Security In Iraq Jun 22-28, 2018

Security remained relatively the same between the third and fourth weeks of June. The number of incidents went from 42 from June 15-21 to 52 from June 22-28. The number of casualties went from 102 the third week to 123 the fourth. The other similarity was that the Islamic State continued its comeback with more kidnappings, confrontations with the security forces, and attacks upon villages across several provinces.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 30

1915 UK committee wrote paper advocating for break up of Ottoman Empire and

            creation of Iraq to control its oil and agriculture Cabinet didn’t agree

1930 Anglo-Iraq Treaty agreed on independence in Oct 1932 Allowed British to keep

            military in Iraq and use Iraqi territory for 25 years

1957 Ali Aiyubi became premier 3^rd time

1973 Police Chief Kazzar launched failed coup against Bakr Arrested Defense Minister

            Shihab and Interior Minister Ghaydan Failed to assassinate Bakr and Saddam

1973 Kazzar was captured trying to flee to Iran but not before he killed Def Min Shihab

            and seriously wounded Inter Min Ghaydan

1980 Newly elected parliament took office Naim Haddad of Revolutionary Command

            Council elected speaker  

1986 Iran started Op Karbala 1 to recapture Mehran, Iran from Iraq

1988 Iraq recaptured Mawet, Kurdistan from Iran Iran-Iraq War

1991 Saddam created special committee headed by Tariq Aziz to conceal weapons

            programs from UN inspectors

2003 Rumsfeld said no guerrilla war or organized resistance in Iraq

2003 Report IAEA had US British German experts look at aluminum tubes Iraq tried to

            buy All said they were for rockets not centrifuges

2003 New Republic article quoted intel officials that Bush admin exaggerated Iraq

            aluminum tubes story

(Musings On Iraq article on the aluminum tubes story)

2007 Battle of Donkey Island US destroyed ISI force threatening Ramadi

2008 5 IEDs targeting judges in Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq article on attacks on judges)

2009 US withdrew forces from Iraqi cities

2009 Iraq auctioned eight oil and gas fields to international energy companies Rumaila

only field successfully auctioned Was considered a failure at first further hurting standing of Oil Min Shahristani that parliament was trying to remove

2014 ISIS killed Mohammed Khamis head of Ramadi Awakening Council

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 29

1923 Mujtahids Isfahani and Nayini arrived in Karbala in protest march against

            deportation of cleric Khalisi but only two other mujtahids joined them

1947 Baghdad hung four of Barzanis lieutenants and arrested his brother Shekh Ahmed

1966 Baghdad-Kurdish deal called for recognition of Kurds in constitution and

            autonomy Never implemented but stopped war

1966 Some 10,000 killed and 80,000 displaced during fighting between Kurds and

            govt from 1961-1966

1982 Iraq claimed it had withdrawn all its troops from Iranian territory Iran-Iraq War

            Iraq still held border areas

1992 Attempted coup by 4 officers in Republican Guard put down by Saddam 150

            Republican Guard officers executed and dismissed in aftermath

2003 Report SecState Powell misrepresented recording of Republican Guard in Feb 03

            UN speech to make it seem like they were trying to hide WMD

2003 FmrAmb Wilson claimed it unlikely British intel didn’t receive CIA

            reporting that Iraq-Niger uranium papers were fake

2003 FmrAmb Wilson claimed he saw fake Iraq-Niger docs He didn’t Also had

            no knowledge of CIA-British intel sharing

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)

2003 1^st UN inspector chief Ekeus OpEd said Iraq’s strategic rational for WMD was

            Iran not the US or west

2003 Ekeus OpEd said Iraq learned from Iran-Iraq War its chemical weapons quickly

            deteriorated

2003 Ekeus OpEd Iraq changed its WMD policy after Gulf War to stop producing and

            focus upon design and engineering

2003 Ekeus OpEd Iraq started just in time WMD program to work on infrastructure and

            then produce chemical weapons right before war

2003 Ekeus OpEd said Iraq’s WMD threat was in its research know how and production

            facilities

2003 1^st UN weapons inspector Ekeus OpEd said letting Saddam stay in power with

            WMD know how was a threat

2004 New PM Allawi announced Saddam and 11 others would face trial for their crimes

            under Saddam’s govt

2006 VP Cheney stood by his claim that the insurgency was in its “last throes” in 2005

Said people would look back at 2005 as a turning point in Iraq Said US underestimated the insurgency and damage Saddam’s rule did to Iraq

2006 US military said most captured foreign fighters in Iraq came from Egypt, Syria,

            Sudan, Saudi Arabia in that order

2008 Maliki promised Jabouri tribe limited autonomy in return for their support

2008 Female suicide bomber hit Sahwa council in Baquba

(Musings On Iraq article on female suicide bombers)

