Middle East timeline
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Ahmed Shah Durrani Consolidates Power at Kandahar
Ahmed Shah Durrani, the founder of the Durrani Empire and the modern state of Afghanistan, established his rule in 1747 at Kandahar. Ahmad Shah, a... Read more
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Balfour Declaration
The Balfour Declaration of 1917 (dated 2 November 1917) was a formal statement of policy by the British government stating that "His Majesty's... Read more
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Armistice of Moudros Ends Hostilities in the Middle Eastern Theater
The Armistice of Moudros (Turkish: Mondros Ateşkes Anlaşması) ended the hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and... Read more
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Occupation of Constantinople
The Occupation of Constantinople (present day Istanbul) was the occupation of the capital of the Ottoman Empire, following the Armistice of Mudros... Read more
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Mohammed Nadir Khan Assumes the Title of King of Afghanistan
Shortly after a rebellion by Pashtun tribesmen and forces of Habibullah Kalakani began against the monarchy, Mohammad Nadir was exiled due to... Read more
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Passfield White Paper issued
The Passfield White Paper, issued by the colonel secretary Lord Passfield (Sidney Webb), was a formal statement of British policy in Palestine made... 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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United Nations announces a partition plan for Palestine
The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine or United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) Future Government of Palestine was a plan... Read more
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Mohammad Mosaddeq is named Time Magazine's Man of the Year
For his sudden rise in popularity inside and outside of Iran, his defiance of the British, and his fight for democracy, Mosaddeq was named as Time... 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
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UN Security Council Resolutions Authorize the Use of Force to Expel Iraq from Kuwait
A long series of UN Security Council resolutions and Arab League resolutions were passed regarding the invasion. One of the most important was... Read more
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US Congress Authorizes the Use of Force to Expel Iraqi Troops from Kuwait
On 12 January 1991 the United States Congress authorized the use of military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait. The votes were 52-47 in the US... Read more
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Saddam Hussein Orders the Launch of SCUD Missiles Against Israel
If Iraq was to be forced to obey UN resolutions, the Iraqi government made it no secret that it would respond by attacking Israel, a state that was... Read more
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Iraqi Forces Cause the Gulf War Oil Spill
On January 21, 1991, Iraqi forces opened valves at the Sea Island oil terminal and dumped oil from several tankers into the Persian Gulf. The... Read more
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Battle of Khafji
On January 29, Iraq attacked and occupied the lightly defended Saudi city of Khafji with tanks and infantry. However, the Battle of Khafji ended... Read more
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US Air Force Destroys the Amiriyah Blockhouse, Killing 408 Civilians
The Amiriyah shelter massacre was the killing of more than 408 civilians on February 13, 1991 during the Gulf War, when an air-raid shelter... Read more
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Iraq Agrees to a Soviet Proposed Cease-Fire Agreement
On February 22, 1991, Iraq agreed to a Soviet-proposed cease-fire agreement. The agreement called for Iraq to withdraw troops to pre-invasion... Read more
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Coalition Forces Enter Iraq
Shortly after the SCUD attack which killed 28 US troops in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. VII Corps assembled in full strength and, spearheaded by... Read more
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Iraqi Missile Strike Kills 28 US Reservists
On the evening of February 25, 1991, an Iraqi scud missile plunged into a barracks/warehouse used to house U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 475th... Read more
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Iraqi Troops Begin Retreating From Kuwait
The Coalition advance was much swifter than US generals had expected. On February 26, Iraqi troops began retreating from Kuwait, setting fire to... Read more
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George H.W. Bush Declares Kuwait Liberated
Exactly 100 hours after to ground campaign began, Iraq retreated from Kuwait City, and US President George H.W. Bush declared an end to offensive... Read more
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First group of detainees arrives at Guantanamo Bay's Camp X-Ray
In 2001, President George W. Bush signed an executive order that stipulated that US military could indefinitely detain any non-citizen who he... Read more