Wednesday, August 2, 2023

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 2 Iraq invaded Kuwait

(BBC)

 

1914 Ottomans signed alliance with Germany that would bring Mesopotamia into WW1

1922 Iraqi National Party formed 1 of 1st in country Rejected UK Mandate and Anglo-Iraq

            Treaty

1924 Yasin al-Hashemi became 4th PM Would be PM twice Was ordered to organize elections for an

assembly to draft a constitution Keep Mosul from Turkey Deal with govt being broke

1933 Iraqis met with French Told Assyrians couldn’t stay in Syria Assyrians had been disarmed

voluntarily Only 415 had gone to Syria Were another 350 on border on Iraqi side Iraqis asked whether Assyrians would be given back weapons when returned but French said nothing

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

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

1933 King Faisal returned to Iraq from UK to find daily protests calling for the elimination

            of Assyrians

1954 Regent asked Nuri al-Said to be Iraq’s PM 8th of 9 times Immediately went after opposition

Deported and took away citizenship from leaders Outlawed joining Peace Partisans and Democratic Youth Banned unions in govt offices Police could ban any meetings 

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Under General Nuri, My Recollections of Nuri al-Said, 1954-1958)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Democratic Moment)

(Musings On Iraq review A History of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Independent Iraq 1932-1958, A Study in Iraqi Politics)

(Musings On Iraq Is Iraq’s Prime Minister Maliki More Like Premier Nuri al-Sa’id Than Saddam? An Interview With Historian Phebe Marr)

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

1968 Iraq announced it would seek better ties with Soviet Union and China

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

1983 Iraqi forces retreated 15 mi south of Mehran Iran central front back to Iraqi border Iraq

launched counterattack stopping Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 3 Iranian forces dug in around Mehran

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

1986 Saddam offered peace agreement to Iran Was rejected by Tehran

1987 Iraq bombed Oshnaviyah, Iran with mustard gas wounding 2,680 people

(Musings On Iraq Remembering The Iran-Iraq War Interview With Author Anthony Tucker-Jones)

(Musings On Iraq The Iran-Iraq War Interview with Author Tom Cooper)

(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)

1989 Ahmed Chalabi’s Petra Bank in Jordan closed and books seized by govt for having faked its

books Would uncover other bad practices by bank including embezzlement bad investments Independent audit found 40% of loans nonperforming 14% of loans went to Chalabi family and friends

(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)

1990 Saddam invaded Kuwait originally claiming there was a coup and emir called on Iraq for

help Saddam then changed justification for invasion by saying an opposition govt had overthrown Sabah family and asked for help

(Musings On Iraq review the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Storm, Volume 1)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Outlaw State, Saddam Hussein’s Quest for Power and the Gulf Crisis)

(Musings On Iraq Review The Weight of a Mustard Seed, The Intimiate Story of an Iraqi General and His Family During Thirty Years of Tyranny)

1990 Iraq said it would only be in Kuwait for days-weeks until Provisional Free Kuwait Govt

            asked it to leave

1990 Iraq accused Kuwait of being involved in foreign and Zionist plots

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)

1990 Foreign Min Tariq Aziz called in ambassadors from US USSR UK France China Told them

talks with Kuwait failed Iraqi troops entered Kuwait at request of Kuwaitis Said would withdraw when new govt set up

1990 Dep PM Hammadi went to Arab summit Said no reversing invasion of Kuwait Claimed

            there was a popular uprising in Kuwait that asked Iraq for help

1990 Most of Arab world did not report on Iraq’s Kuwait invasion until 2 days later

1990 Kuwait’s ruling Sabah family tipped off about invasion US flew them to Bahrain and then

            Saudi Arabia Called for resistance against the Iraqis

1990 Iraq could not find any credible Kuwaitis to establish a provisional govt to run country for

            it

1990 Iraq banned foreign travel for its nationals

1990 NSC meeting focused on how invasion of Kuwait would allow Iraq to control oil market

Wondered if Iraq would invade Saudi Arabia to seize its oil Made no decision on what overall policy to take Decided to go to UN Gain international support Impose sanctions

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

1990 Natl Sec Adv Scowcroft talked to Bush said he wanted to address next NSC meeting and

express steadfastly that US would not allow Kuwait invasion to stand Bush agreed Discussed using force to expel Iraq from Kuwait

