Iraq

a Timeline

Last Updated: 6-27-2005

Founding of Iraq and Nationalist Coups 1914-1968

1914 November - British occupy Ottoman-controled Basra as part of World War I campaign against the enemy Ottoman Empire. (Tripp)
1920 - Nationalist uprising instigated by Shi'a forces the British to call in troops from India. British take more than 2,000 casualties. Shi'a are now "marked by the stigma of treachery and relegated to the margins of power." (Kepel, p.214) In the U.K., domestic pressure led in part by Lawrence of Arabia begins to build to withdraw from Iraq." (Rayburn)
1920 April - League of Nations mandate. San Remo meeting assigns Mandate for Iraq to United Kingdom. (Tripp) Commits UK to at least 20 years of guardianship of Iraq's state and society. (Rayburn)
1922 - Royal Air Force (RAF), is "charged with defending Iraq and maintaining order there." (Rayburn)
1927 March - UK withdrawl. Conservative Baldwin government withdrawl last battalion of British ground troops from Iraq. Remaining military force consists of "a few RAF squadrons and a battalion of Indian infantry" along with "a fledgling Iraqi army of only 9,000 men." (Rayburn)
1927 Mid - Southern Iraq comes under attack by thousands of Wahhabi Ikhwan ("brothers") from the Arabian Peninsula. Overstretched Iraqi military is unable to adequately defend against them. (Rayburn)
1929 - Thousands of Wahhabi Ikhwan attack Iraq again. In the three years before their defeat by Ibn Saud, Ikhwan kill hundreds of mostly Shi'a Iraqis (Rayburn)
1930 - Anglo-Iraqi treaty signed. Spells out British rights in Iraq but "contained no language protecting Iraq's [Kurdish, Assyrian, etc.] minorities." Under pressure to exit Iraq quickly, senior British adviser Sir Kinahan Cornwallis publically talks up Iraq's stability, security "sound" and "enlightened" administration while privately predicting internal fighting following British withdrawl. (Rayburn)
1932 October - Britain grants independence to Iraq, terminating League of Nations' Mandate. Hashemite monarchy established. (Tripp)
1933 - Iraqi troops massacre Assyrians in northern Iraq and return "to Baghdad as heroes." (Rayburn)
1937 August - Bakr Sidqi assassinated. Army refuses to arrest some of the conspirators. Hikmat Sulaiman resigns. (Tripp)
1941 April - military coup detat: Government of National Defence formed by Rashid Ali al-Kailani; regent flees Baghdad. Tension builds between British and nationalist regime of Rashid Ali (Tripp), which is openly hostile to the United Kingdom and supportive of Nazi Germany. (Rayburn)
1941 May - British troops march on Baghdad. "Government of Rashid `Ali and the Golden Square disintegrated. Mobs and security forces take out their anger on local Jews. "nearly 200 Jewish Iraqi" killed, widespread "looting and destruction of Jewish businesses in the city." Regent restored and Nuri al-Sa`id returns. (Tripp)
1948 - Second British occupation of Iraq ends. (Rayburn)
1958 July 13, 14 - Coup by 'Abd al-Karim Qasim and 'Abd al-Salam 'Arif. King Faisal II, Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah, members of the royal family and prime minister Nuri al-Sa'id all shot dead. (Tripp)
1959 October - unsuccessful attempt on life of strong man Qasim by Ba'th party hit squad (including Saddam). Mustafa Barzani asserts his control of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) (Tripp)
1950s Late - Da'wa Iraq's first Islamist Shiite politcal party is formed. Baqir al-Sadr is its first ideologue. Organization borrowed from the Communist Party and the al-Ikhwan al-Muslimeen. (Tripp)
1963 February 9 - Coup by Ba'th and Arab nationalists officers. National Council of Revolutionary Command formed. Qasim and his colleagues "brought before a tribunal of Ba'thist and pan-Arab officers, sentenced to death and summarily shot." New leaders include President Abd al-Salam (not a Ba'thist). Vice-president and prime minister Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr. (Tripp, p.171).
1963 - Following coup, "savage campaign of arrests, torture and execution ... unleashed chiefly against the ICP [Iraqi Communist Party] and its sympathizers." Estimated number of killed is 3000. (Tripp)
1963 0ctober November - splits and confusion in the Ba'th party. Pres. Adb al-Salam Arif and military allies eject Ba'thists from power. (Tripp)
1964 September - Ba'th plot to overthrow 'Arif discovered in the armed forces. Many Ba'th jailed, including Saddam. (Tripp, p.180)
1968 July 17 - military coup d'etat by Arab nationalists and Ba'thist army officers. "Prime minister and much of his cabinet were arrested and President Abd al-Rahman Arif was put on a plane out of the country. Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr becomes president, Nayif prime minister. (Tripp)

