Musings On Iraq In the News

I was quoted by Terrance Mintner in "Iraqi Communist Party Throws Hat Into Shiite Cleric Al-Sadr's Ring" for The Media Line.

Review The Saddam Tapes, The Inner Workings of a Tyrant’s Regime 1978-2001

Review Woods, Kevin, Palkki, David, and Stout, Mark, The Saddam Tapes, The Inner Workings of a Tyrant’s Regime 1978-2001, Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape town, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Delhi, Tokyo, Mexico City: Cambridge University Press, 2011

The Saddam Tapes, The Inner Workings of a Tyrant’s Regime 1978-2001 was the first book to use the wealth of captured documents and tapes seized after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The book specifically focuses upon recordings of Saddam and his top advisers, usually at meetings of the Revolutionary Command Council or cabinet. Those tapes both confirm and dispel many of the stereotypes built up about Saddam over all the years he was in power. For example, he considered himself an expert on all kinds of affairs even if he didn't really know about them, he believed in conspiracies about the United States and Jews-Israel, but he was not a madman and he was not surrounded by a bunch of yes men. While his inner circle did not always pass along bad news there was actually lively debate and long discussions on most issues. While the transcripts do not all invoke the same interest, they do provide a first hand and inside account of Saddam’s government.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 3

1915 British forces captured Amarah after convincing Ottoman garrison to

surrender

1941 3^rd train load of German military aid arrived from Syria Stored in Mosul after

            war ended

1941 British troops occupied Mosul after overthrowing PM Gaylani govt

1944 Hamdi al-Pachachi became premier of Iraq

1950 Grenade attack in Jewish neighborhood of Baghdad 3^rd of 7 such attacks on Jews

            1950-51

1982 Iraqi intelligence made attempt on life of Israeli amb to UK using Abu Nidal

            terrorist group

1982 Evidence Iraq tried to provoke Israeli invasion of Lebanon to end Iran-Iraq

            War by uniting countries vs Israel

1991 Survey found Gulf War damage to Iraq infrastructure far more than originally

            claimed Destroyed most of electrical grid

1991 Protests and clashes continued in 3 Kurdish cities Dohuk 4 Kurs and 2 Baath

            officials killed

1998 Inspector report to UN Iraq not accounted for missiles warheads VX amounts of

ingredients and final products made from them Russia France China refused to approve the report

2001 Saudi Amb to US Prince Bandar gave presentation to Bush saying Saddam taking

            advantage of instability in Middle East

2002 Gen Franks briefed Rumsfeld on new Running Start war plan to begin before all

            forces in theater Rumsfeld liked new war plan and wanted more on it

2003 Sadrist march in Baghdad against US occupation

2003 Iraqi nuke scientist who day before turned over centrifuge plans to CIA arrested

            by US Special Forces

2004 US forces attacked Mahdi Army at Kufa mosque

2004 US began extending tours of US units serving in Iraq to maintain troop levels

2005 US held secret talks with insurgents in Balad to try to break them away from

            foreign fighters and Al Qaeda in Iraq

2006 Al Qaeda in Iraq kidnapped and killed 4 Russian diplomats in Iraq

2007 US claimed Iranian arms shipments to militias in Iraq increasing including

            large caliber rockets

2010 Pres Barzani went to Turkey for first time in 6 years Said he would stop PKK

            operations

2011 Suicide bomber in mosque in Tikrit during Friday prayers and then suicide

            bomber on hospital where casualties taken

2011 Diyala governor threatened to resign if federal troops continued to carry out raids

            and arrests in province

2011 Maliki led raid on Trade Bank of Iraq after it refused to back deal he brokered with

            S. Korean company

2011 VP Hashemi accused Maliki of monopolizing power

2011 Protest in Baghdad for better services

2012 Dep PM Mutlaq said no confidence vote against Maliki would reflect

            popular mood in Iraq

2012 Sadrists again said they supported no confidence vote against Maliki

2012 Ayatollah Haeri issued fatwa against voting for secular candidates as pressure

            on Sadr to drop no confidence vote vs Maliki

2013 Shahristani claimed Iraq’s electricity crisis would be solved by end of year

2013 Protests over lack of electricity started in Nasiriyah

2013 Kirkuk governor said all the displaced Arabs in province fleeing violence

            should be made to leave

2013 Sadr issued statement accusing Asaib Ahl Al-Haq of trying to assassinate

            one of his aides

2014 11 tribes in Fallujah district declared war on ISIS

2015 IS held ceremony in Ramadi where sheikhs gave it baya

2015 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq asked govt to give its men immunity before it attacked

