U.S. Army History Of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 11 The Gathering Storm

The eleventh chapter of the U.S. Army history of the Iraq War covers the events at the start of 2004. The American military thought the insurgency was waning and that it could withdraw as soon as the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) were rebuilt, while the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was forced to bring in the United Nations to settle its dispute with Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani over elections. The U.S. was operating in a vacuum as it missed the maturation of the insurgency and was ignoring Iran’s growing influence in Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 4

 

1914 US consulate report Ottomans ordered mobilization and draft in Baghdad

1933 French deported Assyrians who fled to Syria Iraqi troops sent to meet Assyrians and disarm

them Assyrians attacked army camp upon return to Iraq believing army was going to kill them 33 soldiers killed 40 wounded Over 500 Assyrians crossed back into Syria and were arrested by French Assyrians caught on Iraqi side were executed by army

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

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

1954 PM Said sent letter to King Ghazi asking for parliament to be dissolved and new elections

held Dissolved all political parties Revoked press licenses

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

1963 Army took Barzan during Barzani revolt

(Musings On Iraq review of 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)

1968 Bakr govt said it would implement Jun 1966 deal for Kurdish language and culture to

be recognized

1970 Saddam visited Soviet Union and asked for debt relief Also for Moscow to stop aiding Kurds Soviets

agreed

(Musings On Iraq review Saddam His Rise and Fall)

1986 VP Bush used Egyptian Pres Mubarak to pass message to Iraq that it should expand air campaign

against 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)

1989 FBI raided Italian bank in Atlanta that made $4 bil in unauthorized loans to Iraq $500 mil was

guaranteed by Agriculture Dept Dept believed some of money being used for Iraqi missile program

1990 Bush met Kuwait emir Sabah and said US would free Kuwait and return emir to power

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

1990 Joint statement by US and Soviet Union condemned Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and called for

withdrawal

1990 European Community imposed sanctions on Iraq for invasion of Kuwait

1990 Iraq announced Provisional Government of Free Kuwait

1990 King Hussein said Saddam was a patriot and wanted good Jordan-Iraq relations

1990 White House went over military plans in response to Kuwait invasion Included 200,000-250,000

troops deploying to Saudi Arabia Offensive operations would be possible in 8-12 months Bush ordered offensive plans but only after Saudis asked for help

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

1990 Bush said goal of deploying US forces to Persian Gulf was to protect Saudi Arabia

1990 Mukhabarat agents flown into Kuwait to run internal security

1990 USSR Foreign Min Shevardnadze Sec State Baker joint statement condemned Iraq

aggression Called for global arms ban on Iraq

1991 Baath ordered property in Kirkuk to be given to Arabs and building over 2700 new homes for them

1992 Iraqi army shelled Kurdish positions in Kirkuk province

1992 Report Pentagon wanted to set up military exchange in Iraq 3 months before invasion of Kuwait

Came after Saddam threatened to burn half of Israel and Iraq caught trying to smuggle in nuclear triggers State Dept blocked plan

1998 Saddam ended cooperation with UN inspectors Kept monitoring system in tact Saddam demanded

inspectors reflect rotating membership of Security Council and offices be moved to Geneva or Vienna and out of NY to not be influenced by US

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

(Musings On Iraq Charles Duelfer’s Account Of The End Of The 1990s U.N. Inspections)

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)

2002 UnderSecDefArmsControl Bolton told BBC US didn’t care whether new UN inspections happened

because goal was regime change in Iraq

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

2002 Head of President’s Foreign Intel Board and Frm Natl Sec Adv Scowcroft gave TV interview saying

US should not invade Iraq Said would undermine war on terror and throw Middle East into turmoil Said UN inspectors should deal with Iraq’s WMD

2003 US reopened Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq US Army History Of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 9 Down The Spider Hole, October-December 2003)

2004 Mahdi Army shot down US helicopter in Sadr City Police chief there led celebration for its downing

2004 Sec State Powell told UK Foreign Sec Straw that security in Sunni areas of Iraq was worse than

thought Said it was an indigenous movement with good intel to adapt to situation on the ground

2005 Report large shipment of EFPs captured in northern Iraq coming from Iran

(Musings On Iraq interview with Galen Wright of Arkenstone blog on Iranian arms shipments to Iraqi militias) 

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

2006 Sec State Rice said US making progress Iraq strategy not failing US had to stay the course Privately

Rice thought strategy failing

(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)

2006 Sadr organized protest in Baghdad against US occupation

2008 Flyers posted in Baghdad’s Dora warning Shiite families not to return to district Up to 50% of Shiite

families had been driven out during civil war

(Musings On Iraq Only Sunni Displaced Welcomed in Baghdad’s Dora District?)

