1915 Aziz Ali al-Misri leader of secret Arab society al-Ahd met with UK military intel
officer in Cairo Talked about his idea of Arab revolt in Iraq and Syria that he wanted UK to back Officer turned him down
1946 Kurdistan Democratic Party founded Mullah Mustafa Barzani its president and Hamza
Abdullah secretary general
(Musings On Iraq review The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
(Musings On Iraq review The Kurdish Revolt 1961-1970)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq & the Kurdish Question, 1958-70)
(Musings On Iraq Explaining Kurdish Nationalism Interview With Teen Tech Univ Prof Michael Gunter)
1962 Iraqi air force entered Turkey to attack Barzanis forces Intercepted by Turkish air force that
show down 1 Iraqi plane
1967 Law No 97 gave more power to Iraqi National Oil Company
1985 Iran Op Ashura 3 started in Maysan marshes
1985 Iraq claimed it destroyed Iran’s main oil terminal at Kharg Island but only damaged it
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
(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 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)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
2002 NSC meeting Sec State Powell argued for going to UN for new resolution on Iraq Bush agreed
(Musings On Iraq Overview of America’s Policy Towards Iraq: From The Clinton Years To The
Sectarian War of 2006)
2002 UnderSecDef Feith’s office claimed briefing day before convinced CIA Dir Tenet to reconsider Iraq-
Al Qaeda ties Tenet denied that Feith’s office said Iraq and Al Qaeda cooperated CIA said they had contacts but no cooperation
(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy
Tragedy)
(Musings On Iraq Overview of America’s Policy Towards Iraq: From The Clinton Years To The
Sectarian War of 2006)
2003 Insurgent attack on Abu Ghraib prison 6 prisoners killed 59 wounded
2006 Report Mahdi Army and insurgents fighting for control of Diyala Raiding villages Forcing people
out Mahdi Army trying to drive Sunnis out of Khan Bani Said Set up checkpoints robbed trucks kidnapped murdered people on highway Many soldiers in Diyala were members of the Mahdi Army Others supported the militia US forces didn’t trust Iraqi forces in Diyala because of militia infiltration
(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)
(Musings On Iraq Diyala Province Backgrounder)
2006 Followers of Mahmoud al-Hasani protested in Karbala Nasiriya Hillah against Iran and claimed
Ayatollah Sistani was Iranian puppet
2006 Bani Assad tribe stormed Basra governor’s office accusing Fadhila party of assassinating head of
tribe
2006 Pentagon review of Iraq war found US used too much force in civilian areas angered Iraqis and didn’t
form alliances with them Providing safety and security for Iraqis was not a priority
2006 Marine intel report US not lost militarily but defeated politically in Anbar Cited lack of US troops
and no functioning Iraqi govt in province Said Al Qaeda in Iraq most powerful force in Anbar
(Musings On Iraq How A Change In Perceptions Led To The Anbar Awakening)
(Musings On Iraq review Illusions of Victory, The Anbar Awakening And The Rise Of The Islamic State)
2006 Report Bush told Middle East experts he did not support partition of Iraq Said he would make no
policy changes in war
(Musings On Iraq Did the US Ever Have A Strategy To Win In Iraq Before the Surge?)
2007 With 17 ministers boycotting PM Maliki’s cabinet new ruling coalition announced of Dawa, ISCI,
KDP, PUK US helped put coalition together
2007 Report Mahdi Army took over intimidated infiltrated army units in West Baghdad Jan 07 Defense
Min allowed Sadrists to create army unit in Kadhimiya Mahdi Army bribed and intimidated army units to allow it to attack Sunni neighborhoods Army gave vehicles to Mahdi Army Army units in Hurriya and Ghaziliya either controlled or working with Mahdi Army to force out Sunnis US organized Sahwa unit in Ghazilyia that was supposed to monitor army there Army unit in Hurriya also allowed Mahdi Army to attack U.S. units there Mahdi Army expanding into Washash Iskan Fadil with help of army
(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)
(Musings On Iraq Columbia University Charts Sectarian Cleansing Of Baghdad)
2009 Report 1/3 of female suicide bombers came from Diyala Most lost male relative to violence
Many came from small Islamist communities Most sent by ISI
(Musings On Iraq The Rise of Female Suicide Bombers)
(Musings On Iraq Motivations Behind Female Suicide Bombers)
(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)
2009 Aug 3 mass casualty bombings of Shabaks and Yazidis in Ninewa by ISI Shabaks blamed
Kurds for attacks because refused PM Maliki plan to form Shabak defense force KDP official said Shabak militia would lead to civil war Said peshmerga would protect Shabaks Claimed Shabaks were Kurds Blamed al-Hadbaa run Ninewa govt for violence Governor Nujafi said Ninewa govt couldn’t protect disputed areas until Peshmerga left
2009 Report UN said Iraq oil didn’t need to be controlled anymore Legacy of UN sanctions 08
Audit of Iraqi accounting of oil industry found major problems Lack control of accounts receipts good accounting End of 08 only 1/3 of oil industry metered Finance Min lacked modern techniques and technology Monthly oil revenues were filled with errors North Oil Company burned 1.4 mil/bar of condensates that it couldn’t store Damaged oil fields by reinjecting oil into them Couldn’t account for 698,000 bar of oil Believed stolen Oil Min had 6 mil/bar less oil than South Oil Company said it produced State Oil Marketing Org kept $3 bil in oil revenue that was supposed to be put in bank Fined $24.4 mil for delinquent oil loading Hadn’t collected $9.1 mil form Jordan for oil sales Hadn’t collected $26.2 mil form Shell for shipping
