This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 30 Iraqi army surrounded UK Habaniya airbase hoping to force British troops out of Iraq

(Imperial War Museum)

 1915 Ottoman mayor murdered in Najaf for trying to draft men for war and taking money

from shrines

1917 Battle of the Boot at Band-i-Adhaim between British and Ottomans

1923 Iraq High Commissioners Sir Percy Cox recalled to London Issued protocol to shorten

Anglo-Iraq Treaty from 20 to 4 years to appease Iraq

1924 Baghdad said willing to give land to Assyrians

(Musings On Iraq review The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

1941 PM Gaylani refused permission for British troops to land in Basra

1941 2 brigades of Iraqi soldiers surrounded UK Habaniya base ordered UK to cease operations

there Iraq had 9000 troops UK 2250

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Boich World War II In Iraq and Syria)

1941 Iraqi forces surrounded UK embassy in Baghdad

1941 PM Gaylani hoped to pressure UK to leave Iraq without a fight

1941 UK memo to Chiefs of Staff discussed destroying Iraq’s oil wells to deny them to Germany

(Musings On Iraq review Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The National Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq review Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

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

1948 Jewish forces took Jaffa, and 7 other towns held by Iraqi volunteers in 1^st Arab Israeli War

1959 Qasim banned political organizing within army Was aimed at Communists to curb their power

(Musings On Iraq review The Making of Iraq 1900-1963, Capital, Power and Ideology)

(Musings On Iraq 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 Bakr govt executed opponents in central Baghdad Meant to rally support for regime

1980 By end of April around 20 Iraqi officials had been killed in bombings by Shiite opposition parties

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1980 Arab Iranians seized Iranian embassy in London demanding sovereignty for Khuzistan province

Were trained and armed by Iraq

1982 Iran launched Op Bait al-Moqaddas to recapture Khorrmshahr across from Basra and liberate

Khuzistan province Iran had 12 divisions 200,000 soldiers vs 5 Iraqi divisions and 65,000 men Iran would gain 300 sq mi Iranian paratroopers dropped on Karun River near Darkhovin while engineers built bridge over river

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)

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

1985 Sec State Shultz asked Def Sec Weinberger to speed up approval of technology exports to Iraq

Much of that would go to weapons programs

1985 State Dept intel reported no evidence Iraq had started on a nuclear weapons program It had

1990 Jordanian prosecutor report detailed fake bank accounts Ahmed Chalabi ran with his Petra Bank

(Musings On Iraq review The Man Who Pushed America To War, The Extraordinary Life, Adventures, and Obsessions of Ahmad Chalabi)

(Musings On Iraq review Arrows of the Night: Ahmad Chalabi and the Selling of the Iraq War)

1996 Turkey began bombing campaign along border against PKK

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

1997 Fighting broke out between PUK and Kurdish Islamic Movement

2001 NSC meeting on Al Qaeda threat Dep Def Sec Wolfowitz asked why US should focus on bin Laden

when Iraq terrorism real threat Brought up Mylroie’s conspiracy theories about Iraq being behind 93 World Trade Center bombing Dep CIA Director McLaughlin told Wolfowitz no evidence of Iraq terrorist threat to US Dep Sec of State Armitage told Wolfowitz Al Qaeda was the main threat to US

(Musings On Iraq review Against All Enemies, Inside America’s War on Terror)

(Musings On Iraq Laurie Mylroie’s Convoluted Iraq-Terrorism Conspiracy Theory)

(Musings On Iraq Laurie Mylroie’s Iraq Conspiracy Theory Was Debunked By Captured Baath Documents)

2003 US forces ran into protesters that led to shooting for 2^nd time in 2 days in Fallujah 2 killed

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

2003 Sec Def Rumsfeld visited Iraq Realized rebuilding country would take years which was not his plan

2004 Marines withdrew from Fallujah turning over security to Fallujah Brigade proposed by Natl Sec Adv

Shirwani Bremer found out about it from CNN

2004 US met with Iraqi officials US cmdr in Iraq Sanchez said not consulted about Fallujah

Brigade Def Min Allawi objected Natl Sec Adv Shirwani admitted head of Fallujah Brigade ex-Rep Guard Ayad Allawi said brigade could be model for rest of Iraq

2004 Daily Mirror published what turned out to be fake pictures of UK forces abusing Iraqi prisoners

2004 Poll 71% of Iraqis saw US as occupiers 46% said invasion more harmful then good

2004 New Yorker published photos of Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 13 The Changing Of The Guard, Again Spring-Summer 2004)

2005 Mass grave with up to 1,500 Kurds killed by Saddam during Anfal campaign found outside Samawa

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)

2006 Fmr Sec State Powell told UK TV he advised CENTCOM cmdr Gen Franks US needed more troops

before invasion but advise ignored

(Musings On Iraq review Overreach, Delusions of Regime Change In Iraq)

2006 Pres Talabani said 7 insurgent groups might be able to be talked into joining political process

2006 US Special Inspector Gen for Iraq Reconstruction report said attacks still retarding rebuilding

projects but real progress being made Said attacks on infrastructure down 60%

2006 US audit found effort to protect power and oil infrastructure largely failed Questioned 2 foreign

security companies contracted to train guards

2006 Class of new police recruits from Fallujah graduated Told they would serve outside Anbar 600

refused to do so

2007 Parliament voted to keep US troops away from Khadmiya shrine Baghdad after US got into gun

battle with Mahdi Army and Iraqi soldiers in district PM Maliki didn’t sign bill

2007 Anbar Awakening claimed to have killed ISI War Minister Masri Didn’t happen

2007 Report PM Maliki and ministers used Article 136B of Criminal Code to block corruption

investigations

(Musings On Iraq interview with Special Inspector Gen for Iraq Reconstruction Bowen on corruption in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq interview with fmr anti-graft official Vincent Foulk on corruption in Iraq)

2007 Report Maliki using PM and Commander in Chief offices to remove and arrest army and National

Police commanders for going after Mahdi Army or being Sunni US officers complained Maliki politicizing officer corps

