This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 30

1920 British said all of its colonial offices were under control of Iraq council of state

1973 Soviets said Bakr govt policies leading Iraq towards socialism

1980 Iranian air force attacked Iraq’s nuclear reactor at Tuwaitha and Fao Peninsula in Basra

(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)

1991 After fighting ended Iraq and KDP restarted talks over Kurdish autonomy

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

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

2001 Def Sec Rumsfeld told press US knew Iraq had WMD because defectors said so

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

2003 US soldiers repelled 3 ambushes on convoy in Samarra Iraqis later claimed US fired

indiscriminately killing civilians

2003 Senior CIA analyst said 2002 Nat Intel Est on Iraq’s WMD lacked specifics on the programs

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

2004 Report War mismanagement sanctions since 1980s destroyed Iraq’s health care system

2005 Aide to PM Jaafari wanted to know whether KRG signing oil deal with DNO was constitutional

2005 White House released National Strategy for Victory in Iraq Lacked any substance on what

strategy was

2005 Bush speech went over new National Strategy for Victory in Iraq Said goal was to train Iraqi

forces to take over war

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

2005 Pentagon contracted Lincoln Group to place pro-US stories in Arab media about Iraq

2006 Bush met PM Maliki Said he wanted more control over ISF and command over them Maliki

also presented plan for Iraqi forces to take control of Baghdad Bush said no Bush told Maliki he had lost control of Baghdad and about to lose Iraq Maliki agreed Bush told Maliki US was going to have troop surge Maliki had to back it and agree to reconciliation Maliki said yes

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mansoor on the Surge)

2006 Sadrists walked out of parliament and cabinet for PM Maliki meeting with Pres Bush in Jordan

Sadrists had 30 MPs and 5 ministers Came after 6 car bombs killed 215 in Sadr City Sadrists blamed US for insecurity in Iraq 

2007 US Govt Accountability Office report US designating ISF units as independent and fully

independent meaningless because still completely relied upon US for logistics intel and other services

2007 US military complained govt had no plan to help returning displaced/refugees No plans to settle

property disputes in Baghdad after major population changes No plans for aid shelter or services

(Musings On Iraq book review Children of War, Voices Of Iraqi Refugees)

2014 IS put travel restrictions on people trying to leave Mosul

View the Iraq History Timelines 

One Of The Deadliest Days Of Protests At Least 25 Killed In Nasiriya

(Al Mirbad)

Dhi Qar has consistently had the most confrontations between the protesters and the security forces (ISF). On November 28 things exploded there in one of the deadliest days since the unrest started in October.

This Day In Iraqi Histor - Nov 29

1920 Gertrude Bell wrote few tribes were talking about self rule and many rejected it in Basra

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

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

1927 UK Foreign Sec Chamberlain told King Faisal talks over Anglo-Iraq Treaty should be delayed for

two years and Faisal would have to run Iraq on his own British knew Faisal afraid of potential unrest and was trying to intimidate him during negotiations over new treaty Tactic worked

1934 Border dispute between Iraq and Persia escalated

1980 Iranian marines destroyed Mina al Bakr and Khor al Amaya oil terminals in Iraq Attack cut

Iraqi exports from 3.24 mil/bar/day to 550,000 bar/day

1981 Iran Op Tariq al-Quds began to free Bostan in south Started with drive in Susangard Pres

Rafsanjani told parliament he would push Iraqis back to the border

(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 UN Resolution 678 gave Iraq until 1/15/91 to withdraw from Kuwait

(Musings On Iraq book review from storm to Freedom, America’s Long War with Iraq)

1990 Iraq released all the foreign hostages it held trying to sway world public opinion

2001 UN Res 1382 extended Oil for Food program

2001 Amer Enterprise Institute panel said Saddam had to be removed before US could confront

radical Islam

(Musings On Iraq book review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Road to Iraq, The Making of a Neoconservative War)

(Musings On Iraq book review America at the Crossroads, Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy) 
2002 UK Defense Min told Blair that US still had no political strategy for Iraq