Saddam's Rise and Iran-Iraq War

1968 July 30 - Ba'thist coup. "Armoured brigade seized the strategic buildings in Baghdad and al-Nayif like Arif before him, was put on a plane out of the country." Hasan al-Bakr emerges a strong man of coup. (Tripp)
1969 November - Saddam becomes a member of ruling Revolutionary Command Council. (Hiro, p.20)
1972 - Iraq’s oil was finally nationalized .... with no buyback deals for US or British companies (though there was for France). The move was immensely popular: vice president Saddam Hussein summarized it as "our wealth returned to us." http://www.zmag.org/
1976 January - Saddam Husain "signaled his ambitions by having Hasan al-Bakr confer upon him the rank of general." Expansion of Popular Army (doubling) announced (Popular Army is under control of Saddam). (Tripp, p.216)
1977 February - Shia riots. "Most widespread, persistent and bloody challenge by an important section of the population." Police intercept "a procession of pilgrims on its way from Najaf to Karbala." This triggers riots, with crowds chanting `Saddam, remove your hand. The Iraqi people don't want you.` Police open fire. Several killed. Riots spread to Najaf. Last several days. Several dozen people killed. 2000 Shia arrested. (Hiro, p.24-5)
1977 September - First Shia members added to ruling Revolutionary Command Council members when 21-member Regional Command become ex-officio members of the RCC. RCC now has 4 Shia out of 29(?). (No Kurds). (Hiro, p.25-6)
1979 July middle - Saddam Husain president. "Hasan al-Bakr suddenly announced his resignation and within hours Saddam Husain had been sworn in as president of Iraq." (Tripp, p.222)
1979 July late - "plot" against Saddam uncovered. "Over 60 leading members of the regime were arrested ... as many as 500 senior members of the party being executed, whilst others were purged or demoted." (Tripp, p.222)
1980 April - Execution of Ayatollah Mohammed Baqr al-Sadr and his sister Bint Huda by Ba'ath government in Iraq. (Bulloch, p.27)
1980 September 22 - Iran-Iraq war starts. Pre-emptive attacks by Iraqi air force on Iran's military airfields. (Tripp, p.233)
1982 - Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) is formed in Iran. "Led by Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim, a cleric from a prestigious Najaf family" it raises "a militia of a few thousand men (dubbed the Badr Army) recruited from among Iraqi Shia POWs ... equipped and funded by Iran and structured by the Pasdaran." Before it can see any action Khomeini signs a cease-fire. (Kepel p.230)
1982 Spring - Iran counter attacks. "Iraqi forces driven out of most the territory they had occupied in 1980, suffering heavy casualties, with an estimated 40,000 Iraqi troops taken prisoner." (Tripp, p.235)
1982 June - Ba'ath Party Revolutionary Command Council of Iraq meets in Baghdad and issues peace offer to Iran. Offer is rejected by Khomeini. (Bulloch p.xvi)
1982 Summer - Ba'th party evolves away from secular Arab nationalism and socialism. l9th Congress of the Regional Command of the Ba'th convened by Saddam. Final report [dictated by Saddam] downplays "all the traditional Ba'thist preoccupations, such as Arab nationalism and socialism, and stressed instead the primacy of Iraq, the significance of religion and the importance of wealth creation and private enterprise." (Tripp, p.236)
1985 - War of the Cities. Iraq and then Iran use missiles against each other's cities. (Tripp)
1988 Summer - War ends. Faced with massive Western and Soviet support for Iraq, Iran accepts terms of the UN cease-fire, laid out in UN Security Council Resolution 598 of 1987. (Tripp)