2008 PM Maliki said Mahdi Army had to be disbanded because couldn’t have militias and state

2008 Govt spokesman said out of 77 trucks carrying oil to Sadr City 55 hijacked by Mahdi Army

2008 Sadr spokesman said Iranian weapons in Iraq was normal because Tehran would sell to anyone

2008 Turkey said it would resume diplomatic relations with Kurdistan

2008 Study said Surge didn’t achieve political goals Reconciliation had been between insurgents and US

not with Iraqi govt Still threat of violence if no political accommodation

(Musings On Iraq review Surge, My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War)

2008 Another Iraqi delegation headed by Dep Speaker of Parliament Attiya sent to Iran to negotiate

ceasefire with Sadr Met with Iran’s Quds Force cmdr Gen Suleiman

(Musings On Iraq Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Commander General Suleimani And His Role In Iraq, An Interview With The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins)

2009 Muthanna last to name new govt after Jan provincial elections PM Maliki’s State of Law won in 9 of

14 provinces Got ruling coalitions in Babil Baghdad Basra Dhi Qar Qadisiya Wasit Maysan Najaf Karbala

(Musings On Iraq All Of Iraq’s New Provincial Councils Named (UPDATED))

(Musings On Iraq Breaking Down Iraq’s New Provincial Councils)

2009 Report Maliki govt claimed displaced/refugees going home Not true Migration Min said only

1% of refugees had returned to Iraq 18% of displaced had returned home Were still 1.2 mil refugees just in Syria

2009 Report PM Maiki concentrating power Appointed loyalists as ISF commanders Created separate

intel service Controlled Anti-Terror Unit and Baghdad Brigade Surrounded himself with family and small group of Dawa members

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq After America, Strongmen, Sectarians, Resistance)

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

2009 US report attacks at lowest level since 2003 Violence down 90% since Surge

2009 UK held ceremony announcing all combat operations over in Iraq

2009 US govt report As of Apr 1 5000 sahwa given jobs in ISF Sep 08 Baghdad took over sahwa

Mar and Apr 09 govt did pay sahwa because budget didn’t include salaries

2010 Def Min said that ISI had lost its direction after 2 leaders Masri and Baghdadi killed

2010 PM Maliki claimed foreign countries were plotting coup against him

(Musings On Iraq review The Unraveling, High Hopes And Missed Opportunity In Iraq)

2010 Iraqiya threatened boycott after courts banned winning candidates for Baathist past

2010 Special Inspector Gen for Iraq Reconstruction report Said 37,041 sahwa had been given govt

jobs 4565 in ISF 32,476 in ministries Jan Maliki govt claimed it had given 50,000 sahwa jobs 15,000 in ISF 33,000 in ministries

(Musings On Iraq How Many Sons of Iraq Have Actually Been Integrated By Baghdad?)

2011 Hundreds demonstrated in Kut for better services and against corruption

2011 Asayesh arrested four protest organizers trying to start demonstration in Sulaymaniya

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

2011 Interview with member of PUK politburo Said Islamic parties took over protests Claimed they

wanted to turn Sulaymaiya city into a war zone and that was why peshmerga deployed to city Said govt not PUK deployed security forces

2011 US said Iranian investment projects in Karbala and Najaf were fronts for supporting Asaib Ahl

Al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah

(Musings On Iraq Asaib Ahl Al-Haq From A Breakaway Sadr Militia To Defenders Of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Instrument Of Iran’s Power In Iraq And Syria Kataib Hezbollah)

2011 US Army accused Asaib Ahl Al-Haq of missile attacks on US bases Said it and Kataib Hezbollah

supported by Iran’s Quds Force

(Musings On Iraq Asaib Ahl Al-Haq From A Breakaway Sadr Militia To Defenders Of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Instrument Of Iran’s Power In Iraq And Syria Kataib Hezbollah)

2011 US Special Insp Gen for Iraq Reconstruction report Iraq anti-corruption agencies faced political

interference lack of experiences judges that didn’t act on cases Head of Integrity Comm said certain officials off limits because of politics Said no transparency in govt spending Said commission could only go after low level officials Inspector generals at ministries said they would be fired if did high level investigations

(Musings On Iraq interview with Special Inspector Gen for Iraq Reconstruction Bowen on corruption in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq interview with fmr anti-graft official Vincent Foulk on corruption in Iraq)

2012 KRG said Baghdad should pay foreign oil companies working in Kurdistan Wanted independent oil

contracts but for Baghdad to pay its bills

2012 Allawi said he wouldn’t go to national conference to resolve differences with PM Maliki

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

2012 4 bodyguards of fmr Speaker Mashadani arrested for terrorism VP Hashemi and bodyguards charged

with killing 6 judges and other murders

2012 MP on integrity committee said Anbar Gov Fahadawi sent $52 mil in stolen funds to Dubai Govt

sued MP Integrity Commission opened case against Fahdawi on 44 charges of corruption

2013 Report Islamic Army met with Kirkuk tribes to form armed group after ISF attacked Hawija protest           site

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Resurgent Insurgency Interview With Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi)

2013 Govt Media Commission closed 10 satellite TV channels for covering Hawija protests and govt

attack upon it Claimed they were inciting violence

2013 Report ISF claimed they were attacked by protesters at Hawija site Parliamentary investigation

found ISF came in shooting Found some shot in head execution style

(Musings On Iraq Understanding Iraq’s Protest Movements, An Interview With Kirk Sowell, Editor of Inside Iraqi Politics)

2013 Sheikh Sulaiman said that protesters would go to war with govt after crackdown on Hawija protest

site

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Protest Movement And Insurgency Split About Response To Hawija Raid)

(Musings On Iraq Why Anbar’s Sheikh Ali Hatem Sulaiman Joined Iraq’s Protest Movement)

2013 Insurgents attacked Wasit municipal council building

2014 Iraq parliamentary elections PM Maliki’s State of Law would win but he would be denied a third

term due to his handling of the Islamic State 60% voter turnout

(Musings On Iraq Opinions On The 2014 Elections By Iraq Observers)

(Musings On Iraq Another Election Surprise For Iraq?)

