This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 4

1927 UK official wrote ForSec Chamberlain saying UK got Mosul by trick

            Promised 25 yr Iraq Mandate Now pushing Iraq independence

1939 King Ghazi’s death publicly announced PM Said resigned

1941 UK Chiefs of Staff asked Middle East cmdr Gen Wavell how many troops he could

            spare for Iraq

1948 Port of Basra strike against Anglo-Iraq Treaty

1980 Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr arrested in Najaf by Saddam

1981 Iran bombed Iraq’s H3 airbase near Syria Destroyed 27-50 planes and Iraq’s

            strategic bombers Syria believed to have helped Iran in strike

1981 Iran said it wouldn’t negotiate a ceasefire with Saddam

1981 Head of US Interests Section in Iraq said that US and Iraq were growing closer

1983 Iraq offered 1 day ceasefire in order to clean up oil spill Iran rejected offer

1991 Report Pres Bush gave CIA okay to support opposition in Iraq led to creation of

            Voice of Free Iraq radio station run by Saudis

1991 Britain offered $37 mil in humanitarian aid to Kurds

1991 Turkey said it couldn’t support Kurdish refugees flowing into country so shut

            border 10,000 crossed into Turkey 80,000 held at border

2002 UK intel officials claimed that Blair decided that WMD and Saddam were not

            good argument for going to war in Iraq

2003 3^rd Inf Div captured Saddam International Airport in Baghdad Fedayeen Saddam

            counterattack turned back

2003 US forces sent to southern Baghdad to destroy Republican Guard units but they

            fled instead of fighting

2003 Saddam appeared on Iraqi TV touring Baghdad neighborhood

2003 Information Minister Sahaf finally admitted US forces were in Baghdad at airport

2003 Blair sent letter to Iraqi people saying Saddam would fall and Coalition would

            not be in Iraq longer than necessary

2003 Power surge knocked out most of the power in Baghdad Would be out for

            weeks after war over

2003 NSC Adv Rice said US wanted a democratic Iraq with no WMD that would not be

            threat to neighbors

2004 Sadrists rose up in Baghdad Najaf Kut Karbala Kufa Nasiriya against US

            Ambushed US patrol in Sadr City killing 8 Americans

2004 80% of one Iraqi National Guard battalion and 70% of another deserted in

            Baghdad in 1^st day of fighting Mahdi Army

2004 40% of police in Najaf and Kut fled when Sadrists rose up in 2 cities

2004 Fighting between Mahdi Army and Spanish in Najaf left 200 Iraqi casualties

2004 Polish battalion held Karbala city hall but rest of city fell to Mahdi Army

2004 Italian governor of Dhi Qar made deal with Mahdi Army to stay in base

            while militia took Nasiriyah

2004 CPA created Ministerial Committee for National Security in Iraqi govt

2004 UN special envoy Brahimi arrived in Iraq to help put together interim govt

2004 Operation Vigilant Resolve launched by Marines starting 1^st battle of Fallujah

2005 Outgoing Inter Min Naqib warned US if SCIRI got Inter Min would fill it

            with Badr militiamen which it did

2006 Report Inter Min refused to deploy any police trained by US-UK mission in last

            3 months because didn’t control recruits

2008 Maliki said he would stop raids against Sadrists

2008 Maliki said he didn’t negotiate ceasefire with Sadr but Iran did

2008 Sadr said he would recruit 10,000 local tribesmen into security forces in Basra

            after Charge of Knights

2009 Maliki said that Baathists and ISI had infiltrated Sahwa

2009 Sahwa leader in Baghdad said govt was out to destroy Sahwa

2009 Sheikh Abu Risha said he would run with State of Law in provincial elections

2010 3 car bombs on Iranian Egyptian and German Embassies in Baghdad killed 41

2011 Baghdad Operations Command accused Harith al-Dhari head of Muslim

            Scholars Association of being behind assassinations in Baghdad

2011 Day of Dignity protests in Baghdad

2011 Opposition parties walked out of KRG parliament when Peshmerga and Interior

            ministers refused to appear for questioning over treatment of Sulaymaniya

            protests

2011 Sulaymaniya protesters called on KRG government to resign

2012 Dep PM Shahristani told Kirkuk governor had to stop oil smuggling to KRG

2012 State of Law MP accused Kurds of trying to prevent army from buying new

            equipment

2012 Maliki sent envoy to try to improve ties with Turkey but failed

2013 Turkey said it was willing to split payments of oil exports between Baghdad and

            Irbil

2015 Great Tikrit Mosque set on fire after city freed Tribes demanded Hashd withdraw

            from area

2016 Kurdish Alliance said it would not vote on any ministers it didn’t nominate

2016 Allawi said if new govt was to be nonpartisan than Abadi had to resign too

            along with his cabinet

2017 Kirkuk council voted to take part in KRG independence referendum

View the Iraq History Timelines