Thursday, March 23, 2023

This Day In Iraqi History - Mar 24 Ayatollah Khamenei Pres Khatami decided to send Badr Brigade into Iraq to carry out ops vs US during invasion

(Iran Wire)

 

1915 Gen Nixon made UK cmdr in Mesopotamia Told to hold Basra vilayet and all outlets to

sea

1955 PM Said renegotiated deal with Iraq Petroleum Company increasing revenues for govt

and expanding pipelines and pumping facilities to increase exports

1959 Gen Qasim withdrew Iraq from anti-Communist Baghdad Pact

(Musings On Iraq Revolutionary Times, Gen. Qasim And Iraq’s 1958 Coup, Interview With Western Kentucky’s Prof. Juan Romero)

1967 Pres Arif ordered some units of the Iraqi military to be put on alert as tensions grew

between Israel and Egypt

1973 Saddam visited Moscow to push for stronger Iraq-Soviet cooperation

(Musings On Iraq review Saddam His Rise and Fall)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Since 1958, From Revolution To Dictatorship)

1982 Saddam took control of central front to try to stop Iranian Op Fath attack upon Maysan

1984 Iraq deployed French Super Etendard jets first time on raid on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear

power plant US provided satellite intelligence on facility before and after to assess raid Didn’t hit main target Was 1st of 6 attacks on facility lasting until 1988 Plant was unfinished and Iran was not working on it so wasted attack

1986 UN condemned Iraq’s use of chemical weapons in Iran-Iraq War

1988 Mujahadeen e-Khalq backed by Iraq announced attack on Shush and Dezful in Iran

(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)

1988 KDP base hit with poison gas in 2nd Anfal campaign Civilians rounded up and men

executed by govt forces

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

1991 Turkish Pres Ozal met Bush in US and told him an independent Kurdistan in Iraq would

lead to greater Kurdistan affecting Turkey Syrian Iran

1992 Iraqi army began shelling Kifri as sporadic fighting with Peshmerga continued

1998 French Pres Chirac told PM Blair that sanctions were killing kids in Iraq

2002 VP Cheney on CNN’s Late Edition called Saddam an evil man that U.S. would deal

with

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

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

Policy Tragedy)

2002 UK Defense Min Strategic Planning Group said that UK might have to keep forces in Iraq for stability after invasion

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Inquiry Section 6.4 Planning and Preparation For A Post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, Mid-2001 to January 2003)

2003 Marine Task Force secured Nasiriya bridgehead US 3rd Infantry Div moved to take control of bridge at Kifl in Najaf

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

2003 Sandstorm allowed ground forces cmdr Gen McKiernan to pause advance on Baghdad to clear out Fedayeen in south threatening supply lines

(Musings On Iraq Review Cobra II, The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq)

2003 US B-52 bombers began attacks on Republican Guard positions south of Baghdad

2003 British forces took Basra airport Heavy fighting with Fedayeen led British forces to

withdraw from Basra City

(Musings On Iraq review Target Basra, The High Octane Story of the Royal Marine Commandos In Iraq)

2003 British military told govt local Iraqi militias putting up tough fight in Basra

2003 British received reports of uprising within Basra city put down by Fedayeen and Baath

militia

2003 Red Cross warned of humanitarian emergency in Basra city as water ran out

2003 Dow Jones reported no WMD found at suspected facility in Najaf

2003 Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei and Pres Khatami recorded talking about sending forces to

5 Iraq cities to incite anti-US violence Decided to send Badr Brigade into Iraq

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

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

(Musings On Iraq Early Reports On Iran’s Activities In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

2003 Arab League voted 21-1 demanding U.S. and UK forces withdraw from Iraq

2003 Putin called Bush and said there would be great suffering during war Bush said

everything would be under control

2003 Tariq Aziz gave presser saying US was after Iraq’s oil

2003 Al Qaeda spokesman called on Muslims to join the jihad against the US in Iraq

2004 Ex-White House counterterrorism chief Clarke told 9/11 Commission Iraq not behind

1993 World Trade Center bombing Accusation came from Laurie Mylroie’s conspiracy theories

(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)

