Iraq 2014 Crisis Timeline
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September 2014
September 7, 2014. The pentagon released a statement that airstrikes were
supporting Iraqi Army forces protecting the Haditha Dam in the western
province of Anbar - acknowledging air strikes in a part of Iraq not bombed
previously in 2014 by U.S. aircraft.
September 3, 2014. President Obama ordered
350 more troops to Iraq with the mission to protect the embassy in
Baghdad.
September 2, 2014.
The seige of the northern town of Amerli by fighters of the Islamic State
(IS) was finally broken by a combination of Iraqi Army units, Shia
militia, and Peshmerga. They were aided by humanitarian airdrops and
tactical airstrikes of the United States military (along with Australia,
France, and Britain). Amerli will likely be a launching pad for the
retaking of the northern province of Salahuddin which was captured by
Islamic State militants in June 2014.
August 2014
Early August. The Islamic State forces attack Kurd
positions along their shared 600 mile front. A few days later Kurd forces
go on a counteroffensive against the Islamic State forces; but with
limited success.
7 August. The Obama administration decides to allow limited
airstrikes against ISIS in
support of Kurd positions around Erbil and to provide humanitarian
assistance airdrops of food and water to
Yazidis refugees trapped on
Sinjar Mountain
in northwestern Iraq. The air strikes said to have a 'temporary effect'.
2.
10 August. The National
Alliance has nominated an alternate Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi (from
Maliki's Dawa Party), and Iraq's President Fuad Masum has asked al-Abadi
to form a new government. However, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said
he will not give up power and has order security forces to take control of
the Green Zone in Baghdad. 1.
11 August. Iraq's president names a new prime minister to replace Nuri
al-Maliki; however it appears Maliki will not yield to Haidar al-Abadi
peacefully.
12 August. 100 more military advisors (mix of Marines and special
operations) arrive in Erbil to assist in humanitarian aid for the Yazidis
religious sect. 3. This brings the
total number of U.S. military personnel to about 1,000.
13 August. Four U.S.
V-22 Osprey
(tiltrotor) aircraft with military personnel arrive at Arbil Airport.
13 August. Special Forces and USAID representatives, transported by V-22
Ospreys, spent 24 hours on Sinjar Mountain assessing the situtation. There
are about a few thousand displaced personnel remaining on the mountain.
14 August. Iraq Prime Ministe Nouri al-Maliki has agreed to step down from
his position paving the way for the deputy prime minister, Haider
al-Abadi, to become Prime Minister. 5.
This, of course,was a huge relief not only to those within Iraq but the
international community as well.
July 2014
US Advisors Sent to Iraq. As of late July 2014 there were about 242 advisers in Iraq performing
assessments on the ability of the Iraqi Army to fight the Islamic State.
(See more on the
U.S.
intervention in Iraq 2014).
Caliphate Established. The ISIL jihadist declare a new caliphate
consisting of parts of Iraq and Syria known as the
Islamic State.
9 July. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani sends a letter to leaders of Maliki's
Dawa party saying he sees " . . . the need to speed up the selection
of a new prime minister who has wide national acceptance". Millions of
Iraqis regard Sistani as their most important religious guide.
4.
Late July. Kurdish forces stay on the sidelines and maintain a
defensive mode. At the same time the Iraq central government refuses to
provide arms, equipment, supplies and money to the Kurdish Regional
Government (KRG).
Spring 2014
Spring 2014. Sunni tribal groups allied with the jihadist ISIL go on the
offensive and take vast areas of northern Iraq to include the second
largest city of Mosul. At least four Iraqi Army divisions crumble under
the assault of numerically smaller forces.
Other Timelines on the Internet
EPIC Blog Timeline.
www.epic-usa.org/timeline-iraq/
Iraq Profile - A chronology of Key Events - BBC News Middle East
www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14546763
Timeline of the Iraq War (2003-2010) - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Iraq_War
Endnotes
1. For more on Maliki not giving up the power see Iraq's President
Selects Haider al Abadi as Prime Minister as Maliki Shows Force in
Baghdad, Institute for the Study of War Iraq Updates, August 11, 2014
at this
link.
2. See "Pentagon: US airstrikes won't
weaken ISIS", The Hill, August 11, 2014 at this
link.
3. See "Obama orders more than 100
advisers to Iraq", The Hill, August 12, 2014 at this
link.
4. See "A letter fro Sistani turned the
tide against Iraq's leader", The Washington Post, August 13, 2014
at this
link.
5. See "Iraq's al-Maliki to step down as
prime minister", The Hill, August 14, 2014 at this
link.
6. See "Iraqi Forces Break Seige of
Northern Town", Voice of America, August 31, 2014 at this
link.
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