Security In Iraq Jul 15-21, 2022

The insurgency in Iraq remains at its lowest level since 2003. Attacks by the Islamic State remained in single digits while there were only a few incidents by pro-Iran groups.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 27 VP Abdul Mahdi’s bodyguards robbed bank in Baghdad Executed 8 guards

(Al Jazeera)

 

1912 Work began building railway through Mesopotamia financed by Germany

1933 French forbid anymore Assyrians entering Syria

1933 Iraq asked French to impose treaty between two to remove Assyrians from Iraq-Syrian border and

disarm them for 2^nd time

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

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

1958 Provisional constitution gave Kurds recognition as equal to Arabs

(Musings On Iraq review 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)

1959 Gen Qasim passed deal promising Arab-Kurdish partnership after talks with Mullah Mustafa

Barzani

(Musings On Iraq Explaining Kurdish Nationalism Interview With Teen Tech Univ Prof Michael Gunter)

1968 Communists issued demands to new Baath govt calling for National Front and coalition govt

1973 Communists said Bakr govt’s policies leading Iraq towards socialism

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

(Musings On Iraq review Red Star Over Iraq, Iraqi Communism Before Saddam)

(Musings On Iraq A History Of The Iraqi Communist Party Interview With Univ of East Anglia’s Johan Franzen)

1982 US official sent to Baghdad to share CIA satellite imagery of Iranian troop movements

1983 Iraq announced it would increase attacks on Iran’s oil facilities

1983 Iraqi forces regained control of Rayat and Mount Kerman from Iranians in Kurdistan

            Iran turned over Haj Omran to ISCI

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

1987 US asked Iraq to stop attacks on shipping in Persian Gulf in hopes that Iran would follow suit

1988 Iranian counterattack halted Mujahedeen e-Khalq attack towards Khormanshah in Khuzistan

(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)

1990 US told Saudis and Kuwait Iraqi build up on Kuwait border ominous Neither took

warning seriously

1990 Congress voted to impose sanctions on Iraq for threats against Kuwait and Israel plus nuke and WMD

programs and human rights violations White House opposed

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

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

1990 Israel Science Minister threatened retaliation with chemical weapons if Iraq attacked

(Musings On Iraq Why Did Saddam Threaten Israel Before The 1990 Invasion of Kuwait?)

1991 4^th International Atomic Energy Agency inspection team entered Iraq Concluded Iraq had

            a nuclear bomb program

1993 Iran asked for aid for 4,000 Iraqi refugees that entered country as southern marshes were drained

2001 Pentagon memo said that sanctions were falling apart Meant US could face a nuclear armed

            Saddam Advocated for regime change without saying how to achieve it

2003 DepSecDef Wolfowitz claimed that Iraq’s insurgency had no support in Iraq or in region

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency)

2003 Iraq Survey Group head Kay briefed Bush VP Cheney Def Sec Rumsfeld Dep Def Sec Wolfowitz CIA

Dir Tenet Natl Sec Adv Rice Chief of Staff Card on WMD hunt Said Iraq probably only had surge capacity to quickly restart WMD programs but no stockpiles Said trailers found were probably not mobile WMD labs Said Bush seemed unphased by fact that no WMD found

(Musings On Iraq How Iraqi Defector CURVEBALL Became Basis For US Claims That Iraq Had WMD)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

2003 Iraq Survey Group head Kay separately briefed VP Cheney who asked Kay to look into whether Iraq

sent its WMD to Syria or Bekka Valley Lebanon

2005 Saddam’s trial ended

2006 Iraq and UN announced International Compact to help develop country

2006 UK Amb to Iraq Patey said that de facto division of Iraq and civil war more likely than transition to

democracy

2006 Al Qaeda in Iraq leaders Abu Salih al-Saudi Abu Abdullah al-Saudi and 14 fighters killed in airstrike

north of Ramadi Disrupted group’s operations in Ramadi

2007 KDP and PUK renewed strategic power sharing agreement

2007 Report Jan 07 Saudis told US Amb to Iraq Khalilzad that PM Maliki an Iranian agent and helped

Sadr Bush officials said Saudis not helping with Iraq Financing Sunni groups Majority of suicide bombers Saudis 40% of foreign fighters in Iraq Saudis Saudis asked Gulf States to help it finance Sunni groups opposed to Maliki US didn’t publicly criticized Saudis because of alliance

