2006 in Iraq
Encyclopedia
Incumbents
- PresidentPresident of IraqThe President of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of...
- Jalal TalabaniJalal TalabaniJalal Talabani is the sixth and current President of Iraq, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish....
- Prime MinisterPrime Minister of IraqThe Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraq's head of government. Prime Minister was originally an appointed office, subsidiary to the head of state, and the nominal leader of the Iraqi parliament. Under the newly adopted constitution the Prime Minister is to be the country's active executive authority...
- Nouri al-MalikiNouri al-MalikiNouri Kamil Mohammed Hasan al-Maliki , also known as Jawad al-Maliki or Abu Esraa, is the Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Al-Maliki and his government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government. He is currently in his second term as Prime Minister...
- Iraqi Kurdistan Regional GovernmentKurdistan Regional GovernmentThe Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
(autonomous region)- PresidentKurdistan Regional GovernmentThe Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
- Massoud BarzaniMassoud BarzaniMassoud Barzani is the current President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Barzani was born in Mahabad, Iran, during the rule of the Republic of Mahabad... - Prime MinisterKurdistan Regional GovernmentThe Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
- Nechervan Idris BarzaniNechervan Idris BarzaniNechirvan Idris Barzani , or ) is a Kurdish politician in Iraqi Kurdistan. He served as the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government from March 2006 to August 2009...
(from March 1)
- President
January
- January 4 - Suicide bomber struck a Shiite funeral in Karbala, killing 32 and wounding 40.
- January 5 -
- 50 people were killed and 80 wounded by a suicide bomb attack in the Iraqi city of Karbala.
- 70 people were killed and 40 injured in a suicide attack on a line of police recruits in Ramadi.
- Insurgent violence shut down Iraq's largest oil refinery.
- January 6 -
- Thousands of Shiites demonstrated in Baghdad after two days of bloodshed that claimed almost 200 lives.
- A secret PentagonThe PentagonThe Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
study has found that at least 80 percent of the marines who have died in Iraq due to wounds to their upper body could have survived if they had worn extra body armor. The armor has been available since 2003. - Paul Bremer, who led the U.S. civilian occupation authority in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, has admitted the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
did not anticipate the insurgencyInsurgencyAn insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents...
in the country, NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television said on Friday. - Demonstrations protesting against unemployment in the Iraqi town of Nasiriyah turned violent leaving two dead and two dozen injured.
February
- February 22 - The Al Askari Mosque bombing. Although no injuries occurred in the blast, the bombing was hugely offensive to Shi'ites and resulted in violence over the following days. The Iraqi government has stated that 379 people were killed in the subsequent attacks, although the Washington Post reported that over 1,300 people were killed.
- February 28 - A bomber blew himself up near a petrol station in one of the Iraqi capital's Shia areas just before curfew and hours after other blasts killed 35.
March
- March 12 - Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi an 14 year old Iraqi girl was gang-raped and murdered together with her 6-year-old sister, mother and father, in their home, by U.S. soldiers who then set fire to the girl's body before decamping.
- March 24 - Joint Center for Operational Analysis at United States Department of DefenseUnited States Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
on March 24, 2006, released a report compiled from captured Iraqi intelligence. The report stated that Russia aided Saddam's regime with correct information on the coalition invasion.
- March 25 -
- 40 people killed or wounded in gun battle near Mahmoudiya.
- US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said on Saturday, March 25, that militias, many with strong ties to powerful Shiite leaders and well entrenched in security and police forces, are killing more Iraqis than terrorists.
- March 26–30 beheaded bodies found in Iraq.
- March 27 - Memo shows US president was firmly set on the path to war two months before the 2003 Iraq invasion.
- 40 people were killed and 20 others wounded in recruitment centre suicide bomb attack.
- March 29 - Around 30-40 bodies are being found on the streets of BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
every day, morgue officials said. - March 30 - Pentagon requests hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency funds for military construction in Iraq.