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

2002 American Enterprise Inst group of experts started work on paper on what U.S. facing after

9/11 Would focus on Iraq

2003 Insurgent attacks killed 7 Spanish intelligence officers and 2 Japanese diplomats in Iraq

2004 Bush told NSC January 2005 Iraqi election had to happen on time

2005 Def Sec Rumsfeld told press “insurgent” should no longer be used when reporting on Iraq because

they didn’t believe in anything He then explained that they stood for overthrowing the Iraqi system and creating a caliphate Rumsfeld said US forces didn't have to report abuse and torture by Iraqi forces Joint Chiefs head General Pace then used insurgent when describing security in Iraq and said US forces absolutely had responsibility to report any abuses by Iraqi forces

2005 Report Badr infiltrated Inter Min Mahdi Army regular police Both carrying out murders torture

and abuse Inter Min Inspector General said police carrying out extrajudicial killings Inter Min intel chief Kamal said there was abuse going on but was not official policy of the Ministry

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with Jerry Burke police and Interior Min adviser on how Badr took over Interior Ministry)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Occupation of Iraq, Winning The War, Losing The Peace)

2005 Ceremony for DNO to start drilling for oil at field in Zakho

2006 Report PM Maliki wanted more control over ISF increased US training and bigger weapons Said

couldn’t disarm militias when Iraqis didn’t trust ISF and US Said his govt would collapse if he moved against militias Said he would find a political solution to problem

2006 Adviser to Saudi govt said would be a massive intervention by Riyad to save Iraq’s Sunnis from

Shiite militias if US withdrew

2006 Inter Min announced it was creating monitoring unit that would take legal action against

media that reported fake news Quoted AP story of 6 men burned to death in Baghdad mosque Claimed police captain in story didn’t exist AP had talked to police captain for 2 years and been in his office Also found 3 witnesses to story and more people came forward afterward

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Iraq Protests Escalate Once Again

Iranian Consulate in Najaf was burned by protesters (Al Mirbad)

Iraq’s protests have escalated once again, this time across the south. Roads and oil fields are being blocked and buildings are being set ablaze once more. This is likely in response to the government’s inability to carry out any meaningful reforms.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 28

1935 UK Foreign Office rejected King Faisal mediating Palestine dispute believing he had

aspirations over territory

1947 Iraq’s Foreign Minister Jamail told UN that creation of Israel would lead to unrest in Middle

East

1958 Shah criticized Iraq for refusing to settle navigation down Shatt al-Arab Pres Qasim responded

by claiming all of waterway for Iraq

1980 Iran’s Op Morvarid continued into next day Iranian planes sunk 7 Iraqi boats Rest of day

Iranian planes bombed Fao port destroying more Iraqi ships In total Iran lost 1 ship Iraq lost 2 oil terminals 100 dead 2 planes 13 ships Was 80% of its ships Iraqi navy was out of commission 

(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)

2001 UK intel report Iraq not connected to 9/11 not working with Al Qaeda not giving WMD to

terrorists Said Iraq WMD threat “slight”

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

2001 Pentagon officials told Time after Afghanistan US would target Iraq as next step in war on

terror

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2002 UN inspectors went to Dawrah Foot and Mouth Disease Facility Said facility couldn’t be used in

weapons programs Reporters said it was mostly destroyed

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2005 Dep Human Rights Min Usayran and Gen Samarriae told Knight Ridder Iraqi forces torturing

and abusing prisoners

2005 Arrest warrant for police Volcano Brigade commander Gen Gharwai Never given to Interior

Min to carry out

2005 Anbar Gov Alwani hosted meeting of US forces and sheikhs interested in working with US against

insurgents Led to creation of Anbar security council of sheikhs religious leaders and former soldiers

(Musings On Iraq article on Anbar Gov Alwani)

(Musings On Iraq article on Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq article on change in perceptions that led to Awakening)

(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)

2006 CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Abizaid and US cmdr in Iraq Gen Casey said they opposed troop surge

Said it could only last 6-8 months and better to shift forces within Iraq

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mansoor on the Surge)

