This Day In Iraqi History - Jan 21

1916 Ottomans retreated up Tigris after defeat at Battle of Wadi only to lose again to British

at Battle of Hanna

1948 Demonstrators against Anglo-Iraq Treaty fired upon again Led Regent to repudiate treaty

1970 Pres Bakr announced failed coup by ex-army officers and special tribunal to try plotters

Accused Iran of backing coup

1970 Imam Khomeini started lectures in Najaf outlining his concept of vilayat al-faqih

1987 Saddam sent letter to Iran Said he didn’t claim any Iranian territory and wanted peace deal

Asked Iranians to challenge Khomeini’s right to rule

1987 Iran captured Duaija east of Basra city Iraq launched 2 counterattacks but repulsed 1500 Iraqi

casualties

1987 Iraq suffered 10,000 casualties in Basra during Iran Op Karbala 5 leading Saddam to call for

volunteers

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper 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)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)

1993 Iraq declared ceasefire with Coalition over not allowing UN weapons inspectors into country

Demanded US review no fly zones

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

1999 SCIRI rejected any U.S. aid

2002 Weekly Standard OpEd by Robert Kagan and William Kristol called for Iraq to be attacked as

next step in war on terror

2003 Bush said that Saddam was not interested in disarming and that time was running out on Iraq

2003 Blair said 2^nd UN resolution not necessary for use of force against Iraq

2003 DeptSecState Armitage spoke at US Inst of Peace saying US trying to avoid war but Iraq not

accounted for its WMD

2004 VP Cheney said there was overwhelming evidence Iraq and Al Qaeda connected

2005 Knight Ridder analysis Violence in Iraq increased after every US benchmark such as capture of

Saddam handing over sovereignty etc

2007 2 officials claimed that US had convinced PM Maliki to stop protecting Sadr and Mahdi Army

Wasn’t true

2009 1^st NSC meeting in Obama admin President said he wanted to withdraw from Iraq but preserve

successes Wanted 3 options for Iraq policy

2010 Report Iraq reconciliation committee holding talks with insurgents and Baathists in Jordan

UAE Syria Before Maliki had criticized US for similar talks

(Musings On Iraq article on US-Iraq talks with Baathists and insurgents)

2011 3 bombs hit Shiite pilgrims during Arbayeen

2014 NGO warned that 5,000 had been forced from their homes in Baghdad Diyala Ninewa Basra

Reports gunmen threatened and forced Shammar tribe to flee Baquba Diyala ISIS forced 300 families out of province Shabaks in Ninewa targeted in Mosul Sunnis threatened and attacked in Basra in retaliation for terrorist attacks in rest of Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article on forced displacement in Iraq)

2018 Federal Court ruled election date could not be changed Would happen 5/12/18

(Musings On Iraq article on Federal Court decision that 2018 elections would happen on time)

(Musings On Iraq interview with IRIS-Chatham House’s Mansour on 2018 elections)

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