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

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

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

2007 State Dept report US angry at Saudi Arabia for giving financial support to PM Maliki’s rivals

2008 Report Mahdi Army took protection money from gas stations minibus service power stations markets

ice factories and squatters in Sadr City 4 main gas stations in district used to pay $13,000/day Controlled 12 trucks that delivered gas canisters

2009 Report KDP arrested Christians in Qaraqosh KRG funded projects in town to win loyalties

2009 Industry Minister said govt workers only worked avg 2 hrs per day 

2009 VP Abdul Mahdi’s bodyguards robbed state run Rafidain Bank in Baghdad Stole $6.8 mil

Executed 8 guards

2009 Kurdistan Islamic Union HQ in Irbil attacked by KDP followers

2010 Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction audit found Pentagon mismanaged

Development Fund for Iraq which collected Iraqi oil revenues Used fund in ad hoc manner Didn’t follow rules which meant it couldn’t account for almost all of its spending Might still be using Fund even though had no authority to

(Musings On Iraq Department Of Defense Didn’t Follow Accounting Rules During Iraq Reconstruction)

2012 Report 15 mayors in Baquba dist Diyala quit due to ISI threats 50 left overall since Jan 2012 8

assassinated

2012 PM Maliki ordered army’s 10^th Div towards Syrian border in Ninewa controlled by Kurds Peshmerga

stopped unit Led to standoff

2014 Report IS trying to push other insurgent groups out Started arresting and killing those who refuse to

give it allegiance Started rounding up ex-Saddam era officers Threatened Islamic Army Hamas Iraq Mujahadeen Brigades Naqshibandi

2014 Report fighting in 6 areas of Jurf al-Sakhr dist in Babil between IS and ISF District declared freed

twice by govt Also fighting in Latifiya and Yusifiya south Baghdad

2014 40 bodies found in ditch in Shirqat Salahaddin Executed by IS

2015 Husaiba Anbar declared freed 4^th time Qadisiya dist of Ramadi declared freed but wasn’t

(Musings On Iraq Battle To Retake Iraq’s Anbar Province Continues)

2015 Protests in Rania KRG over project being stopped that led to clash with police Protest in Dhi

Qar over lack of power

2015 Kataib Hezbollah spokesman said US playing negative role in Anbar Said holding up ops so

IS fighters could escape Said US trying to destroy Iraq

2017 Human Rights Watch accused Iraqi army 16^th Div of extra judicial killings in Mosul

Witnesses saw beatings shootings decapitated bodies of suspected IS Came with series of videos posted of ISF beating and executing IS suspects

(Musings On Iraq Post Mosul Liberation Day 17 Jul 27 2017)

2017 Report Imam Ali Brigade took over several oil wells and smuggling petroleum from them in

Qayara Ninewa

2017 Interview with Kirkuk Govt Karim Said no Arabs brought to Kirkuk under Arabization

should be allowed to vote in KRG independence referendum

2018 Protests in Basra Babil Dhi Qar Karbala Baghdad Najaf Maysan Muthanna Qadisiya for jobs services

(Musings On Iraq Activists Focusing Upon Fridays For National Protests In Iraq)

2019 Diyala MP called on Defense Min to defend 3 towns in NE Diyala govt said Waqf

basin in center of Diyala under IS threat Another MP said IS fighters entering Diyala from Salahaddin

2020 Report Human rights groups said ISF dressed in plain clothes opened fire on protest in

Baghdad Jul 26 and killed protesters PM Kazemi’s spokesman said ISF given instructions not to use force Said killings under investigation

(Musings On Iraq National Protests Start In Iraq During The Weekend UPDATED)

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

(Musings On Iraq United Nations Faults Iraq For Failing To Protect Protesters)

2020 Protests in Muthanna Dhi Qar Basra Wasit Diwaniya Baghdad Najaf Karbala

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Coordination Framework Picks Its Candidate For Iraq PM But Doesn’t Resolve Anything

(Kurdistan 24)

The Coordination Framework has finally made its choice for prime minister. That’s State of Law member Mohammed al-Sudani. It’s an interesting choice because he was rejected for that position in 2019.