2006 Sadrists walked out of parliament and cabinet for PM Maliki meeting with Pres Bush in

Jordan Sadrists had 30 MPs and 5 ministers Came after 6 car bombs killed 215 in Sadr City Sadrists blamed US for insecurity in Iraq 

2006 Report US intel official said 1000-2000 militiamen had gone to Lebanon for training by

Hezbollah organized by Iran Summer 06 Mahdi Army commander said he’d sent 300 of his men to Lebanon US officials said Iran providing IEDs and training to militiamen Iran might have directed some attacks by militiamen

(Musings On Iraq article on Hezbollah presence in Iraq)

(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)

2006 Report after Sadr City bombings Sunni militias expelled Shiites from Dora and allowed Sunnis kicked

out of north Baghdad into homes

(Musings On Iraq book review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

(Musings On Iraq Columbia University Charts Sectarian Cleansing Of Baghdad)

2006 Report Ninewa Dep Gov said 70,000 Kurds fled Mosul due to violence Fed Police cmdr in

Diyala’s Khanaqin said sectarian civil war going on there Local Khanaqin councilman said around 100 killed there a week Was gun battle between Sunni and Kurdish police in Jalawla when Kurds refused new Sunni Arab police chief

2006 Report on US Marine intel report on Anbar Said that Sunnis were fighting for survival Shiites

carrying out “pogroms” against Sunnis in Iraq and was forcing Sunnis into hands of ISI Said Sunnis believed that Iran was taking over Baghdad and Anbar and Sunnis marginalized Said Sunnis couldn’t rely upon US because thought it was going to leave Said no economic revival in Anbar Govt offices had disintegrated Baghdad not paid salaries of Anbar officials and ISF Said US needed 15,000-20,000 more troops and billions in aid to change situation Said violence would be worse without US troops

2017 Mujahadeen Coalition announced for pro-Iran Hashd units to run in 2018 elections

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Hashd Retaliate Against Iraq’s Defense Minister For Comments On Protests

Def Min Shammari has faced payback for trying to deny army and police were behind attacks upon demonstrators (Al Masalah)

On November 16, Iraq’s Defense Minister Najah Shammari gave an interview to France 24 claiming that a “third Party” was behind the shooting of protesters and that the government never bought the tear gas being used against them. People immediately thought he was blaming the Hashd for the violence against the demonstrators, and deferring blame away from the police and army. The Hashd quickly retaliated against the Defense Ministry and Minister Shammari.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 27

1980 Iranian Op Morvarid began to destroy Iraqi oil terminals in Gulf and attempted to

destroy Iraqi navy Iranian commandos landed at 2 Iraqi oil terminals and destroyed them ending Iraq’s ability to export oil from Basra 2 Iranian ships then waited at mouth of Shatt al-Arab to bait Iraqi navy to come out of its bases Sank 3 Iraqi boats

1980 Iran retook Susangard in Khuzistan

1983 Truck bomb hit Baghdad killing around 100 Iraq blamed Iran and said it would retaliate

(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 Gorbachev gave up on diplomatic effort to defuse Kuwait crisis and backed use of force against

Iraq

1994 Iraq finally agreed to border with Kuwait

2001 Rumsfeld told CENTCOM cmdr Gen Frank he wanted to completely revise Iraq war plan

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

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq book review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To

Invade Iraq)

2001 Saddam rejected Bush’s call for UN weapons inspectors to return to Iraq

2001 Wash Post survey found 78% of Americans supported military action against Iraq

2002 UN weapons inspections carried out first inspections under new regime

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2004 Report 1/3 of property Hallliburton contracted to manage in Iraq lost

2006 Joint Chiefs told Bush was leaning towards a troop surge in Iraq

2006 Frederick Kagan wrote 3^rd OpEd in Weekly Standard calling for a troop surge in Iraq Kagan

helped draft plan that would become the Surge

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mansoor on the Surge)

2006 Sec State Rice and Asst Sec State Near East Welch said US wanted Saudi Arabia Egypt Jordan to push

Iraqi parties to back PM Maliki so he would move away from Sadr Also wanted Arab countries to pressure insurgents to reduce violence

