Security In Iraq Oct 1-14, 2019

(Baghdad Post)

The first two weeks of October showed that the Islamic State pays attention to political developments in Iraq. During the first week of the month protests erupted in Baghdad and across the south with the government gunning down scores of people. The insurgents almost halted their operations as a result. If the group’s goal is to overthrow the government, they were not going to act when the people were threatening it. Any large attack might have distracted people’s attention away from Baghdad. When protests ended, IS went right back to attacks in the second week of the month.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 22

1965 Gen Nasser said he supported Iraqi govt against Mustafa Barzani’s Kurdish rebellion

1980 Iraqi forces surrounded and began siege of Abadan Iran

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

1981 UN backed Islamic Conference Organization’s attempt to end Iran-Iraq War

1983 Iranian Op Wa al-Farj 4 reached Penjwin Kurdistan Iraqi counterattack pushed Iranians back

(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 book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

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

1991 Baghdad told Kurdish workers that if they wanted to keep their jobs they had to move to govt

controlled areas of Kurdistan due to clashes with Peshmerga

2004 Sistani aide Safi in Friday sermon said voting in 2005 elections was a religious duty

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

2006 Report criticized Lancet report that est 400,000-800,000 Iraqis deaths since 2003 Lancet claimed 40

consecutive households were questioned within one day Public health researcher Hicks didn’t think that possible One Lancet author Roberts said 80% of deaths recorded had a death certificate and that deaths had been underreported Report criticized for main street bias only surveying main streets where violence more likely Lancet author Burnham said off streets were included Then said he actually didn’t know how survey was conducted Lancet author Roberts said some of the raw data was destroyed to protect people’s safety Also said that findings could easily be replicated by other studies

(Musings On Iraq article Major Flaws in Lancet Report Pt 1)

(Musings On Iraq article Major Flaws in Lancet Report Pt 11)

(Musings On Iraq article New Study Refutes Lancet Reports)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Mark Van Der Laan on Lancet Reports)

(Musings On Iraq interview with Prof Michael Spagat on Lancet reports)

2006 Report US in talks with Islamic Army in Jordan

2006 Fmr Finance Min Allawi said $750-$800mil in defense spending under PM Allawi stolen Ziad

Cattan head of military procurement convicted in absentia for stealing from defense deals

(Musings On Iraq book 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)

2007 bin Laden message to Iraq said insurgency was winning Had to overcome differences and not work

with US Said insurgency would undo the division of the Ottoman empire and a new Islamic age was coming

2007 Report Sadiya Bagdhad used to be majority Sunni Now 60% Shiite Mahdi Army worked with Inter

Min Wolf Brigade to cleanse neighborhood of Sunnis Sunnis turned to ISI US then organized Sadiya Guardians in Sep 07 Mahdi Army shelled Guardians Was protest by Shiite against Guardians claiming there were killers Sunnis held counter demonstration PM Maliki said he wanted Shiites to join Guardians but they objected

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

(Musings On Iraq Columbia University Charts Sectarian Cleansing Of Baghdad)

2007 Report US campaign plan now had militias bigger threat to Iraq than insurgency Couldn’t defeat

militias so hoped that reconciliation would happen Dropped legislative benchmarks as sign of progress

2010 Wikileaks released thousands of classified US reports on Iraq

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Sadr Joins Protests While Govt Continues With Promises And Crackdown

(Reuters)

October 25 is supposed to be the start of a new round of protests in Iraq. In the meantime, Moqtada al-Sadr has thrown in his hat with the demonstrations. On the other hand, the government continues to arrest activists and journalists, while promising reforms. It looks like the country is heading for another confrontation as no one is happy with the status quo.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 21

1980 Iraqi forces reached city center in Khorramshahr, Iran

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

1980 Taha Yassin Ramadan head of Baath Popular Army said Khuzistan oil was Iraq’s until Iran

opened negotiations to end war

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1991 Iraq told UN weapons inspectors it had program to build a nuclear bomb

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article 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 book review The Saddam Tapes)

1992 Peshmerga helped Turkish troops fight PKK in northern Kurdistan

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

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

1996 PUK backed by Iran recaptured most of territory it lost to KDP except Irbil

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

2000 Izzat al-Duri attended Arab summit saying Iraq believed only jihad could save Palestinians in

latest conflict with Israel

2000 King Hussein called for end of sanctions on Iraq at Arab summit

2002 Report Czech Pres Havel told White House 9/11 terrorist Atta did not meet with Iraq

intelligence in Prague

2004 US soldier found guilty of abuse in Abu Ghraib prison scandal given 8 yrs in prison

2006 ISF and US forces patrolling Amara to enforce ceasefire between Mahdi Army and Badr Suweira

Mahdi Army and Badr clashed Mahdi Army blamed for bombing ISCI office in Hamza al-Sharqi