This Day In Iraqi History Jul 26 PM Said said Nasser should be punished for nationalizing Suez Canal

(Historica)

 

1920 Gertrude Bell wrote that Baghdad started the 1920 Revolt but not lost control of it when tribes rose

up and they listened to no one Baghdad did not start revolt

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

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

(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)

1920 UK Cmdr in Iraq Gen Haldane requested two divisions as reinforcements to deal with 1920

Revolt

1933 Iraq-French meeting Iraq told new border meant Assyrians who tried to get into Syria

            were actually still in Iraq French didn't want them in Syria

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

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

1956 Nasser nationalized Suez Canal Company PM Said Prince Ilah King Faisal II in London dining

with PM Eden Said said Nasser would be hit hard and Nasser deserved it

1983 Iran Op Wa al-Fajr 2 captured Haj Omran pass and Mount Kerde Mand in Iraqi Kurdistan

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

1988 Iraq began Op Eternal Light using Mujahedeen e-Khalq attacking towards Kormanshah

Advanced 60 miles Took 2 Iranian towns with Iraqi air support hoping to start revolt against Khomeini

1988 Iran and Iraq foreign ministers met to discuss ceasefire

(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)

1988 PUK decided to withdraw from Balisan Valley Hit by chemical weapons while retreating

1991 Iraq failed deadline to disclose nuclear program to UN inspectors Earlier in Jul US threatened

to bomb Iraq’s nuclear facilities and other targets if didn’t come clean about program

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

1992 Iraq agreed to UN inspection of Agriculture Min after two week standoff as long as

            wouldn’t include any Americans

(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)

2001 Last of 4 NSC Deputies Committee meetings on revising Iraq policy

2004 Defense Min Shaalan said Iran was Iraq’s main enemy

2005 US Army interrogators testified that dogs sleep deprivation and nudity all used on

            prisoners held at Abu Ghraib

2007 Truck bomb in Baghdad’s Karrada market killed 92 wounded 127

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

2007 US general said militias more accurate in targeting Green Zone because of training from Iran

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

2007 Audit Bechtel only finished half of its contracts in Iraq Other half either canceled cut back or didn’t

            finish US only had 2 people to oversee contracts

2009 Report USAID suspended $644 mil contract with Intl relief and Development company for

Iraqi jobs program Mar 08 Audit found fraud over billing ghost Iraqi employees Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team member said some money going to insurgents and corrupt officials 4 fmr employees said $10 mil questionable spending like on fake projects USAID said program created 45,000 jobs but couldn’t be confirmed

(Musings On Iraq Corruption In Iraq An Interview With Stuart Bowen Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Trouble Fighting Corruption Interview With Vincent Foulk Former US Anti-Graft Official)

2009 Report Power shortages increased Electricity Min blamed Iran for cutting electricity exports

Kuwait was sending less gas for power plants Turkey cut water limiting hydroelectric power from dams

2009 Sahwa security chief and neighborhood leader in Adhamiya arrested Part of PM Maliki

crackdown on sahwa

(Musings On Iraq Sons of Iraq Integration Update)

2010 ISI bombed Al Arabiya TV station

2010 Report ISI robbed blood banks and hospitals to get supplies to treat its wounded Robbed

Qaim’s blood bank Hospitals were closed because of ISI threats

2012 Protests in Basra against lack of electricity

(Musings On Iraq Third Straight Year Protests Over Electricity Break Out In Basra)

2014 Ansar al-Islam refused to give allegiance to IS in Sadiya Diyala Led to fighting

            between two with IS winning

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Resurgent Insurgency Interview With Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi)

(Musings On Iraq review The Caliphate At War, Operational Realities and Innovations of the Islamic State)

2014 Hashd kidnapped head of Baghdad council from his home in Adhamiya

2014 Report IS moved back into Babil’s Jurf al-Sakhr after recent security op there

2014 IS blew up Prophet Sheet Shrine Nabi Jarjees Shrine Qatheeb al-Ban shrine in Mosul

2015 Protest in Nasriaiya over power shortages

2017 Court issued arrest warrant for head of Salahaddin council for corruption

2017 Report Around 40 ISF accused of smuggling IS members out of Mosul

(Musings On Iraq Post Mosul Liberation Day 16 Jul 26 2017)