2010 MP said ISF lacked intel Depended upon US for intel No plans to solve problem Intel not
centralized and distributed throughout ISF units
2010 Islamist group in Nasiriya attacked people for listening to pop music wearing Western
clothes trendy haircuts Attacked people at night Issued threats
2010 Report Iran used both hard and soft power in Iraq Supported elections and political process
to keep Shiites in power Used militias but didn’t want chaos Increased economic and religious influence in Iraq Wanted stable Iraq that wasn’t threat to Tehran Report gave $8 mil/mo to Sadr for 2010 election Iranian Rev Guard Quds Force cmdr Gen Suleimani helped bring PM Maliki’s State of Law and National Alliance together to ensure Shiite power Brokered deals with Shiite leaders
(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Overview of Iran’s Influence In Iraq)
2012 ISI carried out attacks in 19 cities leaving over 100 dead
2012 Report Exxon got drilling permits in KRG Dep PM Shahristani claimed Exxon had stopped work in
KRG Exxon said it told Maliki govt it was working in KRG
2012 Report KRG Pres Barzani appointed his son Masrour to head new Security Council Before was head
of KDP security forces Nephew Nechirvan is KRG PM Pres Talabani’s wife Hero headed PUK office Son Qubad heads Dept of Coordination and Follow Up to manage KRG ministries
2013 Friday sermons in Salahaddin and Diyala claimed ISF ops cleansing Sunnis from Baghdad belts Said
militias involved Said Sunnis were being killed and imprisoned Called for Sunni protests to be internationalized Called for uprising vs PM Maliki
2013 Friday sermon in Falllujah said that was where resistance to US occupation began and where
Iranian influence in Iraq would end Called on Sunni politicians to protect community from militias Said ISI worked for Iran Said Sunnis were blamed for all violence
2013 ISF arrested dep head of Iraqi Scholars Council who helped organize Sunni protests
2014 Report IS took hundreds of Yazidi women from Sinjar Ninewa Told had to convert to Islam and
then married to IS fighters
(Musings On Iraq Kurdish Government Tries to Create New Narrative Of What Happened To Iraq’s Yazidis)
2014 IS forced out of 5 villages in Sadiya Diyala US air strikes supported ISF and peshmerga attack to
take Mosul Dam
2015 PM Abadi closed 4 ministries merged 8 others into 4 by decree even though legally had to go
through parliament Claimed part of reform program but was budget cuts
(Musings On Iraq A Review Of Iraq Premier Abadi’s Reform Program Interview With Reidar Visser)
(Musings On Iraq Limits To Iraq Premier’s Reform Program, Cuts Cabinet While Maintaining Quota System)
2015 Peshmerga destroyed Arab homes in Jalawla Diyala
2015 Parliamentary investigation blamed fmr PM Maliki and 35 others for fall of Mosul Dawa
members on committee wanted Maliki removed from report Then attacked it for being political PM Abadi said he would put ISF commanders on trial for their role Didn’t happen
2015 Protests in Babil and Basra over services corruption political reform
2017 Abadi govt told Turkey Hashd would have limited role in Tal Afar op Would stay outside city
2018 March to Basra council building over death of protester day before
2018 Basra Health Dir said outbreak of rashes vomiting diarrhea due to contaminated water
2018 Report Kurds accused Abadi govt of removing Kurdish officials from disputed areas after
Baghdad took them over in Oct 2017
2018 Peace and Freedom Org recorded 169 violations against reporters activists protesters in KRG
Jan-Aug Threats Stopping reporters from covering stories Beatings Breaking up protests Said freedom of expression violated in KRG
2019 Axis Alliance blamed Hashd for 51 bodies found in Babil’s Jurf al-Sakhr Siad Hashd
kidnapped and disappeared people during war vs IS Said 16,000 disappeared
2019 Protests in Muthanna and Basra against abuses by ISF
2020 New budget deal announced Baghdad would send 320 bil dinars/month to KRG to pay govt
workers KRG would send half its tariffs to Baghdad in return Never did Deal made to secure Kurdish support for PM Kazemi
(Musings On Iraq KRG-Baghdad Budget Agreement Holds Despite No News Kurds Complying)
2020 Report KRG PM Barzani said KRG $27 bil in debt KRG official said couldn’t pay govt
workers without budget money from Baghdad KRG hadn’t paid govt workers on time and in full since Apr
2020 Protester assassinated in Basra City Part of intimidation campaign against demonstrators
(Musings On Iraq While PM Kazemi Visits Trump Pro-Iran Groups Target US And Kill Protesters To Embarrass Govt)
(Musings On Iraq Ebb And Flow Of Protests In Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq UN Report On Violence Against Iraqi Protesters)
(Musings On Iraq United Nations Faults Iraq For Failing To Protect Protesters)
View the Iraq History Timelines
Coordination Framework has started its own sit-in outside Baghdad's Green Zone (AP)
Iraq’s ruling parties have entered into a new phase of political deadlock. It is now marked by rival protests focused upon the Green Zone in Baghdad. Moqtada al-Sadr hoped that going to the streets would force his opponents in the Coordination Framework to give into his demands but they have countered by calling out their people as well.