2006 Inter Min Bolani met with Sadr in Najaf to try to get him to reign in Mahdi Army

2006 Insurgents started two days of attacks on police base in Baquba Diyala Up to 80 police killed

2007 PM Maliki complained to US about Oct 20 US raid into Sadr City and wanted investigation into

US abuses in Iraq

2008 ISF raided head of Sahwa in Buhriz Diyala Arrested spokesman for Diyala Sahwa and beat him

Was part of PM Maliki crackdown on Diyala Sahwa

(Musings On Iraq article on raids and arrests of Diyala Sahwa)

2010 PM Maliki went to Turkey to try to help his attempt to form new govt

2011 US announced it would withdraw its force from Iraq on Dec 31

2011 Obama told PM Maliki not getting stay behind US forces in Iraq was ok because US would still have

influence

(Musings On Iraq book review The United States And Iraq Since 1990: A Brief History with Documents)

2014 New operation to try to clear Babil’s Jurf al-Sakhr started after Sep attempt failed

2016 Iraqi forces freed Bartella Ninewa

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 20

1980 US said Iraq invasion of Iran threatened security in Gulf and land should not be seized

by force

1983 Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 4 seized 15 villages in Kurdistan

1984 Iraq held elections to prove legitimacy of Saddam Was 40% quota for Shiite deputies

(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 book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1991 Report Saddam was arming PKK to fight Turkey

2000 UK Foreign Office said wanted to offer end of sanctions to return inspectors but didn’t think US

would agree

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

(Musings On Iraq Chilcot Report Section 1.2 UK Iraq strategy September 2000 To September 2001)

2002 Czech Intel told US no evidence 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraq intelligence in Prague

2004 Report Jan 03 Natl Intel Council warned building democracy in Iraq would be long difficult and

turbulent Council warned that overthrowing Saddam could lead to ethnosectarian rivalries and power grabs in Iraq

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

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

2004 Transparency International ranked Iraq one of most corrupt countries in world

(Musings On Iraq book 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 One of Saddam’s lawyers kidnapped and killed

2006 Mahdi Army Badr and officials from PM Maliki’s office worked out ceasefire to end fighting in

Amara 10 police 15 militiamen killed 160 wounded

(Musings On Iraq article on the history of Badr Organization)

2007 US Special Forces raid into Sadr City hunting Special Groups led to huge firefight

2008 4 Iranian infiltrators arrested outside Baquba Diyala

(Musings On Iraq article on Iranian infiltration into Iraq)

2010 KRG Natural Resource Min Hawrami said Kurds were ready to send 60 bil cubic meters of

natural gas to Turkey

2015 Baiji town finally cleared of IS

2016 PM Abadi announced govt would not allow human rights violations during Mosul campaign

and investigative committee created to look into any

2017 Fighting broke out between Iraqi forces and Peshmerga in Altun Kupri Kirkuk as Kurds

worried federal forces were going to march on Irbil after independence referendum

(Musings On Iraq article on Kurds withdrawal from disputed areas)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Great Betrayal, How America Abandoned The Kurds And Lost The Middle East)

2018 Official results of KRG election announced KDP won 45 seats PUK 21 seats Change 12 New

Generation 8 Kurdistan Islamic Group 7 Towards Reform 5

(Musings On Iraq article on 2018 KRG election results)

2018 Oil Ministry reversed its order to transfer 9 state oil companies to new Iraq National Oil Company

after PM Designate Mahdi warned against it

(Musings On Iraq article on reversal of Oil Ministry order)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 19

1948 All Jewish govt workers fired in Iraq after creation of Israel

1958 Gen Bakr forced to retire after Col Arif lost power struggle with Gen Qasim within govt

1980 Saddam speech said Iraq couldn’t win war because outnumbered by Iran

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)

1983 Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 4 began to take Penjwin Valley in Kurdistan from KDPI and cut its

supply line to Iraq

(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 book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

2003 Sec State Powell said US found evidence of Iraq’s WMD programs and that Saddam always

wanted nuclear weapons

(Musings On Iraq article on how poor US intel work led to claim Iraq rebuilt its nuclear weapons program)

