah Khomeini announced Iran would go to Lebanon and Jerusalem through 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)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

1997 UN Resolution 1115 said Iraq had to fully cooperate with weapons inspectors and allow them

into disputed sites

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2002 CIA paper on Iraq-Al Qaeda relationship Said two had contacts since mid-90s but no evidence

of cooperation on terrorism Differences limited relationship

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

Tragedy)

2003 Sadrist march in Baghdad against US occupation

2004 9/11 Comm member claimed captured Iraqi docs showed 3 Saddam Fedayeen members were in

Al Qaeda Claimed a Fedayeen was Al Qaeda facilitator in Malaysia Just had same name

2005 PM Jaafari announced $1 bil deal with Iran to build schools hospitals and libraries

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

2005 US forces saw insurgents fighting other insurgents along Iraq-Syrian border

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

2005 Sen Hagel told Bush he should listen to outside voices on Iraq policy

2006 Saddam’s lawyer kidnapped by men in police uniform and executed

2006 Zalmay Khalilzad sworn in as new US ambassador to Iraq

2006 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey told Joint Chiefs plan to transfer security to Iraqis in 18 months

accept Anbar Wanted to draw down US brigades in Iraq from 15 to 10 by end of yr

2006 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey told Joint Chiefs he wanted only 5-6 US brigades in Iraq by Dec 07

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

2007 Report VP Mahdi tendered resignation Complained PM Maliki not including president and vice

presidents in decision making United Iraqi Alliance also complained Maliki only consulted with Dawa advisers

2008 Gen Petraeus issued new guidelines for US forces in Iraq to set up governance services build economy

2009 Mayors in some Ninewa districts threatened to join KRG as part of al-Hadbaa list dispute

(Musings On Iraq article on Kurd-Al Hadbaa dispute in Ninewa)

(Musings On Iraq article on Al-Hadbaa taking over Ninewa council)

2010 ISF broke up protests in Nasiriya over lack of electricity Protests in Basra too

2010 Electricity Minister Hassan resigned due to protests

2012 PM Maliki called for Ninewa Gov Nujafi to be dismissed saying he violated constitution by

            holding talks with Kurds over oil deals in disputed areas

2013 Transportation Minister and Badr head Ameri said Iraq’s Shiites would fight ISIS in Syria if

shrines were attacked

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

2014 Rawa Ana Rutba Albu Hayat Jubba in western Anbar all fell to ISIS

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Western Front Is Anbar Next To Fall?)

2014 ISF executed 25 prisoners in Rawa before withdrawing

2014 Fighting between Naqshibandi Ansar al-Sunna Islamic Army vs ISIS over control of Hamrin, Diyala

(Musings On Iraq book review The Caliphate At War, Operational Realities and Innovations of the Islamic State)

2014 ISIS fought Naqshibandi over control of Riyad, Kirkuk

2014 ISIS executed 84 ISF in Tikrit

2014 New security op to clear Jurf al-Sakhr, Babil

2014 ISIS attacked Tuz Kharmato Salahaddin and turned back

2014 Sadrists paraded in Baghdad Amarah Basra and other locations in south Iraq to show that it was

            defending the country

(Musings On Iraq Moqtada al-Sadr And Iraq’s Militia Mobilization)

2015 KRG stopped delivering oil for export by Baghdad

2017 IS blew up historic Nouri Mosque and Hadbaa minaret in west Mosul as Iraqi forces approached

(Musings on Iraq Mosul Campaign Day 249)

2018 21 Supreme Court ruled that manual recount and replacing Election Comm with judges was constitutional Cancelling displaced and foreign voting was not

(Musings On Iraq article on Supreme Court’s decision on amending election law)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Tehran And Its Iraqi Allies Respond Asymmetrically To Trump Admin’s Iran Policy

Rocket launcher found outside Ninewa Ops Command (Iraq Newspaper)

Washington’s Iran policy appears in disarray. National Security Adviser John Bolton has talked about escalating pressure upon Tehran to halt not only its nuclear program but its foreign policy in the Middle East, and making them pay if they cross the line, but then President Trump told him to back down. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appears to be stuck in the middle. This is likely the result of the president delegating Iran to his staff and not knowing what the actual policy was until things got into the media, and then he got involved, which undermined what the strategy was. Tehran has responded asymmetrically to the increased rhetoric as it always has when dealing with the United States.