2014 ISIS spokesman Adnani Promise of Allah statement said would form the

caliphate under Caliph Ibrahim Said that all Muslims had to give allegiance to the caliphate

2017 Nouri Mosque Mosul liberated by Iraqi forces where IS’s Baghdadi declared the

            caliphate in 2014

2017 1^st protest of summer over services led by Sadrists Burned building Led to police

            shooting at crowd 4 dead 20 wounded

View the Iraq History Timelines 

International Organization for Migration Warns Fewer Displaced Returning In Iraq

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) the main group working with the Iraqi government and United Nations on displacement found that the number of returns has slowed in 2018.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 28

1914 Ottomans agreed to oil concessions for British and Germans in Mosul

            and Baghdad provinces Never happened because WWI

1940 Italy told Iraq it wanted an independent Syria Lebanon and Iraq as well

1969 Baath created Dohuk province as part of 1966 June Declaration on Kurdish rights

1981 Iraq offered Ramadan ceasefire but rejected by Iran

1982 Saddam dismissed all the members of the Revolutionary Command Council

1986 Iraqi planes attacked Sardasht Iran using mustard gas 1^st civilian town attacked by

            WMD 133 killed

1987 Iran accused Iraq of killing and wounding 650 Kurdish civilians in mustard

            gas attack in northwest Iran

1991 UN inspectors denied access to Fallujah nuclear site while trucks took equipment

            out

2004 CPA disbanded, Iraqi sovereignty returned to interim govt led by Premier Allawi

2004 Bremer said CPA accomplished almost everything it set out to do including a

            peaceful democratic and pluralistic society

2004 US created Multi National Security Transition Command Iraq to train Iraqi forces

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

2004 Sistani fatwa said no guarantee US process would create constitutional convention

            that represented the Iraqi people

2005 Bush said Iraq policy was stand up Iraqi forces and US would stand down meaning

            withdraw

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

2008 Accountability and Justice law amended to stop former ISF officers for being fired

            for Baathist past and those that quit could now get jobs with govt

(Musings On Iraq article on amending Accountability and Justice law)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 27

1915 British forces began campaign to capture Nasiriya from Ottomans

1923 Persian mujtahids and businesses in Najaf protested deportation of cleric

            Khalisi for his opposition activities

1923 2 mujtahids led protest in Karbala trying to get clerics and religious students to

            leave for Persia to protest Khalisi’s deportation

1954 Parliament dismissed as part of Nuri al-Said’s demands before he returned as

            premier  

1983 France agreed to lend Iraq 5 Super Entendard fighter bombers that Baghdad

            wanted to use to attack Iranian oil fields and installations

1990 Iraq’s Revolutionary Command Council meeting gave Saddam okay to use force

            against Kuwait

2003 Cheney Chief of Staff Libby told Bob Woodward 2002 Natl Intel Estimate on Iraq

            included Iraq trying to buy uranium from Africa

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)

2004 Bremer got OK from Bush to close CPA Jun 28 to try to fool insurgency

2006 Under pressure Maliki revised amnesty offer made 2 days before to include just

            those that had not killed anyone

2008 Senior judge assassinated in east Baghdad during spate of attacks upon judiciary in

            capital

(Musings On Iraq article on attacks on judges)

2008 Suicide bomber attacked meeting of Anbar Awakening killing 20 including several

            sheikhs

(Musings On Iraq article on Awakeing bombing)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Sadr Has Enough Seats To Form New Govt, Waiting For Election To Be Certified

(Iraqi News)

Iraq’s political leaders took another step towards forming a new government. The latest move was Moqtada al-Sadr of Sairoon and Prime Minister Haidar Abadi of Nasr announcing that they had reached an agreement. This came after the premier visited Sadr in Najaf. They proclaimed they were committed to a nonsectarian government. This came after a number of consultations to get Abadi to join. That included meetings with Hadi Amiri from the Fatah list, and intense lobbying from Iran. Since 2005 creating a new administration has taken two steps. First the Shiites lists converge, and form the largest coalition, and then the other parties are brought in. Major points of contentions are over which parties will get which ministries, and who will become the prime minister. Sadr’s Sairoon ran on a platform of ending the ethnosectarian quotas that have been used to determine who gets which positions, and called for a technocratic government. It’s yet to be seen whether Sairoon can achieve either of those. Parties take part in regimes so that they can gain power via offices, which gives them control over money and jobs, which are used for patronage networks and corruption schemes. They would not be willing to join with Sadr if they would not be able to attain these privileges.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 26