2017 Report Army major said order given to kill all IS captives during Mosul battle

2018 Protest at West Qurna 2 field in Basra Tried to set up sit-in camp Broken up by ISF

            Another protest at Zubayr oil field went off peacefully

(Musings On Iraq Silencing Protests In Iraq)

2018 Report College graduate offered job at Oil Min in Basra but had to pay $5,000 bribe Dep Gov

of Basra said unemployment in province 30% 30,000-35,000 graduates in Basra with no jobs Abadi govt promised 10,000 jobs in response to protests 85,000 applied for them

2018 Ninewa councilman said IS moving back and forth across Iraq-Syria border

2018 Report Kurdish village Mardan in Khanaqin dist NEDiyala abandoned due to IS

2020 Protests in Basra Dhi Qar Wasit Diwaniya Najaf Muthanna Baghdad ISF fired on protests and killed

3 in Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq National Protests Start In Iraq During The Weekend UPDATED)

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

(Musings On Iraq United Nations Faults Iraq For Failing To Protect Protesters)

2021 PM Kazemi met Pres Biden in Wash DC Biden said US training and aid would continue but

combat ops would end by end of 2021

2021 Dhi Qar activist escaped assassination attempt with IED

View the Iraq History Timelines 

Leaked Recordings Of Maliki Exclude Him From PM Candidacy

(Al Mada)

One of the biggest issue in Iraqi politics right now isn’t the inability of the ruling parties to form a new government but a series of tapes released on Twitter that feature Nuri al-Maliki not only attacking his rival Moqtada al-Sadr but his allies within the Coordination Framework. That has cost him a bid to be prime minister a third time.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 25 Saddam told Amb Glaspie US plotting against him and that he would act against Kuwait if it didn’t give into his demands Glaspie warned him not to use force

(Assoc for Diplomatic Studies & Training)

 

1915 British took Nasiriya

1915 UK Mesopotamia cmdr Gen Nixon said necessary to take Kut to secure command of Tigris and

Euphrates and the Bani Lam tribe

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq In World War I, From Ottoman Rule to British Conquest)

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

1920 Karbala joined 1920 Revolt Tribal fighters beat British at Raranjiya

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

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

1920 British reinforcements to Hillah devastated in route 1920 Revolt

1961 Gen Qasim claimed Kuwait as part of Iraq for 2^nd time

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

1968 PM Naif announced press censorship was ending

1985 Congress agreed to State Dept request to remove Iraq from list of states supporting terrorism Was

            part of Reagan’s move towards Iraq

1985 Iran launched new attack in Ras al-Abed-Sidikan sector of Kurdistan

(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)

1990 OPEC agreed to raise oil prices and follow quotas allaying Iraq complaints Kuwait and UAE

overproducing and lowering prices

1990 Saddam met US Amb to Iraq Glaspie Said he wanted meeting to be message to Bush Saddam said

US and Iraq didn’t have close understanding of each other that could lead to problems and misunderstandings Claimed US was plotting against him Said UAE and Kuwait forcing down oil prices which was an attack upon Iraq Said US supporting Gulf States at expense of Iraq Said US had to choose sides Said that he would not threaten Kuwait if it forgave debt agreed to OPEC quotas Saddam said he would talk to Kuwait but would not sit and wait while Kuwait waged economic war on Iraq Said that Gulf States refused to renegotiate Iraq’s debt and this was conspiracy led by Kuwait Claimed he would talk with Kuwait about dispute if they didn’t give into Iraqi demands he would act

(Musings On Iraq How Saddam’s View Of the US As A Threat Led To Kuwait Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq review the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait)

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

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

1990 Amb Glaspie told Saddam Bush wanted better Iraq-US relations Apologized for bad press on Iraq

Asked why Saddam had placed troops near Kuwait border Told Saddam US had no opinion on Iraq-Kuwait border dispute but warned not to use force

