This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 16

1921 Council of state confirmed plebiscite choosing Faisal as king of Iraq

1958 PM Said’s body dug up and dragged through streets of Baghdad after coup

1968 Pres Arif asked head of military intel Col Naif and Col Daud commander of Republican Guard if they

were involved in Baath coup They said no

1968 Baath meeting after coup called off vs Pres Arif Head of military intel Col Naif said he would join if

he got premiership

1970 2^nd provisional constitution issued by Pres Bakr Said Iraq People’s Democratic Republic committed to

Arab unity and socialism

1979 Saddam’s election to president of Iraq made public

1979 Nouri al-Maliki fled Iraq after his membership in Dawa Party was discovered by govt

1980 Saddam told chiefs of staff that he was going to invade Iran Saddam thought Iran weak but didn’t

think Iraq could fight a total war and reach Tehran Decided on limited war based upon seizing Shatt al-Arab waterway Saddam thought war would allow Iraq to assert its influence over Iran and deter Khomeini from exporting his revolution

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)

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

1981 Saudis offered to finance reconstruction of Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor destroyed by Israeli air

raid

1982 Iranian Op Ramadan attacked into Basra again towards Qurna hoping to cut Basra-Baghdad highway

and isolate Basra city

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

1986 Saddam re-elected secretary general of Baath Party and president of Revolutionary Command

Council

1988 Iran began withdrawing from Kurdistan starting with Halbja Penjwin Haj Omran Rayat

1988 After capturing 30 mi of Iranian territory along the border Iraqi forces withdrew back into Iraq Was

meant to reduce Iranian military

1988 Iran’s Assembly of Experts agreed to present ceasefire proposal in Iran-Iraq war based upon UN Res

598 to Khomeini Khomeini agreed to ceasefire

(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 Saddam on TV accused Kuwait and UAE of breaking OPEC quotas and driving down oil prices

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

1990 Iraq moved a division to border with Kuwait as feud between two escalated Wanted to see how west

would react

1990 Iraq ForMin Aziz letter to Arab League said Kuwait stealing oil from Rumaila field driving down oil

prices destroying Iraq’s economy Called on Arab govts to forgive Iraq’s debt and help pay for rebuilding after Iran-Iraq War

2002 PM Blair told parliament Iraq’s WMD threat to world and had to be dealt with but no decision for

military action made

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

2003 Fadhila Party created in Basra as breakaway faction from Sadr movement Sheikh Yacoubi claimed he

was heir to Ayatollah Sadiq al-Sadr

2003 Mayor of Haditha and his son assassinated by insurgents

2005 Musayib Babil suicide truck bomb left 250 casualties

2006 UK Gen Fry wrote War on Terror and Iraq War in conflict Fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq alienated Sunnis

and led them to reject politics and led to more terrorism

2007 Kirkuk bombings killed 86

2007 Report ISF in Abu Ghraib raided and arrested members of Sahwa Also carried out random arrests and

beat and killed prisoners

2007 Report Mahdi Army forced out almost all the Sunnis from West Rasheed Baghdad Sold stolen cars

Involved in weapons trafficking and kidnapping Extorted money from local businesses Rented homes of Sunnis who they forced out and sold their property

2008 US Surge officially ended

2008 US turned over security for Qadisiyah to Iraqi forces

(Musings On Iraq article on turnover of Qadisiyah)

2008 Maliki govt said displaced squatters in two neighborhoods of Baghdad had 3 days to leave Nothing

happened

(Musings On Iraq article on Maliki policy on squatters/displaced)

2009 Sadr visited Abdul Hakim in Tehran and said he was willing to rejoin the United Iraqi Alliance Came

as a result of Iranian lobbying to re-unite the Shiite lists for upcoming elections

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Role In The Revival Of The United Iraqi Alliance)

2015 Basra protest over services fired upon by police 1 Protester killed

2018 Protests in Baghdad Basra Dhi Qar Karbala Muthanna Najaf 1 Killed in Baghdad’s Shula by police

gunfire Badr office stormed in Najaf 1 protester shot on Jul 15 died of wounds

2018 Govt ordered arrest of activsts and general protesters in Baghdad Basra Maysan

            Muthanna as crackdown started on demonstrations

(Musings On Iraq article on Jul 16 protests) 

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