1925 Abdul Sadoun became PM of Iraq for 2^nd time

1940 PM Gaylani asked Italy to become involved in Syria to block Turkey occupying it

            Came after Syria joined Vichy France

1948 Muzahim al-Pachachi became premier

1988 Iraq recaptured Majnoon Islands from Iran

1989 Iraq said it was clearing all civilians from 20 mil border area with Iran and

            Turkey in Kurdistan relocating 200,000-5000,000 Kurds

1993 Pres Clinton ordered cruise missile attack on Iraq’s intel HQ in Baghdad for

            attempted assassination of ex-Pres Bush in Kuwait

1996 Iraqi govt rounded up 120 coup plotters and executed most of them in failed

            plot by CIA and Iraqi National Accord

1996 Iraqi intel had captured satellite phone from Iraqi National Accord agent in Iraq

            and uncovered CIA-INA plot

1996 Iraqi intel used captured communication equipment to tell CIA its coup plotters

            had been rounded up and they should go home

2002 Gen Franks met with commanders in Germany and told them to switch from

original war plan to new Running Start Running Start would begin war before all forces in theater

2002 INC memo to Senate Approp Comm said group had led to 108 English articles

            from Oct 01-May 02 and White House officials had received those products

2003 UN terrorism committee draft report found no Iraq-Al Qaeda links

2003 Ayatollah Sistani issued fatwa saying Iraqis should elect council to draft new

            constitution vs CPA plan  

2003 Report quoted State Dept memo that too early to tell whether captured Iraqi

            trailers were mobile WMD labs

(Musings On Iraq article on mobile labs story)

2005 Rumsfeld said US conducting secret talks to try to split Iraqi from foreign

            insurgents

2006 Al Qaeda in Iraq robbed $7 mil from Rafidain bank branch in Ramadi

2008 ISI suicide bomber hit tribal council meeting Killed 26 including Garma mayor

2016 Fallujah finally freed of insurgents  

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Security In Iraq, Jun 15-21, 2018

The Islamic State’s attempt to rebuild the insurgency continued to ebb and flow. After a large number of incidents the second week of June things calmed down the next week. The major area of violence was actually in northern Kurdistan where Turkey was still bombing the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). IS did unleash a new wave of kidnappings across Diyala, Kirkuk, and Salahaddin.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 25

1961 Gen Qasim called for Kuwait to be re-united with Iraq Egypt said it was

            opposed to idea

1988 2^nd Op Tawakal ala Allah using chemical weapons Iraq attacked Majnoon Islands

1991 Iraqis fired on UN weapons inspectors at suspected nuke site

2003 Report Captured Zarqawi operative in Germany said Zarqawi independent

            terrorist not part of Al Qaeda

2003 Report State Dept WMD analyst told Congressional hearing he felt pressured to

            tailor intel to fit Bush admin agenda on Iraq

2004 Captured Iraqi doc Iraq intel and bin Laden met in 90s Iraq agreed to air anti-

            Saudi tapes but request for joints ops unanswered by Iraq

2006 Maliki presented National Reconciliation and Dialogue project to parliament

Offered amnesty to those who had not killed Iraqi civilians Offered money to anyone who had suffered losses in war

2006 Health Ministry recorded over 50,000 Iraqi deaths since 2003 from terrorism and

            military clashes

2006 Report CIA officer Drumheller warned Agency before Bush’s Jan 03 State of the

Union and Powell’s Feb 03 UN speech not to use story Iraq had mobile WMD labs

2006 Report CIA officer warned that source of mobile labs story Iraqi named

            CURVEBALL held by Germans was unstable and story not verified

2006 Report Germans warned CIA that CURVEBALL was unreliable and refused to

            allow CIA access to him

2006 CIA Dir Tenet told Powell it had multiple sources confirming Iraq mobile lab story

            while preparing Powell’s UN speech CURVEBALL was only real source

(Musings On Iraq article on CURVEBALL)

2006 Right before Powell’s speech CIA Dir called CIA officer Drumheller to fact check

            speech Told Tenet not to use mobile labs claim

(Musings On Iraq article on mobile labs story)

2007 ISI bombed meeting of Anbar sheikhs in Baghdad killing 13

2014 Al-Nusra commander on Syrian-Iraq border gave allegiance to ISIS

View the Iraq History Timelines

Musings On Iraq In The News

I was quoted by Paul Iddon twice for Ahval. First in "Turkish operations in Iraq aim at PKK's Qandil base", and then in "Erodgan's opportune attack on Qandil faces uncertain end."