            Fallujah

2015 Badr MP called for Fallujah to be destroyed

2015 Badr’s Amiri blamed Abadi for fall of Ramadi claiming he listened to US and kept

            Hashd out of fight

2016 Govt shut down social media in Baghdad to try to stop organizing protests

2016 Protests in Baghdad Babil Karbala Dhi Qar Qadisiyah Najaf Basra demanding

political reform

2016 Reports Federal Police and Hashd executed displaced fleeing IS from Sjar, Anbar

2016 Large number of displaced from Saqlawiya stopped by Hashd 1,300 men taken

away and beaten and tortured 643 men detained by Hashd in Saqlawiya never seen again

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Security In Iraq Largely Unchanged In May 2018

Security didn’t change much from April to May 2018. The number of incidents was roughly the same with 204 in April and 218 in May. There were 486 deaths in April, but 246 were bodies found leaving 240 violent deaths for the month. In May, there were a total of 298 deaths, but 25 of those were corpses discovered leaving 273 killed during the month.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 2

1920 Revolt against British started when sheikh in mid-Euphrates refused British

            taxation arrested and freed by tribe 1920 Revolt

1924 UK run Baghdad Times said if Anglo-Iraq Treaty not ratified Iraq would lose

            Mosul to Turks

(Musings On Iraq article on how Mosul province became part of Iraq)

1941 Jamil al-Midfai named PM in new govt after PM Gaylani overthrown by

British Declared martial law

1941 Anti-Jewish pogrom the Farhud in Baghdad continued until curfew imposed 187

killed in 2 days

1941 Regent of Iraq ordered end to anti-Jewish Farhud pogrom

1941 British intel officer asked why British troops were sent into Baghdad to stop

            Farhud Thought didn't want to upset Regent

1941 UK 20^th Indian Brigade ordered from Basra to Baghdad to help secure area

1982 Gulf Cooperation Council offered peace plan to end Iran-Iraq War Israeli

            invasion of Lebanon ended plan

1991 Demonstrations in Dohuk Irbil Sulaymaniya Diyabil with Kurds demanding US

forces stay in Kurdistan to protect them Police stations and Baath offices attacked

2002 Czech Inter Min claimed 9/11 hijacker Atta went to Prague and met with Iraqi

            intel officer

2002 Iraq arrested Abdul Yasin involved in 1993 World Trade Center bombing

            Conspiracy theorists would later say this was proof Iraq involved in bombing

2003 Blair said Iraq’s WMD would be found

2003 State Dept memo said too early to say captured trailers Iraq mobile WMD labs

2003 Iraqi scientist dug up 200 blueprints for centrifuges for Iraq’s nuclear program and

            gave them to US forces

2003 Gen Franks told CPA’s Bremer disbanding Iraqi military was a mistake

2003 1,000 ex-soldiers protested outside Green Zone over CPA disbanding Iraqi military

2003 Bremer approved Justice Dept program to hire DynCorp to provide 6000 trainers

            to rebuild Iraqi police

2004 Survey Iraqis seeing US as liberators went from 88% in Oct 03 to 43% in Apr 04

            Want US to leave 17% Oct 03 to 57% Oct 04

2004 Iranian intel officers arrested in Baghdad plotting attacks

2004 Iraqi Governing Council convinced UN envoy Brahimi to include them in Allawi’s

            interim govt

2007 ISI’s Abu Omar al-Baghdadi told local commanders in Baghdad to stop fighting

            Islamic Army of Iraq Dispute would be mediated

2009 Cheney said never any evidence linking Iraq with 9/11 Cheney had promoted story

            that 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraqi intelligence in 2001

