This Day In Iraqi History – Apr 24

1916 British attempt to re-supply besieged garrison at Kut failed

1920 UK gave France 25% of Turkish Petroleum Company in return for agreeing to

            British mandate in Iraq

1941 PM Gaylani and Mufti of Jerusalem met with Italian amb Told him they were

            angry Axis had done nothing to help Iraq vs British

1974 Iraqi planes bombed Qala Diza during Kurdish rebellion killing 130

1991 Kurdish leaders announced tentative deal with Saddam over autonomy and

            returning refugees who fled during revolt

1999 Were clashes between Iraqi forces and Iraqi opposition in south

2002 Gen Franks me with commanders in Qatar Said they needed to start war

            preparations

2003 Bush said Iraq might have destroyed its WMD before invasion but US would

            find them

2003 NY Times article Iraqi scientists said Saddam expanded WMD programs and

            secret facilities but destroyed stocks Wasn’t true

2003 US seized warehouse in Baghdad thought to contain WMD agents Proved false 

2003 Trailer found near Mosul was suspected of being mobile WMD labs Turned out

            not to be

2003 Dep PM Tariq Aziz surrendered to US Said Iraq had no WMD

2003 INC’s Zubeidi declared himself mayor of Baghdad

2003 ORHA head Garner met with 60 Iraqis in Kut to talk about security and how city

            should pick city council

2003 ORHA head Garner blamed Iran for anti-US protests in Kut

2003 ORHA head Garner said INC’s Chalabi was not US’s choice to run Iraq and

            Iraqis could pick their own leaders

2003 Gen McKiernan ground commander in Iraq told ORHA’s Garner security #1

            priority for postwar Iraq

2003 Rumsfeld called Powell to propose Paul Bremer as new presidential envoy to Iraq

2003 Rumsfeld called Garner and told him he would be replaced by Bremer Garner said

            he would quit Rumsfeld asked him to stay

2003 Rumsfeld said that Iraqis could form any govt they wanted as long as it wasn’t

            a theocracy like Iran’s

2003 UN Res 1476 extended Oil For Food Program past US invasion

2003 2 drive by shootings on US base in Kut, Wasit

2003 Was anti-American march in Kut, Wasit

2003 UK cabinet agreed to expand control from Basra & Maysan to Dhi Qar and

            Muthanna despite warnings might not have capabilities to deal with them

2003 UN SecGen Annan said US Coalition had to follow intl law as occupying

            power in Iraq US rejected occupier title

2004 US reported that 40% of Iraqi police deserted during Sadrist uprising in

            Najaf and Kut

2004 Insurgents launched boat attack upon Basra oil terminal killing 2 US sailors

2006 Sunni politicians accused SIIC of taking over Interior Min and staffing it with

            Badr militiamen and killing civilians

2006 Zarqawi released video portraying himself as military commander in Iraq

2006 Fmr CIA officer Drumheller said Iraq war was a policy failure by White House

            not intel one Said Bush committed to war no matter what the intel

2006 Iraqiya MP said new Maliki govt wasn't national unity one but just Shiite

            Kurdish and Sunni parties dividing up ministries

2008 ISF gained full control of central Basra from militias during Charge of Knights

2008 Captured ISI letters showed complaints about War Min Masri not consulting

            with others and didn't take criticism

2008 Captured letters said ISI was passing off old Zarqawi videos as new operations

2009 2 suicide bombers targeted Baghdad’s Khadmiya shrine

2011 Ayatollah Haeri in Iran issued fatwa against extending US troop presence in

            Iraq past 2011

2011 Sadrists said they opposed any troops extension for US past end of year

2011 Kurd opposition parties said KRG could either negotiate with protesters or

            suppress them

2011 Press freedom group said 226 violations by KRG against media trying to cover

            Sulaymaniya protests

2011 Bomb at Sacred Heart church in Baghdad

2011 6,000 protested in Mosul demanding reform and releasing prisoners

2012 Sound bomb at offices of Ayatollah Najafi in wave of attacks upon leading

            ayatollahs

2012 Pres Barzani said that Exxon would follow through with its contracts to work

            with KRG despite threats from Baghdad

2013 Maliki called for dialogue with Sunni protests after raided and killed protesters in

            Hawija Also called for law and order

2013 Mutahidun complained Maliki allowing militias to operate in Iraq

2013 Insurgents took control of Suleiman Beq, Salahaddin after ISF attacked

            Hawija protest site

2013 Hawija protest group announced that it was joining Naqshibandi after ISF

            attacked protest site

2014 Was fighting between ISIS and Military Council in Fallujah

2015 report that ISF were charging displaced Anbaris money to get into Baghdad

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