May
- May 10 - Iraqi President Jalal TalabaniJalal TalabaniJalal Talabani is the sixth and current President of Iraq, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish....
made a public announcement urging all political parties to "quell this bleeding" after figures showed sectarian violenceSectarian violenceSectarian violence and/or sectarian strife is violence inspired by sectarianism, that is, between different sects of one particular mode of ideology or religion within a nation/community...
killed 1,091 in Baghdad the prior month. - May 5 - Iraq was listed fourth on the 2006 Failed States Index compiled by the American Foreign PolicyForeign PolicyForeign Policy is a bimonthly American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington and Warren Demian Manshel.Originally, the magazine was a quarterly...
magazine and the Fund for PeaceFund for PeaceThe Fund for Peace is an independent Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research and educational institution. Founded in 1957, FfP, a non-governmental organization, "works to prevent violent conflict and promote sustainable security.”...
think-tank. The list was topped by SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
June
- 5 June - A SEABEE convoy moving between Al Quim and Al Asad was ambushed by several IED's. Two members of NMCB-25 were killed. Petty Officer First Class Equipment Operator Gary Rovinski and Petty Officer Second Class Hospital Corpsman Jamie Jaenke.
- 7 June - Al-Qaeda in IraqAl-Qaeda in IraqAl-Qaeda in Iraq is a popular name for the Iraqi division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda. It is recognized as a part of the greater Iraqi insurgency....
leader Abu Musab al-ZarqawiAbu Musab al-ZarqawiAbu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
is killed by an American air strike. Zarqawi was a Jordanian militant who had called for attacks against Shi'ites. Most Iraqis hoped his death will help ease sectarian bloodshed, much of which was masterminded by him.
July
- July 1 - Attacks in the Shi'ite slum of Sadr City in Baghdad killed 66 people.
- July 9 - Shia gunmen allegedly massacred 40 Sunni MuslimsHay al Jihad massacreThe Hay al Jihad massacre occurred on July 9, 2006 in the Hay al Jihad neighborhood of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. Estimated 40 Sunni civilians were killed by Shia militiamen....
in BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
after setting up fake security checkpoints a day after the Shi'ite Zahra mosque in the area was bombed. - July 18 - A car bomb killed 53 people in the holy Shi'ite city of Kufa.
- In July 2006, Baghdad's central morgue received 1,855 bodies, the most since the bombing of a Shia shrine in February prompted a wave of sectarian killings. The Iraqi government stated that 3,438 Iraqis died around the country that month.
August
- August 20 - Sunni snipers shot and killed at least 22 Shiites during a pilgrimage in Baghdad.
September
- September 27 - A WPO poll found that seven out of ten Iraqis want U.S.-led forces to withdraw from Iraq within one year. The perception that the U.S. presence in Iraq has a negative impact on security is widespread and is given some support by the British withdrawal from BasraBasraBasra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
which led to a 90% reduction in violence. Overall, 78% of those polled said they believed that the presence of U.S. forces is "provoking more conflict than it's preventing." 53% of those polled believed the Iraqi government would be strengthened if U.S. forces left Iraq (versus 23% who believed it would be weakened), and 71% wanted this to happen in 1 year or less. All of these positions are more prevalent amongst Sunni and Shia respondents than among Kurds. 61% of respondents said that they "approve" of attacks on U.S.-led forces, while 94% still had an unfavorable opinion of al-Qaeda. - In September 2006, The Washington Post reported that the commander of the Marine forces in Iraq filed "an unusual secret report" concluding that the prospects for securing the Anbar province are dim, and that there is almost nothing the U.S. military can do to improve the political and social situation there.
October
- October 20 - The U.S military announced that Operation Together Forward had failed to stem the tide of violence in Baghdad, and Shiite militants under al-Sadr seized several southern Iraq cities.
November
- November 7 - The United States midterm electionsUnited States general elections, 2006The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. All United States House of Representatives seats and one third of the United States Senate seats were contested in this election, as well as 36 state governorships, many state legislatures, four territorial...
removed the Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
from control of both chambers of the United States CongressUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. The failings in the Iraq War were cited as one of the main causes of the Republicans' defeat, even though the Bush administration had attempted to distance itself from its earlier "stay the course" rhetoric. - November 23 - The deadliest attack since the beginning of the Iraq war occurred. Suspected Sunni-Arab militants used five suicide car bombs and two mortar rounds on the capital's Shiite Sadr City slum to kill at least 215 people and wound 257. Shiite mortar teams quickly retaliated, firing 10 shells at Sunni Islam's most important shrine in Baghdad, badly damaging the Abu Hanifa mosque and killing one person. Eight more rounds slammed down near the offices of the Association of Muslim Scholars, the top Sunni Muslim organisation in Iraq, setting nearby houses on fire. Two other mortar barrages on Sunni neighborhoods in west Baghdad killed nine and wounded 21, police said.