Review Compulsion In Religion, Saddam Hussein, Islam, and the Roots of Insurgencies In Iraq

Review Helfont, Samuel, Compulsion In Religion, Saddam Hussein, Islam, and the Roots of Insurgencies In Iraq, New York: Oxford University Press, 2018

Samuel Helfont and Compulsion In Religion, Saddam Hussein, Islam, and the Roots of Insurgencies In Iraq deals with the much debated topic of the role of religion during the period of Saddam Hussein. Some have argued that Saddam embraced religion during the last few years of his regime, others believed that the Iraqi state weakened under sanctions allowing for more freedom at mosques and Islamists, others think the Baathists co-opted religion to maintain its control. Helfont takes that latter approach, but in a much more thorough way than previous authors based upon extensive research within the captured Baathist documents that now resident in the United States.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 24

1981 UK signed trade pact with Baghdad that would expand trade to more than

            $2 bil/yr

1982 9^th Regional Baath Party Congress held in secret Saddam said party infiltrated by

            enemies and suffered bad decisions

1982 After 9^th Regional Baath Party Congress Saddam changed party leadership

            to ensure his control

1984 Iraq bombed Iran’s main oil terminal Kharg Island 2^nd time Only minimal damage

1994 SCIRI claimed govt building new canal to drain southern marshes and drive

            out displaced and rebels

2003 Rumsfeld said Iraq had chemical weapons but not nuclear weapons

2003 UN head inspector Blix said inspectors were not impressed with Powell’s Feb 03

            speech to UN on Iraq’s WMD

2003 Weapons search in Maysan’s Majar al-Kabir led to shootout and death of 6

            British soldiers

2003 UK intel report believed Iran backed Mujahedeen for Islamic Revolution in Iraq

            killed 6 British soldiers

2003 Fallujah’s mayor’s office hit by RPG for working with US

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq carried out multiple car bombs and attacks on police in Baghdad

Baquba Fallujah Ramadi and Mosul killing 92 wounding 285 Took over police station and city hall in Baquba and held city center for 6 hours

2004 Sadr announced unilateral ceasefire with US in Sadr City

2014 Operation to try to free Tal Afar launched and failed

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 23

1991 US Gen said in opening day of bombing during Gulf War US tried to

            kill Saddam

1996 Iyad Allawi interviewed in WashPost saying Iraqi National Accord supported a

            military uprising in Iraq

2003 Oil Ministry made first foreign oil sale to Turkish company since invasion

2003 Official US found more evidence since Iraq invasion to prove Iraq-Al Qaeda ties

2003 US defense official complained to press Iraq-Al Qaeda ties were based on politics

            before war not based on intelligence

2003 Bush at NSC meeting asked why US wasn’t pushing elections in Iraq and maybe

            they should come before writing constitution

2003 Cheney chief of staff Libby told NYTimes reporter Miller Fmr Amb Wilson’s

wife worked at CIA in retaliation against Wilson Implied Wilson’s wife set up her husband’s trip to Niger

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq-Niger uranium story)

2003 Cheney chief of staff Libby complained that CIA was selectively leaking info to

            press to lesson its role in claims about Iraq’s WMD

2004 Pentagon report said only 6% of Iraqi police had finished training Said ISF

            lacked equipment

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

2004 Report were two waves of foreign fighters to Iraq one before and one after 2003

            invasion

2004 Report cooperation between Baathist and jihadist insurgents in Iraq and

            international terror networks including Al Qaeda

2004 DepDefSec Wolfowitz said what was going on in Iraq was not an insurgency Said

            it was former regime elements who didn't want to give up

2005 15 Sunnis and 1 Sabean added to constitutional drafting committee and 10 more

            Sunnis as advisers

2006 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey briefed Bush on withdrawal plan Bush approved

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

2013 Parliament amended 2008 Provincial Powers Law but not implemented

2014 ISIS held large military parade in Mosul after city fell

2014 Fighting between ISIS and Hawija Brigades in Hawija, Kirkuk for control

2014 Jihad and Reform Front agreed to work with ISIS in summer offensive Said tribal

            revolutionaries would sweep over Anbar

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Iraqi Court Rules For Ballot Recount While Talks Continue To Form New Govt

(Al Monitor)

Iraq’s Supreme Court ruled that two-thirds of the parliament’s recent amendment to the election law were constitutional. That included saying that a manual recount of the ballots and replacing the Election Commission with judges were good, but cancelling overseas and displaced votes was not. On June 6, parliament changed the election law due to widespread complaints over voting fraud and poor conduct by the Election Commission. The recount is unlikely to change the voting results overall. The top lists all finished with roughly the same number of seats, and the main charges of cheating were within the Kurdish lists and in Anbar. The only question now is if the new counting of the ballots can happen quickly and resolve the complaints with the election. The major threat to its standing was not from the Kurds for instance, but rather the major parties that were unhappy with their results and politicians that lost their seats. They believed they could manipulate the system through charges of cheating to hold onto their positions. Hopefully this can stop their attempt.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 22