2004 INC Chalabi aide and Fin Min official Sabah arrested for allegedly recycling old dinars

that were supposed to be destroyed Sabah told officials INC scheming to get state property from Finance Min and illegally sell it for a profit Also found INC kidnapping and attacking rivals

(Musings On Iraq Corruption In Iraq An Interview With Stuart Bowen Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Trouble Fighting Corruption Interview With Vincent Foulk Former US Anti-Graft Official)

2006 Review of captured Iraqi documents and interviews with Baathists showed reason

Saddam wanted WMD and unwilling to admit that he’d destroyed them after Gulf War Was because he thought they deterred Iran which he saw as existential threat Saddam also believed US wouldn’t invade in 2003

(Musings On Iraq Was Iraq An Imminent Threat To The West?)

2007 Report DynCorp contracted by US govt to provide sandbags police and training camps

regularly overpriced work Iraqi contractors repeatedly failed to do job DynCorp contracted to fill sandbags at Najaf police dept Paid $67k then contracted Iraqi company for $23k to do job Sandbags were useless and job had to be redone Built police camps in Baquba Basra Ramadi Fallujah Najaf all considered mostly bad due to subcontractors Built camp in Mosul for $2.1 bil that should have cost $600k Camp got bad review Air conditioners didn't work Used cheap furniture Foam instead of real mattresses Another police camp cancelled after spent $43.8 mil on it

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

Civil War, 2003-2006)

2008 PM Maliki launched Charge of Knights vs Mahdi Army in Basra Claimed op was

against militias and criminals Didn’t go after Badr or Fadhila only Sadrists who were biggest rival to Maliki’s plans for provincial and national elections Iraqi army brigade broke Half quit other half retreated

2008 Mahdi Army attacked joint US-Iraqi security station on edge of Sadr City

2008 Bush told Gen Petraeus and Amb Crocker US wanted PM Maliki to step up and he

finally did with Charge of Knights and US would back him

2008 Oil Min asked foreign companies to submit plans to develop Iraq’s oil and natural gas

fields for first time since 03

2008 Gen Petraeus blamed Iran for recent spate of rocket attacks upon Green Zone

2008 Report Bush was never a fan of INC’s Chalabi before 03 invasion

(Musings On Iraq Ahmad Chalabi Was Not President Bush’s Man For Iraq)

2008 Report Neither Sec State Powell nor Natl Sec Adv Rice objected to Pentagon taking

control of postwar Iraq Powell thought State would eventually take charge Rice thought US would only be in Iraq for a few months

2008 Report From 03-08 demand for electricity increased 125% Supply increased during

that period but couldn’t keep up with demand

2008 Report Sadrists complained about ceasefire Said they were attacked by PM Maliki and

US Claimed 2,000-2,500 of their followers arrested since start of ceasefire Blamed ISCI for attacks upon them in south Said they received new weapons and cash from Iran

2009 Sahwa commander in Salahaddin said that Ansar al-Sunna and ISI had

            created new alliance after mediation by Al Qaeda’s Zawahiri

2009 Report Sahwa group in Baghdad said not paid nor gotten promised govt jobs Only 5000

sahwa got jobs in ISF US general claimed 94,000 sahwa would have jobs by end of year Said Health Min agreed to hire 3000 Education Min 10000 Oil Min 500

(Musings On Iraq Budget Problems Affecting Integration of Sons of Iraq)

2009 Report Head of Al Hadbaa said it rejected Peshmerga in Ninewa 200 Kurdish soldiers

and commander in Ninewa deserted summer 08 during conflict between Baghdad-Irbil US said PM Maliki replaced Kurdish officers and sent them to other provinces

2009 Report Iraqi schools deteriorating Shiite religious parties hiring staff adding religious

holidays that reduced schooling Lacked enough schools and teachers Political parties threatened teachers