Invasion of Kuwait, Gulf War I and Immediate Aftermath, 1990-1991

1990 Aug. 2 - Iraq invades Kuwait. The UN Security Council calls for a full withdrawal. (csmonitor.com)
1990 Aug. 6 - UN imposes economic sanctions on Iraq. (csmonitor.com)
1990 Nov. 29 - UN orders Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait by Jan. 15, 1991. (csmonitor.com)
1991 Feb. 24 - Ground invasion of Iraq and Kuwait commences. Kuwait is liberated three days later. (csmonitor.com)
1991 Mar. 3 - Iraq accepts the cease-fire. The primary cease-fire resolution requires Iraq to end its programs for weapons-of-mass-destruction (WMD), recognize Kuwait, account for missing Kuwaitis, return Kuwaiti property, and end support for international terrorism. (csmonitor.com)
1991 Mid-March/early April - Iraq suppresses Shiite uprisings in the south and Kurdish uprisings in the north, creating a humanitarian disaster on the borders with Turkey and Iran. (csmonitor.com)
1991 April 7 - The US and coalition partners establish the no-fly zone over northern Iraq. (csmonitor.com)
1991 April 8 - A plan for the establishment of a UN haven in northern Iraq for Kurds is approved by the European Union. The US orders Iraq to end military action in this area. (csmonitor.com)

Post-Gulf War I Sanctions and Weapons Inspections, 1991-2001

1991 April - Working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) is established to ensure Iraq is free of WMD.
1991 May - first visit of UNSCOM to Iraq.
1992 August 26 - A no-fly zone is established in southern Iraq and patrolled by British, French and US aircraft. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1993 June 27 - US forces fire Cruise missiles at an Iraqi intelligence building in Baghdad, in response to the attempted assassination of former President George Bush in Kuwait in April. (US State Department?) In a unilateral act without the consent of the United Nations, 23 Tomahawk cruise missles target the intelligence compound in Baghdad. 16 hit their target destroying a wing of the building. Four fall on a residental area killing at least six people including two children. (Chamieh)
1994 January 19 - Unilateral attack draws criticism of Europeans including French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe: `We are worried about this military escalation and have expressed our feelings.` (Chamieh)
1994 August - Turkish foreign minister issues statement that Turkey will not sacrifice its economic and strategic interests with Iraq to further America's designs. (Chamieh p.164)
1994 October - Saddam Hussein sends army south toward the Kuwait border allegedly to attract international attention to the suffering of Iraq from UN econmic sanctions. U.S. threatens to relatiate with or without UN approval, further alienating UN Security Council members Russia, China and France. (Chamieh p.163)
1995 April 14 - The UN allows the partial resumption of Iraq's oil exports to buy food and medicine as part of an "oil for food" program. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1996 February - Iraq returns to world oil market as a producer. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1996 March-June - UN inspection teams are denied access to militarily sensitive areas. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1996 June - A CIA-backed coup attempt against Saddam Hussein is foiled. Participants are executed. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1997 Oct. 29 - Iraq demands that Americans on the UN inspection team leave; they go but return on Nov. 20. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1998 Jan 13-22 - Iraq withdraws cooperation with UN inspectors, claiming some are British and American spies. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1998 Feb. 23 - Iraq promises UN inspectors unrestricted access. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1998 Oct. 31 - Iraq ends cooperation with UNSCOM. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1998 Nov. 14 - Iraq allows inspections to resume. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1998 Dec. 16 - UN inspection teams are withdrawn, after concluding that Iraq is not cooperating fully. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1998 Dec. 17 - UN creates the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) to replace UNSCOM. Iraq rejects the new body. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
1999 February - Sadiq al-Sadr, militant, radical Shi'a leader is assasinated along with two of his sons by Saddam. Moktada is his one remaining son. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2000 August - Baghdad Airport reopened, resulting in a stream of flights by countries and organizations to campaign against sanctions. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2000 October - Commercial air links reestablished between Iraq and Russia, Ireland, and the Middle East. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2000 November - Iraq rejects new weapons-inspections proposals. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2001 June - al-Qaeda-Saddam Link? Rumor that Mohammed Atta met with Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague at this time. 3 years later the U.S. 9/11 Commission reports Atta was in Florida on the day the meeting was supposed to have occurred. (p.207 Kepel)
2001 - Free-trade zone agreements set up with neighboring countries. Rail link with Turkey reopened in May.
2001 October-February - Britain and US planes launch raids to try and disable Iraq's air defense network. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)

