This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 17

1952 Opposition parties agreed to coordinating committee to lead strikes Started Intifada

1975 France-Iraq nuclear deal France would provide enriched uranium build a reactor and power

station called Osirak in Iraq  

1980 Iraq’s Susangard offensive failed after 3 days  

1982 Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim announced Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq

formed in Iran

(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)

1993 Iran reported 60,000 Iraqi refugees entered country after Saddam drained southern marshes

2001 DepSecDef Wolfowitz wrote DefSec Rumsfeld that if any evidence found of Iraq involvement

in 9/11 US should act

2005 US Embassy said militias and sectarian actors should not run Iraqi security forces or any

ministries

2005 Head of central criminal court in Baghdad Samarrie said special Inter Min forces didn't need

arrest warrants or file court papers to detain people

2005 Congressman Murtha introduced resolution to withdraw US troops from Iraq saying war going

badly

2005 Report detailed how INC defector Haideri spread false stories about Iraq WMD to media and a

White House paper

2006 Unknown group showed video on Iranian TV claiming responsibility for kidnapping 5 western

            security guards and stealing 19 trucks bringing supplies from Kuwait on Nov 16

2006 Maliki spokesman Dabbagh denied claim by Interior Ministry that it had arrest warrant for

            Harith al-Dhari head of Muslim Scholars Association Said Dhari under investigation

2006 State Dept memo suggested US should pull back from Iraq and have same relationship as all

other states Argued against a surge in troops in Iraq to help quell violence

2015 VP Nujafi filed lawsuit to remain in office after Abadi dismissed vice presidents

2015 3 dozen protesters in Baghdad taken away by police Some beaten

2017 Rawa in west Anbar liberated Was last town held by IS in Iraq

View the Iraq History Timelines

Security In Iraq Nov 8-14, 2018

(Shafaaq News)

Security remained relatively stable from the first to second week of November. There were around the same number of incidents and casualties as well. There was another car bomb, which showed the Islamic State’s return to mass casualty attacks. There was also a large number of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) members killed in Turkish air strikes.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 16

1914 British forces attacked Ottomans in Zain, Basra

1914 Leading Iraqi cleric Sayid Kadhim al-Yazidi gave speech in Najaf telling people to

            defend Islam against British and provide money

1918 UK commissioner for Iraq Arnold Wilson wrote that Iraqis were happy with

British occupation

1922 PM Gaylani’s second govt resigned

1922 UK cabinet voted to keep Mosul province as part of Iraq

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

1930 Iraqi parliament ratified new Anglo-Iraq treaty ending British mandate but maintained British

influence

1961 Mustafa Barzani asked for UN aid to Kurds

1980 Iraq sent letter to the Iran saying Baghdad was still following 1975 Algiers Accord on Shatt al-

Arab and Tehran was violating it  

(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)

2004 Major fighting in 2^nd Battle of Fallujah said to be over

2005 Cheney said people that claimed US lied about causes of Iraq war undermined the troops

2005 White House rebutted NYTimes editorial that questioned pre-war WMD argument for Iraq war

2005 Sunni MP Falluji accused Iraqi forces of carrying out sectarian extra judicial killings

2005 US-Iraq Op Steel Curtain to clear Qaim Anbar ended

2006 Govt issued arrest warrant for Harith al-Dhari head of the Muslim Scholars Association for

            inciting violence

2006 White House leaked to press that it was thinking of a troop surge in Iraq

2006 Rumsfeld asked Gen Casey what was going on with National Police Casey said training was

doing good but not their performance

2013 Erdogan met Barzani in Turkey and asked for his help with Kurdish vote in Turkey’s 2014

elections Asked Barzani to found a Turkish Kurdish party

2014 IS posted video of execution of American aid worker Peter Kassig

2017 NYTimes report Coalition airstrikes led to far higher civilian casualties than

            authorities admitted to

View the Iraq History Timelines

Review Red Star Over Iraq, Iraqi Communism Before Saddam

Review Franzen, Johan, Red Star Over Iraq, Iraqi Communism Before Saddam, New York: Columbia University Press, 2011

The Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) returned to the news when in May 2018 it helped Moqtada al-Sadr’s Sairoon list win the most seats in Iraq’s parliamentary elections. Before that the group had been organizing demonstrations over the lack of services, corruption, and poor governance. This harkened back to the party’s long history of opposition politics during the monarchy when it led two large protest movements. Johan Franzen in Red Star Over Iraq, Iraqi Communism Before Saddam is a history of the party from its start in the 1930s when Iraqi politics were shifting from individual based parties to ones focused around ideology, through its opposition to English imperialism, and then its sudden decision to back a series of governments brought about by coups starting with the Qasim government through the Arif brothers and up to the Baathists. Franzen’s thesis is that the ICP’s adherence to Communist ideology, and especially pronouncements by the Soviets, led to its own undoing as it aligned itself with Iraqi regimes that were intent on co-opting it and then destroying its cadres.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 15

1914 British troops began attack on Ottomans in Basra City

1920 Report to UK Foreign Office said provisional Iraqi govt was set up in Karbala during 1920

Revolt

1922 Elections brought new PM Law to power in England who wanted to withdraw from Iraq

Created Iraq commission to review policy

1924 Frontier Commission started demarcating border between Iraq and new nation of Turkey

1971 Baath issued Charter for National Action to try to draw Communists into govt

1986 Saddam told aides US wanted to keep Iraq and Iran balanced Was reason why US sold weapons

to Iran in Iran-Contra scandal

1998 UN accepted Iraq’s letter asking inspectors back

1998 Natl Sec Adv Berger met with head UN inspector Butler on inspection schedule to

            plan confrontation to give US excuse to bomb Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article on UN weapons inspections)

2000 UK Foreign Office report Saddam felt like he was winning in breaking down sanctions

2001 Sec State Powell told Blair that after Afghanistan Right in US would push for bombing Iraq

2002 US asked UK and other allies for military support against Iraq

2002 Saudi Amb to US Bandar visited Bush Said Saudis wanted to know US intentions on Iraq Bush

told Bandar he would tell Saudis if he decided on war with Iraq

2003 Bremer announced November agreement after told his original plan for transition to Iraqi self

rule rejected by White House Bremer said 2/28/04 Governing Council would draft transitional law for Iraq Said by end of March 04 Governing Council would have a formal security agreement with Coalition Said by end of May 04 elections for transitional parliament selected through caucuses End of June 04 transitional parliament would appoint Iraqi govt Said by 3/15/05 iraqi government would hold elections for constitutional convention End of 2005 elections for permanent govt held under new constitution

2003 Bremer’s November plan opposed by Sistani

2003 Pentagon claimed UnderSecDef Feith’s intel unit on Iraq-Al Qaeda ties was authorized by intel

community but it wasn’t

2004 Heavy gun battles broke out in Baquba Diyala between insurgents and US forces

2005 PM Jaafari admitted that prisoners found by US forces at secret prison in Baghdad were

tortured Inter Min Gen Kamal claimed abuse done by inexperienced police and would lead to reform within ministry Secret prison was actually one of many run by Badr Inter Min forces throughout Baghdad

2005 28 Sunni men found shot in head in Jasan Diyala near Iranian border

2005 US-Iraq Op Steel Curtain to clear Qaim Anbar ended

2006 Amb Khalilzad said Maliki should be given more control over Iraqi forces and US should push

him towards reconciliation

2006 White House staff began first day of Iraq strategy review Would lead to Surge

2006 Senate Armed Services Comm CENTCOM Cmdr Gen Abizaid sid that changing troop levels

wouldn’t five Iraq’s problems Said large US present stopped Iraqis from taking responsibility Said new strategy needed but didn’t want Congress to set withdrawal timelines Said that Iraqi forces might be able to take charge of security in less than 12 months DIA Dir Gen Maples said things could get worse in Iraq due to weak governance growing insecurity lack of reconciliation CIA Dir Gen Hayden said that even if Baghdad gained more popular support unlikely govt could carry out meaningful reforms