2004 Head of aid group Care was kidnapped in Baghdad Later killed by insurgents

2004 Iraq conspiracy theorist Mylroie wrote OpEd in NY Sun that Saddam was training foreigners to

carry out terrorist attacks and working with Islamic groups

(Musings On Iraq article on Mylroie’s Iraq conspiracy theories)

2004 PM Allawi got US to free insurgent leader Sheikh Jumaili in attempt to split militants in Fallujah

against Zarqawi Failed

2005 Saddam’s trial started and pled his innocence

2005 Natl Sec Adv Rice told Senate about Clear Hold Build counterinsurgency plan for Iraq Was not

discussed with US military beforehand

(Musings On Iraq 2006 Clear Hold Build: An Iraq Strategy That Wasn’t A Strategy)

(Musings On Iraq article on pre-Surge US Iraq strategy)

2005 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey US Iraq Amb Khalizad later asked Rice what Clear Hold Build was and why

not consulted

2005 Def Sec Rumsfeld complained to Natl Sec Adv Rice that he did not back Clear Hold Build and he

            was not consulted about it

2006 IED killed Amara police chief from Badr Police arrested brother of suspected bomber from Mahdi

Army 2 days of fighting started Mahdi Army stormed 3 police stations manned by Badr in Amara

2006 US military spokesman said Op Together Forward II failed to reduce violence in Baghdad Said

attacks up 22% since start of Ramadan US forces returned to Dora after it was touted as first area cleared during operation

(Musings On Iraq book review Fiasco: The American Military Adventure In Iraq)

2006 US Iraq Cmdr Gen Casey US Amb Khalzad gave press conference saying Op Together Forward

II in Baghdad working

2006 Report over 20 militias operating in Baghdad Mahdi Army splintering

2006 Report police unit blamed for killing 26 Sunnis at food factory in Baghdad’s Amil Unit was

            suspended

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

(Musings On Iraq Columbia University Charts Sectarian Cleansing Of Baghdad)

2013 IS held parade in southern Fallujah

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 18

1920 Najaf surrendered to British in 1920 Revolt

(Musings On Iraq book review of Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

1928 Shiite sheikhs issued statement about conscription saying only the Shiites would be drafted as Kurds

and western tribes would never allow it meaning Shiites would make all the sacrifices

1940 Ger Amb to Turkey told Fin Min Shawkat Germany supported Arabs but gave no specific

promises or support

(Musings On Iraq book review Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The Nationalist Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq book review Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Role of the Military In Politics, A case study of Iraq to 1941)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq And Syria 1941, The Politics and Strategy of the Second World War)

1980 Pres Carter called on Iraq to withdraw from Iran Carter was trying to get US hostages held by Tehran

released

1980 Iraqi forces attempted to attack Abadan from behind but failed Iranian counterattack in Andimeshk

forced Iraqi retreat

1984 Iranian Op Al Fajr 7 began to recapture Mehran Iran Discovered by Iraqi intelligence

(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 book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

1997 PUK and KDP agreed to US brokered ceasefire in civil war Clashes continued

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

2001 2^nd CIA report on story that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger Said Iraq didn’t have

facilities to process uranium

(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)

(Musings On Iraq Review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War)

2001 Wall St Journal OpEd by ex-CIA Dir Woolsey said Iraq behind 9/11

2002 Sec Def Rumsfeld told Under Sec of Def Feith to create postwar planning office for Iraq Cancelled few

days later Cancellation came from White House that didn’t want postwar planning because could derail invasion

(Musings On Iraq article on Part I Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Planning for Postwar Iraq September 2001 to May 2003)

(Musings On Iraq article on Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Chapter 3 The Department of Defense Takes Charge)

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

Tragedy)

2006 ISI held march in Ramadi to declare its Islamic state and mark its new name

2006 CENTCOM briefing said Iraq heading towards chaos Increased sectarian violence despite U.S.

security plan

2011 Exxon signed oil and gas deal with KRG marking 1^st major energy company to enter region

(Musings On Iraq article on Exxon-KRG deal)

2017 KRG Election Comm said it stopped preparations for presidential and parliamentary elections

because no candidates

(Musings On Iraq In Face Of Referendum Fallout Kurdish Ruling Parties Decide To Hold Onto Power)

2017 UN warned Election Comm that choosing electronic voting system would undermine trust in

voting

2018 Out going Oil Minister Luabi transferred 9 state oil companies to new Iraq National Oil Company that

he headed PM Designate Mahdi warned that his govt would cancel any orders it felt illegal

(Musings On Iraq article on transferring state oil companies to Iraq National Oil Company)

View the Iraq History Timelines