(Musings On Iraq Interview A Look At Iraq’s 2014 Election Interview With Reidar Visser)

2014 KRG parliamentary elections 1^st in 8 years

2014 Anbar tribes claimed Baghdad agreed to some of protesters’ demands to end fighting Didn’t happen

2014 ISIS ideologue Binali said that group didn't have to hold territory for Muslims to pledge allegiance to

it Was setting stage for declaration of Islamic State

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

2014 Report KRG govt workers not paid March and April Blamed Baghdad for not sending monthly

budget payments Withheld due to disputes over budget and oil

2014 ISCI’s Hakim called for National Alliance of Shiite parties to be reformed

(Musings On Iraq Re-Forming National Alliance May Be Waste Of Time For Iraq’s Shiite Parties)

2015 Head of Salahaddin council said Hashd were looting and burning buildings in Tikrit

2015 City worker in Tikrit said 300 buildings in northern section of city had been destroyed including 2

mosques after city liberated

2015 IS seized half of Baiji refinery 250 ISF held out within facility

2015 Report PM Abadi agreed to deploy Hashd to Anbar Badr’s Amiri had info campaign

pushing for Hashd to be sent Hashd were already in Anbar Just way to criticize PM Abadi

2016 Parliament refused to meet over PM Abadi’s technocratic govt Sadr called for popular

revolution Sadrists stormed Green Zone Chanted anti-Gen Suleimani slogans Entered parliament building Attacked some MPs Sadr withdrew his bloc from parliament Attempt by Sadr to control govt reform process

(Musings On Iraq Sadr Trying To Play Kingmaker In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Cambridge’s Michael Clark on Sadr, protests and PM Abadi’s reforms)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Reidar Visser on PM Abadi’s reform program)

(Musings On Iraq Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Commander General Suleimani And His Role In Iraq, An Interview With The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins)

2018 Report Hacked messages showed millions in ransom for kidnapped Qataris went to Kataib

Hezbollah leader

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 29 Ottomans defeated British at Kut 2nd biggest loss for UK during WWI

(Daily Sabah)

1916 Ottomans defeated the British at Battle of Kut after 4 months captured 13,309 prisoners 7,000 of

which died in captivity British lost 33,000 casualties One of largest defeats for UK in WWI

1941 More British troops from 20^th Inf Brigade arrived in Basra Iraq protested

1941 UK Ambassador told British women and children to leave Baghdad because of expected war

with Iraq

1941 PM Gaylani sent Iraqi forces to UK air base at Habaniya Anbar 11^th Inf Brigade ordered to

Baghdad to later be deployed to Anbar UK Embassy in Baghdad informed UK forces in Habaniya Iraqi army heading their way

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Boich World War II In Iraq and Syria)

1941 Iraqis flooded Habaniya area limiting movement of UK troops there Occupied Kirkuk oil

fields Cut oil to Haifa and restarted flow to Lebanon for Vichy France that could be used by Axis

(Musings On Iraq review Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The National Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq review Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

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

1948 Battle of Katamon began between Jewish forces attacking Iraqi volunteers and Arab Legion in 1^st

Arab-Israeli War

1954 Arshad al-Umari became PM for 2^nd time after Nuri al-Said turned down position 1922-58

were 59 cabinets

(Musings On Iraq review The Chatham House Version and other Middle-Eastern Studies)

1959 Gen Qasim refused to recognize Communists as a political party

1959 Communist central committee demanded power sharing within Qasim govt

(Musings On Iraq review The Making of Iraq 1900-1963, Capital, Power and Ideology)

(Musings On Iraq 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)

1962 Govt started spring offensive against Barzani

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Kurdish Revolt 1961-1970)

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

(Musings On Iraq review Journey Among Brave Men, Travels in Kurdistan)

1969 Iraq condemned Shah of Iran for unilaterally ending 1937 border treaty over Shatt al-Arab

waterway

1981 Amnesty Intl report interviewed 15 Iraqis exiles detailing torture methods used by govt

1986 Iraq launched counterattack to stop Iran Al Fajr 9 outside Rawanduz Kurdistan

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

1986 Iran launched counterattack along 3 fronts in Basra Advanced up road to Um Qasr and north along

Faw Peninsula Basra Caused 4000 Iraqi casualties

(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 review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)

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

1991 Report Bush and Joint Chiefs head Gen Powell both thought of Vietnam when Iraq revolt started

Didn’t want to get caught in civil war and quagmire

(Musings On Iraq review Out Of The Ashes, The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein)

1994 Iraqi army launched new military campaign to drive out displaced and rebels from southern

marshes

1994 Sec State Christopher wrote NYTimes OpEd Said Iraq complying with UN Res 687 was not enough to

end sanctions Contradicted resolution

(Musings On Iraq review Invisible War, The United States And The Iraq Sanctions)

2002 Pentagon official said 9/11 hijacker met with Iraqi intel officer in Prague Didn’t happen

2003 2^nd anti-American protests in Fallujah demanding that they leave after killing people day before

Threw rocks at US troops who fired into crowd killing 3 wounding 16

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

2003 ORHA head Garner told White House flying frozen Iraqi assets to pay for salaries and pensions

helped stabilize Iraq

2004 US announced end of Battle of Fallujah Would withdraw turn over security to Fallujah Brigade

2004 Sheikh Jabani’s brother and 3 kids kidnapped in Fallujah for fighting insurgents

2004 50 former UK Ambassadors and officials wrote open letter to PM Blair Said UK had no postwar

plan for Iraq Said experts predicted that occupation of Iraq would garner resistance Said had to consider Iraqi history Concluded that Coalition strategy in Iraq was doomed to fail

2005 Gen Vines issued order for US troops to stop and report any cases of abuse by Iraqi forces

2007 US troops went to investigate torture cell run by Mahdi Army in Khadimiya Baghdad Got into gun

battle with Mahdi Army and Iraqi soldiers Afterward parliament voted to keep US forces 1 mile away from shrine

2007 Report Spec Insp Gen for Iraq Recon looked at 8 US projects 7 were not operating or had major

problems Power station for Baghdad airport had $11.8 mil spent on generators $8.6 mil worth not operating Hospital in Irbil had incinerator for waste locked and key lost Dumped waste into sewage system contaminating local water system Water purification system at hospital broke Oxygen system not used by staff that didn’t know how it worked Special Forces barracks in Baghdad had 4 generators broken due to no maintenance and supply pipes had been stolen Spec Insp Gen had warned that US was leaving projects for Iraqis that could not be maintained and were waste of money

2008 2^nd ISCI and Dawa delegation went to Iran to meet Sadr and Iran Rev Guards Quds Force’s Gen

