This Day In Iraqi History - May 1

1919 War Min Churchill wrote PM George that British army was overstretched with new additions

like Mesopotamia

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

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

(Musings On Iraq book review Inventing Iraq: The Failure of Nation Building and a History Denied)

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

1938 Iraqi constitution Article 89a criminalized communism

(Musings On Iraq book review Red Star Over Iraq, Iraqi Communism Before Saddam)

(Musings On Iraq Interview with Prof Johan Franzen on the history of the Iraqi Communist Party)

1941 British decided on pre-emptive attack to move Iraqi army away from Habaniya base in Anbar

1941 PM Gaylani went to Turkish Amb to Iraq saying British violating 1930 treaty and expected UK air

strikes any time Asked Turkish ambassador to contract UK and try to stop conflict Message was passed to British ambassador to Iraq

1941 Iraqi police opened fire on UK workers in Rutba, Anbar England responded by sending forces from

Transjordan to town

1941 British bombers sent from Egypt to Shaiba air base in Basra

1941 1^st Battalion of Iraq’s 11^th Inf Brigade sent from Baghdad to Fallujah to confront British

(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 Iraqi volunteers defeated by Jewish forces in Battle of Katamon in 1^st Arab Israeli War

1959 Communists organized 1 mil in May Day parade aimed at showing power of party so Qasim

would agree to share power

(Musings On Iraq book review Red Star Over Iraq, Iraqi Communism Before Saddam)

(Musings On Iraq Interview with Prof Johan Franzen on the history of the Iraqi Communist Party)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Western Kentucky’s Prof Romero on the Qasim govt)

1969 Iraq became 1^st Arab country to recognize East Germany as part of alliance with Soviet Union

1982 Iranian Op Bait al-Moqaddas Iranian Rev Guard attack across Karun River Played chants on

loudspeakers to make it seem like larger force Caused Iraqis to flee Iran launched diversionary attacks on Fakkeh in central front and in Susangard in norther Kuzistan province

(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)

(Musings On Iraq book review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)

(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)

1989 Talabani and PKK’s Ocalan signed cooperation agreement in Damascus

1991 Saddam said that fighting spirit of Iraqis led Bush to call a cease-fire in Gulf War

1991 Report 68,000 displaced caused by uprising following Gulf War

1994 Land dispute in Qala Dizel began civil war between PUK and KDP 400 killed in fighting over next

month

1997 Turkey with support of KDP started new campaign against PKK in northern Kurdistan Claimed killed

over 2000 PKK fighters KDP lost 200

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

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

2002 FBI and CIA told media 9/11 hijacker Atta did not meet Iraqi intel in Prague April 2001

2002 Bush told Press Sec Fleischer he didn’t like “motherfuckers” like Saddam who gassed their own people

and “assholes” who lied to the world Said he was going to kick Saddam’s ass

2003 Bush gave Mission Accomplished speech declaring victory against Iraq Linked invasion to 9/11 Said

war eliminated ally of Al Qaeda Now terrorists could not get WMD from Iraq

2003 White House officials gave briefings that they thought Saddam had been killed during start of

invasion

2003 UK memo said it supported ORHA but that organization was not delivering in Iraq and lacked strategy

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2003 Grenades thrown into US base in Fallujah wounding 7 soldiers

(Musings On Iraq book review The Battle for Fallujah, Occupation, Resistance and Stalemate in the War in Iraq)

2004 Bush announced that Bremer would select Iraqi transitional government

2004 Reports of British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners

2004 Secret report leaked that provided evidence of Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse and US military leadership

didn’t stop it

2005 Memo leaked that Blair was looking for justification for war in Jul 2002 which he denied it at the time

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2006 Sen Biden and Council on For Rel head Gelb published OpEd arguing for federalism in Iraq based

upon Sunnis Shiia Kurds regions

2007 Kurdish MPs said they opposed draft oil law because most oil reserves would be under control of

            National Oil Company

2007 Fmr Def Sec Hoon said UK disagreed with US decision to disband Iraqi military and deBaathification

            Said UK too optimistic about aftermath of invasion Said neglected Sunnis

2011 KRG Dep Inter Min Karim said govt would not allow any protests without permission after crackdown

in Sulaymaniya

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

2013 Maliki said he would take on armed protesters in Anbar

2013 Kurdish alliance said new deal with PM Maliki would end their boycott of cabinet Maliki didn’t follow

through Included dealing with disputed areas amending budget paying peshmerga distributing revenues

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