2006 England said it would pull out most of its 7000 troops in Iraq by end of 2006 Poland and

            Italy said all their forces were withdrawing

2007 77,542 sahwa in total in 192 groups US said they planned on capping sahwa at 100,000 Dep Natl

Sec Adv Hussein said worried what would happen after US stopped running program Said Interior and Defense Mins couldn't hire them all

2008 Iraq passed Status of Forces Agreement with US setting withdrawal date for US forces 12/31/11

(Musings On Iraq article on deliberations over SOFA)

(Musings On Iraq article on passing SOFA)

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraqi public opinion on SOFA)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

US Report Finds Continued Shortcomings In Iraqi Forces While Islamic State Disjointed

(Reuters)

The U.S. inspector generals released the latest quarterly report on Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria. It noted continued short comings in the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) that have existed for years. On the other hand, the Islamic State is currently disjointed and unable to carry out large operations. It has plenty of opportunity to make a comeback however due to the problems with the government’s forces.

This Day For Iraqi History - Nov 26

1920 Last British correspondence saying that 1920 Revolt had ended

(Musings On Iraq book review of Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

1969 Bakr govt executed opponents in central Baghdad

1980 Iraq sent letter to UN saying it was still following the 1975 Algiers Accord on Shatt al-Arab

and Iran was violating it

1983 Pres Reagan signed NSDD114 saying U.S. would back Iraq in Iran-Iraq War to prevent it from

losing

(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)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Saddam Tapes)

1993 Iraq accepted UN Resolution 715 to extend UN weapons inspections Initially rejected

resolution

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

1999 Baath paper said Iraq couldn’t accept sanctions and spies at same time but sanctions easier to

accept then spies and crises they created to prolong sanctions

1999 Sec State Albright said No Fly Zones were about containing Saddam

2001 Bush called Saddam a terrorist who would be held accountable and said Iraq needed to allow

UN weapons inspectors back in

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2001 White House spokesman Fleischer said US afraid Al Qaeda might try to get nuclear weapons

from Iraq

2002 Gen Franks presented deployment plan for Iraq invasion to Def Sec Rumsfeld Was for 300,000 troops

to be sent from summer 02-spring 03 Rumsfeld said large deployment would undermine diplomatic moves US making on Iraq Rumsfeld decided to go through entire deployment process for Iraq invasion Ended up breaking it up and controlling entire process

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

(Musings On Iraq book review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To Invade Iraq)

2003 Ayatollah Sistani said he opposed CPA’s plan for caucuses to be formed to draft new Iraq

constitution Wanted Islamic identity to be included in any new Iraqi government

(Musings On Iraq book review The Occupation of Iraq, Winning The War, Losing The Peace)

(Musings On Iraq book review Patriotic Ayatollahs, Nationalism In Post-Saddam Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Squandered Victory, The American Occupation And the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq)

2006 US Iraq strategy review presented to Bush Said PM Maliki unable or unwilling to act against

violence Said US should continue with withdrawal plan but could have temporary surge of troops

2006 Sec State Rice told Bush US should step back from Iraq Was opposed to surge of troops

Natl Sec Adv Hadley told Bush US should have a surge of troops in Iraq to bring down violence Bush said he would consult with everyone and decide on a new Iraq strategy in Dec 06

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mansoor on the Surge)

2006 NYTimes got Jun 06 US govt report Said insurgency now self-financed via crime Raised est

$70-$200 mil/yr $25-$100 mil from oil smuggling $36 mil from kidnapping 05 Foreign govts including France and Italy paid $30 mil in ransoms 03 insurgents financed by Baathists 04 were funded by foreigners By 05 self-financed

2006 Militiamen attacked 2 Sunni mosques and market in Baghdad’s Ghaziliya Up to 45 killed

(Musings On Iraq book review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

(Musings On Iraq Columbia University Charts Sectarian Cleansing Of Baghdad)