1990 US Defense Special Assessment said Iraq trying to pressure Kuwait to give into its demands and

didn’t think it would use military force

1990 Sec of State Baker told Commerce Dept export controls needed on US technology going to Iraq that

could be used for weapons programs

1990 Asst Sec State for Near East Kelly cancelled interview with Voice of America that would have

warned Iraq about troops buildup along Kuwait border

1990 US intel observed Iraqi trucks moving supplies from Baghdad to troops in Basra on

Kuwait border

1990 Pres Mubarak called Saddam worried about Iraq putting troops on Kuwait border Claimed Saddam

promised not to attack Kuwait Saddam later denied that

1992 PUK head Talabani said he wanted to joint a democratic Turkey rather than stay part of Iraq Came

after talks between Turkey and KDP-PUK after Gulf War and pledges by them to stop the PKK

2003 Sadr held rally in Najaf saying that he would form his own army to oppose US occupation

(Musings On Iraq A Divided Sadr Trend)

(Musings On Iraq review The Triumph of the Martyrs, A Reporter’s Journey into Occupied Iraq)

2003 Japan authorized largest deployment of troops since 1945 to be sent to Iraq

2003 CENTCOM cmdr Abizaid memo to Rumsfeld Situation in Iraq met definition of insurgency US

shouldn’t be afraid to use term

2005 New US Amb Khalilzad said security was his top priority

2005 Sunni members of constitutional committee ended boycott after member assassinated

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

2006 Op River Falcon to secure Sayifiya south of Baghdad started

2007 Iran gave PM Maliki his own personal jet

2007 US cmdrs SBaghdad met on reconstruction Found Shiite areas had water provided by govt Sunni

areas facing huge water shortage US had to provide water Talked about pressuring Maliki govt but it was unresponsive because sectarian

2009 KRG held parliamentary and presidential elections Kurdistan List of KDP-PUK won 57% of

vote Gorran 23% Pres Barzani won 69% of vote for presidency

(Musings On Iraq Implications of the Kurdish Elections On Iraq’s Parliamentary Vote)

(Musings On Iraq Kurdish Election Results And Implications)

2011 US showed off weapons from Iran Said most came through official ports and border crossings

(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)

2013 PM Maliki said Electricity Min was responsible for power failures Said Ministry committed fraud Part

of Maliki’s step back from claiming power shortages would end in 2013

(Musings On Iraq Iraq No Closer To Solving Its Electricity Problems)

(Musings On Iraq More Hollow Promises By Iraq’s Electricity Ministry)

2013 Dep PM Shahristani said he was responsible for strategy and coordination on energy file Said power

failures Electricity Ministry’s fault Rejected criticism Said he approved buying gas turbines even though Iraq didn’t have natural gas to fuel them because Electricity Min said they would work on any fuel

2013 Protest in Muthanna and Dhi Qar for better services fighting corruption jobs Sadr said he supported

protests

2013 Report Interviewed Iraqis who fought with Abu al-Fadhl al-Abbas Brigade in Syria Said commanded

by Hezbollah Fought in Damascus suburbs not by Zainab shrine as brigade claimed Most recruits came from Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq Said Maliki govt turning blind eye to Iraqis fighting in Syria

(Musings On Iraq Abu Fadhl Al-Abbas Brigade From Fighting In Syria To Iraq)

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

(Musings On Iraq Instrument Of Iran’s Power In Iraq And Syria Kataib Hezbollah)

2014 Ayatollah Sistani released statement that Iraq’s leaders shouldn’t cling to power Was referring to

PM Maliki seeking 3^rd term

(Musings On Iraq Pressure Grows On Iraq’s Premier Maliki To Give Up On A Third Term)

2014 Report IS put up banner at mosque with rules such as women had to cover faces and dress modestly

in Mosul

(Musings On Iraq review Mosul Under ISIS, Eyewitness Accounts Of Life In The Caliphate)

2014 IS gave Army of Islam Ansar al-Islam Naqshibandi Mujahadeen Brigades Islamic Army in Sadiya

Diyala 48 hours to give it allegiance or be attacked

(Musings On Iraq review The Caliphate At War, Operational Realities and Innovations of the Islamic State)

2014 Report Russia said it would send Mi-35 attack helicopters and Su-25 jets to Iraq Already sent some in

Jun No sign Su-25s used because no pilots ground crews and infrastructure for them

