Friday, February 1, 2019

This Day In Iraqi History - Feb 1


1922 UK intel report said cabinet told Def Min to count time in Arab Revolt in WWI double
for pensions vs officers that joined afterward to privilege ex-Ottoman officers that originally joined King Feisal Favored Iraqi leaders like Jaafar al-Askari and Nuri al-Said
1928 British sent note to Iraqi govt saying opposed conscription and if govt ran into problems over it
British wouldn’t help
1958 Egypt and Syria created United Arab Republic PM Said afraid pan-Arabists would overthrow
his govt so Iraq could join Republic Syria suggested union with Egypt out of fear that Iraq was trying to forge coup or overthrow govt and take over country
(Musings On Iraq book review of Ropes Of Sand that includes Iraq plots against Syria)
1981 Iraq received 1st of 4 shipments of Mirage jets from France despite Paris claiming neutrality in
Iran-Iraq War
1984 Iraq said it was going to hit 11 Iranian cities near border Iran threatened to shell Iraqi cities in
response
1984 US Middle East envoy Rumsfeld had second meeting with Saddam
1985 Iranian counterattack pushed Iraqi forces out of mountains overlooking Sumer around Qasr e-
Shirin central Iran across from Diyala
1987 Iran Op Karbala 5 broke through Iraq’s Jassim Canal defenses 7 miles away from Basra city
(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 Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
(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)
1999 NY Post claimed Saddam was making contacts with bin Laden and Abu Nidal to strike US
False story
2001 2nd Bush NSC meeting again dealt with Iraq policy State Dept said US policy should be to stop
Iraq from threatening Middle East Sec of State Powell talked again about smart sanctions Sec of Def Rumsfeld said removing Saddam and putting in pro-US govt could change Middle East and show world what US policy about Pentagon talked about rebuilding Gulf War coalition against Iraq CIA Dir Tenet talked about coup vs Saddam End of meeting Rumsfeld said US objective was not getting rid of Saddam but his WMD
2002 Gen Franks briefed Rumsfeld on war plans with start time April 2002
(Musings On Iraq book review of Shaping the Plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom, The Role of Military Intelligence Assessment)
2003 US Army War College study said ehtnosectarian differences could lead to civil war or fractured
state after fall of Saddam Said longer US presence in Iraq the more resistance it would face Said ethnosectarian parties would probably emerge in Iraq and increase divisions Warned that there would be terrorism providing services would be difficult oil could not pay for reconstruction Suggested 135 tasks US had to take care of to ensure stability of postwar Iraq Said US would have to occupy Iraq for a long time and building democracy a huge challenge Warned US could win the Iraq war and lose the peace
2003 Chief UN inspector Blix refused US claims that Iraq was sending WMD and scientists outside
country to hide them
(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)
2003 Powell went to CIA HQ to go over Iraq-Al Qaeda intel for UN speech Decided to focus upon
Zarqawi
2003 Cheney Chief of Staff Libby and DepNatSecADv Hadley wanted Powell to use 9/11 hijacker
Atta meeting with Iraqi intel in 2001 Powell said no
2004 2 suicide bombers hit KDP and PUK offices in Irbil killed 117 injured 133
2005 Report US analysts believed Jan 05 elections could erode support for insurgency
(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)
2006 Saddam refused to appear in court claiming new judge was biased against him
2007 Report Shiite officials were trying to blame Soldiers of Heaven uprising in Najaf on Sunnis
Claimed that its leader was a Sunni Wahabi from Basra Some claimed he was backed by ISI even though group was Shiite Soldiers of Heaven wanted to kill Shiite clergy in Najaf claiming it would lead to return of missing Mahdi
2007 Report Mahdi Army leaders going to Iran and Syria to avoid Surge Militiamen told to lie low to
avoid confrontations with US forces
2007 Experts said Foreign Affairs and Water Mins were stable and well run Oil and Finance Mins had
been purged and suffered from political infighting Some ministries run by parties that use them to further their political and sectarian goals more than govern like Health Min run by Sadrists
2008 Female suicide bomber hit pet market in Baghdad 45 killed 82 wounded Followed by another
woman bomber hitting another market 27 dead 67 wounded
(Musings On Iraq article on female suicide bombers)
(Musings On Iraq book review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

View the Iraq History Timelines

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