 |
| (Financial Times) |
1920 UK PM George wrote that French objected to Faisal becoming king of Iraq George and
French both thought he was weak leader
(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)
1921 Faisal said he wouldn’t accept restrictions on sovereignty included in UK’s Iraq mandate Wanted an
Anglo-Iraq treaty that would give him full power
(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)
1921 Colonial Sec Churchill wrote Iraq Commissioner Cox that Faisal needed to stop making demands of
UK and do what London told him
(Musings On Iraq Churchill In His Own Words On Mesopotamia/Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review Churchill’s Folly, How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review Supremacy And Oil, Iraq, Turkey, and the Anglo-American World Order, 1918-1930)
1933 King Faisal ordered Interior Min Suleiman to investigate massacre of Assyrians in Sumail
(Musings On Iraq review The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review The Chatham House Version and other Middle-Eastern Studies)
1935 Senator and ex-PM Midfai accused Rashid Ali al-Gaylani of starting southern tribal revolt that
brought down his govt He did PM Hashemi accused Midfai of starting revolts agains his govt
1982 Iraqi planes started attacking shipping at Khor Musa channel leading to Bandar Khomeini port in
Iran Sank 2 ships
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
1982 Iraqi planes started bombing campaign against Kharg Island Iran’s major oil port
1985 Iran Op Ashura 2 started in Maysan marshes
(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 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)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
1986 Turkey launched raid into Kurdistan after PKK destroyed a Turkish military post in Anatolia Turks
killed 165 PKK
(Musings On Iraq review Turkey, the US and Iraq)
1990 Iraqi opposition in Iran claimed they could field 50,000 to fight Saddam
1990 Iraq offered to fully implement UN Res 598 and Algiers Agreement to try to win favor with Iran
after Kuwait invasion
1991 UN Resolution 706 proposed Iraq import petroleum products to alleviate humanitarian situation
caused by sanctions Iraq rejected plan as violation of its sovereignty
1991 UN Resolution 707 Said Iraq was in flagrant violation of weapons inspectors Allowed inspectors to
use planes and helicopters for flights inside Iraq
1991 Baghdad objected to Res 707 saying US had flown U2 spy plane over Iraq claiming it was for
inspectors
(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)
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
1995 Supreme Council denounced Jordan taking in Saddam’s son-in-law Hussein Kamil calling him a
murderer
2002 NatlSecAdv Rice said US needed to launch pre-emptive strike against Iraq before it got too strong
(Musings On Iraq review America at the Crossroads, Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy)
(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)
2002 Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Feith’s office briefed CIA officials on its findings that Iraq and
Al Qaeda had cooperated for years Wasn’t true
(Musings On Iraq Overview of America’s Policy Towards Iraq: From The Clinton Years To The
Sectarian War of 2006)
2002 1st Bush NatlSecAdv Scowcroft wrote Wall St Journal OpEd saying Saddam not threat to US and
not connected to 9/11
2002 Sec State Powell called Scowcroft thanking him for OpEd saying it would help for arguments within
administration over Iraq
2002 Dep head of UK embassy to US wrote that White House talking about when war would start
not if it would happen
(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Report Section 3.4 Development of UK Iraq Strategy and Options, Late July to 14 September 2002)
2002 Jalal Talabani invited US and England to invade Iraq from PUK territory
2003 Anti-US protest fired upon by American soldiers in Mosul 15 killed
2003 White House objected to CPA’s request for $20.3 bil after administration said it would not ask
Congress for any more money for Iraq
2003 Oil pipeline to Turkey bombed in Baiji Salahaddin shutting down exports for 2nd time in a week
2004 Peace talks between Allawi govt and Sadr broke down over ending 2nd Battle of Najaf
(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)
(Musings On Iraq review Battle For The City Of The Dead)
(Musings On Iraq review US Marines in Battle An-Najaf August 20014)
2005 One week extension given to Constitutional committee to finish work
(Musings On Iraq How Faults With Iraq’s Constitution Undermines The Country, Interview with Constitutional Scholar Zaid Al-Ali)
(Musings On Iraq review The Struggle For Iraq’s Future, How Corruption, Incompetence and Sectarianism Have Undermined Democracy)
2007 Gen Petraeus given intel briefing Said Maliki govt taking part in civil war to solidify power and
refusing to reconcile Challenged Surge assumption that better security would lead to political compromise Said US should be more neutral towards PM Maliki and attempt to mediate between govt and Sunnis
(Musings On Iraq review Surge, My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War)
(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mansoor on the Surge)
(Musings On Iraq interview with New America Foundation’s Ollivant On Reassessing the Surge)
2008 2 female suicide bombers hit Shiite pilgrims in Iskandiriya 19 dead 75 wounded