Suleimani to negotiate ceasefire in Charge of Knights Iraqis provided evidence Iran supported militias including names of people locations of training camps and cells working with Tehran Iran denied everything Accused Iraqis of selling out to US and ignoring help Iran gave Shiite parties since 2003 Said it was wrong to go after Mahdi Army because they were Iran’s allies Said Mahdi Army needed to counter Sahwa created by US Sadr refused meeting

(Musings On Iraq Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Commander General Suleimani And His Role In Iraq, An Interview With The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins)

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Overview of Iran’s Influence In Iraq)

2008 Report Iran Rev Guard Quds Force Cmdr Gen Suleimani sent message to Gen Petraeus and Amb

Crocker that Iran not responsible for fighting between Maliki govt and Mahdi Army Iran gave weapons to Mahdi Army during fighting

2008 Accordance Front MPs found torture at Karbala prison overcrowding in Babil ones

2008 Turkey’s Foreign Minister said Ankara wanted better relations with KRG

2008 Former Dep Sec Def Wolfowitz said Bush admin never expected an insurgency in Iraq Said

there were enough US troops after invasion but US failed to create enough ISF Admitted Bush admin was clueless about counterinsurgency

2008 Female suicide bomber attacked bus stop in Muqtadiya Another female suicide

            bomber attacked Sahwa in Abu Saida both in Diyala

(Musings On Iraq The Rise of Female Suicide Bombers)

(Musings On Iraq Motivations Behind Female Suicide Bombers)

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

2009 Police sent by Integrity Commission to arrest Trade Min Sudani for corruption got

into shootout with guards in Baghdad $4-$8 bil missing from ministry Bought expired food and charged Ministry full price Bought food and kept it for themselves to sell on black market Bought goods for double the prices Sudani signed contract with company owned by his son for $50 mil of old tea that was only worth $20 mil Bought contaminated milk from China Found $8 mil in expired food in warehouse Sudani’s brother and nephew got $40 in kickbacks from every ton of sugar imported by ministry Sudani used some of money to fund PM Maliki’s State of Law in 2009-10 elections

(Musings On Iraq Half Of Corruption Cases Against Iraq’s Former Trade Minister Dropped)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen on Iraq’s fight with corruption) 

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

2009 Interior Ministry said ISI had successfully penetrated ISF and used agents to carry out attacks

2010 PM Maliki said that there were no secret prisons in Iraq after one at Muthanna Airport prison was

revealed Claimed that torture victims at Muthanna prison gave themselves scars to fake abuse

(Musings On Iraq Secret Baghdad Prison Discovered By Iraq’s Human Rights Ministry)

(Musings On Iraq Why Nothing Is Going To Be Done About Abuse In Iraq’s Prisons)

2010 US accused Iran of using Hezbollah to carry out attacks against its forces in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq Hezbollah’s Role In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

2010 Sadrists said PM Maliki could not get a second term as premier

2011 Obama’s National Security Adviser suggested 10,000 US troops stay in Iraq after withdrawal

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

(Musings On Iraq review Duty, Memoirs of a Secretary At War)

2011 Sadr threatened to bring back Mahdi Army if US forces stayed past end of year

(Musings On Iraq Iraq May See The Return of Sadr’s Mahdi Army)

2011 KRG security forces arrested one of top protest leaders in Sulaymaniya

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

2011 Report KRG saw longest sustained protests in Iraq since 03 KDP-PUK blamed opposition parties

Said they were trying to bring down govt Security forces went after activists More than 200 journalists harassed arrested tortured covering protests

(Musings On Iraq How Iraq’s Kurdistan Broke Up Two Months Of Protests)

2011 Anbar councilman Fallujah police chief and other officials arrested in Anbar Anbar Ops Command

and PM Maliki blamed

2011 Protest in Baghdad demanding end to corruption US withdrawal Release of prisoners

(Musings On Iraq Another Friday’s Protest In Iraq’s Tahrir Square, Baghdad, April 29, 2011)

2012 Pres Barzani told US he objected to selling F-16s to Baghdad Said didn’t trust PM Maliki with them

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Premier And Kurdistan’s President Spar Over Weapons As Part Of Larger Political Dispute)

2012 Kurdish Coalition demanded Baghdad arm Peshmerga as part of country’s security forces Said in

2007 Irbil and Baghdad agreed on it

2012 Special Inspector Gen for Iraqi Reconstruction found 76% of Commander’s Emergency Response

funds were lost to fraud and corruption Money went to contracts with many groups from officials to insurgents taking their cut

2012 Pres Barzani Pres Talabani Sadr Speaker Nujafi Allawi gave PM Maliki 15 days to follow Irbil

Agreement over power sharing Didn’t happen

2012 Sadrists repeated that they would not support no confidence vote vs PM Maliki

2013 PM Maliki and Pres Barzani agreed on 7 point program to repair relations between Baghdad and

Irbil Only partially implemented

2013 ISIS set off 2 car bombs in central Karbala 2 car bombs in Amarah 1 car bomb in Diwaniya

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

2014 ISIS took credit for suicide bombing of PUK rally in Khanaqin, Diyala that killed 30 Wounded 64

2014 Report that US intel believed Maliki getting re-elected PM would divide Iraq more

2014 Report PM Maliki ordered army out of Ramadi and Fallujah Helped insurgent take overs Jan 2014

ISIS declared Fallujah Islamic emirate ISIS using money to buy support in Fallujah ISF not been able to hold areas it cleared in Anbar ISF and ISIS executing prisoners

2014 Report PM Maliki used Asaib Ahl Al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah to secure Baghdad belts Told Shiite

politicians he was disappointed with ISF Publicly Maliki denied using militias 1 militiaman said he’d been deployed to Abu Ghraib since Jan 2014 and reported to Maliki Asaib Ahl Al-Haq member said given uniforms and weapons by govt and deployed to Latifiya

(Musings On Iraq Asaib Ahl Al-Haq From A Breakaway Sadr Militia To Defenders Of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Instrument Of Iran’s Power In Iraq And Syria Kataib Hezbollah)

2014 Report Up to 1000 ISF killed in fighting in Anbar More have deserted Soldiers complained not given

ammo or equipment Soldier in Ramadi said only 120 of 750 men in his battalion still on duty Rest had deserted Officers stole money for food fuel and supplies General said commissions were sold Officers extorted money from business Charged taxes at checkpoints

