This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 12

1915 Battle of Shaiba began in Basra province Ottomans launched frontal assault upon fortress

despite German advisers warning against it British artillery decimated Ottoman forces

1923 In response to Turkish threat to Mosul mujtahids issued fatwa forbidding Iraqis to fight for British

against fellow Muslims the Turks

1923 Gertrude Bell wrote that mujtahids were all Persians and should be deported for issuing fatwa against

Iraq defending Mosul against Turks

(Musings On Iraq book review of Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

1941 British convoy left India for Basra with infantry brigade Then told its arrival would be delayed until

PM Gaylani told troops arriving to test his will

(Musings On Iraq book review of Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The National Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq And Syria 1941, The Politics and Strategy of the Second World War)

1974 Iraqi planes bombed KDP bases during Kurdish rebellion

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Kurds, A Modern History)

(Musings On Iraq book review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

1975 Saddam interview with NYTimes said Iraq not opposed to US or its people just its foreign policy

which was anti-Iraq

1981 US diplomat Draper went to Baghdad to set up informal contacts with Saddam

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

1982 Iraq again offered to withdraw from Iranian territory if Iran agreed to end war Rejected by Iran

1983 Iraq said it would start using new weapons for 1st time meaning WMD in Iran-Iraq War

(Musings On Iraq article on the origins of Iraq’s WMD programs)

1986 King Hussein attempted to reconcile Iraq and Syria Went to both countries Was backed by Saudis

1987 Iraq used chemical weapons to turn back Iran’s Op Karbala 8 in Basra

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

1988 Since Mar 1 10,200 Iranian casualties in War of Cities

(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)

1990 5 US senators visited Baghdad to criticize Iraq over its WMD and nuclear programs that Congress was

investigating

(Musings On Iraq article on the origins of Iraq’s WMD programs)

1990 Privately US senators told Saddam Pres Bush wanted better relations with Iraq Amb Glaspie added

that was US policy

1990 Saddam told US senators America plotting with Israel to attack Iraq

1991 Report Bush admin decided that Shiite and Kurdish uprisings after Gulf War strengthened Saddam

and ended hopes of coup

(Musings On Iraq article on how US encouraged 1991 uprising)

(Musings On Iraq book review The United States And Iraq Since 1990: A Brief History with Documents)

1991 US began Op Provide Comfort to set up safehaven for Kurds in northern Iraq

(Musings On Iraq book review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

2003 US forces advanced on Tikrit Faced sporadic fighting

2003 US forces captured Saddam’s half brother Watban al-Tikrit

2003 Turkmen in Kirkuk complained that Kurds were looting their homes

(Musings On Iraq interview with Petit of 173^rd Airborne Bgd on operations in Kirkuk)

2003 Report experts didn’t think Iraq’s oil would earn enough money to pay for country’s reconstruction

2003 Chief UN Weapons Inspector Blix said inspections could’ve contained Iraq and US and UK never

believed in process Said US and UK fabricated evidence against Iraq to justify war

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2003 Head CENTCOM postwar planning Col Benson briefed Gen Webster Dep Cmdr US ground forces in

Iraq on revised plans Said would be resistance by former regime elements after war sectarian violence revenge ethnic cleaning Said foreign jihadists would start coming to Iraq Predicted US occupation would last 3-5 years

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency)

2004 US military said it would kill or capture Sadr

2004 4 clerics met with Sadr to negotiate ceasefire to his uprising

2004 CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Abizaid said ISF were huge disappointment so far fighting insurgents and

Mahdi Army

2004 CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Abizaid requested 7000-10000 additional US troops for Iraq

2004 CPA adv to Housing Min warned that Badr that ran ministry was stealing money from major

projects and of sectarian hiring

(Musings On Iraq article on the history of Badr Organization)

2005 Ayatollah Sistani said Sunnis were not the enemy

2006 Gen Batiste former commander 1^st Inf Div became fourth former general to call for Rumsfeld to resign

over Iraq

2007 Sunni MPs carried out bombing of parliament’s cafeteria in Baghdad

2007 Islamic Army announced it was no longer working with ISI Didn’t agree with declaration of Islamic          State and ISI attacking its men

(Musings On Iraq article on splits within insurgency)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency)

2007 Pres Talabani announced govt in talks with 5 insurgent groups

2008 Maliki said 30,000 Peshmerga would be organized into 2 Army Divisions

2009 Al-Hadbaa party took all the leading positions in new Ninewa govt Nujafi became governor after

elections Kurds boycotted

(Musings On Iraq article on Al-Hadbaa’s party platform)

(Musings On Iraq article on Al-Hadbaa taking over Ninewa council)

2009 Sheikh Abu Risha of Anbar said he was open to alliance with Maliki in 2010 national elections

2010 KRG said it had reached agreement with Oil Ministry over oil exports Baghdad would split revenues

with it

2010 PM Maliki said Sahwa had a role in helping with securing country

2010 CIA ranked Iraq 160^th in world in per capita income 2^nd lowest in Middle East

2011 KDP and PUK said they were ready for unconditional talks with opposition over demands of

Sulaymaniya protesters

(Musings On Iraq interview with journalist Wladimir Van Wilgenburg on 2011 KRG protests)

2011 PJAK attacked Iranian police station along Iran-Iraq border Iran shelled PJAK camps in KRG

2012 Kurdish MP said that VP Hashemi should not come back to Kurdistan after his tour of Middle East

2012 Sit in started in Mosul demanding release of prisoners

2012 Clash between followers of Mahmoud Sarkhi and police

2012 Kurdish Alliance wanted Oil Min Shahristani to appear before parliament over corruption questions

Shahristani filed lawsuit against them

2012 State of Law MP announced arrest warrant on corruption charges against Election Commission chief

Part of PM Maliki intimidation move

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq From War To A New Authoritarianism)

2014 ISIS issued orders to infiltrate Baghdad

2014 ISIS posted pictures of over 80 police joining it from Albu Diab and Albu Shaban in Anbar

2015 US requested that Hashd withdraw from Ramadi before it would start air strikes

2016 Sit in demonstration began in parliament over PM Abadi’s technocratic cabinet

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