(Musings On Iraq The Rise of Female Suicide Bombers0
(Musings On Iraq Motivations Behind Female Suicide Bombers)
(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)
2008 Baghdad-Irbil deal to have Peshmerga withdraw from Khanaqin Diyala Confrontation ensued when
ISF began evicting Kurdish parties and Peshmerga from town Part of PM Maliki move to take disputed areas
(Musings On Iraq Kurdish-Baghdad Tensions Over Diyala)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq From War To A New Authoritarianism)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq After America, Strongmen, Sectarians, Resistance)
2008 Report Officially some Iraqi army divisions reported 130% of their soldiers on duty Iraq’s 7th Div
had 11,478 soldiers on payroll Only 7,556 were on duty 3,922 were on leave in training AWOL wounded or killed Very common in ISF units
2008 Report US military intel officer said captured militiamen claimed Iranian Rev Guards-Hezbollah
training Asaib Ahl Al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah in 4 bases in Iran Were going to assassinate officials in Iraq like judges Before March 08 Iran was training militia in Qadisiya Dhi Qar Basra
(Musings On Iraq Overview of Iran’s Influence In Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Hezbollah’s Role In Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Asaib Ahl Al-Haq From A Breakaway Sadr Militia To Defenders Of Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Instrument Of Iran’s Power In Iraq And Syria Kataib Hezbollah)
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
2011 ISI attacked Sahwa in mosque in Yusifiya during Ramadan and bombed St Ephraim Syriac
Orthodox church in Kirkuk Part of ISI campaign vs sahwa
(Musings On Iraq Behind The Revival Of The Islamic State in Iraq, Interview With Naval War College Prof Craig Whiteside)
2012 PM Maliki said he wanted better relations with Turkey but also complained about Ankara’s ties to
Kurdistan
2012 Basra governor said provincial council created committee to turn Basra into federal region Said
needed to deal with lack of services and investment
2014 Report 25 tribes said they would fight IS in Anbar
2014 IS killed 90 Yazidi men in Kojo Ninewa Took all the women and children
2014 Army and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq got into gunfight in Baghdad 1 soldier killed 3 soldiers and 4 Hashd
wounded ISF arrested some Hashd Asaib Ahl Al-Haq kidnapped 4 soldiers from checkpoint
2015 Chief Justice Medhat said that judiciary supported PM Abadi’s reforms but made no changes
(Musings On Iraq A Review Of Iraq Premier Abadi’s Reform Program Interview With Reidar Visser)
2016 Report State Dep Congress Obama White House all wanted reduced US presence in Iraq
after 2011 withdrawal PM Maliki also objected to continuing some US programs Sec State Clinton wanted to maintain many programs Keep stay behind force Clinton warned Iraq may not be able to maintain security and ISI still a threat State Dept couldn’t maintain many programs due to lack of money and personnel VP Biden and White House officials pushed for bigger cuts in US spending and programs in Iraq When insurgency started rebuilding Clinton pushed PM Maliki to accept new US security programs Maliki didn’t take up offer
2016 Parliament began voting on PM Abadi’s new technocratic cabinet
2017 Report 25,000 tribal Hashd in Anbar Each unit different leader Different ties with ISF and
Hashd but not part of govt forces Some want to become part of ISF Kataib Hezbollah controlled area south of Fallujah Albu Issa main tribal Hashd inside Fallujah
2017 Report Tribal Hashd accused of crime in Mosul Revenge attacks Blackmail Accused people
of being IS Ninewa councilman accused Hashd of acting like gangs robbing kidnapping killing people in Mosul ISF drove some tribal Hashd out of city
2017 Report Christians in Ninewa split over politics Some connected to Shiite parties other to
Kurds Ninewa Plains Protection Unit accused of taking smuggled artifacts from Babylon Brigades and turned over some members to police in Qaraqosh Babylon Brigades then stormed Ninewa Plains Unit office PM Abadi ordered Babylon Brigades to leave Qaraqosh but refused Other Christian hashd include Chaldean Assyrian Popular Council Assyrian National Party Brigades Ninewa Plains Force Lions of Babylon Brigades Kataib Issa Ibn Maryam Brigades 12 Christian political parties Jun meeting to try to unite Christian parties and militias Failed
2018 Protester killed by police beating outside West Qurna 2 oil field Basra Led to more demonstrations in
province
2018 Report US Treasury officials went to Central Bank of Iraq Threatened sanctions on any bank
that did business with Iran Iraq imported natural gas from Iran and 20% of electricity Iran provided cheap imports
2019 Interior Min Yasiri visited Babil Said no civilians could return to Jurf al-Sakhr until secured District
is a Hashd base All civilians forced out by Hashd because along pilgrimage routes to Najaf and Kabala
2019 50 families fled Daquq dist southern Kirkuk due to IS
2020 Protest activist had house raided in Diyala by unknown security force Activist escaped
assassination attempt in Dhi Qar Part of intimidation campaign against demonstrators
(Musings On Iraq While PM Kazemi Visits Trump Pro-Iran Groups Target US And Kill Protesters To Embarrass Govt)
(Musings On Iraq Ebb And Flow Of Protests In Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq UN Report On Violence Against Iraqi Protesters)
