229

TIMELINE OF IRAQ

YEAR EVENTS

1831 Ottoman reconquest of Baghdad: capture of the last

mamluk governor.

1908 Young Turk revolution in Istanbul.

1909 Sultan Abdul Hamid II deposed.

1914 November British occupation of Basra.

1917 March British occupation of Baghdad.

1918 November British occupation of Mosul.

1920 April

San Remo Peace Conference of Allied Powers endorses

the French and British mandate over the Levant, with

Britain holding the mandate in Palestine, Transjordan

and Mesopotamia (renamed Iraq, created out of the

Ottoman provinces of Basra, Baghdad & Mosul); Syria

& Lebanon to France, plus a 25% share in the proceeds

of Iraqi oil.

1920 June

After Arnold Wilson, the High Commissioner to Iraq,

refuses to allow any degree of self-government, an

extensive tribal revolt begins; Wilson replaced by Percy

Cox who takes a more conciliatory stance.

1921 August Faysal, son of Hussein Bin Ali, the Sharif of Mecca, is

crowned Iraq's first king.

1924 March Constituent Assembly opens.

1924 June Anglo-Iraqi treaty passed.

1925 16th

December

League of Nations Council fixes border between Turkey

and Iraq, placing the Mosul region in Iraq against the

wishes of the Kurdish population, as determined by a

League of Nations Committee.

230

1930 16th

November

Anglo-Iraqi Treaty is ratified, with Nuri al-Sa‘id (PM

since 1929; signed by him in June 30) ensuring its

passage through Parliament: Iraq is independent but

must allow RAF presence, grant Britain land &

resources, & coordinate foreign policy with Britain for

25 years.

1932 October

Formal independence for Iraq (implemented in 1932),

under Faysal I & membership of League of Nations but

Pan-Arabist groups to oppose the concessions to Britain.

Kurdish opposition under Berzendji crushed by RAF by

May 31.

1933 8th

September

King Faysal of Iraq dies; succeeded by his son Ghazi.

1936 October

Gen Bakr Sidqi launches a military coup in Iraq, backed

by Hikmat Sulayman (who becomes PM), overthrowing

government of Yasin al-Hashimi, promising social

reform & bringing the Ahali group into government.

1937 11th August

Iraq’s military leader Bakr Sidqi is assassinated in

Mosul after Ahali and nationalist military officers

withdraw support on 19June 1937; Sulayman resigns as

PM. Jamil al-Midfa’i takes over as PM, but quickly

alienates the military.

1939 April King Ghazi killed in car accident; succeeded by infant

son, Faisal II, under regency of prince ‘Abd a-Ilah.

1941 2nd May

Britain invades Iraq to restore pro-British government.

Rashid ‘Ali requests, and obtains, German support and

other Axis support, but it was ineffective; Ali escaped to

Tehran (29 May), then Germany (Nov. 1941) & Saudi

Arabia (May 1945). Husseini likewise escaped to

Germany.

231

1958 14th July

The monarchy is overthrown in a military coup led by

Brig Abd-al- Karim Qasim and Col Abd-al- Salam

Muhammad Arif. Iraq is declared a republic and Qasim

becomes Prime Minister.

1959 March

Qasim withdraws Iraq from the Baghdad Pact, leaving

the way open for Iran to sign a military cooperation

agreement with the US, providing for American defence

of Iran, which in turn leads Iran to reassert its claim that

the Shatt -al-Arab thalweg constitutes the international

boundary.

1959 7th October

Failed Ba‘thist coup attempt on Qasim in Iraq; Qasim is

injured and his driver killed. 78 Ba‘thists are tried, but

one of them, Saddam Hussein, escapes to Syria & then

Egypt.

1961 19th June Kuwait, under al-Sabah family and a British protectorate

from 1899, declares independence from Britain.

1961 25th June

Qasim calls for ‘the return of Kuwait to the Iraqi

homeland’ (25Jun), opposed by Egypt to prevent Iraqi

dominance.

1961 July

UK sends troops to Kuwait, replaced by Arab League

contingent, which stayed for 2 years. Kuwait joins Arab

League (July) despite tension with Iraq; and was

admitted into UN on 14 May 1963.

1963 8th

February

Qasim overthrown in Iraq by Ba‘ath party coup, led by

‘Abd al-Salam ‘Arif, who installs himself as President;

Qasim executed by firing squad on 9th Feb (the

"Ramadan revolution").‘Arif also recognises the

independence of Kuwait (October).