1922 Standard Oil told State Dept that it and other US companies were

            interested in exploring in Iraq

1963 Govt forces captured Saqsaq and Tobzawa from KDP Peshmerga

1982 Saddam said Iraqi forces would withdraw from Iran in 10 days Khomeini said

            that war would not end

1982 Commander in chief of Iranian army said Iran-Iraq War would continue until

            Saddam overthrown

1982 Saddam complained that Iran was defeated in 1980 but didn’t give up

1996 UN and Iraq agreed on terms for allowing UN inspectors into Republican Guard

            Special Republican Guard Special Security Organization Mukhabarat sites

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

1998 Grand Ayatollah Mirza Ali al-Gharawi assassinated by Saddam who blamed

            foreign agents

2001 US decided to provide new aid to Iraqi opposition against Saddam

2003 Bush blamed former regime elements for attacks in Iraq

2003 Bush claimed other intel services said Iraq had WMD and Iraq never proved

            it destroyed its WMD arsenal

2003 Head weapons inspector Blix thought Iraq only had “debris” of WMD program

            since none found since invasion

2003 Blix said pre-war reports by Iraqis that WMD were destroyed might prove true

            Cited Hussein Kamal in 94 who said no WMD left

2003 Report 2002 National Intelligence Estimate questioned Iraq-Al Qaeda ties

2003 2000 Sistani supporters protested outside Green Zone demanding elections and

            new Iraqi govt

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq beheaded S Korean civilian Kim Sun-il

2004 UN audit on reconstruction in Iraq found spending and contracts full of errors and

            open to fraud

2004 UN audit found State Organization for Marketing Oil had no records on tenders

            contracts who won bids etc

2004 Report White House claims Saddam Fedayeen members were in Al Qaeda based

            upon confusion of their names

2005 US Commanding Gen in Iraq Casey got report of prisoner abuse by ISF Ordered US

            forces to stop any abuses they saw

2008 Iraqi offensive against Sadrists in Maysan expanded to Dhi Qar and Wasit

2008 Report IEDs down 90% from 2007

2008 Female suicide bomber in Baquba killed 13 wounded 30

(Musings On Iraq article on female suicide bombers)

2008 Report US reconstruction projects in Hit halted due to corruption of mayor and

            police chief

2008 Baghdad Ops Command said Maliki issued order to integrate all Sahwa in

            province

2009 US commander in Diyala said govt had not paid 1000 Sahwa in province nor

            integrated them into govt

2009 US turned over security in Anbar to Iraqi forces

2010 Protests in Ramadi and Nasiriya over lack of electricity

2010 Army arrested sons of protest organizer in Basra demanding leader turn himself

            in Basra council condemned Army’s move

2011 Report Asaib Ahl Al-Haq carrying out recruiting program to get people to

            attack US forces before they withdrew from Iraq

2011 Basra council voted to ban US military from operating in province

2012 Def Sec Panetta asked Iraq to hold Hezbollah operative Daqduq in prison Captured

            by US and turned over to Iraqis

(Musings On Iraq article on Hezbollah presence in Iraq)

2012 Iraq’s national grid ran out of fuel shutting down electricity across entire country

            for 24 hrs

2012 Sadr criticized Ayatollah Haeri and Iran for trying to interfere with his followers

            during no confidence move vs Maliki

2013 ISF launched operation in Rawa, Anbar

2013 Early election results showed Mutahidun in 1^st place in Anbar and Ninewa

            provincial elections

2013 Anbar governor claimed Iraqi Islamic Party cheated in provincial elections

            paying off voters

2014 ISF withdrew from Qaim, Anbar ISIS seized Trebil and Walid border crossings

2014 ISF withdrew from Tal Afar, Ninewa turning it over to ISIS

2014 Fighting between ISIS and pro-Naqshibandi tribes in Hawija, Kirkuk for control

2014 Human Rights Ministry report 480 Shiite prisoners were executed by ISIS

            in Badush prison after Mosul captured

2014 Iraqi forces again claimed Jurf al-Sakhr, Babil freed of insurgents Wasn’t

2014 Report Iraq lost 60 of 243 Army battalions with all of their equipment 5 of Iraq’s

            14 Divisions combat ineffective

2014 Iran objected to US sending military advisers to help Iraq against insurgency

            Claimed US supporting Baathists and ISIS

View the Iraq History Timelines

Kirkuk In The Aftermath Of The 2003 Invasion, Interview With Kevin Petit of the 173rd Airborne Brigade

The U.S. 173^rd Airborne Combat Brigade along with Special Forces were the only American units sent into northern Iraq during the 2003 invasion. Their task was to destroy the Iraqi formations in the area, and then move onto Kirkuk city. The 173^rd was stationed in Kirkuk for almost the next year when the province became wracked by ethnosectarian divisions and violence between the Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Christians. Kevin Petit was the executive officer or second in command of the 173^rd during this time. This is an interview about his time serving in Kirkuk during and immediately after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 21

