Iraq timeline
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Hammurabi Establishes Dynasty in Babylon
Hammurabi was a First Dynasty king of the city-state of Babylon, and inherited the power from his father, Sin-muballit, in ca. 1728 B.C.. Babylon... Read more
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Hanging Gardens of Babylon Built
In addition to its size, Babylon surpasses in splendor any city in the known world. Read more
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Iraq Conquered by Khalid ibn Walid under Caliph Abu Bakr
After the Ridda Wars, a tribal chief of north eastern Arabia, Misnah ibn Haris, raided Persian towns in Iraq. Misnah ibn Haris went to Medina to... Read more
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Battle of Baghdad
In 1258, a Mongol army numbering between 120,000 and 150,000 soldiers laid siege to and sacked Baghdad, then the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate... Read more
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Battle of Basra (1914)
The Battle of Basra was a battle of World War I which took place in the city of Basra (modern-day Iraq) between British and Ottoman troops on... Read more
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Great Britain Officially Occupies Basra
General Barrett immediately began to make preparations to continue the offensive against the Turks at Baljaniya, when on the 20th on November, he... Read more
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Battle of Qurna
The Battle of Qurna, (December 3, 1914) was between British forces and Ottoman forces that tried to retake the city of Basra which they lost at the... Read more
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Battle of the Wadi
The Battle of Wadi, occurring on 13 January 1916, was an unsuccessful attempt by British forces fighting in present-day Iraq during the First World... Read more
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Battle of Hanna
Aylmer's attack began with an advance by 4,000 troops of 7th Division, preceded by short artillery bombardments at noon on 20 January and on the... Read more
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Battle of Dujaila
The Battle of Dujaila was fought on March 8, 1916, between British and Ottoman forces during the First World War. The Ottoman forces, led by Colmar... Read more
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Fall of Baghdad (1917)
On 11 March 1917, the British Indian Army fighting the Ottoman Turks in the First World War, after a series of defeats, captured Baghdad in a... Read more
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British Launch the Samarrah Offensive
The Samarrah Offensive (March 13 — April 23, 1917) was launched by the British against the Ottomans as part of the Mesopotamian Campaign in World... Read more
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British Forces Capture Falluja
The Samarrah Offensive (March 13 — April 23, 1917) was launched by the British against the Ottomans as part of the Mesopotamian Campaign in World... Read more
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First Action at Jebel Hamrin
The first action we fought at Jebel Hamrin, in the third week of March, 1917, was a sanguinary affair. The Turks held us back on the hills when... Read more
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British Take Control of Samarrah and Its Railroad, Ending Samarrah Offensive
The Samarrah Offensive (March 13 — April 23, 1917) was launched by the British against the Ottomans as part of the Mesopotamian Campaign in World... Read more
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British Forces Launch Attack on Ramadi
The Battle of Ramadi was fought in central Iraq late in September 1917 between the British and the Ottomans; it was part of the Mesopotamian... Read more
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Action of Khan Baghdadi
The Action of Khan Baghdadi was an engagement during the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I. The 15th Indian Division had been at Ramadi since... Read more
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Iraq Granted Independence from British Empire
Iraq was granted official independence in 1932 in accordance with an agreement signed by the United Kingdom in 1930, whereby the United Kingdom... Read more
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Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known by the Israelis as the War of Independence and War of Liberation, and by Palestinians as the Catastrophe, was the... Read more
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Iraq Invades Iran
The war began when Iraq invaded Iran, launching a simultaneous invasion by air and land into Iranian territory on 22 September 1980 following a... Read more
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Iran and Iraq Declare Cease-Fire
US threatened to impose sanctions against Iran if it did not accept the ceasefire the next day. American vessels an also attacked Iranian vessel... Read more
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Saddam Hussein Launches the Invasion of Kuwait
The Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait which resulted... Read more
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UN Security Council Passes Resolution 660, Condemning the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait
United Nations Security Council Resolution 660 was adopted by the UN Security Council on 2 August 1990. The resolution condemned the Iraqi invasion... Read more
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US Initiates Operation Desert Shield
Acting on the policy of the Carter Doctrine, and out of fear the Iraqi army could launch an invasion of Saudi Arabia, U.S. President George H. W.... Read more
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Saddam Hussein Appears on Iraqi State Television with Western Hostages
On 23 August 1990 President Hussein appeared on state television with Western hostages to whom he had refused exit visas. They were seen as human... Read more