2014 Keys to PM Maliki’s power Was weak leader at 1^st Charge of Knights led to strong image Sought

support of Shiite middle class Included token Sunnis in govt Used Kurds against Sunni Arabs Broke up cross sectarian alliance like Iraqiya in 2010 Went after independent commissions Asserted control over ISF Refused to integrate sahwa Ignored parliament Issued warrants for rivals like VP Hashemi Attacked Kurds over oil policy Tried to deter foreign investment in KRG Gave positions to other Shiite parties to win support Promoted corruption Went after Sadr Used Asaib Ahl Al-Haq against Sadr Used Iran and Russia to balance US influence Blamed Saudis for violence Argued Sunnis hate Shiites

2015 Report Zarqawi attacked Shiites believing that would rally Sunnis to him 2004 created Omar

Brigade to assassinate militiamen Used indiscriminate violence with bombings to establish control By 2006 had control of many other insurgent groups Led to Sahwa turning against ISI 2008 began planning comeback Targeted sahwa Didn’t believe argument Baathists were behind much of ISIS’ success Baathists were not in Zarqawi or Abu Omar al-Baghdadi’s inner circle

2015 Diyala police chief claimed no insurgent strongholds in province Said all regions were under

ISF control Not true

2016 Protests in Baghdad Basra Najaf Qadisiya Maysan Karbala Dhi Qar Muthanna against corruption

and sectarian quotas in govt

2017 Report PUK leadership split over independence referendum Gorran refused to talk with KDP

over referendum Accused KDP of abusing power

(Musings On Iraq review The Great Betrayal, How America Abandoned The Kurds And Lost The Middle East)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Review A History of Iraq

Tripp, Charles, A History of Iraq, Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Delhi: Cambridge University Press, 2007

 A History Of Iraq by Professor Charles Tripp is one of the seminal histories of Iraq in English. It focuses upon the development of the state and how it affected the country’s people. In doing so, Tripp emphasizes three main themes. One was the autocratic tendencies of Iraq’s leaders who were more concerned about maintaining control than meeting the needs of the public. Second was the system of patronage and clients those rulers created which often times exercised the real power behind the scenes. Last, was the use of violence which was initially used to subdue elements the population and then to seize control of the government.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 28 PM Gaylani and pan-Arab Golden Square officers decided to go to war with UK Asked Axis for military aid again

                                                                                        (Wikipedia)

1922 UK Iraq Commissioner Cox said King Faisal racially weak for disagreeing with him

1929 Tawfiq al-Suwaidi became PM with understanding he would not negotiate new Anglo-Iraq Treaty

Would hold office 3 times

(Musings On Iraq review The Chatham House Version and other Middle-Eastern Studies)

1941 PM Gaylani and Golden Square officers decided to go to war with UK Asked Axis for military

and financial aid for second time to be used against British

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Boich World War II In Iraq and Syria)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Between the Two World Wars, The Militarist Origins of Tyranny)

1941 UK Amb to Iraq told PM Gaylani second contingent of UK troops landing at Basra Gaylani

refused them entry Amb ordered start of evacuation of UK civilians from Iraq

1941 364 UK troops airlifted to Habaniya air base in Anbar

(Musings On Iraq review Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The National Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq review Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

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

1947 Mustafa Barzani and 500 supporters returned to Iraq from Iran

1948 Sheikh Ajeel of National Democratic Party killed by his uncle Sheikh Samarmard over competition for

parliamentary seat

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Democratic Moment)

1959 Communist paper editorial demanded positions in Qasim govt Turned down

(Musings On Iraq review The Making of Iraq 1900-1963, Capital, Power and Ideology)

(Musings On Iraq 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)

1973 Iraq offered to talk with Kuwait over border dispute

1974 Iraq bombed Halabja killing 42 and wounding over 100 during KDP rebellion

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

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

1990 Iraq hosted Arab summit Saddam attacked Kuwait for economic warfare vs Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review Unholy Babylon, The Secret History of Saddam’s War)

1990 Saddam asked Emir of Kuwait if Iraq could use two of its islands Emir said no

1991 US led Coalition created safe zone for Kurds near Dohuk after uprising put down

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

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

1992 Report CIA continued to give intel to Iraq until day it invaded Kuwait in Aug 90

1992 Campaign for a Free Iraq brought 17,000 mini coffins to Iraqi embassy in London to symbolize victims

of Saddam Was paid for by Rendon Group hired by CIA to promote Iraqi opposition

1998 Inspectors report to UN said no progress in last 4 months due to confrontation with Iraq

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Greatest Threat, Iraq, Weapons of Mass Destruction, And The Growing Crisis Of Global Security)

2001 Report 9/11 terrorist Mohammed Atta met with Iraqi intel officer in Prague Story false

2002 US military leaked story to press that Iraq invasion could use a force as small as 70,000 Was push

back against Sec Def Rumsfeld’s small invasion force

(Musings On Iraq How Arguments Over Iraq Invasion Plan Were Fought Through Press Leaks)

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

2003 Protest in Fallujah led to shooting US troops killed 17 and wounded more than 70 Start of

insurgency in city

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

2003 ORHA Garner met with 350 Iraqis in Baghdad and told them they were in charge of Iraq said

would be meeting to create interim govt in 4 weeks Garner then left and meeting broke down into arguments

(Musings On Iraq review Hard Lessons, The Iraq Reconstruction Experience)

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

Tragedy)

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

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Dysfunctional Democracy)

(Musings On Iraq review The Endgame, The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from

George W. Bush to Barack Obama)

2003 Dep Sec of Def Wolfowtiz said US occupation of Iraq would not need as many troops as invasion

did

2003 Pentagon paper said interim Iraqi govt had not been decided upon

2003 Gen Franks asked UK to take control of 5 southern Iraqi provinces UK said could only handle 4

Basra Maysan Dhi Qar Muthanna

2003 UK report Iran sending in groups into southern Iraq to influence postwar situation

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 5 We’re Here, Now What?)