(Musings On Iraq United Nations Faults Iraq For Failing To Protect Protesters)
2021 Head of pro-Najaf Ansar al-Marjariya attacked pro-Iran Hashd for taking orders from Tehran
View the Iraq History Timelines
 |
| (Wikimedia) |
1921 Referendum finished that picked Faisal as king British fixed results
(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)
1921 Gertrude Bell wrote that Kurds in Irbil and Mosul had voted for Faisal in referendum and
in return they would get Kurdish officials
(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)
(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)
(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
1922 Cabinet resigned due to king allowing anti-Anglo-Iraq Treaty opposition to spread
1927 Report Assyrians refused to settle in northern Iraq
(Musings On Iraq review The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)
1933 Interior Min Suleiman went to Dohuk and Amadiya to try to stop killing of Assyrians
1933 3 days of looting of Assyrian villages in Al Qosh by Kurd Arab and Yazidi tribes ended
1933 Arabs attacked 2 Chaldean Christian villages near Assyrian ones in Al Qosh
(Musings On Iraq review Christianity in Iraq)
1937 PM Sulaiman called for officers responsible for Gen Sidqi’s assassination to be put on trial Pan-Arab
officers threatened revolt in Mosul if happened
1937 Pan-Arab officers contacted cmdrs in Diwaniya Kirkuk Sulaymaniya to block any moves if Mosul
revolt started vs PM Sulaiman Gen Sidqi’s followers wanted war Baghdad command split which meant end of PM Sulaiman
1949 Syrian Pres Zaim overthrown by military in coup backed by Iraq Regent Ilah thought this
opened door to Iraq-Syrian unity where he could become king of Syria
1954 Interior Min closed 15 papers and magazines in Baghdad Part of PM Said’s crackdown on
political freedoms
1965 Pres Arif said Revolutionary Command Council disbanded and elections would be
held soon
1985 Iraq started air campaign against Kharg Island Iran’s main oil terminal Would last 4 months
Dropped capacity by 1/3 Iran moved most of its shipping south as a result
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
(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 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)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
1990 Saddam wrote Iranian Pres Rafsanjani that Iraq would begin unilateral withdrawal of
its troops from Iranian territory
1998 Iraq found violating UN sanctions by smuggling oil
(Musings On Iraq review Invisible War, The United States And The Iraq Sanctions)
1998 Washington Post report UN chief Butler had followed US instructions to hold back on
inspections because Clinton admin didn’t want confrontations with Saddam
2002 National Security Presidential Directive included liberating people of Iraq and spreading democracy
(Musings On Iraq review Overreach, Delusions of Regime Change In Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review What Happened, Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Future The aftermath of regime change)
(Musings On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy
Tragedy)
(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 Overview of America’s Policy Towards Iraq: From The Clinton Years To The
Sectarian War of 2006)
2002 NSC meeting Sec State Powell said US had to build coalition against Iraq Said Bush should
address Iraq in his UN speech on 9/12/02 VP Cheney said Bush’s UN speech should attack organization for inaction on Iraq Natl Sec Adv Rice agreed with both
2003 UN Resolution 1500 created UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Said Iraqi Governing
Council important step to Iraq self-governance
2003 US intel officer wrote memo saying that “gloves are coming off” in interrogating Iraqi prisoners
2005 US Amb Khalizad accused Iran of attempting to subvert Iraq after US forces seized EFPs in south
Iraq
(Musings On Iraq How Iran Used Explosively Formed Projectiles (EFPs) To Influence events In Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq A History Of Iranian Weapons Shipments To Iraq Interview With Arkenstone Blog’s Galen Wright)
(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)
2005 Kurds marched in Irbil Kirkuk Dohuk Sulaymaniya calling for Kurdish self determination control
of Kirkuk and disputed areas
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq After America, Strongmen, Sectarians, Resistance)
2006 PM Maliki told US Iraq cmdr Gen Casey civil war was easier to deal with then Baathists who were
attempting to overthrow his govt
(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 20 Baghdad Burns, Summer-Fall 2006)
2006 US police training program offered plan to crack down on death squads and kidnappings by Interior
Min by reviewing each police battalion
(Musings On Iraq interview with Jerry Burke police and Interior Min adviser on how Badr took over Interior Ministry)
(Musings On Iraq review The U.S. Army In The Iraq War: Volume 1, Invasion, Insurgency, Civil
War, 2003-2006)
2006 After threat by insurgents only around 100 of Fallujah’s 1700 police showed up to duty
2006 Protest in Basra over lack of electricity during summer heat Clashed with police
2006 Zafaraniya Baghdad attacked by insurgents who forced out most Shiites
(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)