Build-up to Gulf War II, 2002-2003

2002 Jan. 30 - President Bush says Iraq is part of an "axis of evil" during his State of the Union address. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 May - UN overhauls the prohibited-goods list, creating "smart sanctions" which focus on military and dual-use equipment. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 Aug. 2 - In a letter to the UN secretary-general, Iraq invites Hans Blix to Iraq for talks on remaining disarmament issues. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 Sept. 12 - President Bush, addressing the UN General Assembly, challenges the UN to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq - or stand aside as the United States and likeminded nations act. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 Sept. 16 - Iraq says it will allow international weapons inspectors to return "without conditions." (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 Sept. 30 - UN and Iraq discuss terms for weapons inspections. But talks leave eight presidential compounds off limits, and US seeks authorization for a use of force if Iraq fails to comply with inspections. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 Oct. 10 - Congress adopts joint resolution authorizing use of force against Iraq. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 Oct. 16 - Iraq renews offer to UN weapons inspectors after "referendum" gives Saddam Hussein another seven-year term as president with 100 percent of the vote. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 Nov. 8 - UN Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1441, which outlines an enhanced inspection regime for Iraq's disarmament to be conducted by the IAEA. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 Nov. 18 - UN weapons inspectors return to Baghdad. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 Dec. 7 - Iraq provides UN weapons inspectors with 12,000 pages of information comprising a "complete declaration" of the regime's chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs. Iraq states in the declaration that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2002 Dec. 19 - UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) Chairman Hans Blix tells UNSC members that the declaration "is essentially a reorganized version" of information Iraq provided UNSCOM in 1997. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2003 Jan. 12 - The Turkish government gives US military planners permission to examine ports and airstrips to see what upgrades are needed for a war against Iraq." (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2003 Jan. 16 - In their first significant discovery, UN weapons inspectors find 12 warheads designed to carry chemical weapons. The inspectors suggest the warheads were not accounted for in Iraq's 12,000-page report. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2003 Jan. 16 - Weapons-inspections chiefs report to the Security Council that, while Iraq has provided access to facilities, concerns remain regarding undeclared material, inability to interview Iraqi scientists, inability to deploy aerial surveillance during inspections, and harassment of inspectors. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2003 Jan. 28 - Bush says Saddam Hussein "is not disarming. To the contrary, he is deceiving," during his State of the Union address to Congress. "He has shown utter contempt for the United Nations and the opinion of the world," Bush says. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2003 Feb 5 - Colin Powell uses satellite photos and audiotapes of intercepts in a bid to win over international opinion during a UN security council presentation. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2003 Mar. 1 - UNMOVIC orders Iraq to destroy all its illegally imported Al Samoud 2 missiles and 380 rocket engines. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2003 Mar. 5 - France, Germany, and Russia release a joint declaration stating they will "not allow" a resolution authorizing military action to pass the UN Security Council. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2003 Mar. 7 - The US, Britain, and Spain introduce a revised UN resolution that gives Iraq a Mar. 17 deadline to rid itself of WMD. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2003 Mar. 16 - The leaders of the US, Britain, Spain, and Portugal meet on the Azores, issuing a one-day deadline for diplomacy. They warn war could start immediately.(US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
2003 Mar. 17 - The US and Britain withdraw their draft Security Council resolution and advise weapons inspectors to evacuate Iraq. During a televised address, President Bush issues an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq within 48 hours during a televised address. (US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian, or the BBC)
UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) leaves Iraq. All of its several reports indicate no sign of nuclear activity has been detected in Iraq, nor are there any indications that it possesses WMD. (p.204 Kepel)