2003 Followers of cleric Yaqubi protested in Baghdad calling for freedom independence justice and

against US and Israel

(Musings On Iraq review The Triumph of the Martyrs, A Reporter’s Journey into Occupied Iraq)

2004 Fighting between US marines and insurgents continued in Fallujah while US commander claimed

ceasefire holding

2004 Marines began forming Fallujah Brigade to take over security of city

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

2004 UK intel assessment said another attack upon Fallujah would make political and security situation

in Iraq worse

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

2004 UN Rep Brahimi reported to Security Council that interim govt would serve until elections held in

late 2004-early 2005

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 13 The Changing Of The Guard, Again Spring-Summer 2004)

2004 General Mark Kimmitt deputy director of Coalition operations in Iraq told CBS News he was

disappointed in a few soldiers for Abu Ghraib scandal

2005 PM Jaafari’s cabinet approved by parliament 5 ministers and 1 dep PM either empty or temporary

pending deal with Sunnis Defense Oil Electricity and Human Rights Ministers not been named yet

(Musings On Iraq U.S. Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 16 – Going West, April-August 2005)

2005 US pressured PM Jaafari to name partial cabinet because filling ministers was taking too long

2005 Insurgents set off 17 car bombs killing 50 and wounding more than 100 to offset news of new Iraqi

            govt

2005 SCIRI head Abdul Aziz al-Hakim gave speech threatening to purge the security forces of former

regime members

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

2005 MP Mishan al-Jabouri accused Shiites of dividing Iraq and Sunnis were marginalized

2005 Trade Bank of Iraq run by Chalabi’s nephew Urzi announced deal with Card Tech that he

used to work for and founded and partially owned by Chalabi Would set up Visa cards and ATMS

(Musings On Iraq review The Man Who Pushed America To War, The Extraordinary Life, Adventures, and Obsessions of Ahmad Chalabi)

(Musings On Iraq review Arrows of the Night: Ahmad Chalabi and the Selling of the Iraq War)

2006 New US military campaign plan issued continuing with withdrawal Said violence had shifted from

fighting US to sectarian conflict Acknowledged 2005 elections didn’t lead to reconciliation but division

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 19 The Iraqi Civil War Comes Into The Open, January-June 2006)

(Musings On Iraq Did the US Ever Have A Strategy To Win In Iraq Before the Surge?)

(Musings On Iraq review The War Within, A Secret White House History 2006-2008)

(Musings On Iraq review The U.S. Army In The Iraq War: Volume 1, Invasion, Insurgency, Civil

War, 2003-2006)

(Musings On Iraq review The Gamble, General David Petraeus And The American Military Adventure In Iraq, 2006-2008)

2007 Report ex-CIA Dir Tenet’s book said WMD not main reason why US invaded Iraq but that Bush

wanted democratic change in Middle East Said Pentagon officials like Wolfowitz and Feith focused on Iraq before 9/11 Said on 9/11 Def Policy Board member Richard Perle said Iraq responsible for attack and had to pay Said State and Pentagon at war with each other over Iraq Said US had no postwar plan for Iraq other than to put Chalabi in power Said White House ignored warnings about insurgency and failing policies in Iraq in 03 Said White House called CIA defeatists

(Musings On Iraq review Overreach, Delusions of Regime Change In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Future The aftermath of regime change)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Dysfunctional Democracy)

2007 ISI set off bomb in front of Karbala shrine 58 killed 170 wounded

2008 PM Maliki said he wanted Sadr City cleared of militias in 2-3 days Head of Baghdad Ops Command

and US said impossible

2008 ISCI and Dawa delegation went to Iran to meet Sadr and Iran Rev Guards Quds Force’s Gen

Suleimani to negotiate ceasefire to end Charge of Knights

(Musings On Iraq Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Commander General Suleimani And His Role In Iraq, An Interview With The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins)

2008 US govt report said most ministries run by militias that intimidated people Blocked prosecutions of

staff leaving them above the law Said US efforts to help ministries ineffective Said PM Maliki didn’t name permanent ministries so he could control them Suggested arrest of sectarian officials in Health Transportation Electricity Agriculture Ministries Said US should immediately remove Justice Min and Chief Justice Medhat who were blamed for allowing Dep Health Min Zamili escape justice for running death squads out of ministry and stealing money

2008 Report Iran’s Quds Force Cmdr Gen Suleimani negotiated Mar ceasefire in Basra between Maliki govt

and Sadr General in charge of training and arming militias Worked with Badr Organized Hezbollah to train militias Supported United Iraqi Alliance in 05 elections by providing printing presses advisers TV equipment Helped select Maliki to replace PM Jaafari in 06

(Musings On Iraq Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Commander General Suleimani And His Role In Iraq, An Interview With The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins)

(Musings On Iraq Hezbollah’s Role In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)

2009 Report Anbar Sheikh Sulaiman organizing tribal meeting to make demands of Maliki govt

Said he would burn anyone who said Iraq a democracy Was likely done to counter his decline in standing in Anbar Was supporter of Maliki before

(Musings On Iraq Anbar’s Forgotten Sheikh)

2010 Court acquitted former Trade Min Sudani of corruption for lack of evidence after witnesses

disappeared or changed testimony under pressure from PM Maliki’s State of Law $4-$8 bil missing from ministry Bought expired food and charged Ministry full price Bought food and kept it for themselves to sell on black market Bought goods for double the prices Sudani signed contract with company owned by his son for $50 mil for old tea that was only worth $20 mil Bought contaminated milk from China Found $8 mil in expired food in warehouse Sudani’s brother and nephew got $40 in kickbacks from every ton of sugar imported by ministry Sudani used some of money to fund PM Maliki’s State of Law in 2009-10 elections

(Musings On Iraq Half Of Corruption Cases Against Iraq’s Former Trade Minister Dropped)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Special Inspector Gen for Iraq Reconstruction Bowen on corruption in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq interview with fmr anti-graft official Vincent Foulk on corruption in Iraq)

2010 Accountability and Justice banned Iraqiya members of Diyala council for Baath past

2010 Baathists held meeting in Damascus trying to unify two factions of Mohammed Yunis and Izzat al-

Duri

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Outlawed Baathists Try To Kiss And Make Up)

2010 Report Secret Muthanna prison run by PM Maliki’s office He denied knowing anything about

it 3 army officers arrested for abuse Prisoners were tortured and raped

(Musings On Iraq Secret Baghdad Prison Discovered By Iraq’s Human Rights Ministry)

(Musings On Iraq Human Rights Watch Interviews Former Prisoners At Secret Baghdad Prison)

2011 1920 Rev Brigades and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq agreed to disarm and join politics after talks with

