PM Designate Mahdi Did Not Like Oil Minister’s Action On Iraq National Oil Company

Oil Minister Luabi (Reuters)

October 18 out going Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luabi transferred nine-state owned oil and service companies to the new National Oil Company (INOC) that he is heading. While this was part of the plan for the new oil business, the timing, a week before a new government is to be announced raised the ire of Prime Minister designate Adel Abdul Mahdi.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 20

1980 US said Iraq invasion of Iran threatened security in Gulf and land should not be seized

by force

1983 Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 4 seized 15 villages in Kurdistan

1984 Iraq held elections to prove legitimacy of Saddam Was 40% quota for Shiite deputies

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

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

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

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

1991 Report Saddam was arming PKK to fight Turkey

2000 British Foreign Office said wanted to offer end of sanctions to return inspectors but didn’t

think US would agree

2002 Czech Intel told US no evidence 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraq intelligence in Prague

2004 Report Jan 03 Natl Intel Council warned building democracy in Iraq would be long difficult

and turbulent Council warned that overthrowing Saddam could lead to ethnosectarian rivalries and power grabs in Iraq

2004 Transparency International ranked Iraq one of most corrupt countries in world

2005 One of Saddam’s lawyers kidnapped and killed

2006 Mahdi Army Badr and officials from PM Maliki’s office worked out ceasefire to end fighting in

Amara 10 police 15 militiamen killed 160 wounded

2007 US Special Forces raid into Sadr City hunting Special Groups led to huge firefight

2010 KRG Natural Resource Min Hawrami said Kurds were ready to send 60 bil cubic meters of

natural gas to Turkey

2015 Baiji town finally cleared of IS

2016 PM Abadi announced govt would not allow human rights violations during Mosul campaign

and investigative committee created to look into any

2017 Fighting broke out between Iraqi forces and Peshmerga in Altun Kupri Kirkuk as Kurds

worried federal forces were going to march on Irbil

(Musings On Iraq article on Kurds withdrawal from disputed areas)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Iraq Starts Reviving National Oil Company

On October 18 Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luabi announced that nine-state owned companies involved with the petroleum industry would be transferred to the new National Oil Company. This is part of the government’s plan to make the Oil Ministry into a strategic planning body, while the National Oil Company would be involved with implementation and day to day operations.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 19

1948 All Jewish govt workers fired after creation of Israel

1958 Gen Bakr forced to retire after Col Arif lost power struggle with Gen Qasim within govt

1980 Saddam speech said Iraq couldn’t win war because outnumbered by Iran

1983 Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 4 began to take Penjwin Valley from KDPI and cut supply line to Iraqis

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

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

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

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

2003 Powell said US had found evidence of Iraq’s WMD programs and that Saddam always wanted

nuclear weapons

2004 Head of aid group Care was kidnapped in Baghdad Later killed by insurgents

2004 Iraq conspiracy theorist Mylroie wrote OpEd in NY Sun that Iraq was training foreigners to

carry out terrorist attacks and working with Islamic groups

(Musings On Iraq article on Mylroie’s Iraq conspiracy theories)

2004 PM Allawi got US to free insurgent leader Sheikh Jumaili in attempt to split

            militants in Fallujah against Zarqawi Failed

2005 Saddam’s trial started and pled his innocence

2005 Rice told Senate about Clear Hold Build counterinsurgency plan for Iraq Was not

            discussed with US military beforehand

2005 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey US Iraq Amb Khalizad later asked Rice what Clear Hold

            Build was and why not consulted

2005 Rumsfeld complained to Rice that he did not back Clear Hold Build and he

            was not consulted about it

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

2006 IED killed Amara police chief from Badr Police arrested brother of suspected bomber from

Mahdi Army 2 days of fighting started

2006 Mahdi Army stormed 3 police stations manned by Badr in Amara

2006 US military spokesman said Op Together Forward II failed to reduce violence in Baghdad Said

attacks up 22% since start of Ramadan US forces returned to Dora after it was touted as first area cleared during operation

2006 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey US Amb Khalzad gave press conference saying Op Together Forward

II in Baghdad working

2006 Report over 20 militias operating in Baghdad Mahdi Army splintering

2006 Report police unit blamed for killing 26 Sunnis at food factor in Baghdad’s Amil Unit was

            suspended

2013 IS held parade in southern Fallujah

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 18

1920 Najaf surrendered to British in 1920 Revolt

(Musings On Iraq book review of Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

1928 Shiite sheikhs issued statement about conscription saying only the Shiites would be

drafted as Kurds and western tribes would never allow it meaning Shiites would make all the sacrifices

1940 Ger Amb to Turkey told Fin Min Shawkat Germany supported Arabs but gave no specific

promises or support

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

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

(Musings On Iraq book review The Role of the Military In Politics, A case study of Iraq to 1941)