2010 Adm Mullen said ISI had been devastated by deaths of leadership

2010 Pres Barzani met with Turkish PM Erdogan to talk about security

2011 Obama told Maliki wanted Iraq parliament to approve stay behind US forces

            Maliki disagreed saying no new deal needed

2011 Survey Iraqis seeing country going in right direction 45% Nov 10 Wrong

            direction 49% Mar 11

2011 Human Rights Watch report govt arrested and beat protest leaders in Baghdad

2011 Maliki ordered investigation of Trade Bank in Iraq after refused to back deal

            made by Maliki with S. Korean company

2013 Report Sadr got into argument with Hezbollah’s Nasrallah over backing Assad

            in Syria

2013 Sadr accused Asaib Ahl Al-Haq of trying to assassinate leader in his movement

            in Baghdad

2015 US sent 2000 AT4 anti-tank missiles to Iraq to help fight car bombs

2015 Badr objected to US helping retake Ramadi

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Review The Road to Iraq, The Making of a Neoconservative War

Review Ahmad, Muhammad Idrees, The Road to Iraq, The Making of a Neoconservative War, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd, 2014

Muhammad Idrees Ahmad set out to explain how the neoconservatives inside and out of the Bush administration set the stage for the 2003 war with Iraq. Every serious scholar agrees that the neoconservatives played a large role in that process. As Ahmad writes, it’s not just those at the top like President Bush and Vice President Cheney that set policy, but those that influence the decisions that should be studied as well. Ahmad correctly argues that the neoconservatives are often mentioned, but widely misunderstood. He sees the group as having institutional power through think tanks, foundations, lobby groups, media outlets, and positions within the White House. Using those assets was how the neoconservatives helped shape the debate for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Ahmad then goes off track in two important cases. First, he claims that the neoconservatives had no real ideology, but were rather a collection of individuals with similar histories and goals. Second, he gives the neoconservatives far more power than they had within the administration to push their agenda, especially when it came to intelligence on Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 1

1941 Regent of Iraq returned to power after PM Gaylani overthrown by British

1941 497 Iraqi soldiers killed and 695 wounded British lost 150 troops during Anglo-

            Iraq War

1941 Regent welcomed at airport by group of Jews from Baghdad who were attacked

            on way home that continued into capital

1941 Farhud anti-Jewish pogrom in Baghdad started Around 120 people killed and

            850 wounded

1941 Yunis Sabawi pro-Nazi leader who appointed himself governor of southern Iraq

            planned pogrom against Jews but deported by Brits

1941 British troops barred from entering Baghdad during Farhud UK Foreign Office

            thought it would look bad for Regent to return to power backed by English troops

1941 German Gen Felmy head of military mission to Iraq arrived in Syria after Anglo-

            Iraq War was over

1946 Arshad al-Umari became premier of Iraq, would hold office 2 times

1948 Jewish forces attacked Iraqi positions in Jenin but were turned back in 1^st Arab-

            Israeli War

1967 Iraq For Min Pachachi met with US officials about growing tension with Israel

before 6-Day War

1972 Pres Bakr with Public Law 69 nationalized Iraq Petroleum Company Created

Iraq National Oil Company Saddam main decision maker Had backing of Soviets and France

1975 PUK announced its formation and date celebrated as anniversary even though

            party created in May

1984 UN Security Council condemned Iran and Iraq attacking tankers in Persian Gulf

            Iran-Iraq War

1987 Iran captured Darbandi Khan Lake dam in Kurdistan

1994 Barzani and Talabani agreed to 50-50 power sharing deal to jointly run Kurdistan

            administration

1994 600 killed in week’s worth of fighting between KDP and PUK especially around