National Reconciliation Min Didn’t happen

(Musings On Iraq Asaib Ahl Al-Haq From A Breakaway Sadr Militia To Defenders Of Iraq)

2011 Chief of staff of ISF Gen Zebari said Iraq would not be able to defend itself until 2020 Said didn’t

mean Iraq had to rely on US Could work with NATO or other countries on security

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Army Chief Of Staff Changes His Tune On Extending U.S. Military Presence)

2011 US Gen 25^th Inf Div said Iranian backed Special Groups were attacking US forces

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

2011 Sadrists said that if US stayed passed end of year that would justify attacks upon them PM Maliki

said parties hadn’t decided on whether US could keep stay behind force or not

(Musings On Iraq U.S. Steps Up Efforts To Let Troops Stay In Iraq Past Withdrawal Date)

2011 Report activists said they were being tortured and intimidated by ISF Said govt targeting them

Activist tortured at police station Said afterward made to sign paper he would no longer protest

2012 Pres Barzani Pres Talabani Sadr Speaker Nujafi Allawi met in Irbil to discuss no confidence vote

against PM Maliki Issued demands to Maliki Sadr said he would be removed if didn’t submit to them Maliki never replied

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Prime Minister Maliki Heading To Mosul To Challenge Speaker Nujafi)

(Musings On Iraq Why The Talk Of A No Confidence Vote Against Iraq’s Premier Maliki Remains Just Talk)

(Musings On Iraq The Sadrists’ Double Game: Criticizing Iraq’s Prime Minister, While Supporting Him At The Same Time)

2012 Pres Talabani tried to moderate between Maliki Barzani and Allawi over having no confidence vote

against PM

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

2013 Sheikh Abu Risha turned over 2 people said responsible for killing 5 soldiers at Fallujah protest

site

2014 Ibrahim Jaafari said that PM Maliki’s mistakes led to deterioration in security

2014 ISIS seized control of 6 voting centers in Qara Tapa, Diyala

2014 Iran signed oil and natural gas deal with KRG

2014 Special voting started in national elections for parliament

2014 Report Bush angry at PM Jaafari for indecisiveness Asked US Amb Khalizad if he could remove

Jaafari who said yes Khalizad tried to block Jaafari forming parliamentary majority Dawa wanted Ali Adeeb to be PM Khalizad asked for alternative CIA said Maliki 1967 Maliki joined Dawa Accountant at Educ Dept in Hilla Head of Dawa cell there 1980 Maliki arrested and fled Iraq for Syria Ran Dawa’s military arm Moved to Iran Ran training camp organized by Iranian Rev Guard Ran ops vs Iraq during Iran-Iraq War Maliki denied Dawa terrorist attacks like 1983 bombings of US and French embassies in Kuwait Protected Abu Muhandis from charges for bombing Maliki told Amb Crocker he wanted to rule like Gen Qasim playing one faction against the other US diplomat said Maliki paranoid about Baathists Said had no vision for Iraq’s future US officials would tell Maliki about killings by militias He would blame it on insurgents Refused to take on militias US diplomats said after 2008 Charge of Knights Maliki began centralizing power Obama admin considered 2010 election a victory because secular Allawi won Then decided to back Maliki because Shiite parties and Iran would never agree to Allawi govt Obama admin never played large role in govt formation process while Iran tried to dictate terms US pushed Irbil power sharing agreement to keep Allawi in govt Maliki didn’t implement deal Obama not interested in keeping US troops in Iraq past 2011 withdrawal Amb Jeffrey said got no instructions from White House on negotiating troop extension White House rejected idea of parliament voting on troop extension US official believed after 2011 US withdrawal Maliki unrestrained US embassy sent memo to Obama admin that US creating dictator in Maliki Amb Crocker said US had given up on being middle man in Iraqi politics under Obama

2015 Badr’s Amiri said Hashd would not wait for permission to enter Anbar Were already there

(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)

2015 Sadr criticized Hashd for trying to politicize fight against IS to gain power

2015 Report After PM Maliki closed down Ramadi protest site insurgents seized Fallujah Locals

formed Military Council some tried to deny IS was present Council tried to keep IS out of administering city and only dealt with them for military affairs Then let IS onto Council Forbid IS from imposing sharia or killing govt workers and sahwa IS eventually took control of city

2017 Report Kataib Hezbollah accused of displacing 3,000 from Amiriya Fallujah Looted city

2021 Report World Food Org found Yazidis returning to Sinjar and then leaving Lack of

rebuilding services community reconciliation and jobs stopped people from going back

 View the Iraq History Timelines 

Chilcot Inquiry Section 4.3 Iraq WMD Assessments, October 2002 to March 2003

In the fall of 2002, the Blair government was concerned about how the return of United Nations inspectors would work out. Prime Minister Tony Blair believed that they would find something and that would justify the war. At the same time London had to deal with the Bush administration which was growing impatient and wanted to go to war sooner rather than later.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 27 Parliament met 1st time to ratify Anglo-Iraq Treaty Write constitution and election law

1916 UK offered Ottomans all the artillery and 1 mil pounds in return for letting British forces leave Kut

UK forces had been under siege in Kut since Dec Ottomans refused offer

1918 British shelled Najaf with artillery to put down new revolt

1924 New parliament met for 1^st time to ratify Anglo-Iraq Treaty write constitution write law for

parliamentary elections Was lots of opposition to treaty Some wanted to amend treaty which UK rejected

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Democratic Moment)

1966 Pres Arif said Kurds would never have autonomy but did want talks

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Kurdish Revolt 1961-1970)

(Musings On Iraq review Journey Among Brave Men, Travels in Kurdistan)

1980 Radio Tehran aired fake story that Saddam had been assassinated

1981 Iraqi counterattack stopped Iranian effort to retake Qasr e-Shirin central front

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

1982 French delegation returned to Iraq to help work on its Osirak nuclear reactor Left after Iranian

bombing of reactor in 1980

1987 Iran Op Karbala 10 took 2 towns and 100 sq mi in Sulaymaniya

(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 review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)

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

1987 Syria agreed to stop backing Iraqi Kurds

1991 Iraq made declaration of its nuclear program to UN inspectors but was hiding most of it

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

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Report Sec 1.1 UK Iraq Strategy 1990 To 2000)

(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)

