This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 21 Ayatollah Khomeini announced Iran would invade Iraq in Iran-Iraq War

1831 Ottoman governor of Aleppo entered Baghdad under orders of Sultan Mahmoud

Brought province under direct control of Empire again removing Mamluks

Review Kelly Kennedy, They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011

Kennedy, Kelly, They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011

 

On June 21, 2007, reporter Kelly Kennedy witnessed the worst attack upon Charlie Company of the 26^th Infantry Regiment when an IED killed several soldiers during its deployment to the Adhamiya district of Baghdad. Kennedy bonded with the unit afterwards and felt their pain. This experience led her to write They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq which discusses not only their time in Iraq but the trauma they faced afterwards.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 20 General Qasim claimed Kuwait as part of Iraq

 

870 Abbasid Caliph Muhtadi killed in capital Samarra in revolt by Turkish soldiers over not being

paid

(Musings On Iraq review when baghdad ruled the muslim world, the rise and fall of islam’s greatest dynasty)

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 19 Trying to play down the security situation in Iraq Sec Def Rumsfeld said the murder rate in Wash DC was worse than violence in Baghdad

 

1914 Germany and Britain asked Ottomans for oil concessions in Mosul and Baghdad provinces

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 18 Assyrian leader Mar Shimun petitioned League of Nations asking for autonomy for his people

 

1932 Assyrian religious leader Mar Shimun presented petition to League of Nations Mandate

Commission demanding autonomy for his people

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

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

17 Year Anniversary Of Musings On Iraq

On 9/11 I saw former CIA Director James Woolsey on CBS say that the United States needed to strike Iraq even if it wasn’t involved in the terrorist attack. This stuck with me. In 2002 the Bush administration began its public campaign to build support for the invasion of Iraq. Together this motivated me to start researching the topic to try to understand why the U.S. was about to go to war. In 2008 this culminated in me starting the Musings On Iraq blog. 17 years later I’m still plugging away publishing something every day. I would like to thank all the people that helped me along the way and all the people that read my work.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 17 London approved Arab govt with UK advisers to run Iraq under British Mandate

1919 British force defeated Sheikh Barzinji near Chamchamal at Bazyan Pass Rebellion put down

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 16 Iraq protested border treaty with Iran by sending troops into Khuzistan province Led to 88 Iraqi soldiers being killed

 

1920 UK govt decided to cancel proposed UK run provisional govt in Iraq for an Arab govt under

British influence

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 15 PM Nuri al-Said made cover of Time magazine Was Prime Minister of Iraq 9 times

1920 War Min Churchill wrote UK Cabinet that he was ready to give up Mosul province to save

costs

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

(Musings On Iraq Churchill In His Own Words On Mesopotamia/Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Churchill’s Folly, How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Inventing Iraq: The Failure of Nation Building and a History Denied)

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 14 Ayatollah Sistani said his call for Iraqis to defend country meant joining ISF not militias that became Hashd al-Shaabi Was too late

 

1920 UK military governor in Basra reported political agitation from Baghdad trying to raise

support for Iraqi independence in Basra

Review Gertrude Bell, The Letters of Gertrude Bell Volumes I and II, Benediction Books, 2009

Bell, Gertrude, The Letters of Gertrude Bell Volumes I and II, Benediction Books, 2009

 

The Letters of Gertrude Bell Volumes I and II collects together writings Ms Bell made to her family from 1874 until her death in 1926. It was put together and edited by her younger sister. Much of what Bell had to say was mundane such as commenting upon the hot weather in Iraq or asking for clothes to be sent from England. There are some insights into her strong character which set her apart from many of her contemporaries and her ideas about Iraq when it was formed by the British.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 13 Ayatollah Sistani called for men to defend Iraq after fall of Mosul to ISIS Led to Hashd al-Shaabi

 

1920 War Min Churchill wrote PM George that British army overextended in Mesopotamia

and asked whether UK should give up Mosul province because of costs

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

(Musings On Iraq Churchill In His Own Words On Mesopotamia/Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Churchill’s Folly, How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Inventing Iraq: The Failure of Nation Building and a History Denied)

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 12 ISIS massacred around 1200 cadets at Camp Speicher

1920 Protest in Karbala mosque calling for revolt vs British

(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)

Iraqi Govt Salaries Continue To Explode In Cost

The ruling parties in Iraq use government jobs as a way to battle unemployment and to maintain the support of their followers by handing out positions in their patronage networks. This has led to an explosion in the civil service which has become a major drain upon the budget. Al Mada recently reported on how much the public sector has dramatically increased.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 11 ISIS seized Tikrit without a fight

 

1925 Head of League of Nations Mosul Commission called King Faisal a “poor creature”

Baghdad Accuses Kurdistan Of Oil Smuggling As Dispute Between Two Widens

Baghdad and Irbil are in a new dispute over the latter signing two new natural gas deals. The central government has retaliated financially and verbally. The latest example was the Oil Ministry accusing the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of oil smuggling.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 10 Mosul fell to the Islamic State