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

1990 NSC’s Near East Dir Haas drafted memo on using sanctions and military options to deal

            with Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait 

1990 Bush met PM Thatcher who said Kuwait invasion couldn't stand and troops had to be sent

to Middle East Bush agreed Thatcher said that if Iraq’s aggression was allowed to stand no small country could ever feel safe

(Musings On Iraq review The Gulf Conflict 1990-1991, Diplomacy and War in the New World Order)

1990 US stopped loan guarantees to Iraq due to Kuwait invasion Froze Iraqi and Kuwait assets in

            US

(Musings On Iraq review Spider’s Web, The secret history of how the White House illegally armed Iraq)

1990 Bush told reporters he was not thinking of using force in response to Iraq’s invasion of

            Kuwait

1990 Joint Chiefs chairman Gen Powell told Gen Schwarkopf he thought US would go to war

            over Saudi Arabia but not Kuwait

1990 UN Resolution 660 demanded Iraq’s immediate withdrawal from Kuwait Said Iraq and

            Kuwait had to use talks to resolve problems

1990 Joint US-USSR statement condemned Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait

1990 King Hussein met with Mubarak Talked about face saving means for Iraq to withdraw from

Kuwait Called for Arab Summit Mubarak wanted to keep issue Arab only affair Called other regional leaders

1990 King Fahd tried calling Saddam 5 times When Saddam finally answered said invasion

was not a big deal and not to worry Fahd called for Iraq to withdraw and offered talks

1990 US Amb Pickering argued US needed to come up with broader policy to make sure Iraq

was no longer military threat to Middle East

1992 Kuwait and Saudi officials argued that Iraq should be divided along ethnosectarian lines to

            stop threat of country to Persian Gulf

2002 Sec State Powell Sec Def Rumsfeld VP Cheney Natl Sec Adv Rice met CIA said chemical

factory in Kurdistan with Al Qaeda terrorists located Alberto Gonzalez believed this was evidence Al Qaeda was in Iraq and making WMD

2002 DIA report on debate over aluminum tubes Iraq tried to buy DIA sided with CIA that tubes

            were for centrifuges Said matched 1950s German centrifuge design Were for rockets

(Musings On Iraq How A Contested Aluminum Tubes Story Became The Basis For War With Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review The WMD Mirage, Iraq’s Decade of Deception and America’s False Premise for War)

2004 Marines just given control of Najaf came under attack 1st time by Mahdi Army in city as

passed near Sadr’s house Led to attacks by Mahdi Army in Baghdad, Kuwat, Nasiriya, Amara, Basra

(Musings On Iraq review US Marines in Battle An-Najaf August 20014)

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

(Musings On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 14 Fighting To The Elections, August-December 2004)

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq War Min Abu Masri executed Turkish civilian Murat Yuce

2007 Saudis told Sec State Rice and Def Sec Gates that they were not funding Iraqi insurgency

Said wouldn’t support Iraqi govt Said Iraq was a threat because terrorists could come from there into Saudi Arabia

(Musings On Iraq The Saudi Role In The Iraqi Insurgency)

(Musings On Iraq review A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, The Saudi Struggle For Iraq)

2008 Report on wave of female suicide bombers in Iraq Most had family member killed or

arrested and wanted revenge or maintain family honor Main target Sahwa and Iraqi forces

(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 Maliki govt transitioned 1st batch of 3,331 sahwa Were assigned to ministries and had to

            apply for jobs instead of given them as promised

2009 PM Maliki went to Kurdistan Met Pres Barzani Ended war of words between two over

            KRG’s oil policy for a short period

2010 Iraq signed memo of understanding to import natural gas from Iran for 7 yrs to fuel power

            plants

2010 Report Iraq had to invest in infrastructure and transportation before it could exploit natural

gas Executive said Iraq offered confusing terms in bidding for 3 gas fields Currently produced 1.65 bil/cubic/ft of gas/day

2010 Report Iraq talked about exporting natural gas but had no infrastructure to do so Needed

pipelines reservoirs gathering stations

2011 Car bomb at Holy Family Syriac Church in Kirkuk 2 other car bombs defused at other

            churches in city

2011 Joint Chiefs head Adm Mullen visited Iraq Urged Iraq to allow troop extension Demanded

            US troops have immunity

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

George W. Bush to Barack Obama)

2011 Report Demand was for 14,000 mw Supply dropped from 6000 mw to 5000 mw Reduce

power supply to under 8 hrs a day 1 cause was Oil Min not delivering fuel to power plants

