This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 4

1945 Iraqi forces launched new assault upon Kurdish forces in Barzan 1943

Barzani revolt

1980 Iran shelled Khanaqin and Mandali in Diyala and bombed two other towns in

            precursor to Iran-Iraq War

1991 U.N. investigation of impact of sanctions on Iraq suggested oil for food program

1994 Iraq accused Iran of arming Shiite opposition groups in southern marshes

1996 US fired 17 more cruise missiles at Iraqi air defense sites in response to Saddam’s

            moves against PUK

2002 At meeting on Al Qaeda Rumsfeld said Iraq more important than Al Qaeda

2002 Bush sent letter to Speaker of House saying US had to deal with disarming Iraq

2002 Rep Ike Skelton wrote letter to Pres Bush “To win victory is easy, to preserve

            its fruits, difficult”

2002 UK Defense Ministry paper said that US had no clear postwar strategy for Iraq

            and that meant no winning plan

2002 Iraq took Australian reporter to Al Qaim suspected nuclear site US had talked

            about Found it abandoned

2002 Blair told ForSec Cook Iraq’s army depleted so he was trying to get nuclear

            weapons

2003 Fmr CENCTOM Cmdr Gen Zinni said US had no strategy in Iraq and danger of

            failing

2003 Rumsfeld said US speeding up creation of new Iraqi security forces in face of

            growing attacks

2003 Rumsfeld talked with Iraq commanders about troop withdrawal

2003 Pentagon plan was to have 25,000-30,000 troops in Iraq by Sep 03 Instead

            130,000 due to violence

2015 Allawi condemned Abadi saying his reforms were unconstitutional

View the Iraq History Timeline

Musings On Iraq In The News

I contributed to this opinion piece "Is a Genuine Saudi-Iraqi Reconciliation in the Works?" for the Carnegie Middle East Center. I was mentioned in “Tal Afar’s problems won’t end after Islamic State” by Paul Iddon for Rudaw. I was cited in "Fracturing of the State: Recent Historical Events Contributing to the Proliferation of Local, Hybrid, and Sub-State Forces" by Andras Derzsi-Horvath with Erica Gaston for Global Public Policy Institute.

1,958 Killed and 1,261 Wounded In Iraq In August 2017

While the number of security incidents was down from July to August 2017 the number of casualties went up due to several mass graves being discovered and the Battle of Tal Afar.

This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 3

1958 Qasim govt gave amnesty to Kurdish rebels

1986 Iran started Op Karbala 2 attacking Fao Peninsula Built bridge across Shatt al-Arab Didn’t gain 

           much

1996 2^nd day of US cruise missile strikes on Iraq for Saddam helping KDP vs PUK and invading Irbil

1997 UK intel report said Iraq was still hiding parts of its biological weapons program

2002 Blair press conference said Saddam threat because of WMD that had to be dealt with

2003 1^st post-Saddam Iraq cabinet sworn in with 17 new ministers

2003 US forces gave southern and central Iraq security to Multi-National Force under Polish 

           command

2003 CPA Order 28 created Iraqi Civil Defense Corps as separate from police and army but would 

           be folded into ISF later

2003 EU Japan US World Bank agreed to create trust fund for reconstruction funds for Iraq 

           independent of CPA

2006 US Dep Iraq Cmdr Gen Chiarelli told Iraq Survey Group US needed reconciliation and 

          political not military solution

2006 US Cmdr training ISF Gen Dempsey told Iraq Survey Group needed reconciliation otherwise 

          training useless

2007 Baghdad took control of Basra Palace as British troops withdrew from central Basra

2007 Bush made surprise visit to Anbar to meet with Sheikh Abu Risha of Awakening

View the Iraq History Timeline

This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 2

1980 Iraq-Iran border clash at Qasr-e-Shirin, Iran Precursor to Iran-Iraq War

1991 UN Resolution 712 said that money should be released for buying food

            and supplies for Iraqi civilians

1996 US began 2 days of cruise missile attacks on Iraq in retaliation for Iraqi forces

            helping KDP vs PUK and invading Irbil

1996 U.S. extended southern no fly zone farther north

1996 Iraqi army withdrew from most of Kurdistan after helping KDP against PUK

2002 Bush told Blair Iraq had WMD and unclear how quickly it could get nukes

2003 Zarqawi car bomb hit Baghdad police HQ killing 1 wounding 20

2003 Ayatollah Hakim buried in Najaf after killed in Zarqawi car bombing in same city

2003 Abdul Aziz al-Hakim blamed lax US security for death of his brother Ayatollah

            Hakim

2003 Fmr NY City Police Commissioner Kerik sent to be Iraq’s Interior Minister under

            CPA

2003 Bush agreed to talk with UN about multi-national force helping with security in

            Iraq Effort failed

2005 Operation Restoring Rights started to clear Tal Afar

2006 Over 20 Ramadi area sheikhs met to talk about fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq

2006 Iraq CIA station chief told Iraq Survey Group Interior Ministry running death

            squads and torturing people

2006 Fin Min Jabr told Iraq Survey Group corruption under control due to Board

            of Supreme Audit

2014 Peshmerga recaptured Zumar, Ninewa

2014 Relatives of Camp Speicher massacre stormed parliament and demanded

            explanations

2014 ISI released video beheading of US reporter Steven Slotoff Threatened to kill UK

            hostage if US didn’t withdraw from Iraq

2014 US sent another 250 troops for force protection to Iraq

2015 Protesters surrounded Najaf provincial council building and tried to sack it

View The Iraq History Timeline

Tal Afar Battle Done Onto Hawija?

The liberation of Ayadiyah and the Tal Afar district was confirmed by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi. He released a statement declaring not only that area, but all of Ninewa now free of the Islamic State. This was a dramatic turn of events. A few days ago, the Iraqis had to call in reinforcements as they were facing tough resistance from IS. Then everything collapsed and Ayadiyah was taken in a quick advance lasting just a day.

This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 1

1970 Iraq said it supported Palestinians when Jordanian govt attacked them

1986 Iran started Karbala 2 in Haj Umran Advanced deep into Kurdistan in retaliation for Iraq air

            attacks on oil facilities

1987 Iran didn’t support UN Resolution 598 calling for ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War

2001 Mullah Krekar founded Jund al-Islam that would become Ansar al-Islam in Sulaymaniya

            province

2003 Saddam tape played on 2 TV channels Said he was not responsible for Zarqawi car bomb in

            Najaf that killed Ayatollah Hakim

2004 Mass grave discovered Hatra with hundreds of Kurdish bodies killed during Anfal in 1980s

2005 Battle of Tal Afar began

2006 National Security Advisor Rubaie told Iraq Survey Group insurgency had to be destroyed

            but militias legitimate because they were political

2014 ISF recaptured Suleiman Beq, Salahaddin

2014 German cabinet voted to arm the Peshmerga

2014 Yazidi villages of Kotan, Hareko Kharag Shafrsky in Ninewa were burned by IS

2015 Hashd leader Muhandis and Badr head Ameri visited Chief Justice Medhat saying they fully

            supported him

View the Iraq History Timeline