1915 US consulate report Ottomans might have lost control of Najaf and Karbala and UK

money behind it

Iran Continues To Cut Natural Gas Exports To Iraq

Iran has once again decreased its natural gas exports to Iraq. This is leading to widespread blackouts in central Iraq just as the oppressive heat of summer approaches.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 9 1st UN weapons inspection began in Iraq

 

1920 British forces retook Tal Afar after bombing broke Iraqi rebels British carried out collective

punishment destroying and looting homes Large number of people forced out into desert

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 8 Iraqi commanders said they were retreating during ISIS attack on Mosul leading to mass desertions

 

1920 Ex-Ottoman officer and nationalist al-Ahd member Jamil al-Midfai’s forces attacked Mosul

but turned back Tried to start revolt vs UK Mandate in Iraq

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 7 Al Qaeda In Iraq leader Zarqawi killed in US air strike

 

1920 Ex-Ottoman officer and nationalist al-Ahd member Jamil al-Midfai’s forces reached Mosul

hoping to start revolt against British

Review Stephen Mansfield, The Miracle of the Kurds, A Remarkable Story of Hope Reborn in Northern Iraq, Worthy Publishing, 2014

Mansfield, Stephen, The Miracle of the Kurds, A Remarkable Story of Hope Reborn in Northern Iraq, Worthy Publishing, 2014

 

The Miracle of the Kurds, A Remarkable Story of Hope Reborn in Northern Iraq by Stephen Mansfield is meant to be an introduction to Kurdistan for an American audience. The author first met Kurds working for Christian charities helping the community after the Gulf War and fell in love with the people and culture. Unfortunately his book often reads like an ad for Kurdistan rather than a serious book.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 6 ISIS attacked Mosul eventually taking city

1919 Iraq High Commissioner Wilson told to take over Kurdish affairs Meant Kurds in Mosul to be

included in Iraq

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 5 Ali and Faisal sons of Sharif of Mecca announced Arab Revolt against Ottomans Many Iraqis joined

 

1916 Ali and Faisal sons of Sharif Hussein announced Arab Revolt against Ottomans Many

Iraqi Ottoman officers would join revolt UK promised Sharif empire after war

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

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

Iraq’s Oil Exports And Revenues Drop For 2nd Month

Iraq is trying to better comply with its OPEC+ production quota. As a result its oil exports have dropped for the last two months. This reversed a trend where foreign sales were increasing.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 4 Future Premier Jamil al-Midfai led nationalist group seized Tal Afar in attempt to start revolt vs UK Mandate in Iraq

1915 Ottomans counterattacked trying to retake Amara Failed

Iraq’s Central Govt Cuts Off Budget Payments To Kurdistan Amongst Energy Deal Row

Baghdad has cut off monthly budget payments to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) once again. While the central authorities are claiming this is a financial matter it is really about two new natural gas deals the Kurds signed.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 3 Ali Hassan al-Majid ordered 1,000 Kurdish villages be destroyed

1915 British took Amara after Ottomans withdrew

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

2nd Month In A Row With No Islamic State Attacks In Iraq

May was the second month when there was no attacks by the Islamic State. This is another sign that the insurgency is over in Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 2 UK political officer in Iraq Sir Wilson told Iraqi nationalists an Arab govt would have to wait UK mandate would rule Iraq

 

1915 British troops from Persia crossed Tigris and attacked Amara after convincing Ottoman

garrison commander to surrender 

This Day In Iraqi History - Jun 1 Farhud anti-Jewish pogrom started in Baghdad

 

1932 Most Assyrian Levies resigned over treatment of their community Worried about what new

Iraqi govt would do with them

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

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 31 Kurdish revolt led by Barzinji put down by UK’s RAF

 

1915 British began breakout from Qurna, Basra and took Turkish occupied islands

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

Review Richard Haass, War of Necessity, War of Choice, A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars, Simon & Schuster, 2009

Haass, Richard, War of Necessity, War of Choice, A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars, Simon & Schuster, 2009

 

Richard Haass worked in both the George H.W. Bush and the George W. Bush administrations. Originally he was in the National Security Council under National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft and then went to work for Secretary of State Colin Powell in the Policy Planning Staff at the State Department. These positions led him to be involved in making policy over Iraq. Haass argues that the Gulf War was a necessary war to preserve America’s national interests while the 2003 invasion of Iraq was not needed.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 30 UK-Turkey deal Turkey got 10% of Mosul oil in return for giving up claim to province

 

1920 Head political officer in Iraq Wilson got report that revolt in Mosul being planned

Iraq Announces New Water Initiatives As Global Warming Continues To Disrupt Economy And Lives

