Friday, August 17, 2018

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 17

1920 Ex-Ottoman Iraqi officers asked leading Shiite cleric Shirazi for money
            Was rejected by Sayid Tabikh objected Called the officers mercenaries
1937 PM Hikmat Sulaiman govt resigned over threat of military revolt by Mosul
Garrison commander Gen Umari Officers overthrew govt believing it had too many Kurds and Turks and not anti-imperialist Pan-Arabistis
1937 Jamil al-Midfai became premier for 3rd time in deal with pan-Arab officers
1937 Gen Fawzi became army chief of staff Promised to follow pan-Arabism support
            Arab nationalist officers End talks with Persia over Shatt al-Arab
1937 PM Midfai named Col Najib Defense Minister which angered pan-Arab officers
            Najib promoted Iraqi nationalist officers
1937 PM Midfai wanted to exonerate deposed Sulaiman govt Nuri al-Said wanted them
            punished Began plotting with army against Midfai
1987 Iraq told UN it wouldn’t accept any changes to Resolution 598 that proposed
            ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)
1995 Iraq told inspectors after 1991 Kuwait invasion Iraq had placed biological weapons
            into 166 bombs and 25 missile warheads
(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)
(Musings On Iraq article on the origins of Iraq’s WMD programs)
1996 PUK attacked KDP positions in Haj Umran near Iranian border State Dept tried to
            mediate telling Barzani should talk with Talabani
1996 Barzani told State Dept Iran needed to back out of Kurdistan and without U.S. help
            he would turn to Baghdad
2000 Iraq reopened Saddam International Airport to get around UN sanctions
2001 US Energy Dep report said aluminum tubes Iraq tried to buy were probably for
rockets not centrifuges Said tubes didn’t match design for any operating centrifuges Report refuted CIA analyst who said alumunium tubes Iraq tried to buy would work for 1950s German centrifuge design
(Musings On Iraq article on the aluminum tubes story)
2001 US Energy Dept report said Iraq trying to buy magnets and other moves showed
that Iraq restarted its centrifuge program to enrich uranium Didn’t know if nuke program restarted
(Musings On Iraq article on how poor US intel work led to claim Iraq rebuilt its nuclear weapons program)
2002 Iraq intelligence issued order to keep an eye out for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
2002 CIA made 1st paper explaining assessment of aluminum tubes Said they were for
            nuclear program Said high specifications showed they were for centrifuges
(Musings On Iraq article on the aluminum tubes story)
2003 CPA told White House if didn’t get additional $20.3 bil would be disaster for
            Bush’s plans for Iraq
2003 Water pipeline in Rusafa Baghdad hit with RGP knocking out water for 2 days
            for 300,000 people
2003 US forces killed Reuters reporter outside Abu Ghraib prison Said camera looked
            like an RPG
2004 Allawi govt offered amnesty and role in govt to Sadr in return for ceasefire in 2nd
            Battle of Najaf
2004 NSC meeting discussed US attacking Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf and possibly
            killing Sadr 2nd Battle of Najaf
2006 Bush held national security meeting to rethink Iraq strategy Bush told staff Iraq
            policy going bad and wanted new one
(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)
2006 US Cmdr in Iraq Gen Casey told Bush Iraqis may not be up to task of securing
            Baghdad
2006 US Marine report Starting Dec 05 Al Qaeda in Iraq started marginalizing and
co-opting other insurgent groups Was mad so many insurgents backed Dec 05 elections Wanted revenge
2006 Report 80% of insurgent attacks against Coalition 80% of casualties were Iraqi
            civilians Car bombs and IEDs doubled from 2004 to 2005
2010 ISI suicide bomber hit army recruits in Baghdad killing 60
2011 Iraqi parliament oil committee submitted draft of new oil law Never passed
2012 VP Biden called Maliki about Iran flying military supplies to Syria over Iraqi
            airspace
2015 Judicial Council rejected call for Chief Justice Medhat to resign
2017 Abadi’s office acknowledged that Emergency Response Division unit committed
            abuses reported in Der Spiegel during Mosul campaign
2017 Iraqi authorities announced members of Emergency Response Division were sent
            to court No specifics given
2017 Iraqi court ruled that Kurdish flag be lowered from government buildings in
            Kirkuk 

No comments:

PM Sudani May Change Cabinet To Appease Opponents Over Spy Scandal

At the end of October there were reports that Prime Minister Mohammad al-Sudani may change his cabinet . Some said this was to improve effic...