This Day In Iraqi History – Mar 7

1916 British forces attacked Ottomans at the Dujaila Redoubt

1941 Ger Foreign Min official Woermann wrote that Berlin should send arms to Iraq but didn’t

            think Baghdad should declare war vs UK because couldn’t win

1959 Fighting broke out between Leftists that supported Qasim and pan-Arabists backed by

            Shammar tribe who were against Qasim in Mosul

1959 Mosul commander Col Shawaf led military coup against Gen Qasim Poorly

            organized Only 2 other army units joined Radio from Egypt didn’t arrive

1975 Iran and Iraq came to agreement over Shatt al-Arab and Iran said it would stop

            supporting Kurdish revolt

1975 Iraqi army moved into Kurdistan after Iran withdrew support for Kurds under

            Algiers Accord

1981 Iran rejected any ceasefire with Iraq Baghdad began bombing Iranian town of

            Ilam and oil refinery in Khuzistan in retaliation 

1984 Iraqis used mustard gas against Iranians to try to turn them back in southern marshes

1988 USSR submited new proposal for negotiating end to Iran-Iraq War

1991 Ayatollah Khoei issued 2^nd fatwa calling for clerical leadership to run Najaf

            and restoring order during uprising

1991 Iraqi officials asked for WMD to put down rebellion in Najaf

1991 Bush Admin warned Iraq not to use WMD against Shiite and Kurdish uprisings after

            Gulf War

1991 Govt forces began artillery and rocket fire on Najaf shrine

1991 Peshmerga began uprising in Sulaymaniya

1991 Saddam offered Shiites and Kurds share in govt in exchange for loyalty oath but

            turned down

1991 Iranian Pres Rafsanjani said Saddam was unpopular and should give into popular

            demand and step down

1998 UN inspectors went to Special Republican Guard and Special Security Directorate

1998 NSA intercepted Saddam’s secretary Mahmoud telling Special Security Direcrorate

            to delay inspection a one site so documents could be removed Destroyed at another

2003 UK Att Gen Goldsmith said that 2^nd UN resolution was needed for action against

            Iraq

2003 Head weapons inspector Blix said that Iraq doing more but not fully cooperating

            and still months more work ahead

2003 IAEA chief El Baradei told UN no evidence Iraq restarted nuclear program

2003 IAEA concludes that aluminum tubes Iraq tried to buy were for rockets not nuke

program

(Musings On Iraq article on the aluminum tubes story)

2003 IAEA said that documents claiming Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger were

            fakes

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

2003 Powell told UN Security Council in response to IAEA that US had new proof that

            Aluminum tubes were for centrifuges

2003 UK For Sec Straw suggested UN set ultimatum for Iraq’s full cooperation with

            inspectors by Mar 17 or face war

2003 Defense Policy Board’s Adelman wrote OpEd USA Today saying US had given

            Iraq too much time and needed action

2006 Anbar Revolutionaries said they’d killed 20 Al Qaeda in Iraq foreign fighters and

            33 Iraqi ones Said goal was to get rid of Zarqawi

2010 Parliamentary elections held leading to 2^nd Maliki term

2012 Diyala governor forced to resign when backed turning province into a region

2014 Insurgents bombed Kirkuk oil pipeline cutting northern exports

2016 Sadrists threatened no confidence vote against Abadi if he didn’t announce

            new govt in 45 days

View the Iraq History Timelines