This Day In Iraqi History – Apr 17

1916 British took Beit Asia from Ottomans and pushed Turks out of Edheim

            River in Diyala

1921 UK High Comm in Iraq Sir Cox exiled Sayid Talib to Ceylon because he aspired

            to be king and opposed Feisal for position

1941 PM Gaylani asked Germany for military aid in case of war with British

1941 British naval convoy moved towards Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra

1941 British battalion from India started arriving at Shaiba air base in Basra

1963 Iraq made initial agreement for union with Egypt

1966 Abd Rahman Arif elected president to replace his brother who died in

            helicopter crash

1983 Iran’s Op Wa al-Fajr to cut Basra-Baghdad road in Maysan failed

1983 Saddam invited Ayatollah Khomeini to Baghdad for Islamic conference to try to

            end Iran-Iraq War

1991 British intel report said Iraq had around 600 ballistic missiles left after Gulf

            War

1991 US forces began moving into Kurdistan to set up camps for displaced

1991 Germany agreed to $262 mil in humanitarian aid to Kurds

1993 During military operation against Kurds Iraqi army arrested 7,000 people

            including members of Kurdistan parliament

2001 US Dept of Energy report said didn’t have enough info to tell whether Iraq had

            restarted its nuclear program

2003 Chief UN inspector Blix cited Iraqi scientist who said Iraq had no WMD

2003 CENTCOM head Gen Abizaid said no organized military left

            in Iraq Plan was for Iraqi military to impose order after invasion

2003 CENCTOM head Gen Abizaid suggested US create 3 divisions of interim

            Iraqi army from soldiers and opposition groups

2003 US officials said 3 new Iraqi divisions needed to be formed to protect country

            after US invasion

2003 US signed deal with Bechtel to repair Iraq’s electrical grid after instead of before

            invasion

2003 ORHA head Garner got into argument with Gen Franks who didn’t want Garner

            going to Baghdad Garner said vacuum in country

2003 US forces called for people to return to work in Kirkuk City after days of unrest

            after city taken during invasion

2003 US forces captured Saddam’s half brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti

2004 3,000 police abandoned posts during insurgent and Sadrist uprisings

2006 Ret Gen Newbold former Director of Ops at Joint Chiefs wrote Time OpEd saying

            Iraq war unnecessary

2007 Islamic Army complained ISI was trying to take over Diyala by threats and

            killings

2007 ISI head Abu Omar Baghdadi issued message calling for unity amongst

            insurgents Said ISI would remain despite any criticism

2008 Govt said it would recruit local Shiites from Sadr City and Shula into security

            forces to try to break hold of Mahdi Army

2008 Army officer complained many of his commanders were pro-Sadr and would

            give info to Mahdi Army

2008 Sadrist spokesman said Mahdi Army wouldn’t disarm unless top clerics told

            them to

2008 Badr’s Hadi Ameri said that only Al Qaeda and Mahdi Army were fighting govt

2011 Ninewa Gov Nujafi joined anti-govt protests in Mosul and broke curfew imposed

            by Ninewa Ops Command to try to stop demonstration

2011 Around 90 injured in clashes between Kurdish security forces and protesters

            in Sulaymaniya 7 shot

2011 Sadrist MP said ISF was capable of defending country without US help and

            blamed US for all of Iraq’s problems

2012 Sadrists accused Sate of Law of trying to cancel elections so it could stay in power

            Said was why Election Comm head was arrested

2012 Maliki’s adviser on Kurdish Affairs Adel Barwari removed from post

2012 Maliki accused Kurds of smuggling oil to Iran

2013 KRG said it was ready to export oil to Turkey directly when it finished its

            pipeline

2014 IS attacked Al Qaeda saying that it was no longer leader of jihad

2014 Insurgents blew up pipeline in Baiji leading to large oil spill contaminating

            water all the way to Baghdad

2014 KDP and Gorran said they had agreement to form new government in KRG

2015 Police and councilman in Ramadi said IS had almost taken center of city IS began

            attacking Ramadi city center Albu Alwan sheikh said city could fall any time

2016 Sadrists restarted protests in Baghdad demanding new cabinet to be voted on

View the Iraq History Timelines