This Day in Iraqi History - May 3

1921 Gertrude bell wrote Mid-Euphrates tribes perplexed why UK picked Faisal

            to be King of Iraq when he led revolt against them in Syria

1941 2^nd day British planes bombed Iraqi forces Destroyed 29 Iraqi planes in Baghdad

            and 13 more in Diyala

1941 Iraqi air force bombed Iraqi army in Ramadi by accident in night raid

1941 Churchill ordered British troops to march from Palestine to Iraq

1941 UK Cmdr for Mid East Gen Wavell given command of Iraq Complained no forces

            to spare and negotiations should be used instead

1941 UK Cmdr for Mid East Gen Wavell later said he could send a small force from

            Palestine to Iraq but would threaten security in region and called for talks again

1941 Gaylani told Italian ambassador Iraq needed German and Italian air support

to deal with British, financial aid and a German military mission to work with Iraq General Staff

1941 German Foreign Min Ribbentrop supported sending special representative to

            Baghdad along with military laison officers to set up arrival of German aid

1941 German Foreign Min Ribbentrop suggested sending fighter and bomber squadons

            to Iraq Hitler agreed

1964 New provisional constitution said Iraq a democratic-socialist government but

            power was still with Pres Arif

1982 Iraq counterattacked in Khuzistan ending Iran’s Op Bait al-Moqaddas Iran

            retook 300 sq mi

1983 Iraqi Op Salam launched in southern Iraq to capture and kill army deserters

1988 Start of 4^th Anfal campaign focused on Lesser Zab River, Sulaymaniya Kogtapa

            attacked with chemical bombs

(Musings On Iraq article on Anfal campaign)

1995 KDP told Turkey it would stop PKK activities in Kurdistan

2003 UK PM’s office said Iraq had WMD and they would be found

2003 White House said it was sure Iraq’s WMD would be found

2003 Bush said Iraq’s WMD programs would be found would just take time Was

            change from previous claims WMD stocks would be found

2003 UK intel said trailer found in Mosul could be mobile WMD lab

2003 CPA appointed Thamir Ghadban interim Oil Minister

2004 Mahdi Army attacked US base and a convoy in Najaf setting off hour long

            gun battles

2004 Heavy fighting between insurgents and US forces closed down road to Baghdad

            airport

2004 UN outlined plan to create Iraqi Election Commission to run 2005 voting

2004 US Marines said would replace Gen Latif head of Fallujah Brigade with Gen

            Saleh because Latif a Baathist

2005 PM Jaafari’s cabinet sworn in 2 deputy prime ministers and 7 important ministries

            vacant due to political disputes including Oil and Defense

2005 Shiite parties rejected Sunni candidates for ministries at last minute

2007 Anbar Awakening demanded all tribes in Anbar to stop supporting ISI

2008 Iraqi delegation to Iran presented evidence that Tehran was arming and training

            militias fighting govt Baghdad

2009 Baghdad said it would not extend deadline for US forces to be out of country’s

            cities by Jun 30 2009

2009 Arrest warrants issued for Trade Minister Sudani’s two brothers and other

            ministry officials for corruption

2009 2 Iraqi soldiers opened fire at U.S. troops at an outpost in Mosul killing 2

            and wounding 3 Americans

2009 Iraqi forces arrested Dhuluiya, Salahaddin Sawha leader Claimed he

            attacked Dujail during civil war

2009 Sahwa in Iskandiriya walked off job for not being paid in months

2010 Abu Abdullah al-Shafi emir of Ansar al-Sunnah was captured in Baghdad

2010 Baghdad started recount requested by Maliki after came in 2^nd in election to

Allawi

2011 National Reconciliation Ministry said Asaib Ahl Al-Haq was joining

            reconciliation process Didn’t happen

2011 KRG parliament passed law to unite PUK and KDP Peshmerga Never completed

2013 Police told AFP they had orders from Interior Ministry to use fake bomb

            detectors even though knew they didn’t work

2013 Friday prayers at Fallujah protest site urged people to stay peaceful and

            demanded Maliki resign

2013 Friday prayers at Kirkuk protest site warned that Baghdad had ignored

            their demands and could lead to civil war

2013 Samarra and Mosul protest sites demanded either Maliki resign or Salahaddin

            and Ninewa would become federal regions

2014 Ansar al-Sunna declared war on ISIS in Diyala

2015 Protests in Basra over lack of electricity

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