2007 US and Iraq signed declaration of principles to start negotiation for Status of Forces Agreement to

maintain US troops and ties to Iraq

2007 US general in charge of southern Baghdad said Iraq wanted to start paying Sahwa Govt spokesman

Dabbagh said he didn’t know of any such plan

2007 PM Maliki told Bush he was afraid insurgents were infiltrating the sahwa

2007 Report govt was inflating return numbers Counted every Iraqi crossing border from Syria as return

whether refugee or not Nov Iraqi general said 46,030 refugees had returned and 28,017 displaced in Oct 07

(Musings On Iraq book review Children of War, Voices Of Iraqi Refugees)

2007 US general in charge of northern Baghdad said attacks down 75% but EFP attacks by Iranian

supported militias increased in Oct 07 2 Iranians captured in Nov

(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 Islamic Army faction in Mosul condemned sahwa Said would continue fighting US

2007 US general in charge of training ISF said turning over all Iraqi provinces to Baghdad by end of 2007

not possible Said ISF still lacked leadership logistics and suffered from sectarianism Situation in each province would determine when handed back to Iraq

2009 Former UK Amb to US Meyer testified to Chilcot Inquiry Said US decided on Iraq war before UN

weapons inspectors returned in Nov 02 Said US already had invasion plan with war starting Jan 03 which was pushed back to March Meyer said UN inspectors had no time to finish their work US and UK only wanted a smoking gun to justify war

(Musings On Iraq Former British Diplomat Confirms that U.N. Inspectors Were Means To War With Iraq)

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

2016 Parliament made Hashd an independent military force under the commander and chief

 
View the Iraq History Timelines

Islamic State Forcing People Out Of Rural Diyala

(Institute for the Study of War)

Recently there has been a dramatic increase in the forced displacement of people from central and northeast Diyala by the Islamic State. This points to a concerted effort to empty rural sections of the province so that the militants can create camps and bases to rebuild its cadres.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 25

1986 Iraq air strike on Larak Island oil facilities Longest air raid of war Used Saudi air base

for refueling Iran transferred loading tankers there after Kharg and Sirri Islands hit by Iraq Hit 5 tankers

(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)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)

1997 KDP broke own ceasefire by attacking PUK positions

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

2002 UN Res 1443 extended Oil for Food program

2002 US Navy report claimed uranium from Niger was in a warehouse in Benin heading for Iraq

Report later found to be false

(Musings On Iraq article on Niger uranium story)

2002 Head weapons inspector Blix told Security Council inspections would begin in Iraq on 11/27/02

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2002 US intel took pictures of trucks carrying materials from suspected WMD facility in Amiriya

Used in Powell’s Feb 03 speech Analysts did not think pictures showed anything unusual 

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

2004 Defense Science Board report Iraq invasion gave jihadists around the world a cause and

supported their narrative

2006 ISI attacked Albu Soda tribe in Sufiya outside Ramadi for being neutral Tribe called US for

help and fought off insurgents Sheikh Suwadawi of Abu Soda tribe joined Anbar Awakening afterward

(Musings On Iraq article on Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq article on change in perceptions that led to Awakening)

(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)

2006 1^st Inf Div Cmdr Gen Ham in charge of US training mission in Iraq said previous effort was

“hit and miss” US did poor job picking soldiers for mission No standardized training program for Iraqis Lacked support

2007 Natl Sec Adv Rubaie suggested banning sahwa south of Baghdad except in Hillah over fears of

US recruiting Shiites

2007 DeBaathification bill introduced in parliament Sadrists objected Bill withdrawn to be amended Bill

was agreed upon in Aug by major parties

2007 Report Surge was supposed to improve security and lead to political reform and reconciliation

Didn’t happen so Bush admin dropped benchmarks to show progress Hoping Iraq would spend budget and hold provincial elections as signs of progress

2018 Report Trump twice asked Abadi for Iraq’s oil in return for invading Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article on why Pres Trump asked for Iraq’s oil)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 24

1915 Battle of Salman Pak ended British lost and withdrew to Kut Ottomans had 9500

casualties British 4500

1921 Churchill memo said when King Feisal could pay for his own govt he could decide the future

of Iraq Until then UK was footing the bill

(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)