1920 Foreign Min Lord Curzon wrote that Iraq High Comm Wilson’s ideas were

            backwards and him leading Mandate was a problem Wilson rejected self-rule

1922 Nephew of cleric Khalisi arrested for posting anti-election fatwa in Khadimiya

Baghdad When police tried to arrest man for posting anti-election fatwa followers came to his aid but still detained

1922 Mujtahid Khalisi called for shop closings in Khadimiya to protest nephew’s arrest

            Few complied

1981 UN rep Palme took 4^th trip to Tehran to try to negotiate ceasefire to end Iran-Iraq

            War

1997 UN Resolution 1115 said Iraq had to fully cooperate with weapons inspectors and

            allow them into disputed sites

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2002 CIA paper on Iraq-Al Qaeda relationship Said two had contacts since mid-90s but

            no evidence of cooperation on terrorism Differences limited relationship

2003 Sadrist march in Baghdad against US occupation

2004 9/11 Comm member claimed captured Iraqi docs showed 3 Saddam Fedayeen

members were in Al Qaeda Claimed a Fedayeen Saddam was Al Qaeda facilitator in Malaysia Just had same name

2005 PM Jaafari announced $1 bil deal with Iran to build schools hospitals and libraries

2005 US forces saw insurgents fighting other insurgents along Iraq-Syrian border

2005 Sen Hagel told Bush he should listen to outside voices on Iraq policy

2006 Saddam’s lawyer kidnapped by men in police uniform and executed

2006 Zalmay Khalilzad sworn in as new US ambassador to Iraq

2006 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey told Joint Chiefs plan to transfer security to Iraqis in

18 months accept Anbar Wanted to draw down US brigades in Iraq from 15 to 10 by end of yr

2006 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey told Joint Chiefs he wanted only 5-6 US brigades in

            Iraq by Dec 07

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

2008 Petraeus issued new guidelines for US forces in Iraq to set up governance services

            build economy

2009 Mayors in some Ninewa district threatening to join KRG Hadbaa dispute

2010 ISF broke up protests in Nasiriya over lack of electricity Protests in Basra too

2010 Electricity Minister Hassan resigned due to protests

2012 Maliki called for Gov Nujafi to be dismissed saying he violated constitution by

            holding talks with Kurds over oil deals in disputed areas

2013 Transportation Minister and Badr head Ameri said Iraq’s Shiites would fight ISIS

            in Syria if shrines were attacked

2014 Rawa Ana Rutba Albu Hayat Jubba in western Anbar fell to ISIS

2014 ISF executed 25 prisoners in Rawa before withdrawing

2014 Fighting between Naqshibandi Ansar al-Sunna Islamic Army vs ISIS over control

            of Hamrin, Diyala

2014 ISIS fought Naqshibandi over control of Riyad, Kirkuk

2014 ISIS executed 84 ISF in Tikrit

2014 New security op to clear Jurf al-Sakhr, Babil

2014 ISIS attacked Tuz Kharmato Salahaddin and turned back

2015 KRG stopped delivering oil for export by Baghdad

2017 IS blew up historic Nouri Mosque and Hadbaa minaret in west Mosul as Iraqi

            forces approached

View the Iraq History Timelines 

What Was Behind Iran’s Social Media Campaign Promoting Gen Suleimani In Iraq?

(Al Alam)

In September 2014, a social media campaign was launched featuring Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander General Qasim Suleimani. The conventional wisdom was that this was an attempt by Tehran to portray it as the major force leading the war against the Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria. Dozens of pictures appeared on Facebook and Twitter and other outlets, and eventually found their way into the Iraqi and international media. Afshon Ostovar in Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards argued there might have been another motivation.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 20

1980 Iraq held first parliamentary elections since end of monarchy in 1958 Baath

            won 187 seats Independents 63

1982 Ayatollah Khomeini said Iran-Iraq War would end when Saddam was out

1987 Peshmerga mounted offensive in Sulaymaniya supported by Iran

1987 Ali Hassan al-Majid issued order for random attacks on Kurdish areas to kill as

many people as possible Also said that any Kurd captured between 15-70 should be interrogated then executed

2004 Interim PM Allawi said special commando units would be created

2004 Head of 9/11 Commission said Al Qaeda was closer to Iran and Pakistan than

            Iraq

2004 9/11 Comm member said captured Iraqi docs showed 1 Fedayeen Saddam was an

Al Qaeda member Attacked press for claiming Comm report contradicted Bush admin claims on Iraq-Al Qaeda connections

2004 White House claimed 9/11 Comm proved its argument of Al Qaeda-Iraq

            ties when Commission said no cooperation

2005 UK UN diplomat Ross said he saw 4 ½ yrs of intel on Iraq WMD and it didn’t

            support Blair’s argument for war

2006 Michael Maloof who was on Pentagon’s Policy Counterterrorism Group said Al

Qaeda’s Libi and INC reported Iraq providing training to Al Qaeda Feb 04 Libi recanted his story which was given under torture