1963 18th

November

"Countercoup" by ‘Arif forming a different, non-

Ba‘thist, pro-Nasserist government.

232

1966 18thApril Iraqi president ‘Arif al-Salam ‘Arif dies in a helicopter

crash; his brother, ‘Abd al-Rahman ‘Arif takes over.

1968 17th July

Repeated coups in Iraq bring Ba‘thists under Ahmad

Hasan al-Bakr to power, first in alliance with non-

Ba‘thist elements and then (30July) in Ba‘thist power

monopoly, led by the 15-member Revolutionary

Command Council (RCC). Public ownership of land is

encouraged; agricultural cooperatives and collective

farms are established. Saddam Hussein (b.1937), who

had been imprisoned by ‘Arif from 1963-68 for Ba‘thist

activism in organising the party militia, becomes a

member of the RCC (Nov1969) and its deputy chair.

1969 19th April

Iran unilaterally abrogates the 1937 Frontier Treaty with

Iraq. Iraq responds by expelling resident Iranians &

establishing "Popular Front for the Liberation of

Arabistan", claiming that Khuzistan ("Arabistan") was

unjustly surrendered to Iran by the Ottomans.

1972 May

A 15 year Treaty of friendship and cooperation is signed

between Iraq and the Soviet Union. Iraq nationalises the

Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC).

1975 6th March

Algiers Accord - Iraq and Iran agree to first: carry out a

final delineation of their land boundaries in accordance

with the Constantinople Protocol of 1913 and the

Proceedings of the Border Delimitation Commission of

1914. And to demarcate their river boundaries according

to the thalweg (median river course) line. It was

understood from this by Iraq that Iran would withdraw

from certain border territories.

1975 13th June Iraq and Iran sign an agreement regulating their borders

and water rights based on the Algiers Accord.

233

1977 February

Shi‘a riots in Najaf after police interfered with a

religious procession from Najaf to Karbala: 2 killed

arrested, 8 executed.

1979 16th July

Saddam Hussein replaces Ahmad Hasan Bakr as

President of Iraq after dispute over Bakr favored closer

links with Syria; Hussein cites Bakr's poor health, places

him under house arrest and blames Syria for plotting a

coup (28 July). Bakr dies, possibly due to poisoning, in

1982.

1980 1st April

Pro-Iran al-Da‘wa party claims responsibility for

attempted assassination of Tariq Aziz, Iraqi deputy PM,

in Baghdad, in revenge for the execution of its members;

Iraq blames Iran. 40,000 Iranian-born Shi‘is expelled

from Iraq; & Saddam Husayn orders the secret execution

of Ayatollah Sadr & his sister Bint al-Huda (8Apr):

when revealed, Khomeini calls for the overthrow of the

Ba‘th regime. Iraq encourages rebellion in Khuzestan;

Iran aids KDP Kurdish rebels.

1980 September

Start of Iraq-Iran war - Iraq invades Iran after alleged

Iranian artillery bombardment on Khonqin & Mandali (4

September), Iraqi abrogation of 1975 treaty (17th Sept);

Iraq quickly captures Khoramshahr (10th November) &

Abadan. Both attack each other’s oil facilities.

1981 7th June Israel bombs Iraqi Osirak nuclear plant near Baghdad.

1984 February

Iran & Iraq shell each other’s' cities; UN-mediated

agreement to cease, with UN observers posted in

Baghdad & Tehran to monitor (from 12 June).

Meanwhile, Iran captures Iraq's oil-rich Majnun islands.

Iraq turns to attacking Kharg Island oil terminal &

Iranian ships in the Gulf, using French-purchased Exocet

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missiles (27 March). Iran retaliates with strikes on Saudi

& Kuwaiti ships (13th May). UN condemns the shipping

war (1Jun); Saudi shoots down an Iranian jet fighter,

allegedly in its airspace (5June).

1986 February

Iran captures Fao peninsula, in South Iraq; many

Iranians now set the objective of capturing Najaf and

Karbala, and installing an Islamic government in

Baghdad.

1987 18th

February

Iraq resumes war on Iranian cities. Moscow pressures

Iraq to end it.

1987 21st May USS Stark attacked in Gulf by 2 Iraqi Exocet missiles,

killing 37; United States blames Iran.

1988 27th

February

Iraq resumes ‘war of the cities’; Iraq replies to Iranian

attacks on Baghdad by hitting Tehran for the first time.