1952 Soldiers opened fire on protests against Regent of Iraq killing 18 and wounding 84 during

Intifada against Regent

1967 Iraq signed deal with France ERAP to develop North Rumaila oil field

1968 7^th Baath Party Congress Izzat Mustafa ousted from Revolutionary Command Council One of

Saddam’s main rivals

1988 Iran and Iraq began prisoner exchange from Iran-Iraq War

1994 Barzani and Talabani signed ceasefire to end KDP-PUK civil war

1997 KDP declared unilateral ceasefire in KDP-PUK civil war

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

1998 UN Res 1210 renewed Oil for Food program for another 6 months

2000 UK Foreign Office report Arab countries no longer supported sanctions on Iraq

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

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Report Section 1.2 UK Iraq strategy September 2000 To September 2001)

2003 US jailers used dogs to intimidate Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib

2003 Prison riot at Abu Ghraib 9 prisoners killed 9 American guards injured

2003 Weekly Standard published UnderSecDef Feith’s Iraq-Al Qaeda briefing claiming two had over

50 meetings since 1990s

2003 Pentagon released statement that Under Sec Def Feith’s Iraq-Al Qaeda work was based upon raw intel

and not analysis of relationship between them

2003 CIA sent Under Sec Def Feith list of problems with his Iraq-Al Qaeda work Said claim Zarqawi given

safehaven by Saddam was disputed

2003 Report Iran brought Hezbollah into Iraq to help it

(Musings On Iraq article on Hezbollah presence in Iraq)

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

2004 Sec State Powell told Bush not enough US troops in Iraq to secure country

2004 Report US portrayed Zarqawi and foreigners leading Battle of Fallujah but leaders were local

Iraqis

2006 Militias carried out retaliatory attacks upon Sunnis in Hurriya Ghaziliya Baquba Kirkuk for 6

car bombs the day before in Sadr City that killed 215 5 mosques in Hurriya burned another shot at another declared a Shiite husseiniya by Mahdi Army Total 19 killed 29 wounded Militias expelled Sunni families from Hurriya and threatened 90 more families to leave

(Musings On Iraq book review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

(Musings On Iraq Columbia University Charts Sectarian Cleansing Of Baghdad)

2006 After funeral processions for those killed Nov 24 in 6 car bombs Sadrist imams blamed US for

insecurity and demanded US withdrawal from Iraq Sadrists threatened to walk out of parliament and cabinet if PM Maliki met with Pres Bush in Jordan

2006 Sunni imams in Ghaziliya Amiriya Adhamiya called on followers to protect neighborhoods and

attack Mahdi Army and police if they entered

2007 Oil Min Shahristani said oil deals signed by Kurdistan were illegal and companies would be

blacklisted Said made deals with neighboring countries not to export oil from Kurdistan Aug 07 Kurdistan passed its own oil law and signed 15 deals with 20 companies

2007 Report more Iraqis returning to Iraq then leaving Oct 07 43,799 Iraqis returned from Syria Was 5

times higher than Iraqis leaving Syria Jordan Lebanon Egypt put new restrictions on Iraqi refugees Govt said it would start bus convoys to bring Iraqi refugees back from Syria Only lasted 2 trips because govt unprepared for returns 60,000 displaced returned to Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq book review Children of War, Voices Of Iraqi Refugees)

2007 Sadrists held march in Sadr City against US for crackdown on Mahdi Army in Karbala and

Qadisiya

2009 England started Chilcot Inquiry into causes of Iraq War

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

 
View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 23

1914 British forces officially took Basra Sir Percy Cox issued statement in Arabic that

British had occupied Basra UK was at war with Ottomans and had no ill will towards locals

1915 French diplomat Picot visited London told officials Mosul Baghdad Basra provinces should be

given to Arabs after WWI to placate them

1952 Gen Mahmoud formed new military govt and declared martial law to put down protests - Intifada

Police stations and US Info Library in Baghdad burned Clashes with army killed 12 wounded 25