- November 28 - Another Marine Corps intelligence report was released confirming the previous report on Anbar stating that, "U.S. and Iraqi troops 'are no longer capable of militarily defeating the insurgency in al-Anbar,' and 'nearly all government institutions from the village to provincial levels have disintegrated or have been thoroughly corrupted and infiltrated by Al Qaeda in Iraq.'"
December
- December 12 - Controversy arose when former Secretary of State Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
announced before the surge took place that there would have to be a draw down of troops by mid-2007.
December 30 - Ex Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is executed by hanging.
Notable deaths
- February 22 - Atwar BahjatAtwar BahjatAtwar Bahjat was an Iraqi journalist and reporter for al-Arabiya television who was abducted and murdered while covering a story. She had previously worked for al-Jazeera...
, 30, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i journalist for al-Arabiya, abducted and killed in IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. - March 6 - Mubdar Hatim al-DulaimiMubdar Hatim al-DulaimiMajor General Mubdar Hatim al-Dulaimi was the top general of all Iraqi Army forces in Baghdad. According to police sources he was shot and killed by a sniper as he drove through western Baghdad....
, 55, Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in the Iraqi ArmyIraqi ArmyThe Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
, shot by a sniperSniperA sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
. - April 21 - Jacob KovcoJacob KovcoJacob Bruce Kovco was a Private in the Australian Army who died while deployed in Iraq, fatally wounded by a single shot to the head from his own Browning 9mm sidearm. PTE Kovco was the first Australian soldier to die while deployed to the Middle Eastern Area of Operations...
, 25, first Australian Defence ForceAustralian Defence ForceThe Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
serviceperson killed in Iraq2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. - May 6 - Wing Commander John Coxen, 46, Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, most senior British Officer killed in Iraq to date. - May 6 - Flt Lt Sarah Mulvihill, 32, first British servicewoman to be killed in action in Iraq.
- May 29 - James BrolanJames BrolanJames Brolan was a British freelance television sound technician, who was killed with cameraman Paul Douglas in an explosion in Iraq on 29 May 2006 while working for CBS...
, 42, CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
News sound technician, injuries sustained in car bombing in IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. - May 31 - Ali Jaafar Ali, 39, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i sports anchorman, shot dead by unknown gunmen in BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. - June 7 - Abu Musab al-ZarqawiAbu Musab al-ZarqawiAbu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
, 39, leader of Al-Qaeda in IraqAl-Qaeda in IraqAl-Qaeda in Iraq is a popular name for the Iraqi division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda. It is recognized as a part of the greater Iraqi insurgency....
, US military strike. - June 7 - Sheik Abd-Al-RahmanSheik Abd-Al-RahmanSheik Abd-Al-Rahman , also Shaykh Abd Al-Rahman or Sheik Abd Al-Rahman, was the spiritual advisor to al-Qaeda in Iraq until his death in June 2006.-Death:...
, spiritual adviser for Al-Qaeda in IraqAl-Qaeda in IraqAl-Qaeda in Iraq is a popular name for the Iraqi division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda. It is recognized as a part of the greater Iraqi insurgency....
, US military strike. - October 11 - Raad Mutar SalehRaad Mutar SalehSheikh Raad Mutar Saleh led the tiny Mandaean community in Iraq until being shot dead by unknown assassins in Suweira, 65 km southeast of Baghdad in the Tigris river valley....
, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i Mandaean leader, shot. - November 20 - Walid HassanWalid HassanWalid Hassan was a Shia Muslim Iraqi comedian. At the time of his death he was one of five actors on Caricature, a 45-minute comedy satire on Al-Sharqiyah TV, that did not hesitate to make fun of U.S...
, 47, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, shot. - December 30 - Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, 69, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i PresidentPresident of IraqThe President of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of...
(1979–2003), executionCapital punishmentCapital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
by hangingHangingHanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
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