1988 16-18th

April

Iraq recaptures Fao peninsula, using large quantity of

chemical weapons; similar attack on Mehran (17-22Jun).

1988 3rd July USS Vincennes shoots downs an Iranian Airbus

passenger aircraft, killing 290.

1988 20th July Iran accepts ceasefire after UN-brokered agreement in

Geneva.

1988 20th August

Formal ceasefire in Iraq-Iran war. UN monitoring force

established for Iran-Iraq border. Confirmation by UN

that Iraq did use mustard gas against Iranian civilians.

1989 September

Explosion in Iraqi missile production facility near

Baghdad. A British Observer journalist, Farzad Bazoft,

is caught investigating and is hanged.

1990 2ndAugust Iraq invades Kuwait. UN resolution 660 calls for Iraqi

withdrawal.

1990 5th August “President Bush declares that the invasion “will not

stand.”

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1990 6th August

King Fahd meets with Secretary of Defence Richard

Cheney and requests U.S. military assistance. UN

resolution 661 bans the importation of Iraqi goods.

1990 8th August

American fighter planes arrive in Saudi Arabia. Iraq

declares a “comprehensive and eternal merger” with

Kuwait and annexes it as its nineteenth province.

1990 9th August UN resolution 662 finds the annexation of Kuwait has

no legal validity.

1990 12th August

Iraq offers to withdraw in exchange for an Israeli

withdrawal from Palestinian territory (the Gaza Strip

and the West Bank) and a Syrian withdrawal from

Lebanon.

1990 18th August UN resolution 664 demands that Iraq release foreign

nationals who are being detained in Iraq.

1990 25th August UN resolution 665 strengthens the economic embargo

against Iraq.

1990 5th

September

Iraq calls for the overthrow of leaders in Saudi Arabia

and Egypt.

1990 13th

September

UN resolution 666 asks for continuous information on

the humanitarian situation within Kuwait and Iraq.

1990 16th

September

UN resolution 667 condemns Iraqi violation of

diplomatic compounds in Kuwait and demands the

immediate release of foreign nationals removed from

Kuwait.

1990 24th

September

UN resolution 669 imposes an air embargo on Iraq.

1990 8th

November

The United States announces that it is doubling its troop

presence in the region to over 400,000.

1990

19thNovember

Iraq begins significant reinforcement of its troops in

Kuwait.

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1990 29th

November

United Nation resolution 678 authorizes the use of "all

means necessary" after January 15, 1991, to enforce

previous UN resolutions, including that requiring Iraqi

withdrawal from Kuwait.

1990 6th

December

Iraq decides to release all foreign nationals held since

the invasion.

1991 9th January

Secretary of State James Baker meets Iraqi Foreign

Minister Tariq Aziz in Geneva in unsuccessful effort to

find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Baker delivers

a letter from President Bush to President Hussein. Aziz

reads but refuses to forward it.

1991 12th

January

The U.S. Congress authorizes the use of force. The

Senate vote is 52–47 in favour.

1991 15th

January

UN issues a deadline for Iraqi withdrawal.

1991 17th

January

The allied attack ("Operation Desert Storm") begins

with an Apache helicopter strike at 2:38 A.M.

Palestinian groups - PFLP & PLF support Iraq, with

PLF sending troops to assist Iraq; Faruq al-Qaddumi,

Yasir ‘Arafat & 84% of West Bankers in al-Nadwa poll

in mid-August 90 indicate solidarity with Iraq; 58% of

West Bankers support Iraq's invasion in same survey) »

subsequent expulsion of 300,000 Palestinian workers

from Kuwait; Jordanians & Yemenis expelled also from

Saudi). Saudi closes its border with Jordan, and

suspends all foreign aid to it (as does US). All other

Arab States oppose Iraq's actions.

1991 18th

January

First Scuds hit Israel. Navy aircraft losses during attack

on Scud sites lead to recriminations about low-altitude

bombing tactics. First American air attacks are launched

237

from Turkey.

1991 25th

February

US 101st Airborne Division cuts Highway 8 in

Euphrates Valley. Iraqis counterattack 1st Marine

Division. Scud destroys barracks in Al Khobar, Saudi

Arabia, killing twenty- eight Americans and wounding

ninety-eight.

1991 28th

February

Cease-fire takes effect at 8 A.M.