1952 Nuredin Mahmoud became premier in new military govt

(Musings On Iraq book review of ‘Independent Iraq’ The Monarchy & British Influence, 1941-1958)

1983 Iraq sank Greek cargo ship at Iranian port of Bushehr

(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)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)

1990 Bush said Saudis Egypt Syria agreed on UN resolution to allow use of force vs Iraq for invasion

of Kuwait

1993 UN reported that Iraqi govt had drained 40% of southern marshes to drive out displaced and

rebels

(Musings On Iraq article on why Saddam drained the southern marshes)

1997 Clinton said UN sanctions would stay until Saddam removed from power

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

1998 Hosni Mubarak said US-UK attempts to overthrow Saddam would fail and regime change

could only come from Iraqi people

2006 5 car bombs and mortars by ISI hit Sadr City killing 215 and injuring 257

2006 Insurgents launched 2 hour attack upon Health Ministry in Baghdad run by Sadrists Militias

fired mortars upon Abu Hanifa mosque offices of Assoc of Muslim Scholars and 2 Sunni neighborhoods in retaliation

(Musings On Iraq book review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

2007 Iran backed Special Groups believed to have been behind bombing of Baghdad market to stoke

sectarian tensions

2008 Sadr called for opposition to SOFA with US Thousands protested in Baghdad

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Revised Review Iraq and the Politics of Oil, An Insider’s Perspective

Revised Review Vogler, Gary, Iraq and the Politics of Oil, An Insider’s Perspective, Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2017

Iraq and the Politics of Oil, An Insider’s Perspective is a classic tale of experts being stifled from achieving their goals by the bureaucracy and political appointees. Gary Vogler spent 21 years working for Exxon-Mobile. In 2002 he was asked by the Pentagon to join a planning group for the Iraq invasion. That led to years working in that country. From 2003-04 he was with for the Pentagon, then the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA), and finally the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). He would return from 2006-11 as a contractor for Wheeler Energy Ltd. During that time he found that there were committed Americans and Iraqis that wanted to develop Iraq’s oil industry and rebuild the country, but they ran into all kinds of problems due to Washington and Baghdad.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 22

1915 Start of Battle of Salman Pak Ottomans called on Indian troops to rise up against

British commanders 20^th Punjabi Batt removed after an Indian killed a British soldier

1923 PM Sadoun resigned over differences with Shiite leaders and King Faisal

1923 Jafar Pasha al-Askari became 3^rd PM of Iraq Would hold office 2 times Shiites got Finance and

Education ministries in Askari govt Shiite leaders gave pledge of allegiance to King as a result

1952 Baghdad protests against Regent Started 1952 Intifada Communists one of main organizers

Clashes with police led to 1 dead 52 wounded Led to PM Umari resigning

(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)

1997 UN inspectors talked out of visit to Special Republican Guard base by US that did not want

another confrontation that would allow Saddam to blame inspectors

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2001 Saudi intel chief Prince Turksi said that bin Laden considered Saddam an apostate

2002 France told US that it did not believe Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)

2002 Russia’s Putin warned U.S. not to unilaterally act against Iraq

2003 US transport plane hit by missile at Baghdad International Airport

2005 Wall St Journal OpEd claimed 9/11 hijacker Atta might have met Iraqi intel agent in Prague in

2001 Story disproved in 2002

2006 Commander of US forces in Iraq Gen Casey told Joint Chiefs troop surge would not work

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mansoor on the Surge)

2006 UN said over 100,000 Iraqis left country each month mostly going for Syria and Jordan Many were

professionals Shiite death squads and militias operating within police Police accused of kidnappings torture murder bribery theft extortion

(Musings On Iraq book review Children of War, Voices Of Iraqi Refugees)

2007 Report captured ISI docs from Sinjar showed 80-110 foreign fighters entered Iraq each month first half

of 2007 41% were Saudis followed Libyans at 18%

(Musings On Iraq article on Saudi role in insurgency)

2009 Baghdad aired video confession of 3 men claiming they were Baathists behind Oct 09 Baghdad

bombings Were actually done by ISI

(Musings On Iraq Maliki Returns to Sectarian Politics)

