Monday, March 12, 2018

This Day In Iraqi History - Mar 12


1921 Start of Cairo Conference where Britain decided on its future Middle East
            policy with Mesopotamia being a centerpiece
(Musings On Iraq article on Cairo conference)
1921 Colonial Secretary Churchill’s main concern at Cairo Conference was cutting costs
            for London
1921 Colonial Secretary Churchill said British troops would be withdrawn in
            Mesopotamia as quickly as possible Air power would be used for control
1921 Sir Percy Cox and Gen Haldane objected to Churchill’s troops reduction plan
            saying soldiers still needed in Mesopotamia
1921 Royal Air Force said it would need another year to set up in Mesopotamia Meant
            Churchill could not withdraw British troops as quickly as he wanted
1921 Most at UK Cairo Conference supported a Hashemite either Feisal or Abdullah
            becoming ruler in Mesopotamia
1921 Colonial Sec Churchill said putting Feisal in power in Mesopotamia would be
part of larger policy to have Hashemites beholden to England in Mecca and Transjordan
1921 Colonial Sec Churchill thought putting Feisal in power would lead to
            Mesopotamian govt that could run things and save UK money
1921 Colonial Sec Churchill was open to creating a Kurdish state Thought would be a
            buffer between Turkey and Mesopotamia
1921 Sir Percy Cox and Gertrude Bell argued for a unitary Mesopotamian state that
            included Kurds at Cairo Conference
1921 Colonial Sec Churchill wrote PM George saying UK troop costs in Mesopotamia
            were a huge waste and there would be a quick withdrawal
1974 After talks broke down with Baghdad and it imposed own law for Kurdistan KDP
restarted rebellion
1991 Govt operation to retake Najaf from Shiite rebels began
1991 Iraqi refugees fleeing country claimed govt forces used napalm to put down
            uprising
1993 Iraqi army attacked Aweina Kurdistan killing 30
2002 Blair For Pol Adv Manning met with Natl Sec Adv Rice and said UK supported
            regime change in Iraq but needed good strategy
2002 2 CIA reports said aluminum tubes Iraq tried to buy were for centrifuges for nuke
            program
(Musings On Iraq article on the aluminum tubes story)
2003 Bush called Blair about vote on 2nd UN resolution on Iraq Bush said if didn’t have
            votes shouldn’t have a vote
2003 Bush called Mexican Pres Fox and Chilean Pres Lagos on 2nd UN resolution Fox
            non-committal Lagos said he would vote no
2003 Bush called Blair and said that vote on 2nd UN resolution was dead
2003 UN committee reported on Iraq violating sanctions
2003 Iraqi scientists began private interviews with UN inspectors
2003 Bush endorsed Def Dept plan for quick transition to Iraqi authority made up of
            exiles and Kurds after war
2003 UndersecDef Feith briefed NSC on postwar plans for Iraqi Foreign Min military
            and intel services
2003 Feith said Foreign Ministry and embassies needed to be purged
2003 Feith wanted to disband intel services Republican Guard State Security Office and
            militias and cut Iraqi military to just 3-5 army divisions
2004 Sadrists destroyed Gypsy village of Qawliya, Qadisiya
(Musings On Iraq article on the destruction of Qawliya)
2006 2 bombings of markets in Sadr City kill 58
2006 U.S. soldiers gang raped 14 yr old Iraqi girl in Mahmudiya and then killed her
            family
2016 Abadi called on political parties to present their technocratic candidates for
            new cabinet Only 3 parties did so

View the Iraq History Timelines 

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