2014 Albu Alwan and Ibrahim bin Ali tribes around Garma Anbar started fighting insurgents

2014 Hashd abducted head of Baghdad govt and 4 bodyguards Took them to secret facility and beat them

Tried to get him to confess that he supported insurgency and planning attack upon Baghdad Released after Speaker Jabouri PM Maliki and Western diplomats intervened Asaib Ahl Al-Haq blamed

2015 ISF attacked Saqlawiya after it was declared freed 2 times Asaib Ahl Al-Haq said 40% of

Baiji Refinery cleared 2 days before Hashd said it was 80%

(Musings On Iraq Battle To Retake Iraq’s Anbar Province Continues)

2016 KRG Pres Barzani said independence only way forward for Kurds Said accepting status quo

unacceptable Said Kurds neglected by Baghdad

2018 Protest in Dhi Qar Called for removal of governor

2018 Report Iraq Election Comm warned that using electronic voting machine could undermine trust in

vote Told machines had major problems South Korean company would not properly audit vote Used them anyway

2018 Report Ninewa facing water crisis Less rain Less water on Tigris due to Turkish dam

Equipment damaged by IS People leaving farms Ninewa councilman said Water Min had no plan to deal with problem

2020 Protests in Najaf Diwaniya Basra Babil Karbala Dhi Qar over electricity lack of services

and govt workers not being paid

(Musings On Iraq National Protests Start In Iraq During The Weekend UPDATED)

2020 PM Kazemi ordered ISF to 14 border crossings to take control of them Didn’t work

2021 KRG PM Barzani said KRG public workers would be paid full salaries of PM Kazemi

continued to send monthly budget payments

2021 Villages in Hamrin along Diyala-Salahaddin border emptying due to IS attacks

2021 Son of activist kidnapped Jul 23 found dead in Basra His mother campaigned against young

people joining Hashd She got death threats and been targeted before

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Jul 24 Treaty of Lusanne said League of Nations would decide whether Mosul vilayet went to Iraq or Turkey

1920 France occupied Syria Defeated King Faisal’s forces leading him to flee Would set sites on

Mesopotamia afterward

(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)

1920 British regiment driven from Kifl during 1920 Revolt after losing 180 men killed and 160

captured

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

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

1920 Sir Percy Cox said 1920 Revolt local affair engineered by outsiders opposed to Mandate

1923 Turkey signed Treaty of Lausanne agreeing to League of Nations deciding future of Mosul Gave up

call for Kurdish independence

(Musings On Iraq How The Ottoman Province Of Mosul Became Part Of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review The Creation of Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq review Supremacy And Oil, Iraq, Turkey, and the Anglo-American World Order, 1918-1930)

1983 Saddam and Adnan Khairallah went to Kurdistan Khairallah took control of defenses against Iran

1985 Iran started Op Al Quds 4 in southern marshes of Maysan

(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)

1986 Saddam said unwise to clash with rising Islamism in Arab World but Iraq should be ready to strike

against it if threatened

1986 Saddam decided to reach out to Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan

1990 US military exercise with UAE Spokesman said US committed to defending its friends in the Gulf

Saddam said he felt betrayed by US forces moving through the Persian Gulf

1990 White House said it was concerned about Iraqi troop buildup along Kuwait’s border

1990 State Dept US had no defense treaties or special relationship with Kuwait Did support Gulf States

right to self defense

1990 DIA reported weaknesses in Iraqi logistics meant low chance Iraq would invade Kuwait

1991 Operation Provide Comfort II started to enforce northern fly zone and contain Saddam

1993 Kurds threatened retaliation if Iran didn’t stop shelling of border region trying to hit Iranian Kurdish

groups

1993 Cotton for medical use for Iraq blocked by UK in UN sanctions committee

(Musings On Iraq review Invisible War, The United States And The Iraq Sanctions)

2002 Kurds claimed Iraq coordinating with Ansar al-Islam and Al Qaeda in pre-invasion propaganda

campaign

(Musings On Iraq Why Didn’t Bush Strike Zarqawi And Ansar al-Islam In 2002?)