1991 March-

April

Uprising of Kurds and Shi'a in Iraq based on US

encouragement. Begins in Basra, in early March. Major

cities in South & Kurdish areas come under rebel control

(government has continuous control over only a third of

governorates). Southern revolt crushed by 29 March

with recapture of Samawa & Northern revolt by early

April. Approx. 1.5m Kurds flee into North & East Iraq,

Turkey, and Iran.

1991 3rd April

UN Security Council Resolution 687 establishes the

terms of the peace, including return of Kuwaiti property

and prisoners, economic sanctions, and Iraqi

disarmament. Iraq is to provide a list of all weapons of

mass destruction in its possession. UNSCOM inspectors

are to ascertain that the arms have been surrendered.

1992 June

Iraqi National Congress established by 300 delegates in

Vienna as the opposition umbrella body, on the initiative

of Ahmad Chalabi. Bush informing Congress (October

1991) that he was escalating covert operations in Iraq,

under the direction of Frank Anderson, head of CIA's

Directorate of Operations Near East division.

1993 January Renewed skirmishes between Iraq and US, UK &

France, after Iraq installs surface-to-air missiles in the

238

Southern US/UK-declared no-fly zones, bans UN flights

in the southern zone, and makes incursions into the

demilitarized zone with Kuwait (ostensibly to remove

equipment). Allied bombing in Southern and Northern

no-fly-zones (10-19January), which kills 43; ends with

Baghdad issuing a unilateral ceasefire and rescinding

measures.

1994 8-10th

October

Iraq deploys troops nr the Kuwaiti border; Security

Council expresses concern & US, France & UK move

troops to the region. Iraq announces redeployment.

1994 6th

November

Iran fires Scud missiles at bases of Mujahedin al-Khalq

in Iraq.

1994 10th

November

Iraqi National Assembly officially acknowledges

Kuwait’s sovereignty; ratified by RCC in a decree

signed by Saddam Hussein on the same day.

1995 14th April UN Security Council Resolution 986 establishes the "Oil

for Food" Program.

1995 7-8th

August

Two of Saddam Hussein’s sons-in-law, Lt. Gen. Hussein

Kamil (former director of Iraq's Military

Industrialization Establishment, in charge of WMD

program) and Saddam Kamil defect to Jordan with

Saddam's daughters; Hussein Kamil takes crates of

documents revealing past concealment of WMD

capacities, and provides these to UNSCOM. Iraq

responds by revealing a major store of documents that

showed that Iraq had begun an unsuccessful crash

programme to develop a nuclear bomb (20th August).

1996 23rd

February

Iraqi defectors Hussein and Saddam Kamil are shunned

by Iraqi opposition groups, and agree to return to Iraq,

where they are promptly assassinated.

239

1996 26th June

Attempted coup in Iraq organised by the Iraqi National

Accord and coordinated in part by CIA operatives within

UNSCOM, fails when 120 coup plotters are arrested (&

largely executed) by the Iraqi regime.

1996 3-4

September

US launch military strikes against Southern Iraq &

extends Southern no-fly zone to 33rd parallel, the

suburbs of Baghdad. Little international backing for

these actions, exact from UK. UN postpones

implementation of SCR 986.

1996 12th

December

Saddam Hussein’s eldest son, Uday, is seriously

wounded in an assassination attempt in al-Mansur

district, Baghdad.

1997 29th

October

Iraq demands US members of UNSCOM leave Iraq; all

UNSCOM inspectors withdrawn.

1997 13th

November

All UNSCOM inspectors withdrawn from Iraq, but

allowed back later that month.

1998 September

UNSCOM Inspector Scott Ritter resigns. Initially claims

that US/UN did not act to help UNSCOM investigate

suspected Iraqi weapons sites, later claims that the entire

inspection program is unwarranted and Iraq has no

WMD.

1998 October UNSCOM report shows Iraq has weaponized VX agent

despite Iraqi denials.

1998 1st

November

Iraq halts cooperation with UNSCOM.

1998 15th

November

US abort missile strike after Iraq agrees to cooperate

with UNSCOM.

1998 17-20th

December

Extensive US & British bombardment of Iraq in

‘Operation Desert Fox’, after UNSCOM head reports

Iraq’s failure to fully cooperate; after end of the

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operation, Iraq again refuses UNSCOM permission to

re-enter Iraq, and US & UK continue bombardment,

aimed at Iraq’s air defence capacity.

1999 17th

December

Resolution 1284 creates UN monitoring, verification and

inspection commission (UNMOVIC) to replace

UNSCOM. Iraq rejects resolution.

