This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 20

1921 Churchill wrote Iraq High Comm Cox that Feisal needed to be told all British would be out of

Iraq by end of year unless he gave up demands for more power

(Musings On Iraq article on Churchill’s views on Mesopotamia)

(Musings On Iraq book review Churchill’s Folly, How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Supremacy And Oil, Iraq, Turkey, and the Anglo-American World Order, 1918-1930)

1935 Duweilim tribe fired on train in Rumaitha Demanded govt end confiscation of land and exempt tribes

from conscription Govt refused and Iraqi air force bombed tribe

1941 Churchill told For Sec Eden that British troops landed in Iraq to set up a base in Basra to control

province

1941 PM Gaylani told UK Amb that Iraqi forces in Basra would be reinforced to a full division Said

UK had no right to land troops and keep them in Basra

(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)

1948 Operation Hametz began with Jewish forces attacking Arab villages held by Iraqi volunteers in 1^st

Arab-Israeli War

1983 Iraq-Turkey security deal allowed each country to carry out cross border raids into each others’

territory against Kurdish rebels

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

1986 Iraq’s 1^st attempt upon Fao-Um Qasr road failed Iran claimed it killed 1500 Iraqis wounded 2600 Took

1000 Iraqi prisoners

1987 Iraq agreed to allow UN team to visit and investigate its use of chemical weapons in Iran-Iraq War

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

1987 Iran Op Karbala 10 attacked Mawat to help KDP in Kurdistan

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)

1988 UN mediated end of last war of cities Iran-Iraq War Iraq fired 200 missiles at Iran killing 2000

Iran fired 77 missiles at Iraq Two sides were almost out of missiles leading to deal

(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)

1988 End of 3^rd Anfal campaign that targeted PUK in Sulaymaniya Civilians were rounded up and put into

camps Mass executions

(Musings On Iraq article on Anfal campaign)

1991 Bush White House didn’t think Saddam was going to be overthrown anymore after Gulf War

(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 SCIRI claimed it started attacks upon govt forces in southern Iraq Came after Shiite revolt put down

1991 500 Marines landed in Kurdistan to set up safe-haven for displaced Kurds

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

2002 Gen Franks briefed Bush on Iraq war plans Franks said he wanted to cut timeline by 1/3 and could

start with 180,000 troops

(Musings On Iraq book review of Shaping the Plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom, The Role of Military Intelligence Assessment)

2003 1^st Arbaeen pilgrimage conducted after Saddam Was previously banned

2003 US forces arrested Sadrist cleric Fartusi leading to days of protests

2003 Riot in Mosul against Mishan Jabouri declaring himself mayor

2003 ORHA head Garner held meeting Said top priority was getting to Baghdad and establishing its

presence

2003 ORHA head Garner said when staff got to Baghdad had to get Iraqi ministries up and running

2003 ORHA staff finally allowed to enter Iraq by US military

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq and Back, Inside The War To Win The Peace)

2003 Report US wanted long term military relationship with Iraq and use of up to 4 bases

2003 Report Kurds expelled 2000 Arabs from Daquq, Kirkuk

2003 Apr 10-20 up to 40 people killed in Arab-Kurd violence in Kirkuk city

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

2003 UnderSecDef Feith cancelled State Dept plan to set up Kirkuk committee to return displaced set up

compensation etc

2004 US forces surrounded Najaf that was under control of Mahdi Army

2006 Jaafari stepped down as Iraq’s premier under pressure from Sadr Kurds US Said he wouldn’t give up

office until Ayatollah Sistani told him to

2007 ISI sent letter to Ansar al-Sunnah apologizing for past attacks and asking for unification Ansar said no

(Musings On Iraq article on splits within insurgency)

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

2007 Ramadi sheikhs said they would turn Awakening into political party to run in 09 provincial elections

2007 Abu Sheibani captured by US Was deputy of network that delivered EFPs from Iran to militias

(Musings On Iraq interview with Galen Wright of Arkenstone blog on Iranian arms shipments to Iraqi militias) 

(Musings On Iraq article on Iran’s Iraq policy)

2007 Report Sadr came out against Basra Gov Waeli Called for his followers to join demonstrations

against governor Mahdi Army and Fadhila militia clashed in city in recent weeks

2008 Sadr said he gave final warning to Baghdad to stop offensive against his followers

2008 Report that Thar Allah head Sinawi executed in Baghdad after being captured in Basra during Charge

of Knights

2009 Kurdish Alliance complained about Hadbba rule in Ninewa excluding them

2009 Suicide bomber in Iraqi army uniform attacked US soldiers visiting Baquba mayor killing 11

2011 Mass grave found in Anbar with more than 800 bodies in it Victims of Saddam

2011 Arab League delayed summit in Baghdad due to Iraqi govt complaints about crackdown in Bahrain

against Shiites

2011 Independent TV station and a Kurdish poet said they were attacked by security forces during

crackdown on protests

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

2011 Protest in Fallujah demanded withdrawal of ISF after man killed by army

2012 Oil Min said Exxon could continue work at West Qurna oil field despite signing oil deal with Kurds

2012 Sadr met with KRG PM Barzani in Tehran to talk about removing PM Maliki

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

2012 Pres Barzani gave speech saying power sharing agreement after 2010 elections was dead due to Maliki

2012 Pres Barzani speech said that PKK would not be tolerated if continued to use violence

2012 PM Maliki called Turkey a hostile country

2013 Provincial elections held in 12 of Iraq’s 18 provinces No voting in KRG or Ninewa, Kirkuk and Anbar

2014 Anbar Ops Command announced offensive to retake Fallujah while Anbar council said no op started

2015 IS held ceremony where Ramadi sheikhs gave it baya

2015 80 Anbar sheikhs called on PM Abadi to provide more military aid and called on Hashd to help fight

in province

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