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Details On Collective Punishment Meted Out By Hashd Upon Jurf al-Sakhr

(Google Maps)

In October 2014, after thirteen tries Jurf al-Sakhr in northeast Babil was liberated from the Islamic State. The operation was led by Badr Organization head Hadi Ameri with the assistance of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Commander General Qassim Suleimani and involved mostly pro-Iran Hashd units with the support of the Iraqi forces. Prime Minister Haider Abadi praised the operation and visited the site shortly after it was declared free. The entire population of the district, some 70,000-80,000 people were forced out by the Hashd and it was converted into a military base for Kataib Hezbollah who still controls the area to this day. Although there was a report that the Hashd was burning homes immediately after the fighting was over the level of devastation that those forces carried out was not known until November 2019 when Iranian intelligence documents were leaked to the Intercept.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 21

1914 British troops entered Basra after Ottomans abandoned city

1926 Jaffar al-Askari became PM of Iraq for 2^nd time

1927 King Faisal asked for full Iraqi independence and ending roll of British High Commissioner in

negotiations over new Anglo-Iraq Treaty

1946 PM Umari forced to resign in aftermath of Kirkuk Massacre where oil strikers killed

1946 Nuri al-Said became premier 4^th time

(Musings On Iraq interview with Historian Phebe Marr comparing PM Said with PM Maliki)

(Musings On Iraq book review of ‘Independent Iraq’ The Monarchy & British Influence, 1941-1958)

1983 Iran’s Op Wa al-Fajr 4 ended Took 180 sq mi of land in Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan Iran lost

5000 dead 15,000 wounded Iraq lost 2800 dead

(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)

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

1997 UN weapons inspectors returned to Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq article Charles Duelfer’s Account Of The End Of The 1990s U.N. Inspections)

1998 Adviser to UN chief said could never 100% prove WMD disarmament and at some

            point inspections became political and impossible to prove negative

2001 Bush told Natl Sec Adv Rice he wanted Def Sec Rumsfeld to start planning for Iraq

2001 Bush told Def Sec Rumsfeld to update war plans for Iraq Wanted it done secretly Was first

official step in Iraq invasion

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

(Musings On Iraq book review Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq Review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Bush Administrations and Saddam Hussein, Deciding on Conflict)

(Musings On Iraq book review Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account Of The Decision To

Invade Iraq)

2002 NATO summit Bush was talking about war with Iraq and using new UN inspections as

catalyst for action

2003 UN turned over Oil for Food program to CPA

2003 UK intel report Badr Brigade maintained close ties to Iran that armed and funded it

(Musings On Iraq article on Iran using Badr in post-Saddam Iraq)

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

2004 Iraq Election Commission announced vote for transitional assembly to draft constitution would

happen 1/30/05 along with provincial vote

2006 Iraq and Syria announced renewal of diplomatic relations which were broken during Iran-Iraq War

2006 UN reported 3,709 civilians killed in Oct 06 was highest since 2003 invasion

2006 Report US training mission for Iraqi forces full of problems Officers leading teams poorly picked Many

hadn’t seen combat Didn’t understand mission and weren’t prepared Didn’t have standardized guidelines for mission Didn’t get support from US military Didn’t get supplies and enough interpreters Didn’t get full teams

2007 Gen Petraeus said nuber of foreign fighters coming to Iraq down by about 1/3 in part due to greater

interdiction by Syria

2009 Report on failed US funded reconstruction projects $270 mil water plant in Nasiriya only worked at

limited capacity because too sophisticated for Iraqi workers $4 mil maternity hospital in Hilla doesn’t have staff of enough supplies Iraqis never trained on equipment US installed $98 mil wastewater treatment plan in Fallujah only reached 1/3 of homes because govt didn’t deliver fuel $7.9 mil hospital in Baghdad didn’t have staff or supplies so it was closed $165 mil Basra Children’s Hospital was $115 mil over budget

(Musings On Iraq More On Wasted Reconstruction Projects In Iraq) 

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