1998 UN lifted travel restrictions on Iraqi officials after progress on inspections

2003 ORHA head Garner made first radio address to Iraqis calling for return to normalcy

2003 Report evidence found linking Ansar al-Islam with Al Qaeda

2003 Captured Mukhabarat documents showed it had meetings with Al Qaeda in 1990s

2003 Grenade thrown at 82^nd Airborne troops wounding 2 in Ramadi

(Musings On Iraq review The Terrorists of Iraq, Inside the Strategy and Tactics of the Iraqi Insurgency 2003-2014)

2003 Baghdad conference opened to discuss forming an Iraqi provisional govt with 300 Iraqis attending

Endorsed by US

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Endgame, The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from

George W. Bush to Barack Obama)

2003 ORHA and Oil Ministry officials met and picked top positions in ministry

(Musings On Iraq Review Iraq and the Politics of Oil, An Insider’s Perspective)

2003 US intercepted arms shipment sent by Turkey to Turkmen in Kirkuk

2004 60 Minutes II showed pictures of Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 13 The Changing Of The Guard, Again Spring-Summer 2004)

2007 Report ex-CIA Dir Tenet’s new book said White House made him scapegoat for Iraq war and bad

intel on Iraq’s WMD Said officials like Cheney Rice and Natl Sec Adv Hadley tried to blame him Said White House never had serious debate about Iraq threat Claimed Cheney and Pentagon officials like Wolfowitz and Feith were pushing for war at end of 2001 Said CIA opposed White House argument on Iraq-Al Qaeda connection

2008 Baghdad Operations Command said they captured Iraqis trained and armed by Iran to fight ISF

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Overview of Iran’s Influence In Iraq)

2008 Spec Insp Gen for Recon Report 855 of 47,321 US rebuilding projects ended mostly due to

violence and costs 112 were ended because of poor job by contractors Many projects listed as complete even though weren’t USAID gave $50 mil contract to Bechtel to build children’s hospital in Basra Ended in 2006 due to long delays US said project finished even though only 35% of work done

2009 PM Maliki announced Iraqi forces captured Abu Omar al-Bahgdadi Didn’t happen

(Musings On Iraq Baghdad Responds To Renewed Violence Pt. 1: Al Qaeda’s Prince Arrested Or An Imposter?)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval War College’s Prof Whiteside on ISI leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi)

2009 PM Maliki condemned US raid in Kut that killed 2 civilians calling it a crime

2009 Basra police chief escaped IED laid by either Mahdi Army or Special Groups

2009 PM Maliki blamed recent ISI mass casualty bombings on US releasing prisoners as part of

withdrawal Earlier Maliki had demanded releases

2011 KRG report said police and protesters were both responsible for violence Govt was not ready to deal

            with demonstrations

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

2011 Interview with KRG Speaker Kirkuki Said parliament passed protesters 17 demands Said some had

been implemented and others being worked on Not true

2011 Ninewa Ops commander Gen Khudayr blamed Naqshibandi Al Qaeda and other insurgents for

protests in Mosul

2011 PM Maliki said govt had to fight corruption Response to protests At time Maliki was trying to

overturn law that ended Article 136b that allowed ministers to block corruption investigations

(Musings On Iraq interview with Special Inspector Gen for Iraq Reconstruction Bowen on corruption in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq interview with fmr anti-graft official Vincent Foulk on corruption in Iraq)

2012 Kurdish Alliance returned to Ninewa council after boycott started in 2009 when Hadbaa took all

the top posts after elections

2013 Peshmerga said it was moving into disputed areas of Kirkuk Diyala Salahaddin to protect against

increased violence

2013 PM Maliki blamed war in Syria for rise of sectarianism and increased violence in Iraq

2013 Naqshibandi claimed they were behind rise in violence after ISF attacked Hawija protest site

(Musings On Iraq Hawija The Moment Iraq’s Insurgency Was Reborn)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Resurgent Insurgency Interview With Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi)

2013 5 Anbar tribes said they were arming to fight ISIS in province after 5 soldiers killed at Fallujah protest

site Anbar Ops Command set 24 hr deadline to turn over killers 3 tribes left protests as a result

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Protest Movement And Insurgency Split About Response To Hawija Raid)

(Musings On Iraq Understanding Iraq’s Protest Movements, An Interview With Kirk Sowell, Editor of Inside Iraqi Politics)

2014 2^nd time ISF said it was starting op to retake Fallujah Anbar council again denied

            was happening

2014 Report Asaib Ahl Al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah retook Buhriz Diyala from ISIS in Mar Afterward 23

villagers killed Houses and mosques burned ISF aided militias PM Maliki turned to militias to help with security

(Musings On Iraq Asaib Ahl Al-Haq From A Breakaway Sadr Militia To Defenders Of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Instrument Of Iran’s Power In Iraq And Syria Kataib Hezbollah)

2014 Report ISIS blew up bridge in Diyala in March Attacked 4 checkpoints in area ISF raided houses and

arrested people 100s fled afterward Cmdr 12^th Div said some soldiers went hungry Blamed commanders who weren’t trained in logistics Every day soldiers didn’t show up Lacked ammo

2014 Report Complaints mostly against State of Law for buying votes in Babil Qadisiya Wasit Candidates

were giving out gifts and money

2015 Arabs accused Peshmerga of destroying homes in 5 villages after freed from IS in Kirkuk

2015 Badr’s Amiri said using Hashd only way to free Anbar

(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)

2015 IS head Baghdadi called on Syrian fighters to help fight in Salahaddin and Anbar

2016 Report Oil companies in KRG running into problems Gulf Keystone running out of money

to pay its debts due to low oil prices and irregular payments by KRG

2017 PM Abadi said KRG independence referendum needed approval of Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq review The Great Betrayal, How America Abandoned The Kurds And Lost The Middle East)

2017 National Alliance MP said Turkey sent message to PM Abadi that it would military intervene

if Tal Afar attacked by Hashd

2018 Head of Reconstruction Fund said 150,000 houses had been damaged in liberated areas of

Iraq Would cost $80 bil to rebuild

2019 IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared in video 1^st since 2014

2019 Report IS families discriminated against in displaced camps Banned from returning

home Couldn’t get ID cards Some raped by ISF Some families not even connected to IS Some families placed in camp in Ninewa because opposed local sheikh

View the Iraq History Timelines