2015 2 Protests in Sulaymaniya province over lack of services that led to clash with police Over 30 wounded

Also demo in Maysan

2017 Thousands protested in Baghdad over corruption called for by Sadr

2018 8^th day sit-in protest West Qurna 1 oil field 7^th day sit-in in Muthanna Protest ended in Husseiniya

Baghdad Demonstrations in Dhi Qar Qadisiya 2 others in Basra

2020 Activists house in Maysan hit by RPG as part of intimidation campaign against protests

(Musings On Iraq While PM Kazemi Visits Trump Pro-Iran Groups Target US And Kill Protesters To Embarrass Govt)

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

(Musings On Iraq UN Report On Violence Against Iraqi Protesters)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Iraqi Crude Prices And Revenues Continued To Rise In July 2021

Iraq’s oil exports and revenues increased in July as petroleum prices continued to rebound in 2021.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 3

 

1954 Nuri al-Said became Iraq’s PM 7^th time 1922-58 were 59 cabinets

(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 interview with Historian Phebe Marr comparing PM Said with PM Maliki)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Western Kentucky’s Prof Romero on the Qasim govt)

1968 Bakr govt said willing to follow through with Arif govt’s 12 point program for Kurds

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

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

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

1982 Iran called off Op Ramadan invasion of Basra At its peak Iran seized 300 sq km of Iraqi territory By

end only held 80 sq km US est Iran lost 14,000 casualties Iraq lost 8700 casualties and 1700 prisoners

(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 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

(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)

1990 Last Kuwaiti resistance to Iraqi invasion ended

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Storm, Volume 1)

1990 Iraqi troops crossed into Saudi territory three times by accident

1990 Iraq ambassador to US denied Kuwait invasion happened Claimed it was internal affair

1990 Amnesty said Iraqi army had arrested Iraqi exiles in Kuwait

1990 Arab League said it would mediate dispute between Iraq and Kuwait after invasion

1990 2^nd NSC meeting on Kuwait invasion Bush said he agreed with Thatcher that Iraq’s

actions could not stand and regional leaders were just talking about accepting the situation even though didn’t like it Natl Sec Adv Scowcroft said US would not accommodate Iraq Def Sec Cheney said Iraq was close to Saudi oil fields and if didn't take them would threaten them in the future Dep Sec State Eagleburger said US couldn’t allow seizing countries in post-Cold War world Joint Chiefs head Powell said US could bomb Iraq or deploy troops to protect Saudi Arabia CIA Dir Webster said Iraq would invade Saudi Arabia Powell didn’t believe that Agreed force would be used if necessary and sanctions would probably fail Bush ordered CIA to come up with destabilization plan against Saddam

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

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

1990 Bush met Saudi Amb to US Bandar and convinced him to support US troops being sent to his

country

1998 Tariq Aziz met UN inspectors Complained they were focusing upon minor issues  not important to

disarmament Said dragging out process at behest of US Demanded that Iraq be certified WMD free and inspections end Aziz said Iraq had nothing else to declare about its weapons programs Chief UN inspector Butler said Iraq had not provided evidence to prove claim it had declared all of its weapons programs

(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)

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

(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)

2004 Sadr ordered his followers to seize Najaf shrine and attack Coalition forces in south starting 2^nd

Battle of Najaf

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

(Musings On Iraq review Battle For The City Of The Dead)

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

2004 Mahdi Army kidnapped 18 police demanding release of their militiamen in return for freeing

officers

2005 Integrity Commission investigated corrupt deals made by Allawi’s Def Min One deal was

with Poland’s Bumar that included helicopters that turned out to be 28 yrs old Another deal was for ammunition which cost four times more than it was worth

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

(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)

2005 Report Defense Min lacked capacity to pay supply recruit and replace personnel and carry out

promotions or deliver spare parts

2006 CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Abizaid told Senate Iraq could fall into civil war if violence continued

2006 Report outgoing UK Amb to Iraq said Iraq would be unstable for 5-10 yrs Said Iraq could breakup

along ethnosectarian lines Said had to stop Mahdi Army from becoming like Hezbollah

2006 Inter Min Bolani said rogue elements within his ministry Told parliament new uniforms and IDs

would be made to distinguish between real and fake police Inter Min only ordered 25,000 new uniforms for force of 145,000 Said he would root out corrupt police and those accused of torture and would show results by end of August

(Musings On Iraq interview with Jerry Burke police and Interior Min adviser on how Badr took over Interior Ministry)