As summer nears the Iraqi government has announced several initiatives to address climate change. The question remains is if they will do enough as conditions continue to deteriorate and the country faces an environmental disaster.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 29 1920 Ayatollah Shirazi issued statement supporting Iraqi independence from UK

 

1920 UK judicial secretary Carter wrote Sir Wilson head political officer warning Sunni-Shiite

unity would threaten British rule in Iraq

Iraq’s Oil Ministry Sues Kurdistan Over Signing 2 New Natural Gas Contracts

The Iraqi central and Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) are entering into a new dispute over energy policy. This started when the Kurds signed two new natural gas deals with American companies only for the Oil Ministry to declare them illegal.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 28 Govt had Assyrian leader Mar Shimun come to Baghdad to discuss Assyrian issue

 

1933 Interior Min had Assyrian leader Mar Shimun come to Baghdad to discuss differences with

govt over settling community in north Interior said it was willing to acknowledge Mar Shimun as spiritual leader but would not give him any political power Said UK officer arriving to help settle community Mar Shimun said he would help with settlement Pledged loyalty to King Faisal

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

(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)

Iran Cuts Natural Gas Exports To Iraq Again As Summer Heat Approaches

On May 22 Iraq’s Electricity Ministry said it lost 3500 megawatts of electricity due to a drop in Iranian natural exports. This mostly hit Diyala province where power outages lasting up to 16 hours began as a result. This is the latest example of how Iran is an unreliable partner.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 27 Barzani decided to leave Iraq for USSR after his followers arrested and his brother surrendered to govt

 

1917 UK Col Clayton in Egypt worried Sykes-Picot would create opposition by Sharif of

Mecca against UK taking Baghdad Included independent Arab state for Sharif

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

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

(Musings On Iraq interview with Princeton’s Sara Pursley on Sykes-Picot and creation of Iraq)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 26 Future PM Jamil Midfai led Al-Ahd forces to attack Tal Afar in attempt to start revolt vs UK Mandate in Iraq

 

1915 US consulate report Discontent in Baghdad against draft for war growing UK tried

to bribe tribes south of Baghdad to turn on Ottomans

This Day In Iraqi History - May 25 Turkey launched 1st raid into Iraq to fight PKK under Iraq-Turkey security agreement

 

1918 11 leaders of Najaf revolt executed in Kufa by British

This Day In Iraqi History - May 24 Iran’s Op Beit al-Moqaddas pushed Iraqis back to border in Basra Iran-Iraq War

 

1922 Cleric Khalisi informed southern tribes British were trying to get their way in new Anglo-

Iraq Treaty

Review Nicole Watts, Republic of Dreams, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Struggles, and the Future of Iraqi Kurdistan, New York University Press, 2025

Watts, Nicole, Republic of Dreams, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Struggles, and the Future of Iraqi Kurdistan, New York University Press, 2025

 

Republic of Dreams, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Struggles, and the Future of Iraqi Kurdistan by Nicole Watts is a fantastic book following a Kurdish family from Halabja in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan. It starts with the gas attack upon Halabja during the Iran-Iraq War and ends with the COVID pandemic. It tries to document how an average Kurdish family lived and dealt with the major events in modern Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 23 CPA disbanded Iraq’s military

 

1919 Persian Kurds under orders of Barzinji took Sulaymaniya town Barzinji then declared himself

ruler of all Kurdistan

This Day In Iraqi History - May 22 Patriotic Union of Kurdistan formed

 

1941 Iraq attempt to recapture Fallujah failed

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s First Battle Of Fallujah 1941)

(Musings On Iraq interview World War II In Iraq and Syria Interview With Case Western’s Prof Broich)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 21 Treaty of Arzurum set line between Ottoman and Persian empires with Iraq as border area

 

1847 Treaty of Arzurum tried to set border between Ottoman Empire and Persia Gave

Sulaymaniya to Ottomans Shatt al-Arab to Persia Set up commission to demarcate border between Ottomans and Persia but never finished

(Musings On Iraq review An Analysis of Hanna Batatu’s The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq)

New Personal Status Law Causes Legal Chaos In Iraq

Al Mada reported that the new Personal Status Law is leading to legal chaos in Iraq. There is confusion over whether courts should apply civil law or let the different religious institutions to decide cases. Men are also appealing their divorce and custody cases hoping to get more favorable rulings from religious authorities.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 20 Bush said he opposed lifting sanctions on Iraq as long as Saddam in power

 

1917 Sharif Hussein of Nijaz agreed to UK control of Baghdad vilayet after WWI

Iraq’s Public Employment Policies Unsustainable

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently said that the Iraqi government’s public employment policies are unsustainable. It is a drain upon the economy which is dependent upon fluctuating oil prices.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 19 Gen Maude said UK came to Iraq during WWI as liberators not conquerors

 

869 Adv to Abbasid Caliph Mutazz confronted ministers accusing them of hoarding money Were

tortured and imprisoned but had no money