2009 Pres Talabani said after international Kurdish conference PKK would give up fighting

Turkey PKK said not true and Talabani didn’t control it

2010 PM Maliki announced new anti-corruption campaign Nothing happened

(Musings On Iraq Corruption In Iraq An Interview With Stuart Bowen Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Trouble Fighting Corruption Interview With Vincent Foulk Former US Anti-Graft Official)

2011 Riot at Rusafa prison over overcrowding

2012 Baghdad and Irbil agreed to increased joint patrols in disputed areas of Diyala after

increase in insurgent attacks upon Kurds

2012 Report MP from KRG parliament said 50,000 fake bodyguards used by officials to

steal money

2013 Naqshibandi sent group to Ramadi protest site to try to push it towards violence against

govt

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

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

2013 Report Sec State Kerry stopped in Baghdad Urged PM Maliki to stop Iranian arms

shipments going through Iraq to Syria Iran both flew and trucked supplies to Syria through Iraq Kerry also talked with KRG Pres Barzani not to build independent pipeline to Turkey

2015 Iraq’s Foreign Min Jaafari met with Syrian Pres Assad Said Arab countries needed to

support Syria

2015 Report Hashd sending threatening letters to Iraqi army telling them not to ask for US

help in Tikrit op Soldiers in army’s 5th Div said got notes allegedly from Kataib Hezbollah Badr Asaib Ahl Al-Haq Khorasani Brigade Officer at Samarra Ops Command said 12 officers also got threats from Hashd

(Musings On Iraq Divisions Over Iraq War Exposed In Victory In Tikrit)

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq Khorasani Brigade Another Iraq Militia That Returned Home From Syria To Fight The Insurgency)

2015 Report Govt gave up on frontal attack upon Tikrit advocated by Hashd US training 2-3

more army divisions for attack upon Mosul

2015 Report US defense official said stalled Tikrit op defeat for Hashd and Iran Said Iranian

aid not enough to take city

2016 Most ruling parties refused to send candidates for technocratic cabinet to PM Abadi

(Musings On Iraq A Review Of Iraq Premier Abadi’s Reform Program Interview With Reidar Visser)

2016 Supreme Council suspended its ministers in govt to protest PM Abadi’s reforms

2016 Head of IS Military Council Anbari killed

2016 Report 200 US soldiers set up artillery at Ain Assad base in Anbar Supposed to shell IS

targets in Anbar Base used for US intel for air strikes 

2016 Report 100-200 US marines set up artillery base in Makhmour Ninewa 1 marine killed

in IS attack there

2018 Ninewa councilman said no plans to help displaced return provide services or rebuild province Said Baghdad ignored calls for help Said rebuilding slow and dependent upon intl organizations

2018 Public workers protested in Sulaymaniya Dohuk Irbil over being paid only half of

wages Baghdad paid half and KRG didn’t pay its half

(Musings On Iraq Baghdad Paid Half Of KRG’s Salaries, Kurdistan Didn’t Contribute

Leading To Protests)

2020 Interview with Hashd cmdr for west Anbar Musleh Said Hashd had forced out Danish

special forces in Qaim who were training tribal Hashd brigade Musleh said ISF too weak to protect Qaim

2020 Report 2018 Iraq had electricity capacity of 30.3 gigawatts but actual capacity was

only 11.9 Power plants supposed to run on gas but used substitutes which ran plants at less than 60% of capacity 2018 Iraq produced 105.4 terawatts/hr but only delivered 43.7 Meant 58.5% of electricity supply wasted Most lost during distribution due to old/damaged equipment theft poor maintenance Demand for power expected to continue to grow more than supply 

2020 KRG arrested journalist who posted on Facebook govt using COVID as excuse not to

pay govt workers Held for 2 wks Released and then re-arrested 2 days later for defaming an official

2021 Report PM Kazemi’s anti-corruption comm was going to issue warrants for 7 senior

Hashd leaders and 5 others for assassinations currency smuggling corruption Shiite parties got Kazemi to stop

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s PM Touts Reforms That Haven’t Happened To Claim Economic Crisis Over)

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