2006 Michael Maloof who was on Pentagon’s Policy Counterterrorism Group said back

in 1990 Ansar al-Islam was working on WMD in Kurdistan Ansar not created until 2002

2006 Michael Maloof who was on Pentagon’s Policy Counterterrorism Group said Iraq

            supported Ansar al-Islam Was not true

2006 Michael Maloof who was on Pentagon’s Policy Counterterrorism Group said Iraq

ran terrorist training camp in Salman Pak with a plane fuselage next to a WMD facility raising fears Iraq giving terrorists WMD

2006 Was no active WMD facility in Salman Pak and terrorist training camp was spread

            by INC before invasion

2006 Michael Maloof who was on Pentagon’s Policy Counterterrorism Group said he

believed 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraqi intel in Prague in 2001 and never disproven

2006 2001 Czech intel said Atta-Iraq intel story untrue CIA FBI 9/11 Commission never

            found evidence of meeting

2006 Michael Maloof who was on Pentagon’s Policy Counterterrorism Group claimed

2002 NIE was attempt by CIA to win back debate on Iraq to WMD instead of terrorism

2006 Fmr head State Dept Intel Bureau Carl Ford said pre-Iraq war intel showed failure

            of tradecraft and analysis of US intel

2006 Car Ford said US got reports of things like Iraq-Niger uranium story and aluminum

            tubes and failed to analyze and question them thoroughly

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)

(Musings On Iraq article on the aluminum tubes story)

2006 Fmr Dep Dir CIA McLaughlin said that Feith’s Counter Terror Group found lots of

            articles of Al Qaeda-Iraq meetings but no control or operational connections

2006 Fmr Dep Dir CIA McLaughlin thought Feith’s Pentagon group was put together to

            counter CIA’s intel on Iraq-Al Qaeda

2006 Fmr CIA bin Laden desk chief Scheuer said Iraq war devastated CIA’s

            counterterrorism office by draining resources

2006 CIA’s Scheuer said it didn’t see any threat from Iraq compare to Al Qaeda Said

Dep Sec Def Feith’s office was set up to counter the CIA’s reporting no ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda

2006 Scheuer headed CIA’s report on Iraq-Al Qaeda ties and found no relationship

2006 Gen DeLong Gen Frank’s deputy commader at CENTCOM said he believed Iraq

            working with Ansar al-Islam and Al Qaeda in Kurdistan pre-invasion

2008 Report several insurgent groups reaching out to parties to try to get involved in

politics

2008 ISF arrested Sadrist deputy governor and 2 councilmen in Maysan during security

            op there vs Sadrists

(Musings On Iraq article on Op Promise of Peace)

2008 20 police accused of kidnapping and running death squads arrested Were

            members of Mahdi Army

2008 Report 4 political parties formed from 2 Anbar Awakening groups and 2 from

            insurgent Islamic Army

2009 Head of Kurdish list in Ninewa told Bashiqa teachers they should stop teaching

            in Arabic and switch to Kurdish Dispute with Hadbaa

2009 ISI bombed Shiite mosque killing 73 in Taza Kirkuk

2010 2 car bombs in front of Trade Bank of Iraq in Baghdad 27 killed 55 wounded

2010 Funeral for protester killed in Basra led to march calling for Maliki to step

            down

2010 Ayatollah Najafi issued statement condemning electricity shortages and supported

            right of people to protest problem

2011 Sadr statement called for arrest and punishment of ex-Mahdi Army Abu Dura

            and his followers Known as Shiite Zarqawi

2011 Maliki and other political leaders met at Pres Talabani’s house in Baghdad to

            discuss power sharing

2012 Sadr MP said 3^rd term for Maliki would lead to dictatorship

2012 Sadrist protest in Baghdad claimed govt cracking down on independent

            press

2013 Chevron signed new exploration deal with KRG for work in Irbil

2013 Gazprom met with Pres Barzani to discuss oil deals in KRG

2013 Shahristani claimed Iraq’s electricity problems would be solved by end of year

2013 Election Comm said voter turnout only 35% in Ninewa and 37% in Anbar in

            delayed provincial elections

2014 Tanker sold Kurdish oil to Israel exported through KRG’s independent pipeline to

            Turkey

2014 Fighting between Naqshibandi and ISIS in Hawija killed 17 as IS tried to assert

            control over area

2014 45 bodies found executed by insurgents in Tigris River in Salahaddin

2014 Turkman leaders in Tuz Kharmato said happy Peshmerga moved into city but

            wanted power sharing

2014 Sistani spokesman called for new govt that “avoids past mistakes” Most took

            that as criticism of Maliki

2015 Hashd killed a Kurdish civilian in a car leading to gunfight between Hashd

            and Peshmerga in Tuz Kharmato

2015 Civil group claimed Peshmerga killing civilians and displacing people in

            Diyala’s Khanaqin Dist

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Displacement Situation in Sinjar And What It Means For Rest Of Iraq