2006 Report some neighborhoods in Baghdad set up checkpoints and refused to allow police in without

US troops accompanying them

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

2006 Report of 14,000 planned reconstruction projects in Iraq more than 500 had not been started

Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said start of US reconstruction effort was confused overwhelmed lacked coordination and planning

2007 Reports Iraqi parties talking about replacing PM Maliki after Iraqi Accordance Front and Sadrists

            boycotted cabinet and parliament

2007 Report Maliki govt intentionally releasing lower casualty figures for violence in Iraq to downplay

insurgency Govt said 25 dead and 100 wounded in car bombing in Baghdad Later local officials said 92 dead and 127 wounded

2008 Report UK made ceasefire deal with Sadrists in Basra Would release all Mahdi Army prisoners and in

return UK would withdraw from city Allowed Mahdi Army to take over most of city

2009 PM Maliki met with Asaib Ahl Al-Haq Claimed group renounced violence and wanted to run

in 2010 elections Agreed to release AAH members held by US Part of plan for Maliki to undermine Sadr before vote

(Musings On Iraq League Of Righteous Breaks Off talks With Baghdad)

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

2009 VP Abdul Mahdi criticized Interior Min for announcing his bodyguards robbed Rafidain Bank

2014 IS seized Sinjar Zumar Wana in Ninewa Began massacre and enslavement of Yazidis

(Musings On Iraq Kurdish Government Tries to Create New Narrative Of What Happened To Iraq’s Yazidis)

(Musings On Iraq interview with AUIS’s Christine van den Toorn on what happened to Yazidis when IS invaded Sinjar) 

(Musings On Iraq interview with journalist Wladimir van Wilgenburg on dispute between KDP Hashd and Yazidis in Sinjar)

2014 IS attacked north into Irbil

2015 Protest in Pirzin Irbil over power cuts and water shortages

2017 Sadr called for mass demonstrations over passage of provincial council law

2018 Protests in Baghdad 2 in Basra Najaf Karbala Qadisiya Muthanna Babil Dhi Qar Maysan for better

services

View the Iraq History Timelines

Violence Picks Up Again In Iraq In July 2021

Violence increased in Iraq in July. The number of incidents by pro-Iran groups stayed the same between June and July. The uptick was due to the Islamic State who’s attacks went from 62 in June to 90 in July. That was the highest amount of monthly attacks since May 2020. This included more incidents in areas that have previously been quiet and a mass casualty bombing in Baghdad.

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 2

 

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

1924 Yasin al-Hashemi became PM of Iraq Was ordered to organize elections for an assembly to draft

a constitution Were 14 govts under Mandate

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

1933 Iraqis met with French again 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)

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

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 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)

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 and more

(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)

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 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 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 Bush NSC meeting focused on how Iraq invasion of Kuwait would allow Baghdad 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

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

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

1990 Mubarak wanted to keep Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait an 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

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

of country to Persian Gulf

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 1^st 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)

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)

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 1^st 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

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

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

in Iraqi affairs

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

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

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Aug 1

 

1921 Gertrude Bell wrote US diplomat that England carried King Faisal on its shoulders into power

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)

1928 1^st Iraqi students sent to Royal Air Force college in England for training to form first pilots of

Royal Iraqi Air Force

(Musings On Iraq review Wings of Iraq, Volume 1: The Iraqi Air Force, 1931-1970)

1958 Gen Qasim announced Popular Resistance Force as popular militia to support govt Communists took

over organization and went after pan-Arabists

(Musings On Iraq interview with Western Kentucky’s Prof Romero on the Qasim govt)

1963 Army took Zebar during Barzani revolt

(Musings On Iraq review of 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)

1979 22 coup plotters sentenced to death 33 others given prison time

1982 Iran made final attack in Basra as part of Op Ramadan Failed

(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 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

(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)

1982 Dawa bombed Planning Ministry in Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa Party)

(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)

1990 Iraq walked out on talks with Kuwait held in Saudi Arabia Kuwait offered to cancel Iraq’s oil debts

worth $14-$15 bil and lease Werba Island Kuwait and Saudis offered to pay $10 bil to Iraq for ending dispute Iraq said no and demanded $27 bil

(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)

1990 Revolutionary Command Council and Regional Command met to hear about meeting with Kuwait

No progress Invasion order given

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

1990 US intelligence found Iraq moved divisions within 3 miles of Kuwait border

1990 Chief DIA analyst for Middle East believed Iraq would invade Kuwait CIA thought invasion

imminent

1990 Pentagon meeting included Sec Def Cheney and Joint Chiefs head Gen Powell Agreed Iraq would

not invade Kuwait Powell said since Iraq totalitarian govt and US didn’t have any good intel inside regime couldn’t tell Saddam’s intentions Thought deploying troops was posturing by Baghdad and not for an invasion Cheney said couldn’t tell whether Iraq meant to pressure Kuwait or use military force

