This Day In Iraqi History – May 18

1941 British bombed Fallujah while troops began surrounding town

1941 Transjordan force arrived at Habaniya base in Anbar Were attacked by German planes

1948 Port of Basra protest against Anglo-Iraq Treaty

1991 Massoud Barzani announced deal with Saddam for greater Kurdish autonomy

1994 US pushed through UN call for Iraq to stop attacks on southern marshes as part of

            ending sanctions

2002 British govt issued order to prepare for military action against Iraq

2003 Former NY City Police Commissioner Kerik sent to be Iraq’s Interior Minister

            under CPA

2003 Kerik said he found no plan in place in Baghdad and Interior Ministry was

            staffed by 12 Americans plus him

2003 UK Foreign Office memo looting continued in Baghdad Interior and Information

            Ministries were recently looted

2003 ORHA restored pay to Iraqi govt workers

2003 Sheikh Naifus of Albu Alwan tribe in Babil who had been arrested for executions

            following 91 uprising released by US

2003 Fighting broke out in Kirkuk between Kurds and Arabs 5 killed 40 injured

            Armed Kurds from Hawija arrived in city to join in

2004 Sadr called on Iraqis to rise up against US in Najaf

2004 Ayatollah Sistani called on all armed forces to withdraw from Najaf and not to join

            Sadr’s uprising

2004 Pentagon announced it would end funding INC in June 2004

2004 DepSecDef Wolfowitz wouldn’t give timetable for US withdrawal from Iraq after

            sovereignty returned in Senate testimony

2005 Several US generals said it would take years for the US to withdraw from Iraq

            because taking long time to rebuild Iraqi forces

2005 Report Only 3 of 81 Iraqi army battalions capable of acting independently

            Only 1 of 26 army brigades able to work independently

2008 Maliki promised $100 mil for rebuilding Mosul after Mother of Two Springs

            operation

2008 Accordance Front MP said Baghdad agreed to integrate 20% of Ninewa Sahwa

            and 7,000 locals into security forces

2008 Sadr ceasefire in Baghdad finally took effect

2008 Police raided Sadr offices in Basra and captured large weapons cache and arrested

            militiamen

2009 Integrity Comm official said Def Min officials charging $500 to join army Trade Min selling

            food rations to businesses

2009 Defense and Interior Min fired 12,000 ghost soldiers and 70,000 ghost police US

            officials thought 25% of Def Min payroll stolen

2009 Head of Islamic Party in Diyala Khazraji and Sawha leader arrested on terrorism

charges as part of Operation Promise of Good II

2009 Warrants for 3 other members of Diyala council issued by Maliki dropped due to

protests by parliament

2009 Arrest of Khazraji part of Maliki arrests of Islamic Party and Sahwa members in

Diyala before and after provincial elections

2009 Baghdad released tape of man they claimed was ISI leader Baghdadi confessing

            Was not Baghdadi

2010 Interior Ministry source claimed Iranian explosives and shells used in recent

            bombing in southern Iraq

2010 Sadrists said they supported Jaafari to be PM not Maliki

2012 Human Rights Watch reported secret prison in Green Zone run by Maliki said to

            be closed in March 2011 still operating

2012 KRG began preparations to build independent oil pipeline to Turkey

2013 Protest leaders in Mosul Anbar Salahaddin Diyala Kirkuk had meeting saying

            armed struggle or regions only options left

2013 Ramadi protest leader called for a Sunni region in Iraq

2013 Arrest warrant for Mohammed Abu Risha Ramadi protest leader led to

            gunfight with ISF in city

2014 Head of Mosul intelligence claimed he received report ISIS planning to attack

            Mosul and told Ninewa Operations Command

2014 Babil police chief claimed Jurf al-Sakhr mostly cleared Town actually wouldn’t

            be freed until Oct 2014

2014 Financial experts warned Iraqi economy heading towards recession

2014 Maliki said no 2014 budget until a new government was formed

2014 Report that 400,000 people fled Fallujah due to shelling and barrel bombing by

            ISF

2015 Mahmoud Othman criticized Pres Barzani for talking about independence and

            acting like sole leader of Kurds

2015 Foreign diplomat in Baghdad said Iran using Maliki against Abadi Opposed his

            pro-Western policies

2015 Fighting broke out between Bani Tamim tribe and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq in Basra

2015 Badr head Amiri blamed Anbar council for loss of Ramadi because kept Hashd out

            of province Untrue Hashd were there for months

View the Iraq History Timelines