As of the end of May 2018 over 3.8 million Iraqis had returned home, while another 2 million remained displaced. Around 90% of those still without their homes said they want to go back. There are a number of issues that are making that difficult. The Sinjar district in western Ninewa is a perfect example. Many Yazidis have returned, but the southern half of the district still has unexploded ordinance, there are no jobs, and the majority of Arabs are afraid to go back.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 19

1914 Germany and Britain asked Ottomans for oil concessions in Mosul and

            Baghdad provinces

1937 Pan-Arab military officers withdrew their support for head of army Gen Bakr Sidqi

1981 UN Resolution 487 condemned Israel’s destruction of Iraq’s Osirak

            nuclear reactor

1988 Iraq captured Mehran Iran then handed it over to Mujahedeen e-Khalq’s National

            Liberation Army

1996 UN and Iraq began talks on allowing UN inspectors access to sensitive sites

1996 Dep PM Aziz told UN inspectors they got most of their intel from US and UK

            that were trying to remove Saddam

1996 Dep PM Aziz told UN inspectors they made sensitive visits to provoke a crisis

            at behest of US and UK

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

1998 UN Res 1175 increased Iraq’s oil export quota to $5.3 bil under Oil For Food

            program Allowed importation of equipment to maintain oil industry

2002 US told UK that it was ready for its input on military planning against Iraq

2002 Gen Franks briefed Bush on war plans

2003 Rumsfeld said that US only fighting small groups of dead enders in Iraq Tried to

compare insurgency in Baghdad to murder rate in Wash DC to say it wasn’t bad

2003 Wolfowitz told Congress insurgents were “last remains of a dying cause”

2003 US forces found an old buried centrifuge Claimed proof that Iraq had a nuclear

            weapons program

2003 US denied that captured Iraqi trailers were anything but mobile weapons labs

            Inspections showed they werent

2003 White House acknowledged that State Dep intel questioned whether captured

            trailers were WMD labs

(Musings On Iraq article on mobile labs story)

2003 New Republic on Iraq-Niger uranium deal Said Cheney got docs on deal from

            UK Asked for more info leading to trip to Niger Docs did not come from British

2003 New Republic article used Fmr Amb Wilson as unnamed source who said White

            House knew Niger story was a lie

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)

2006 Bodies of 2 US soldiers kidnapped by Mujahedeen Shura Council in Baghdad

            found

2008 ISF launched Op Promise of Peace against Sadrists in Maysan

(Musings On Iraq article on Op Promise of Peace)

(Musings On Iraq article on Sadr’s strategy)

2009 speaker of KRG parliament said KDP and PUK taking $30 mil of KRG budget

            for themselves

2009 2 British guards kidnapped and killed by Asaib Ahl Al-Haq returned to British

            embassy In return AAH members released from prison

2010 Protest in Basra over power shortages 1 demonstrator killed by police

2010 Sahwa leader in Diyala warned that ISI using carrot and stick against sahwa

            members in attempted comeback in province

2011 Def Sec Gates blamed Iran for giving weapons to Special Groups who were

            attacking US forces before withdrawal

2011 1^st Iraqi army unit received artillery from US

2011 Maliki govt accused Communist party and civil groups for protests in Baghdad

2011 2 killed in electricity protests in Basra

2012 Report Iran trying to stop no confidence vote against Maliki

2012 Maliki said Exxon deal with KRG could lead to break up of Iraq Baghdad asked

            US for help to stop deal

2012 Maliki’s media adv said Baghdad would stop any KRG-Exxon oil deal that

involved disputed areas

2013 Pres Barzani sent draft constitution back to KRG parliament for discussion

            and passage

2013 Iraqi army claimed it was responsible for split between ISIS and Al Nusra in

            Syria because it controlled Iraq-Syria border

2013 Iraqiya Diyala-Sadr list formed new govt in Diyala shutting out State of Law

2013 State of Law held protests against new govt in Diyala Militias blocked roads

            around Baquba

2013 State of Law and local lists alliance formed new govt in Karbala Sadrists and

            SIIC shut out

2013 State of Law won head of council in Karbala Sadrists boycotted session

2013 All 12 provinces that had elections formed new govts

2014 Maliki ordered govt to pay salaries and benefits to Hashd

2014 State Dept’s McGurk denied US was pushing for removal of Maliki

2014 ISIS set up 8 courts in Mosul to run city Was pushing out other insurgent

            groups that helped take city

2014 Sadr offices announced taking volunteers for new Peace Brigades to

            fight insurgency

View the Iraq History Timelines