2007 4 suicide truck bombs hit Kahtaniya and Jazeera in Sinjar district killed 796 Yazidis and wounded
almost 1,500 Was deadliest bombing in Iraq since 2003
(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)
2007 100 soldiers kidnapped Oil Ministry officials from govt compound in Baghdad including Dep Oil
Minister
2008 Report election official said ISF intimidating people registering to vote In Sadr City police officer
demanded that voter registration director turn over names and addresses of voters
2008 UK deployed troops along Basra-Iran border to try to interdict arms smuggling from Iran
(Musings On Iraq A History Of Iranian Weapons Shipments To Iraq Interview With Arkenstone Blog’s Galen Wright)
2009 PM Maliki told reporters that they had to cooperate with govt and not criticize it
2009 KRG said Al-Hadbaa ruling party in Ninewa supported ethnic cleansing of Kurds and
Christians Blamed it for insurgent attacks in province and 2000 deaths
(Musings On Iraq Tit For Tat In Ninewa)
(Musings On Iraq Arab-Kurdish Divide Over New Ninewa Provincial Council)
2013 Report After 2003 Sunnis felt marginalized Were treated as group 1st time Quota system in govt
made Sunnis minority partner which they couldn’t accept Had to change view of state and society to communal one Some pushed for political participation Others for insurgency Increased feelings of exclusion because no unified leadership Raised profile of local clerics and sheikhs Felt singled out as Baathists and terrorists Felt targeted by govt Didn’t believe in politicians because achieved little Increased move towards insurgency to gain power/rights 2010 Sunnis voted in large numbers Iraqiya won election but outmaneuvered by PM Maliki Dec 2011 Maliki issued warrant for VP Hashemi Maliki attempted to control provinces and local ISF Blocked autonomous moves by Diyala and Salahaddin Jun 2012 Iraqiya failed at no confidence vote vs Maliki Party fell apart afterward in part due to Maliki’s divide and conquer policy Increased divisions amongst Sunnis Syrian war increased sectarianism amongst Sunnis
2013 Report Sunni protests started in Fallujah Dec 2012 after Maliki had Finance Min Issawi’s
bodyguards arrested Spread to Other parts of Anbar Salahaddin Kirkuk Ninewa Jan and Mar 2013 clashes between protesters and ISF in Fallujah and Mosul Protests led by religious leaders sheikhs politicians insurgents Meant many agendas Tribes and clerics wanted more power vs those connected to Baghdad Insurgents wanted to exploit protests Split Iraqiya over cooperating or opposing PM Maliki Protests split over getting concessions from Maliki autonomous regions or insurgency Lack of united leadership led Maliki to try divide and conquer Set up committees to deal with demands Attacked protests for trying to divide Iraq Insurgents used Apr raid on Hawija protest camp to turn people towards violence Naqshibandi Islamic Army ISI launched attacks afterward
(Musings On Iraq Is Iraq’s Prime Minister Becoming A Dictator? An Interview With Kirk Sowell Of Inside Iraqi Politics)
2014 PM Maliki agreed to step down after elections Was under pressure from US and Ayatollah Sistani
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq After America, Strongmen, Sectarians, Resistance)
2014 Report Iranian representative met with Ayatollah Sistani start of Aug Sistani said PM Maliki had to
go Iran agreed and started working to replace him Maliki still wanted to be PM because his State of Law won plurality of votes Dawa delegation went to Iran and suggested Haidar Abadi as new PM Iran wanted Shiite parties to re-unite
2014 Yazidis who fled Sinjar blamed local Arabs from 3 tribes for helping IS kill them
2014 US airstrikes helped YPG take Jabal Sinjar Trapped Yazidis their escaped
2015 Ayatollah Sistani’s office said PM Abadi needed to reform judiciary
(Musings On Iraq A Review Of Iraq Premier Abadi’s Reform Program Interview With Reidar Visser)
2015 Protests in Maysan Kirkuk Salahaddin Basra Karbala Najaf Dhi Qar Babil Baghdad Diwaniya Wasit
Diyala demanding better services and fighting corruption Some attacked by gunmen
2015 Journalists said that Baghdad Operations Command stormed their office and told them not to cover
protests
2015 VP Maliki gave interview Said protests were anti-religious
2015 UN called on Iraq to close secret prisons Reviewed torture and abuse Asked Iraqi officials to
name 1 person jailed for torture Found none Iraq denied torture happened Muthanna secret prison in Baghdad discovered in 2011 still open UN watched 92 trials Jan-Jun 2014 where 50 defendants said they were tortured Judges did nothing even though illegal
2015 Report PM Abadi’s reform program almost same as reforms proposed in 2006 2010 2014
None had details on how to carry out changes 1 Abadi reform doing away with VPs part of power struggle with Maliki who was VP Constitution created VPs and deputy PMs which Abadi wanted to abolish Wouldn’t make any real change Abadi’s reforms also concentrated power in his hands to dismiss officials Called for reforming judiciary then said judges could come up with their own plan Called for anti-corruption agencies to go after corruption When protests ended and summer ended talk of reform will disappear That’s what happened
(Musings On Iraq A Review Of Iraq Premier Abadi’s Reform Program Interview With Reidar Visser)
2016 Report Salahaddin govt said ISF and Hashd stopped people returning to Yathrib Accused