2001

Following Sept 11, 2001 terror attacks on World Trade

Towers, US President Bush declares a War on Terror,

targeting Iraq as a major player in an "Axis of Evil."

2002 29th

January

US President George Bush lists Iraq, Iran, North Korea

and Syria as part of an "axis of evil" in his state of the

nation speech to Congress. "By seeking weapons of

mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and

growing danger," he says and shifts the focus of US

foreign policy from terror groups to governments.

2002

March/May

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan unable to persuade

Iraqi representatives to allow inspectors return.

2002 5-6th July Talks in Vienna between Annan and Iraq's foreign

minister, Naji Sabri, fail.

2002 25th July Sabri says any agreement must include route towards

lifting sanctions, ending threats of regime change, and

end to no-flight zones.

2002 August Iraq invites chief weapons inspector to Baghdad for talks

on resuming inspections.

2002 22nd

September

British PM Tony Blair releases dossier showing Iraq has

significant WMD capabilities, in an effort to gain

support for British role in projected US invasion.

2002 8th

November

UN Security Council Resolution 1441 calls on Iraq to

cooperate with UN inspection teams and not to obstruct

UN forces. Iraq must declare all weapons of mass

241

destruction in its possession by December 8, 2002.

UNMOVIC inspection teams began inspecting sites in

Iraq.

2002 7th

December

Iraq submits documentation as required by UN Security

Council Resolution 1441 that details the disposal of

weapons of mass destruction. The document claims that

Iraq has disposed of all such weapons. Shortly

thereafter, US experts examining the documentation

claim it is not complete and convincing.

2003 27th

January

Reports of UNMOVIC chief inspector Hans Blix and

International Atomic Energy Commission head El-

Baradei.

2003 1st March

Arab summit in Sharm el-Shaikh calls on Iraq to disarm,

but does not call for regime change in Iraq; Iraq begins

destroying Samoud II missiles which have a range

greater than that allowed by the UN.

2003 7th March

Report of UNMOVIC chief inspector Hans Blix to the

UN Security Council. US and Britain calling for a

second resolution that will authorize a war against Iraq,

with stiff opposition from France, Russia, Germany and

Arab countries.

2003 19th March

War begins with US raid on meeting of Saddam with his

advisors. Saddam is apparently unhurt. US forces invade

southern Iraq, meeting relatively light resistance, but by

March 22 are bogged down at Um- Qasr and Basra in

the south and Nasariyeh on the road to Baghdad.

2003 9th April Baghdad falls to US troops.

2003 1st May President Bush declares an end to the Iraq war.

2003 22nd July Uday and Qusay Hussein, sons of Saddam killed in a

shootout with US troops.

242

2003 19th

August

UN compound bombed by unknown Iraqi forces, killing

at least 20.

2003 22nd

August

Capture of Ali Majid ("Chemical Ali") by US forces is

announced. Ali was questioned about WMD programs

but has not revealed any new information.

2003 29th August Explosion near Najaf Mosque kills over 90 including

Shi'ite leader Ayatollah Mohammed Bakir al-Hakim.

2003 October

UNSC Resolution 1511 on Iraq - recognizes the

legitimacy of the American supported provisional Iraqi

government, and authorizes UN aid to Iraq under US

supervision, while at the same time calling for

submission of a time-table for Iraqi self-governance.

2003 13th

December

Saddam Hussein captured alive by US forces.

2004 1st March Iraqi interim constitution agreed upon by interim

government and approved by US.

2004 7th June

UNSC Resolution 1546 on Iraq - recognizes the

legitimacy of the interim Iraqi government and calls on

UN members to support it.

2004 28th June

Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi takes power for sovereign Iraq in a

modest ceremony held two days before the deadline. US

Administrator Paul Bremer leaves Iraq. NATO promises

aid to Iraq in training security forces.

2004 August

Coalition forces attack the holy city of Najaf, where

extremist Shi'a leader Moqtada Sadr and his Mehdi army

have fortified themselves. The situation is resolved by a

peace brokered by Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who gains

considerable prestige. Sadr subsequently agrees to

disarm his militia and participate in the Iraqi elections.

2005 30th Some 8 million vote in elections for a Transitional

243

January National Assembly. The Shia United Iraqi Alliance wins

a majority of assembly seats. Kurdish parties come

second.

2005 April

Amid escalating violence, parliament selects Kurdish

leader Jalal Talabani as president. Ibrahim Jaafari, a

Shia, is named as Prime Minister.