            Halabja

1997 PKK launched 1^st of 4 suicide bombings against KDP 55 KDP killed

2001 UN Res 1352 extended Oil for Food program

2001 White House national security meeting on revising Iraq policy but no decisions

made Asked NSC for new ways to pressure Iraq

2002 Bush gave speech at West Point arguing for pre-emptive war against rogue

            states because couldn’t be contained

2002 Bush told Natl Sec Adv Rice “Fuck Saddam. we’re taking him out”

2003 Sadrist march against British occupation of Basra

2003 ORHA head Garner left Baghdad ending his short tenure in Iraq

2003 Barzani and Talabani wrote letter to Bush objecting to sectarian quotas putting

            Shiite as PM and Sunni as president

2003 House Armed Services Comm said it would investigate US failure to find Iraq’s

            WMD

2004 Iyad Allawi became interim PM of transitional Iraqi govt Ghazi Yawer President

2004 CPA signed deal with Kurds INC SCIRI and others to disband their militias

            Never followed through with

2004 CIA Dir Tenet letter to Congress said doubted 9/11 hijacker Atta met with

            Iraqi intelligence in Prague in 2001

2004 Gen Casey became new Coalition commander in Iraq

2007 Islamic Army spokesman went on Al Jazeera accusing ISI of belligerence since it

            declared its state

2008 Fmr PM Jaafari announced leaving Dawa to create own party National

            Reform

2008 Australia began withdrawing its troops from Iraq Operated as trainers and

            advisers in south

2009 Ex-Trade Min Sudani appeared in court to answer questions on corruption

charges

2009 Def Min claimed it captured leader of Ansar al-Sunna Mohammed Hardawi

2009 KRG began exporting oil from Tawke and Taq Taq fields

2010 Parliamentary election results were certified

2010 Maliki attended PUK congress to lobby for new term as PM

2010 PKK ended ceasefire with Turkey hoping to spark peace talks Didn’t happen

2010 Electricity Min doubled bills for users to cut consumption but Iraqis unused to

            paying for power No effect

2011 Second day of protests in Ramadi calling for army to withdraw from city after

            police chief killed in raid

2011 Iraq Ground Forces Commander Gen Ghidan made agreement with Anbar

            govt to move soldiers out of cities due to protests after raid

2011 Human Rights Minister escaped assassination attempt by sticky bomb in Baghdad

2011 Committee to Protect Journalists ranked Iraq worse country in world due to

            deaths of reporters

2011 Amnesty Intl called on Baghdad to stop suppression of protests in Baghdad by

            arresting leaders

2011 Protest in Nasiriyah calling for jobs services and demanded govt step down

2011 Oil Min signed deal with South Korea’s KOGAS to develop Akkas gas field in

            Anbar

2012 US asked Iraq to extradite Hezbollah operative Daqduq to US after Iraqi court

            found him innocent of terrorism Didn't happen

2012 During anniversary of founding PUK Pres Talabani mentioned Gorran head

            Mustafa 29 times pointing to possible reconciliation

2012 Report Iran pressured Sadr to pull support for no confidence vote against Maliki

            Sadr called for all parties to move against Maliki

2013 Kurdish parliament extended Pres Barzani’s term for 2 years

2013 Def Min claimed it broke up ISI cell working on chemical weapons

2013 Salahaddin governor escaped mortar fire on his home north of Tikrit

2013 Ninewa Governor Nujafi escaped 2^nd IED on his convoy west of Mosul

2013 Sheikh Sulaiman said Anbar governor’s committee to negotiate with Baghdad did

            not represent protest movement

2013 Sheikh Ubaidi of Albu Obeid tribe said Anbar protesters supported talks with

            Baghdad

2014 ISIS leader ambushed and killed by Naqshibandi in Hamrin Mts, Diyala in

            retaliation for ISIS killing 8 Naqshibandi

2014 Report fighting between ISIS and Naqshibandi in Hamrin Mts, Diyala over last

            few days led to 70 insurgent deaths

2015 Iraq began selling Basra Heavy crude that greatly increased oil sales

2015 Pres Barzani said KRG would start independent oil exports if Baghdad didn’t

            deliver KRG’s share of budget

View the Iraq History Timelines