them of burning homes and farms Dep Speaker said deal made with Samarra Ops Command and security leaders to allow displaced back
2017 Asayesh broke into anti-KRG independence referendum office in Irbil Took documents Head
of group went into hiding afterward due to threats
2017 Hashd spokesman said 90% of Hashd would take part in Tal Afar op Said Turkey’s
opposition to Hashd didn’t matter
2017 Kataib Hezbollah said it would be watching US during Tal Afar op Said US was helping IS
2017 Report ISF burned farmland destroyed homes tried to force people out and displaced in
Tarmiya north Baghdad
2018 Protesters tried to storm West Qurna 2 oil field in Basra ISF used gunfire to disperse people College
grads burned degrees in Irbil over lack of jobs
2019 Report Jun Jul Aug x2 Sep ammo at Hashd bases blew up due to poor storage Aug
twice in Sep Hashd fired rockets at US consulate in Basra Jun fired rockets at foreign oil company camp in Basra and Balad airbase in Salahaddin Jul IEDs on logistics convoys working for US Aug western oil company workers hit with IED in Basra
2019 Dynasty Petroleum filed suit vs KRG and Natural Resource Min Hawrami for
unlawful interference intimidation breach of contract Had oil deal in Sulaymaniya Hawrami demanded 20-30% of deal up front with extra payments to get deal Dynasty refused Qubad Talabani and member of KRG oil council demanded Dynasty pay Hawrami PUK intel told to intimidate company to make it pay
(Musings On Iraq Corruption In Iraq An Interview With Stuart Bowen Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Trouble Fighting Corruption Interview With Vincent Foulk Former US Anti-Graft Official)
2020 Protest activist assassinated in Basra City as part of intimidation campaign against
demonstrators Protest in Sulaymaniya Called for provincial govt to resign
(Musings On Iraq While PM Kazemi Visits Trump Pro-Iran Groups Target US And Kill Protesters To Embarrass Govt)
(Musings On Iraq Ebb And Flow Of Protests In Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq UN Report On Violence Against Iraqi Protesters)
(Musings On Iraq United Nations Faults Iraq For Failing To Protect Protesters)
2020 Qaim Mayor said IS still operating in Anbar’s western desert
2021 KRG said PM Kazemi agreed to send another monthly budget payment Sent payment in Jul
KRG was not complying with budget requirements Kazemi sent money to gain support of Kurds
View the Iraq History Timelines
 |
| (Wikipedia) |
1918 UK Foreign Min Balfour said 1 war aim was to secure agreement over Mesopotamia to secure
oil there
(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)
1919 War Min Churchill told PM George that keeping large British forces in Mesopotamia was a
financial drain
(Musings On Iraq Churchill In His Own Words On Mesopotamia/Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review Churchill’s Folly, How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review Inventing Iraq: The Failure of Nation Building and a History Denied)
(Musings On Iraq review Supremacy And Oil, Iraq, Turkey, and the Anglo-American World Order, 1918-1930)
1920 6 British officials were killed during 1920 Revolt in Shahraban
1920 Ayatollah Shirazi died who was one of the inspirations for the 1920 Revolt
(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)
(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)
1937 Gen Umari got support of military cmdrs in Kirkuk and Baghdad Demanded PM Sulaiman banish
officers from 1936 coup Return of exiles Removal of Gen Sidqi’s friends military court to investigate Sidqi assassination Ban soldiers from politics
(Musings On Iraq review The Role of the Military In Politics, A case study of Iraq to 1941)
(Musings On Iraq review Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The National Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)
(Musings On Iraq review The Modern History of Iraq)
1946 PM Umari closed National Democratic Party newspaper 1 of its leaders Chadirchi given 6 months in
prison
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Democratic Moment)
1951 PM Said signed deal with Iraq Petroleum Company to split pre-tax profits 50-50 with Iraqi govt
1974 Iran and Iraq met in Turkey to negotiate border dispute
1986 US State Dept said Iraq was trying to negotiate peace but war continued because of 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 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)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
1990 Iraq labeled foreign nationals in Iraq and Kuwait restrictees who couldn’t leave until
conflict over
1990 Sec State Baker said US ready to interdict Iraqi oil shipments in Persian Gulf
1991 Baghdad and KDP restarted talks over Kurdish autonomy
(Musings On Iraq review The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
2002 Gen Franks briefed Def Sec Rumsfeld on progress with Hybrid war plan Was approved by Rumsfeld
(Musings On Iraq review 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)
2003 US forces pulled down a Shiite banner from a building in Sadr City leading to protests
2003 Dep Sec State Armitage said Iraq had WMD
2003 US gave up on attempt to get UN peace keeping force for Iraq
2003 CENTCOM cmdr Gen Abizaid memo to Sec Def Rumsfeld and Joint Chief head Gen Myers Said
biggest long term threat was sectarianism and intra-Shiite rivalry between ISCI Dawa and Sadr along with Iran
2004 PM Allawi govt announced 2nd ceasefire with Mahdi Army to hold talks with Sadr to end 2nd Battle
