This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 2

1918 UK War Office told commander in Mespotamia to seize as many oil

            producing areas as possible

1980 Iraq launched counterattack on Iraq’s northern bridgehead at Penjwin 1^st of the war

1981 Iran bombed 4 hydroelectric power plants in Iraq

1982 Day 2 Iranian Op Muslim ibn Aqil between Qasr e-Shirin and Sumer in center Iraq

used tear gas 1^st time to try to turn back Iranian human wave attacks Saddam went to front to urge on troops because Iranian attack could threaten Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1989 US NSDD26 said U.S. would try to improve relations with Iraq

1992 UN Res 778 authorized Iraq oil revenues to be deposited in UN controlled bank

            until sanctions lifted

2002 Summary of main points Natl Intel Estimate released Said Iraq rebuilding nuke and

            WMD programs

2002 Iraq called UK’s weapons dossier propaganda and lies

2002 Bush appeared with Democrats and Republicans calling on Congress to pass

            use of force resolution on Iraq

2002 Bush said that Iraq had WMD stocks rebuilding programs Working on nuclear

            programs

2002 NYT article quoted Defense Policy Board’s Richard Perle that CIA was anti-INC

            and it provided best intel on Iraq

2002 CIA Dir Tenet told Senate CIA had no sources inside Iraq since 1990s

2002 CIA Dep Dir McLaughlin told Senate British had stretched story that Iraq tried to buy

uranium from Africa Said low chance Iraq would use WMD Would only use them if attacked Said low chance Iraq would use terrorists against US unless America attacked Iraq 

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

2003 Iraq Survey Group head Kay briefed Congress on interim report Found no Iraqi

WMD but evidence of WMD programs No nuclear program No mobile WMD labs Said Saddam never gave up ambitions to have WMD Iraq’s WMD stocks looked like they were destroyed in 1990s after Gulf War Said secret WMD programs were hidden in Iraqi intelligence services for assassinations Said Iraq had produced banned missile types

2003 CIA Dir Tenet and Deputy Dir McLaughlin reluctant to accept Kay’s findings

Argued over WMD stocks being destroyed aluminum tubes and mobile WMD labs

(Musings On Iraq article on the aluminum tubes story)

(Musings On Iraq article on mobile labs story)

2003 White House called CIA asking why finding no WMD could’ve been buried in

            Kay’s report instead of being first  

2003 Kay testimony led White House to change message from Iraq had WMD stocks to

            WMD programs being the threat that justified war

2003 US Cmdr in Iraq Gen Sanchez said insurgency had evolved and gotten more

            deadly

2003 NatSecAdv Rice created Iraq Stabilization Group to help run postwar Iraq without

consulting with rest of govt Bush had given Pentagon control of postwar Iraq so NSC’s Iraq Stabilization Group had no authority

2004 Bush said Zarqawi travelled to Iraq before 03 invasion Killed USAID official

Foley in Jordan Said that proved Iraq was a threat because it had WMD and was connected to terrorist networks like Zarqawi’s

2004 Hundreds of Kurds marched in Kirkuk city demanding independent Kurdistan

            and Kirkuk as its capital

2005 Parliament ruled no vote on constitution would be based upon actual voters not

registered ones to diminish Sunni ballots against document Sunni politicians complained that change in how votes counted would make it harder to reject draft constitution

(Musings On Iraq interview with constitutional scholar Zaid al-Ali on Iraq’s constitution)

2005 CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Abizaid told Congress he was optimistic about Iraq war

2005 US Cmdr in Iraq Gen Casey told Congress 1/3 of 119 Iraqi army battalions could

            operate with some US aid

2005 Pres Talabani asked PM Jaafari to step down Complained Shiites were dominating

govt Accued United Iraqi Alliance of not giving Kurds govt positions neglecting ministries run by Kurds not dealing with Kirkuk

2007 NatlSecAdv Rubaie told SecState Rice US had to tell Sunni politicians they couldn’t

play politics and violence at same time Said Maliki would take care of Sadr and Mahdi Army

2015 Protests in Baghdad Babil Karbala Najaf Qadisiyah Muthanna Dhi Qar Wasit

            Maysan Basra Diyala demanding reform

2017 PM Abadi said he would not talk to KRG unless it cancelled referendum results

2017 Abadi govt announced foreigners in Kurdistan could fly out of country via Baghdad

            even if didn’t have federal visa

2017 Joint Iran-Iraq military drill started along KRG border in response to independence

            referendum

2017 PUK’s Hero Ibrahim Ahmed said that Kurds were paying the price for the wrong

decision to hold independence referendum

2017 Gorran called for new Kurdish leadership council to be disbanded Said that

            referendum had created another political crisis for KRG

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