2007 Maliki said referendum on Kirkuk’s future would be held on this date Didn’t happen

View the Iraq History Timelines 

View of Some Of Iraq’s Rural Areas: Few Jobs, Little Rebuilding Or Reconciliation, Still Insurgent Threat

Sinjar (Nadia's Initiative)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the main organization working with the displaced (IDPs) in Iraq. In September 2018 it released a report on IDP returns. It covered the situation in some of Iraq’s rural areas, which are barely covered by the media which tends to be very Baghdad centric. These places were bereft of jobs, lacking in reconstruction and reconciliation, some had sectarian tensions and there were continued threats from the Islamic State.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 14

1963 Baath meeting voided Nov 11 election that exiled Sec Gen Sadi and exiled two of

Sadi’s opponents to Lebanon Sadi said he was returning to Baghdad with Syrian Baathists he was returning to Baghdad with Syrian Baathists

1973 KDP delegation went to Moscow where Soviets tried to mediate its dispute with Communists

1980 Iraq offensive to take Susangard, Iran started

(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 Kurds announced tentative deal with Saddam to end blockade of Kurdistan in return for

Peshmerga withdrawing from cities

1992 Iranian Turkish Syrian officials met in Ankara Condemned Kurdish autonomous region and

warned they would not allow break up of Iraq

1997 Clinton said by expelling UN inspectors Iraq would have sanctions until the “end of

            time”

1998 Clinton outlined 5 conditions Iraq had to meet with UN Included unconditional access by

inspectors and turning over all documents If Iraq didn’t agree US would strike

2001 Def Policy Board head Perle speech at For Policy Research Institute Said Iraq behind 9/11 and

should be attacked

2001 VP Cheney said he knew 9/11 hijacker Atta met with Iraq intelligence in Prague in 2001

2002 UK For Sec Straw told cabinet UN Resolution 1441 authorized military action against Iraq

without a 2^nd resolution

2002 UK intel report said Iraq accepted new weapons inspectors to avoid US led attack and would

continue to hide its most important WMD programs

2002 Def Policy Board’s Perle quoted INC defector ex-nuke scientist Hamza that Iraq could get

nuclear bomb and attack US Called for preventive action vs Iraq

2003 Japan decided to hold off deploying troops to Iraq due to rising violence

2003 South Korea ordered its 464 troops in southern Iraq to suspend operations due to rising

violence

2003 Denmark rejected call to send 100 more troops to Iraq due to rising violence

2003 US army intel report said insurgency successfully prevented CPA from providing safe and

secure Iraq Said US failed in Iraq because relied upon conventional military tactics and didn’t understand Iraqi culture Said insurgents were targeting tribal structure in Iraq while US ignored it

2004 Insurgents kidnapped wounded police from Mosul hospital and dismembered them Led to ½ of

city’s police to quit

2004 Iraqi police commandos sent into Mosul to recapture police stations after all but one fell to

insurgents in city

2004 Report UN official Sevan accused of getting kickbacks from Iraq under Oil for Food Program

Told his staff not to investigate corruption

2005 Pentagon’s Insp Gen announced investigation into Pentagon intel unit on Iraq-Al Qaeda ties           led by Deputy Sec Def Feith to see whether it did anyting illegal

2006 National Police arrested 159 people from Higher Educ Min in Baghdad 70 were never seen

again and presumed killed 5 senior police officers and an army general were arrested for kidnapping but nothing happened Ministry was run by Iraqi Accordance Front PM Maliki initially said event was due to militia rivalries Then denied police or militias involved Maliki also claimed only 39 taken and 37 of them freed

2006 Anbar council agreed to 8 new members picked by Awakening

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Carter Malkasian on Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Confronting Al Qaeda, The Sunni Awakening and American Strategy In Al Anbar)

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Marines Take Anbar, The Four-Year Fight Against Al Qaeda)

(Musings On Iraq book review Illusions of Victory, The Anbar Awakening And The Rise Of The Islamic State)

2013 US Natl Counterterrorism Center testified to Congress that ISIS was strongest since its peak in

2006

2017 Iraq Federal Court rejected appeal by ex-Kirkuk Governor Karim to reverse his dismissal by

Iraqi parliament

View the Iraq History Timelines