1980 Pres Carter called on Iraq to withdraw from Iran Carter was trying to get

            US hostages held by Tehran released

1980 Iraqi forces attempted to attack Abadan from behind but failed Iranian counterattack

            in Andimeshk forced Iraqi retreat

1984 Iranian Op Al Fajr 7 began to recapture Mehran Iran Discovered by Iraqi intelligence

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

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

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

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

1997 PUK and KDP agreed to US brokered ceasefire in civil war Clashes continued

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

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

2001 2^nd CIA report on story that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger Said Iraq didn’t have

facilities to process uranium

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)

2001 Wall St Journal OpEd by ex-CIA Dir Woolsey said Iraq behind 9/11

2002 Sec of Def Rumsfeld told Under Sec of Def Feith to create postwar planning office for Iraq

Cancelled few days later Cancellation came from White House that didn’t want postwar planning because could derail invasion

2006 Al Qaeda in Iraq held march in Ramadi to declare its Islamic state and mark its transformation

to ISI

2017 KRG Election Comm said it stopped preparations for presidential and parliamentary elections

because no candidates

2017 UN warned Election Comm that choosing electronic voting system would undermine trust in

voting

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Review The Creation of Iraq 1914-1921

Review Edited by Simon, Reeva Spector Tejirian, Eleanor, The Creation of Iraq 1914-1921, New York: Columbia University Press, 2004

The Creation of Iraq was the result of a 2003 conference at Columbia University on the making of modern Iraq. The hope was that this history, especially the British Mandate could provide lessons to the Americans that were embarking on their own occupation of the country. The papers presented at that meeting were compiled into this book published in 2004. There are chapters on the three Ottoman provinces of Basra, Baghdad and Mosul that would become the new nation, the major countries involved in its formation, and issues such as the Kurds and oil. At just over 160 pages of text, this is a very short and concise history with some great insights on how Iraq came about.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 17

1909 Mosul representatives to new Ottoman Assembly left for Istanbul Was part

            of Young Turks’ reforms

1920 Kufa fell to British during 1920 Revolt Led to surrender of Najaf next day Tribal

            siege of Diwaniya also ended

(Musings On Iraq book review of Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

1973 Saddam said govt and KDP were far apart on autonomy talks for Kurds

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

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

1980 UN Security Council discussed Iran-Iraq War Addressed by Iran PM and Iraq Foreign Minister

Iran For Min told UN Iraq was aggressor Saddam wanted to overthrow Iranian govt Iraq backed by superpowers and Arab countries Iraq For Min said Iran violated treaties attacked border towns never replied to letters calling for negotiations UN Security Council backed Secretary General’s attempts to negotiate a ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War

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

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

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

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

1987 Iraq held national census

1994 Iraqi defector Saadi claimed he went to Jordan with Mukhabarat to buy nuke material from

Russians for a bomb

2001 NY Times article reported Iraqi defector saw Iraq training terrorists at Salman Pak to take

airliners Said INC claimed Iraq diplomat met bin Laden in 98 and offered him safe haven Reported Czech Inter Min said 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraqi intel officer in Prague

2003 Iraqi prisoner photographed stripped and handcuffed to cell door by US jailers at Abu Ghraib

2003 Gunfight outside Sadr office in Karbala killed 3 US soldiers and 7 Iraqis

2004 Zarqawi pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda Tawhid wal Jihad became Al

Qaeda in Iraq

2004 Heavy fighting in east and south Fallujah between US forces and insurgents

2006 NSC started review of Iraq strategy to come up with new one

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

2016 Mosul campaign started with joint operations between Iraqi forces and Peshmerga

(Musings On Iraq Interview with Ret. Col Witty on the Battle of Mosul)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Horizon Client Access’ Alex Mello on Battle of Mosul)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Amnesty International’s Donatella Rovera on Battle of Mosul)

(Musings On Iraq interview with International Center for Study of Radicalization’s Charlie Winter on how IS media dealt with its defeat in Battle of Mosul)

(Musings On Iraq interview with BBC’s Quentin Sommerville on the Battle of Mosul)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Niqash’s Mustafa Habib on Battle of Mosul)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Reuters’ Stephen Kalin on Battle of Mosul)

(Musings On Iraq interview with AFP’s Ahmad Mousa on Battle of Mosul)

(Musings On Iraq interview with journalist Florian Neuhof on Battle of Mosul)

2017 Kurds withdrew from 1 district in northeast Diyala and 5 in western Ninewa that they

occupied in 2014

2017 Peshmerga clashed with Hashd at Mosul Dam before handing over facility to govt forces

(Musings On Iraq article on Kurds withdrawal from disputed areas)

2017 5 Turkish soldiers killed by IEDs laid by PKK 1^st time in years Turkish soldiers killed by PKK

in Iraq Would start escalation of conflict

2017 By end of 2017 318 PKK fighters and 23 Turkish soldiers killed along with 23 Turks wounded

in fighting

(Musings On Iraq interview with journalist Frederike Geerdink on escalating conflict between PKK and Turks in Iraq)

View the Iraq History Timelines