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

1990 US Central Command cmdr Gen Schwarzkopf told Def Sec Cheney and Joint Chiefs staff Iraq was

            going to invade Kuwait

1990 NSC Deputies Committee decided Iraq was going to invade Kuwait after artillery units detected

Committee said Bush should send Saddam warning not to invade Kuwait

1990 NSC’s Haas convinced Natl Sec Adv Scowcroft to talk to Bush about warning Saddam not to

invade Kuwait

1990 NSC’s Haas and NatlSecAdv Scowcroft convinced Bush to call Saddam to warn him about invading

Kuwait Then got news of invasion

1990 Egyptian intelligence said Iraqi invasion of Kuwait imminent

2001 NSC meeting Sec Def Rumsfeld presented plan for US to back Iraqi opposition and possible

military action Included backing INC’s revolt plan

2002 Senate Foreign Relations Committee began hearings on possible postwar Iraq scenarios Senator

Biden warned that unless US gained international support it could spend $70-$80 bil rebuilding Iraq

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

Tragedy)

2002 Iraq invited Chief UN Inspector Blix to Baghdad for talks about new inspection regime

(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)

2002 CIA made 1^st paper explaining assessment of aluminum tubes Said they were for nuclear program

Said high specifications showed they were for centrifuges 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)

2002 Clinton’s National Security Adviser Sandy Berger OpEd in Washington Post said just because US

could overthrow Iraq didn't mean it should do it Berger said power did not mean legitimacy

2003 CIA Iraq station chief showed Bremer document from Saddam’s secret police calling for

sabotage looting ambushes Suggested Saddam planned insurgency Later proven false Was for guerrilla tactics against invasion

(Musings On Iraq Did Saddam Plan The Insurgency In Iraq?)

2003 New US training program to rebuild Iraq’s army began

2003 After trip to Iraq DepDefSec Wolfowitz said most Iraqis glad US liberated them from Saddam

Said US commanders rejected more troops to help secure Iraq Said Iraq could pay for its own reconstruction using oil and frozen assets Said invading Iraq was crucial to fight international terrorism Said invasion of Iraq and creating democracy could be start of transforming entire Middle East

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

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

2004 Al Qaeda in Iraq bombed 6 churches in Baghdad and Mosul 12 killed 71 wounded

2005 Battle of Haditha began

2005 Oil Minister Uloom announced gas cooking gas and kerosene rationing to ease to help with

shortages

2005 Constitution commission said it was deadlocked because didn’t have authority to make major

decisions

(Musings On Iraq interview with constitutional scholar Zaid al-Ali on Iraq’s constitution)

2005 Ex-CIA officer claimed spring 01 received intelligence that Iraq had ended its uranium enrichment

program years ago

2007 Iraqi Accordance Front withdrew 6 ministers from cabinet claiming PM Maliki was excluding them

from govt that PM was sectarian and no reconciliation

(Musings On Iraq Sunni Accordance Front Returns To Maliki’s Government Amidst Recriminations and Challenges)

2007 US intel report Iraq polarized State and ISF weak Increased extremism US needed to increase ISF

loyal to govt Sectarian politics likely to continue Iraqi elite unlikely to agree upon reconciliation Shiites insecure about holding power Leads to mistrust and lack of reconciliation Many Sunnis don’t accept minority status Sunnis think Shiites Iranian tools ISF short on equipment and couldn’t handle security

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

2007 US Govt Accountability Office found Pentagon couldn’t account for $19.2 bil worth of equipment it

gave to ISF Pentagon also said it only delivered 1/3 of equipment meant for Iraqi army and less than half of equipment for police

2008 PM Maliki issued one month ultimatum for squatters to vacate houses Part of govt plan to get

displaced to return by kicking out people living in their homes

2008 Kurdish parties in Kirkuk asked for KRG to annex province as symbolic protest of provincial election

law that included power sharing in Kirkuk

(Musings On Iraq Kurds Come Out Swinging)

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

2008 PM Maliki offered Musawiya tribe limited autonomy in return for joining Tribal Support Councils

2012 Russia’s Gazprom signed deal for 2 oil blocks in KRG

2012 KRG said it would restart oil exports for Baghdad to try to get a new revenue deal with the central

govt

2015 Protests in Basra and Karbala over lack of electricity and services

2018 Protests in Dhi Qar Basra Muthanna Najaf 4^th day of sit in protest in Muthanna

View the Iraq History Timelines