This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 18

1959 Gen Qasim called Ahwaz and Mohammareh in Iran Arab Started

supporting Arabs in Khuzistan province

2002 Pres Bush said war was inevitable with Iraq at NSC meeting

2002 Bush met with Spanish Pres Anzar Said Iraq’s weapons declaration was a joke and

            US would eventually have to remove Saddam

2002 Sec Def Rumsfeld ordered start of civil administration to run postwar Iraq

            3 months before invasion

2002 Saddam scrapped all of Iraq’s defense plans for U.S. invasion and

            replaced them with one he made himself

2002 Saddam’s war plans consisted of concentric circles around Baghdad and defending

            main cities

2002 CIA Dir Tenet asked Germans if Iraqi defector CURVEBALL could be interviewed

about his claims that Iraq had mobile WMD labs Germany said no

2002 UK Foreign Secretary Straw said Iraq in material breach of UN resolutions with its

            weapons declaration that denied it had WMD

2002 IAEA head in Reuters No evidence that Iraq had worked on any nuclear facilities

            since 1998

2002 UK Defense Ministry admitted that ships were taking troops and tanks to Persian

            Gulf

2002 CIA briefed Bush and NSC on difficulties recruiting and maintaining sources in

            Iraq

2002 CIA said talking about war while going to UN made Iraqis not willing to come

            forward because unsure US was going to remove Saddam

2005 Bush national speech said Iraqi elections were a turning point for democracy in

            Middle East and US withdrawal would show US lack of resolve

2005 Allawi’s Iraqiya filed more than 60 complaints of voting violations including

            members of security forces supporting United Iraqi Alliance

2007 SecState Rice told Maliki his govt wasn't working Maliki said others in govt

            were obstructionists

2009 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq issued fatwa on Syria War saying it was about fighting infidels and 

           defending Islam

2011 VP Hashemi stopped at Baghdad airport some of his bodyguards arrested and

            then allowed to fly to Sulaymaniya

2012 Pres Talabani had a stroke effectively ending his political career although he

            would remain in office 

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