2003 Spain Foreign Min Palacio said no evidence Iraq had a nuclear bomb program

2004 Zalmay Khalilzad became new US ambassador to Iraq Wanted to defeat insurgency not withdraw

which was existing plan

(Musings On Iraq Did the US Ever Have A Strategy To Win In Iraq Before the Surge?)

2004 500 marched in Sulaymaniya demanding an independent Kurdistan

2005 Allawi’s Iraqiya threatened to boycott constitutional commission because it wasn’t taking seriously

the concerns of Sunni delegation

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

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq From War To A New Authoritarianism)

2006 Report US 4^th Div carried out mass incarcerations abused Iraqi prisoners while stationed in Salahaddin

03-04

2006 Report Inter Min fired all Anbar police during 2004 Battle of Fallujah and police never rebuilt No

police in Rutba Ana Haditha few in Rawa

2006 City wide battle started between Al Qaeda in Iraq ISF and US forces in Ramadi with insurgents

beaten back

2006 Karrada Baghdad attacked by insurgents and forced out most Shiites

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

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

2007 US-Iran held 2^nd talks about Iraq US accused Iran of sending weapons and training militias Iran

accused US of occupation

(Musings On Iraq Iran’s Policy Towards Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq Overview of Iran’s Influence In Iraq)

2008 US Amb Crocker said insurgency had lost most of its relevancy

(Musings On Iraq Demise of Al Qaeda In Iraq Update)

2008 Female suicide bomber killed Sahwa leader and 7 others 24 wounded in Baquba Part of ISI campaign

vs sahwa

(Musings On Iraq 25^th Female Suicide Bomber of 2008)

(Musings On Iraq The Rise of Female Suicide Bombers)

(Musings On Iraq Motivations Behind Female Suicide Bombers)

(Musings On Iraq Behind The Revival Of The Islamic State in Iraq, Interview With Naval War College Prof Craig Whiteside)

(Musings On Iraq review Suicide Bombers In Iraq, The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom)

2010 Report Survey in Fallujah found four fold increase in cancer and 12 fold increase in childhood

cancer Doctors blamed 2 battles of Fallujah and U.S. weapons

2010 Report Mosul Dam held less than half its usual amount of water due to cut in supply from

Turkey Used to produce 320 mw of power for Mosul Now produced less than 100 mw and output is erratic

2011 Report Iran Syria Iraq signed agreement to build natural gas pipeline between 3 countries Meant to

supply Iranian gas to Syria Never happened

2012 Iraq blacklisted Chevron from future energy deals over investing in KRG oil

(Musings On Iraq How the New Chevron Deal Affects Oil Dispute Between Iraq’s Central Government And Kurdistan)

2012 Protest in Basra over lack of electricity Blocked streets Threw rocks at govt buildings Broken up by

police firing into air and arrests

(Musings On Iraq Third Straight Year Protests Over Electricity Break Out In Basra)

2012 DNO signed agreement with KRG over money owed KRG owed it for oil shipped in 2009 and

            2010-11

2012 Report State Dept said US trying to stop arms shipments from Iran through Iraq to Syria

2013 Electricity Min Aftan repeated claim that power problems would be solved by end of 2013 after PM

Maliki said they wouldn’t day before Wasn’t solved

(Musings On Iraq Iraq No Closer To Solving Its Electricity Problems)

(Musings On Iraq More Hollow Promises By Iraq’s Electricity Ministry)

2013 100s protested in Basra Called for PM Maliki to resign because he was responsible for failures in

security and services

2014 PUK’s Fuad Masum elected president of Iraq

(Musings On Iraq Pressure Grows On Iraq’s Premier Maliki To Give Up On A Third Term)

2014 IS attacked State Company for Pharmaceutical Supplies in Ninewa to capture bomb supplies

2014 Report Hashd threatening and forcing Sunnis out of Baghdad

2014 Jalawla Dir in Diyala said Peshmerga had cleared 2 districts Only able to hold areas for 2 hours and

then left because ran out of ammo 

2014 Report IS forcing Shiite Turkmen out of Tal Afar in Ninewa Govt flew 15,000 Turkmen to Baghdad

Najaf Karbala

2014 IS blew up Imam Abdul Oula shrine Aoun al-Din Bin al-Hassan shrine Nabi Younis Shrine Ali al-

Asghir Bin al-Hassan shrine in Mosul

2015 IS making more money from oil than originally estimated Came after US raid in Syria

that found IS papers on finances US originally est IS making $8-$10 mil/month from oil sales New docs showed IS made $40 mil in one month Coalition air strikes tried to destroy business

