MUSINGS ON IRAQ: This Day In Iraqi History

Sunday, March 18, 2018

1933 British official warned King Faisal was attempting to make himself dictator

of Iraq

1948 Railway strike against Anglo-Iraq Treaty

1981 US senator told press Iraq was trying to build a nuclear bomb

1985 Iraq bombed Tehran in retaliation for Iran bombing Baghdad War of Cities

1985 Iran claimed it controlled all the marshes south of Amarah Maysan Iraq

launched counterattack

1991 Sec of State Baker after tour of Middle East and Soviet Union said most

leaders thought Saddam would be gone by end of year

1991 Kurdish leader Rahman called for international help with food and medicine

during uprising None came

2002 UK Amb Meyer met with Dep Sec of Def Wolfowitz who said he was against

going to UN against Iraq

2003 UN weapons inspectors ended work in Iraq Did 731 inspections at 411 sites and

found no WMD or nuclear programs

2003 UN suspended Oil for Food program for Iraq due to impending war

2003 US military official told CNN Iraqi troops had VX and mustard gas munitions

2003 UK military given official order to prepare for Iraq invasion

2003 Joint Chief of Staff met to discuss withdrawal plans for post-invasion Iraq

2003 UK Gen Cross warned Blair that there wasn’t enough post-war planning for Iraq

2003 2 British ministers and legal adv to Foreign Office resigned in protest against the

war

2003 British parliament voted 412 to 149 to endorse Iraq invasion

2003 US named 30 countries willing to join Iraq war Became known as Coalition of

the Willing

2003 CIA source claimed he saw Saddam and his family at Dora farm south of Baghdad

CIA Dir Tenet told Bush

2003 Khalizad went to Turkey offering to allow Turkish troops to enter Kurdistan buffer

zone disarming Peshmerga ops vs PKK if US could use Turkey for invasion

2004 Fmr OHRA head Garner said he was replaced in Iraq because wanted early

elections to return power to Iraqis

2006 NSC report Iraqi army largely rebuilt but attacks not decreasing War stalemated

PM Jaafari incompetent

2009 Sadr issued statement calling on his followers to give up on violence

2011 KRG said that it would form committee to deal with protests in Sulaymaniya

2013 Kurdish MPs meet with Pres Barzani and agreed on boycotting Iraqi parliament

over disputes with Maliki

2016 Sadr started protests in Baghdad demanding cabinet reforms

MUSINGS ON IRAQ