2011 Fmr Planning Min sent letter to PM Maliki that 2 contracts signed by Electricity Min were

            fake 1 company was a consultancy Other filed for bankruptcy

(Musings On Iraq Maliki Fires Iraq’s Electricity Minister, As Scapegoat For Summer Blackouts)

2012 Turkey’s Foreign Min Davotoglu visited Kirkuk City which Iraq’s Foreign Ministry called

interference in Iraqi affairs

2012 Report KRG said it would export oil for one month for Baghdad If didn’t pay its

outstanding debts KRG would stop Oil companies in KRG said didn’t want to export because hadn’t been paid for 2009 and 2011 exports

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Central And Regional Governments Reach Third Oil Deal, But Will It Last?)

2012 Report Iraqi court turned down request for US to extradite Hezbollah operative Daqduq He

            was liaison between Iranian Rev Guard Hezbollah and militias

(Musings On Iraq Hezbollah’s Role In Iraq)

2012 Report PM Maliki deployed army to northern Ninewa to try to pressure Pres Barzani to

            stop arming and training Syrian Kurds Army confronted by Peshmerga

2013 PM Maliki interview on TV blamed Dep PM Shahristani for blackouts Said Shahristani

gave him false info about electricity industry Blamed Sadr for attacks upon cafes in Baghdad and prisons

2013 100s protested in Baghdad over decline in security Some activists arrested and beaten by

            army

2014 Report IS took control of 2 oil fields in Ninewa Helped fund group

2014 IS started attack upon Sinjar Ninewa KDP withdrew without a fight

(Musings On Iraq The Plight Of Iraq’s Yazidis In Ninewa Province Interview With Christine van den Toorn)

2014 Report Head of KRG presidential council went to Turkey and asked for help fighting IS

Got nothing PM Barzani said Turkey was sending some aid but Iran immediately came in after fall of Mosul and provided aid Iranian Rev Guard’s Gen Suleimani went to Irbil several times Helped Peshmerga in Salahaddin

(Musings On Iraq Iranian Mobilization In Iraq In The Face Of The Insurgent Surge)

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

2015 Protests in Seysaib in Irbil and Dhi Qar Babil and Najaf over lack of services

2017 Kirkuk govt filed lawsuit against Maliki and PM Abdi for not implementing Art 140 over

disputed areas

2017 PM Abadi said return of displaced was his top priority Govt had no plan to help

2017 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq said it would run in next elections

2018 Protesters blocked road to West Qurna 1 oil field in Basra Gave govt 48 hours to answer

            their demands

2018 UN Human Rights Comm condemned Abadi’s handing of protests Demonstrators had been

attacked shot and more

2018 PM Abadi signed executive order demanding Hashd leave Mosul and Ninewa Plains Hashd

were to be under control of Ninewa Ops Command Hashd ignored order

(Musings On Iraq Hashd’s 30th Brigade In Ninewa Assaults Dep Governor and MP)

2018 Report Rising salinity in Basra shut down water purification system Destroyed agricultural

land Killed fish and livestock Iraq only able to farm 1/3 of arable land because of water shortages salinity politics Cut production of rice and wheat due to water shortages Iraq tried to make deals with Iran and Turkey to increase water supply on Tigris and Euphrates but did little

(Musings On Iraq Iraq Failed To Prepare For Water Crisis)

2018 Report Salahaddin govt asked PM Abadi to have Hashd withdraw from province Head of

council said Hashd caused instability Came after 3 sheikhs killed in Dujail and blamed on Hashd

2019 Report Agriculture Min said Iraq self-sufficient in wheat 1st time since 2003 Due to

tariffs on imports

2020 Protests in Diwaniya Dhi Qar Wasit Muthanna over poor services and attack upon an

            activist

(Musings On Iraq Ebb And Flow Of Protests In Iraq)

2021 Kazemi govt announced it would continue monthly payments to the KRG even though it

wasn’t complying with the 2021 budget

(Musings On Iraq Baghdad To Send Budget Payment To KRG For 2nd Time)

(Musings On Iraq Kurdish Politician: 2021 Budget Isn’t Binding Agreement For KRG)

(Musings On Iraq Baghdad Sends Money To KRG Without It Complying With 2021 Budget)

2022 Sadr told his followers to end sit-in inside parliament building but remain in Green Zone

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