Gulf War II Starts

2003 Mar. 19 - President Bush declares war on Iraq. (infoplease.com)
2003 March 20 - "Operation Iraqi Freedom" a `decapitation attack,` on Saddam and other Ba'ath leadership. (infoplease.com)
2003 Mar. 21, - Major phase of the war begins with heavy aerial attacks on Baghdad and other cities. (infoplease.com)
2003 Mar. 24, - U.S. Troops march within 60 miles of Baghdad. Encounter strong resistance from Iraqi soldiers and paramilitary fighters along the way. (infoplease.com)
2003 Apr. 5, - U.S. tanks roll into the Iraqi capital and engage in firefights with Iraqi troops. (infoplease.com)
2003 Apr. 7 - British forces take control of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city. (infoplease.com)
2003 Apr. 9 - Baghdad falls to U.S. forces. Sporadic fighting continues throughout the capital. (infoplease.com)
2003 Apr. 10-14 - Looting of Bagdad. Targets of looting by Iraqis include military supply depots were "hundreds of thousands of tons of heavy ordinance" were taken by future insurgents, and the National Museum in Bagdad where an estimated 15,000 artifacts were stolen. (en.wikipedia.org)
2003 Apr. 14 - Major fighting in Iraq is declared over by the Pentagon (infoplease.com)
2003 April 20-23 - Ashura celebrated by Shi'a in Karbala for the first time since it turned into an anti-Saddam riot in 1977. 3 million pilgrims arrive - a larger number than the 2 million at haj in Mecca. (Kepel p.225)
2003 May 1 - Pres. Bush lands on aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to selebrate "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq.
2003 July 13 - U.S. Proconsul Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Authority, sets up an Iraqi Government Council. Made up of 25 members representing the country's varied relgious and ethnic groups. (Kepel p.210 )
2003 July 17 - David Kelly, a UK Minstry of Defence specialist on questions of nuclear proliferation commits suicide after scandal on `sexing up` of dossier on Iraq WMD reported on BBC.
2003 August 7 - Bombing devastates Jordanian embassy. (Kepel p.221)
2003 August 29 - UN secretary-general's speical envoy, Brazialian diplomat Sergio Vierira de Mello, is killed along with 23 other when a booby-trapped truck targets the Canal Hotel where the UN services are gathered.
2003 November - dealiest month of the year. Over 100 coalition troops killed, including 19 Italians. (Kepel p.222)
2003 December 13 - Saddam Hussein captured in Tikrit.
2004 January 17 - The number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the start of the war reaches 500. Of those, 346 soldiers died in combat and 154 died from accidents. (infoplease.com)
2004 January 28 - After searching vain for weapons of mass destruction over occupied Iraqi territory for almost a year, head of the American inspectors, David Kay declares to the U.S. Senate `We were almost all wrong.` (Kepel p.203)
2004 February 1 - 2004 About 109 Iraqis are killed by suicide bombings in Erbil. (infoplease.com)
2004 February 10 - About 54 Iraqis are killed in a car bombing while applying for jobs at a police station. The next day an attack kills about 47 outside an army recruiting center. (infoplease.com)
2004 March 2 - Suicide attacks in Karbala on Shiite Islam's most holy feast day kill more than 85 and wound 233 others. No group takes responsibility for killing but it is believed that the perpetrators are attempting to foment unrest between Shiites and Sunnis. (infoplease.com)
2004 March 31 - Fallujah. Four American civilian contractors killed, their corpses beaten to a pulp with shovels, doused with keroseane and set on fire, and then suspended from a metal truss of a bidge over the Euphrates. (Kepel p.238)
2004 April - Iraqi security forces collapse in combat. In revolt by Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, "roughly half" of the American-trained, Iraqi government security forces in south and central Iraq melt "away when confronted by the revolt," to the surprise and disappointment of their American overseers. (Pollack)
2004 April 4 - U.S. troops begin assault on Falluja in response to March 31 assassination of four U.S. civilian contractors.
Coordinated attacks by Shiites are launched in the southern Iraqi cities of Kufa, Karbala, Najaf, al-Kut, and Sadr City. The militias are led by radical cleric Moktada al-Sadr. (infoplease.com)
2004 April 30 - Abu Ghraib prison scandal, Photographs of physical and sexual abuse and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad comes are released by the U.S. media. (Abu Ghraib was notorious as a prison and torture center during the rule of Saddam Hussein.) Pentagon begins investigating abuse. (infoplease.com)
2004 May 17 - Head of Iraq's Governing Council, Izzedin Salim, and six others killed by suicide bomber. (infoplease.com)
2004 Jun. 17 - poll conducted by Coalition Provisional Authority in May finds 92% of Iraqis saw the U.S. as "occupiers," 3% see them as "peacekeepers," and 2% view them as "liberators." (infoplease.com)
2004 June 28 - Transfer of power to Iraqi government by U.S. Paul Bremmer leaves Baghdad "without fanfare" and a couple days before his scheduled in fear of terrorist attacks. (Kepel p.240)
2004 July 28 - At least 68 killed in a car bombing in Baqouba, Deadliest attack since Iraq's interim government took power. (infoplease.com)
2004 Sep. 7 - American death toll in Iraq reaches 1,000; about 7,000 soldiers have been wounded. In August, attacks on American forces reached their highest level since the beginning of the war, an average of 87 per day. (infoplease.com)
