Wednesday, February 7, 2018

This Day In Iraqi History - Feb 7


1920 War Min Churchill wrote there were far too many British troops in
            Mesopotamia that could be sustained
(Musings On Iraq article on Churchill’s ideas on Mesopotamia/Iraq)
1924 UK Colonial Sec Thomas wrote British air power was effective way to control
            Rebellions tribes in Iraq
1941 Germany told Italy it was thinking of arming Iraq and was going to give money to
            Mufti of Jerusalem who was living in Baghdad
1959 Former Dep PM Arif sentenced to death after being sent away as Amb to Germany
            and secretly returned to Iraq
1983 Iran launched Op Fajr al-Fajar attacking Basra-Baghdad highway in Maysan
            with 6 divisions Iran-Iraq War
1983 Iranians regained 100 sq mi of Iranian territory but turned back in Maysan
1984 Iranian offensives led Iraq to counter with 1st War of Cities
2001 CIA report to Congress no evidence Iraq reconstituted WMD program since
            1990s
2002 Gen Franks presented revised Iraq invasion plans to Bush at White House
2003 Pres Chirac called Bush saying there were alternatives to war with Iraq Said if war
            happened France would help with reconstruction
2003 US officials pushed back against Powell’s UN speech Told Wash Post Zarqawi
            connected to Al Qaeda but not part of group
2003 UK admitted paper on Iraq deception campaign over its WMD was plagiarized
            from US college student paper
2003 Pres Mubarak’s son Gamal visited Bush saying Saddam might want to go into exile
            in Egypt
2003 State Dept gave translated copies of Iraq-Niger uranium deal to CIA Were not
considered important to case Iraq restarted nuke program so docs not analyzed
(Musings On Iraq article on Iraq-Niger uranium story)
2004 Rumsfeld said Iraq war Saddam’s fault for his deception and defiance
2004 Bush and Cheney said Iraq war justified because Saddam could have made
            WMD Gave up argument he had them
2005 Insurgents complained to Newsweek that Zarqawi was trying to hijack insurgency
            and opposed his attacks upon Iraqi civilians 

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