2016 Asaib Ahl Al-Haq said consequences if Peshmerga took part in Mosul Battle Said Hashd

would take part

2016 KRG said it would not withdraw from areas it took after ISF fled after Mosul fell Defense Min

said part of agreement between US Baghdad Irbil included Peshmerga withdrawing

2016 IS banned Internet in Mosul to try to isolate population from outside world

2017 Ammar Hakim announced he was leaving Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and forming new Hikma

Party

2017 Protesters in Babil cut Babil-Baghdad highway over lack of water due to drought

2017 Mass grave of 60 bodies found in Old City Mosul Around 40 were ex-police executed by IS 6

mass graves found in Sinjar dist

(Musings On Iraq Post Mosul Liberation Day 14 Jul 24 2017)

2017 Badr’s Amiri said KRG independence referendum would divide Iraq and lead to civil war

2017 Report Sheikh Bidayri was one of clerics who consulted with Ayatollah Sistani in June 2014

over his fatwa that created Hashd Said Najaf knew fatwa would increase Iran’s role but had no other choice Said Hashd should be disbanded eventually

2017 Hashd spokesman said it would take part in Tal Afar op Said other countries had no say in

matter Reference to Turkey that warned Baghdad not to include Hashd in op

2018 Cabinet said it would form committee to go after corrupt officials in response to protests

Nothing happened

2018 Report When Iraq had high oil prices led to growth in Basra like new business and property prices

Rise in prices marginalized poor who moved into slums Development money often stolen due to corruption Money went to tribes and militias 2013 Basra official said militias controlled 62 floating docks used for oil exports and smuggling 9 security services at ports that demanded bribes and fees 2014 oil prices dropped caused problems for corruption in Basra 2014 more moved to city due to drought straining housing and services Decline in water supply due to Turkish dams Hashd units caused new troubles

2018 IS focused on Diyala Kirkuk Salahaddin Mar 7 kidnappings/murders in 3 provinces 30 in May

83 in Jun IS kidnapping for ransom Lack of coordination between ISF units Based in Hamrin Mts and used it to move back and forth between Diyala and Salahaddin Dep police chief in Salahaddin said IS couldn’t infiltrate cities because lacked support Diyala Ops commander claimed only 75 IS in province

2018 Human Rights Watch Looked at 8 protests in Basra ISF fired live ammo at 6 of them

wounded protesters People beat after arrested Badr guards also shot at protesters and arrested people

2018 Basra govt said PM Abadi’s promise to improve services get foreign companies to hire

more locals improve water hadn’t happened Basra govt offered to hire 10,000 but nothing happened yet

2018 PM Abadi said he had decentralized power to provinces but they couldn’t manage things

2019 Leader in Babylon Brigades said Chaldean patriarch had become tool of US and Israel

after he said Chaldeans should join ISF and Peshmerga rather than Hashd

2020 Report US Justice Dept investigating inflated fuel sales to US military US company

connected to PUK-KDP won contract to deliver jet fuel to airbase in Irbil Dec 2019 Pentagon tried to award 2 other companies to deliver fuel KRG blocked them US consultant company used shell company to help Barzanis buy 2 Beverly Hills mansions for $47 mil plus $2 mil in remodeling 1 mansion occupied by Barzani mistress

(Musings On Iraq Corruption In Iraq An Interview With Stuart Bowen Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction)

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Trouble Fighting Corruption Interview With Vincent Foulk Former US Anti-Graft Official)

2021 Iraq-Lebanon trade deal signed Iraq would send 1 tons of oil to Lebanon for services which it

couldn’t provide

(Musings On Iraq Iraq-Lebanon Sign Trade Deal That Doesn’t Make Sense)

2021 Azm head Khanjar said had plan to return displaced to Babil’s Jurf al-Sakhr but his rivals

stopped it Empty election promise Entire population of Jurf displaced by Kataib Hezbollah that turned it into military base

View the Iraq History Timelines