for Najaf Was still heavy fighting
2004 Militia kidnapped a British journalist and demanded US withdraw from Najaf during 2nd battle for
city Sadr gained his release
(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)
(Musings On Iraq review Battle For The City Of The Dead)
(Musings On Iraq review US Marines in Battle An-Najaf August 20014)
2005 4 tribes fought Al Qaeda in Iraq in Ramadi Fighting led AQI to post flyers demanding all Shiites leave
city Tribesmen posted flyers saying they would not allow Zarqawi to turn city into another Fallujah Said Zarqawi lost direction
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency)
(Musings On Iraq review The ISIS Reader, Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement)
2005 Al Qaeda in Iraq posted flyers in Ramadi saying it would kill clerics who urged people to vote in up
coming elections
2005 Al Qaeda in Iraq declared those who supported constitution apostates and they could be
killed
2006 Bombing in Baghdad’s Zafaraniya set off gas explosion 58 killed 148 wounded
(Musings On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)
2006 Report June health director for Diyala called for meeting at Health Min and not seen again Mahdi
Army kidnapping people at Baghdad Morgue and taking them to Health Min
2006 US forces raided Health Min run by Sadrists after report of kidnapping Health Min went on strike to
protest raid
2008 Report Peshmerga refused to withdraw from Khanaqin dist Diyala PM Maliki moved ISF into
district and demanded Peshmerga leave
2010 NPR went to KRG-Iran border Still found oil tanker trucks lining up to cross into Iran KRG
said it ended oil smuggling
2010 Report Both US and Iran supported PM Maliki for 2nd term US thought Maliki would
provide stability after military withdrew in 2011 Kurds also changed from opposing to supporting Maliki
(Musings On Iraq How Did The United States Do In Iraq? An Interview With Emma Sky)
(Musings On Iraq Former Ambassador Robert Ford Reflects On U.S. Policy Towards Iraq And Syria)
(Musings On Iraq review The Unraveling, High Hopes And Missed Opportunity In Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review The Endgame, The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from
George W. Bush to Barack Obama)
2011 Obama proposed reducing stay behind force to 7000 US soldiers in Iraq after withdrawal
2012 Report Spokesman for Dep PM Shahristani said Total had to choose between working in KRG or
southern Iraq Jul Total signed oil deal with KRG Already had deal with Oil Min for Halfaya field
2013 450 sahwa quit in southwest Kirkuk due to threats by ISI
2014 IS night attack upon Tuz Kharmato Salahaddin turned back by Peshmerga
2014 France said it would arm Peshmerga Got approval of Abadi govt UK joined humanitarian mission
for Yazidis on Mount Sinjar US sent 130 advisers to KRG
2014 Report Peshmerga in Diyala complained about poorly armed and supplied Said no coordinated plan
against IS PKK were fighting in Diyala
2014 PM Maliki gave TV speech attacking nomination of Haidar Abadi for PM Said it was illegal Said he
would not step down from power and would go to court
2015 Maliki’s State of Law said PM Abadi had to keep one vice president because was in constitution
Abadi wanted to eliminate position
(Musings On Iraq A Review Of Iraq Premier Abadi’s Reform Program Interview With Reidar Visser)
2015 Report IS set up system to sell Yazidi women into slavery Yazidi leaders said 3,144 Yazidi
women were held by IS Dabiq magazine said IS planned enslavement of Yazidis before attacked Sinjar
2015 Report PM Maliki made Badr’s Amiri head of security in Diyala in 2014 Badr got Interior
and Human Rights Ministries under PM Abadi 2015 won governorship of Diyala with deal with PUK Badr led offensive in Babil’s Jurf al-Sakhr Behind Hashd take over of Anbar op which shifted from Ramadi to Fallujah against ISF plans
(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)
2016 Sadr called for boycott of cafes that employed women Badr member in Basra made similar
call
2016 Journalist who wrote for pro-PKK news site threatened by Asayesh Kidnapped and found
dead in Dohuk
2016 Hashd blamed for forcing out around 90 families accused of being IS supporters from
Dhuluiya Salahaddin Also seized land and distribute it to fighters
2017 IS rocket attack on base in Tal Afar dist Ninewa killed 2 US soldiers Wounded 5 Hashd
leader claimed US evacuated IS leaders from area
2018 Medical and dental graduates protested in Sulaymaniya over lack of jobs
2018 Iraqi human rights group condemned govt treatment of protesters
2018 Fmr member of parliament’s service committee said political parties and Hashd
manipulated real estate deals Included State Property Dept transferring land around Baghdad Airport to parties and Hashd
2018 PM Abadi said he would follow US sanctions and ban Iran from taking part in Central Bank
of Iraq dollar auctions Said had to think about ending trade Iran still bought dollars in Iraq afterward
(Musings On Iraq Iraq Says it Will Only Follow Partial Sanctions On Iran)
2019 MP said families fled 5 villages in Imam Weis dist NEDiyala because of IS attacks
2021 IS knocked out power in West Baghdad by blowing up power tower in Tarmiya NBaghdad
View the Iraq History Timelines
The Islamic State slightly picked up its operations in Iraq during the second week of August. Overall, they remained at a very low level. Th...