2005 June Massoud Barzani is sworn in as regional president of

Iraqi Kurdistan.

2005 August Draft constitution is endorsed by Shia and Kurdish

negotiators, but not by Sunni representatives.

2005 October Saddam Hussein goes on trial on charges of crimes

against humanity.

2005 October Voters approve a new constitution, which aims to create

an Islamic federal democracy.

2005 December Iraqis vote for the first, full-term government and

parliament since the US-led invasion.

2006 January

Shia-led United Iraqi Alliance emerges as the winner of

December's elections, but fails to gain an absolute

majority.

2006 22nd April

Newly re-elected President Talabani asks Shia

compromise candidate Nouri al-Maliki to form a new

government, ending months of deadlock.

2006 November Saddam Hussein is found guilty of crime against

humanity and sentenced to death.

2006 November Iraq and Syria restore diplomatic relations after nearly a

quarter century.

2006 30th

December

Saddam Hussein is executed by hanging.

2007 May The leader Al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al- Masri, is

reported killed.

244

2007 August

The main Sunni Arab political bloc in Iraq, the Iraqi

Accordance Front, withdraws from the cabinet following

a dispute over power-sharing.

2008 January

Parliament passes legislation allowing former officials

from Saddam Hussein's Baath party to return to public

life.

2008 March

Unprecedented two-day visit by Iranian president,

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to Iraq. Prime Minister Maliki

orders crackdown on militia in Basra, sparking pitched

battles with Moqtada Sadr's Mehdi Army. Hundreds are

killed.

2008 June Australia ends its combat operations I Iraq. Mr. Maliki

pays third visit to Iran since taking office as Premier.

2008 July

The prime Minister Maliki for the first time raises the

prospect of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of

US troops as part of negotiations over a new

security agreements with Washington. The main Sunni

Arab bloc, the Iraqi Accordance Front, re-join the Shia-

led government almost a year after it pulled out.

2008 September

US forces hand over control of the western province of

Anbar - once an insurgent and Al-Qaeda stronghold - to

the Iraqi government.

2008 October

Members of the Baghdad awakening Council,

estimated to number about 54,000 move to Iraqi

government payroll, with members of the Sunni militia

councils set follow.

2008 November Parliament approves a security pact with the United

States under which all US troops are due to leave the

country by the end of 2011.

2009 January Iraq takes control of security in Baghdad's fortified

245

Green Zone and assumes more powers over foreign

troops based in the country. PM Nouri al-Maliki

welcomes the move as Iraq's "day of sovereignty".

2009 February The political bloc headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-

Maliki scores big wins in provincial elections.

2009 March

US President Barack Obama announces withdrawal of

most US troops by end of August 2010. Up to 50,000 of

142,000 troops now there will stay on 2011 to advise

Iraqi forces and protect US interests, leaving by end of

2011.

2009 June

US troops withdraw from towns and cities in Iraq, six

years after the invasion, having formally handed over

security duties to new Iraqi forces.

2009 July

New opposition forces make strong gains in elections to

the regional parliament of Kurdistan, but the governing

KDP and PUK alliance retains a reduced majority.

Masoud Barzani (KDP) is re-elected in the presidential

election.

2009 October

Prime Minister al-Maliki announces the formation of a

new political grouping of 40 parties, called the State of

Law, after a split in the broad Shia United Iraqi Alliance

that won the 2005 elections.

2010 January

Controversy as candidates with alleged links to Baath

Party is banned from March parliamentary polls. A court

later lifts the ban, prompting a delay in campaigning.

"Chemical" Ali Hassan al-Majid, a key figure in Saddam

Hussein's government, is executed.

2010 March Parliamentary elections. No coalition wins enough votes

for a majority in parliament.

2010 April Amnesty International says political uncertainty has led

246

to an upsurge and violence.

2010 September Syria and Iraq restore diplomatic ties a year after

breaking them off.

2010 November Parliament reconvenes after long delay, re-appoints Jalal

Talabani as president and Nouri al-Maliki as prime

minister.

2010 December

Parliament approves a new government including all

major factions, ending nine months of deadlock after

inconclusive elections. Some key ministries remain

unfilled because nominees could not be agreed.

2011 January Radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr returns to Iraq after

nearly four years of self-imposed exile in Iran.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/737483.stm and also

available at http://www.middleeastweb.org/iraqtimeline.htm.