This Day In Iraqi History - May 3

1921 Gertrude Bell wrote Mid-Euphrates tribes perplexed why UK picked Faisal to be King of Iraq

when he led revolt against them in Syria

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

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

1941 2^nd day UK bombing Expanded to Iraqi air bases and supply lines in Baghdad and Diyala

1941 Iraqi air force bombed Iraqi army in Ramadi by accident in night raid

1941 Churchill ordered British troops to march from Palestine to Iraq

1941 UK Cmdr for Mid East Gen Wavell given command of Iraq Complained no forces to spare and

negotiations should be used instead

1941 UK Cmdr for Mid East Gen Wavell later said he could send a small force from Palestine to Iraq but

would threaten security in region and called for talks again

1941 Gaylani told Italian ambassador Iraq needed German and Italian air support to deal with British,

financial aid and a German military mission to work with Iraq General Staff

1941 German Foreign Min Ribbentrop supported sending special representative to Baghdad along with

military liaison officers to set up arrival of German aid

1941 German Foreign Min Ribbentrop suggested sending fighter and bomber squadrons to Iraq Hitler

agreed

1941 Communists called on public to support Gaylani govt when war started Saw him as anti-

imperialist

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

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

1964 New provisional constitution said Iraq a democratic-socialist government but power was still with Pres

Arif

1982 Saddam ordered Algerian Foreign Minister’s plane shot down on trip to Iran during ceasefire talks

Saddam accused Algeria of siding with Iran Iran and Iraq blamed each other for assassination allowing Baghdad to escape responsibility Led Algeria to drop out of talks

1983 Iraqi Op Salam launched in southern Iraq to capture and kill army deserters

(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 Start of 4^th Anfal campaign focused on Lesser Zab River, Sulaymaniya Kogtapa attacked with

chemical bombs

(Musings On Iraq article on Anfal campaign)

1995 KDP told Turkey it would stop PKK activities in Kurdistan

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

2003 UK PM’s office said Iraq had WMD and they would be found

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

2003 White House said it was sure Iraq’s WMD would be found

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq, One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

2003 Bush said Iraq’s WMD programs would be found would just take time Was change from previous

claims WMD stocks would be found

2003 UK intel said trailer found in Mosul could be mobile WMD lab Turned out not to be

(Musings On Iraq article on mobile labs story)

2004 Mahdi Army attacked US base and a convoy in Najaf setting off hour long gun battle

2004 Heavy fighting between insurgents and US forces closed down road to Baghdad airport

2004 UN outlined plan to create Iraqi Election Commission to run 2005 voting

2004 US Marines said would replace Gen Latif head of Fallujah Brigade with Gen Saleh because Latif a

Baathist

2005 PM Jaafari’s cabinet sworn in 2 deputy prime ministers and 7 important ministries vacant due to

political disputes including Oil and Defense Shiite parties rejected Sunni candidates for ministries at last minute

2007 International Compact with Iraq meeting held in Egypt organized by PM Maliki and UN Was to create

strategy and benchmarks for Iraqi rebuilding reconciliation good governance Privately countries complained about Maliki govt

2007 Association of Muslim scholars called on bin Laden to fix rift between Sunnis and ISI Called

Awakening leader Sheikh Abu Risha a U.S. stooge

2007 Anbar Awakening demanded all tribes in Anbar to stop supporting ISI

(Musings On Iraq article on Anbar Awakening)

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Carter Malkasian on Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Confronting Al Qaeda, The Sunni Awakening and American Strategy In Al Anbar)

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Marines Take Anbar, The Four-Year Fight Against Al Qaeda)

(Musings On Iraq book review Illusions of Victory, The Anbar Awakening And The Rise Of The Islamic State)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Sheriff of Ramadi, Nvy SEALS and the Winning of Anbar)

2007 Reformist and Jihad Front formed out of Islamic Army Mujahadeen Army Ansar al-Sunna Called on

1920 Revolution Brigades tribes and former soldiers to join Was challenge to ISI

(Musings On Iraq book review The Caliphate At War, Operational Realities and Innovations of the Islamic State)

2007 Report ISI issued fatwa in Dora Baghdad for Christians to convert leave or be killed Families

immediately started leaving

2008 300 ISI fighters held march in Diyala village

2008 Iraqi delegation to Iran presented evidence that Tehran was arming and training militias fighting govt

Baghdad

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

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

2009 Baghdad said it would not extend deadline for US forces to be out of country’s cities by Jun 30 2009

2009 Arrest warrants issued for Trade Minister Sudani’s two brothers and other ministry officials for

corruption Charged with stealing up to $400 mil

2009 Trade Minister Sudani siphoned off most of the funds for the food rations system to give to Maliki’s

State of Law for 2009 and 2010 elections

(Musings On Iraq interview with former US anti-graft official Vincent Foulk)

2009 2 Iraqi soldiers opened fire at U.S. troops at an outpost in Mosul killing 2 and wounding 3 Americans

2009 Iraqi forces arrested Dhuluiya, Salahaddin Sawha leader Claimed he attacked Dujail during civil war

2009 Sahwa in Iskandiriya walked off job for not being paid in months

2010 Abu Abdullah al-Shafi emir of Ansar al-Sunnah was captured in Baghdad

2010 Baghdad started recount requested by Maliki after came in 2^nd in election to Allawi

2011 National Reconciliation Ministry said Asaib Ahl Al-Haq was joining reconciliation process

Didn’t happen

(Musings On Iraq article on history of Asaib Ahl Al-Haq)

2011 KRG parliament passed law to unite PUK and KDP Peshmerga Never completed

2013 Police told AFP they had orders from Interior Ministry to use fake bomb detectors even though knew

they didn’t work

2013 Friday prayers at Fallujah protest site urged people to stay peaceful and demanded PM Maliki resign

2013 Friday prayers at Kirkuk protest site warned that Baghdad had ignored their demands and could lead to

civil war

2013 Samarra and Mosul protest sites demanded either PM Maliki resign or Salahaddin and Ninewa would

become federal regions

2014 Ansar al-Sunna declared war on ISIS in Diyala

2015 3^rd day of protests in Basra over lack of electricity

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