2004 Oct. 6 - In the final report on the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Charles Duelfer concludes that there is no evidence that Iraq had undertaken weapons production program when the U.S. began the war. (infoplease.com)
2004 Oct. 19 - Margaret Hassan, British-Iraqi director of CARE International abducted in Baghdad. She is later presumed dead. (infoplease.com)
2004 Oct. 24 - Fifty new Iraqi soldiers are executed by insurgents loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. (infoplease.com)
2004 Nov. - Iraqi security forces collapse in combat. In major insurgent attacks on or around Mosul, all but one battalion of the defending American-trained Iraqi government security forces evaporate in the fighting, to the surprise and disappointment of their American overseers. (Pollack) (infoplease.com)
2004 Dec. 19 - Car bombers target Shiites and election workers in brazen attacks in Najaf and Karbala. More than 60 people killed and 120 wounded. (infoplease.com)
2004 Dec. 21 - 2004 Bomb explodes in U.S. military tent at base in Mosul. At least 24 people die, including 19 American soldiers.(infoplease.com)
2005 - For the year, the U.S. military reports 34,000 attacks on U.S. troops by insurgents. (NPR January 27, 2006)
2005 Jan. 4 - Ali al-Haidari, governor of Baghdad Province, assassinated by insurgents who are seeking to thwart elections scheduled for January 30. (infoplease.com)
2005 Feb. 28 - about 115 people killed when suicide car bomber attacks crowd of Iraqis seeking employment with the Iraqi police in Hilla. (infoplease.com)
2005 Aug. 28 - Iraqi National Assembly receives the new constitution, which will be voted on by Iraqi citizens on Oct. 15. Sunni negotiators denounce the document.(infoplease.com)
2005 Oct. 15 - Vote on the constitution. Millions of Iraqis turnout to vote. (infoplease.com)
2005 Oct. 25 - Electoral commission reports constitution approved, with 79% of voters supporting it. Fails by more than a two-thirds majority in two Sunni-dominated provinces and by less than a two-thirds majority in a third, making the victory a narrow one. Turnout among Sunnis is high.
The number of U.S. soldiers killed fighting in Iraq since the war began in March 2003 reaches 2,000. (infoplease.com)
2005 Oct. 25 - Electoral commission reports constitution approved, with 79% of voters supporting it. Fails by more than a two-thirds majority in two Sunni-dominated provinces and by less than a two-thirds majority in a third, making the victory a narrow one. Turnout among Sunnis is high.
2005 November 9 - 60 killed and 115 injured in bombings of three hotels in Amman, Jordan. "Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia" organization claimed responsibility. The hotels (Grand Hyatt Hotel, the Radisson SAS Hotel, and the Days Inn) were often frequented by Western military contractors and diplomats, but most of the victims were Jordanians and Palestinians -- guests at a wedding reception at the Radission SAS ballroom. Bombing causes backlash against Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia organization in Jordan, a country where the Iraq insurgency had hitherto been very popular. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Amman_bombings)
2005 Nov. 10 - Attack in a Baghdad cafe kill about 30, including many police. Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia claims responsibility. (infoplease.com)
2005 Nov. 18 - About 70 people are killed when two suicide bombers blow themselves up in two Shiite mosques in Kurdish town of Khanaqin. (infoplease.com)
2005 Dec. 6 - At least 36 people are killed and about 75 are wounded when two suicide bombers attack the Baghdad Police Academy. (infoplease.com)
2005 Dec. 15 - Parliamentary elections. As many as 11 million Iraqis turn out to select their first permanent Parliament since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. More than 7,000 Parliamentary candidates from 300 parties are seeking to fill the 275 seats in Parliament. Violence is minimal. (infoplease.com)
2006 - Estimates of number of refugees fleeing violence and choas in Iraq for neighboring countries since Gulf War II started: 700,000 in Jordan, 500,000 in Syria. (NPR January 27, 2006)
2006 Feb. 22 - Bombing of Shrine in Sammara. Golden dome of al-Askari shrine, one of Shia Islam's holiest sites is destroyed in early morning attack. Sunnis hoping to raise already high tensions between the majority Shia and minority Sunni populations, are suspected perps. In the following days, hundreds of mostly Sunni Iraqis are killed by enraged Shia, particularly by Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. (bbc.com)

References

http://csmonitor.com/2003/0320/p02s01-woiq.html

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/iraqtimeline3.html

http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=2470§ionID=15

Bulloch, John, The Gulf War : It's Origins, History and Consequences by John Bulloch and Harvey Morris

Chamieh, Jebran, Traditionalists, Militants and Liberal in Present Islam by Jebran Chamieh, Research and Publishing House, [no date give, probably 1994]

Hiro, Dilip, The Longest War : Iran-Iraq Military Conflict by Dilip Hiro, 1991

Kepel, Gilles, The War for Muslim Minds by Gilles Kepel 2005

Pollack, Kenneth M., "The Right Way," Atlantic Monthly, March 2006, p.109

Tripp, Charles, History of Iraq

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Amman_bombings

Rayburn, Joel, "The Last Exit From Iraq," Foreign Affairs, March/April 2006 From

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