2007 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...
- President
January
- January 6 - Battle of Haifa StreetBattle of Haifa StreetThe Battle of Haifa Street was a battle fought during January 2007 for the control of Haifa Street, a two-mile-long street in downtown Baghdad, Iraq, pitting American and Iraqi Army forces against various Sunni insurgent forces between January 6 and January 9, 2007 , and then two weeks later on...
begins; in the next three days more than 120 people are killed, mostly insurgents. - January 10 -
- President Bush announces new strategy that includes an additional 20,000 troops, eliciting vocal resistance from the US House and Senate.
- A MoldovaMoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
n cargo plane mysteriously crashes2007 Balad aircraft crashThe 2007 Balad aircraft crash was a January 9, 2007 airplane incident involving an Antonov An-26 airliner, which crashed while attempting to land at the U.S. military base in Balad, Iraq. The crash killed 34 people aboard and left one passenger critically injured...
in BaladBalad, IraqBalad is a city north of Baghdad in the Salah ad Din Governorate Iraq. It is located within the borders of the so-called Sunni Triangle; however, Balad is a primarily Shiite town of approximately 100,000...
. The official cause is fogFogFog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
, but there are claims it was shot down.http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/545
- January 15 - Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court; and Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam's half brother and former intelligence chief, were both executed by hanging before dawn in Baghdad. Ibrahim was beheaded by the noose, sparking anger from Sunnis who claim his body was "mutilated."http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16629656/
- January 16 - Sixty-five people are killed in a suicide car bomb explosion outside the Baghdad's Al-Mustansiriya UniversityAl-Mustansiriya UniversityAl-Mustansiriya University is a university located in Baghdad, Iraq. It was established in 1227 by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustansir and is one of the oldest universities in the world. Formerly named Mustansiriya Madrasah, it was restructured as a modern university in 1927...
, one of a series of attacks across Iraq that killed at least 109, the deadliest day in weeks.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16649074/ - January 18 - The first in the series of 2007 chlorine bombings in Iraq; a failed chemical attack results in 16 deaths from explosives.
- January 20 -
- The third deadliest day for US troops in Iraq occurred, with at least 25 US soldiers killed. Twelve were killed when a US helicopter was shot down northeast of Baghdad, four more were killed in Anbar province, and three were killed in separate roadside bombings.
- Five of the soldiers were killed during the Karbala provincial headquarters raidKarbala provincial headquarters raidThe raid of the Karbala provincial headquarters was an infiltration attack carried out on 20 January 2007 by insurgent commandos, with possible Iranian involvement, on a meeting of U.S. and Iraqi officials at the governor's compound in Karbala to discuss security for the Shia ceremony of Ashoura...
, in which about a dozen militiamen—who spoke English, wore US military uniforms, carried US-issued arms and drove vehicles used by dignitaries—attacked the governor's compound and kidnapped and later executed some of the American soldiers located inside in what is considered one of the most sophisticated attacks of the war.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16722042/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16732376/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4503690.html
- January 21 - Moqtada al-Sadr announces his political bloc will return to parliament, ending his two-month boycott.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16732376/
- January 22 - Two powerful car bombs ripped through a market in central Baghdad22 January 2007 Baghdad bombingsThe 22 January 2007 Baghdad bombings was a terrorist attack that occurred when two powerful car bombs ripped through the Bab Al-Sharqi market in central Baghdad, killing at least 88 people and wounding 160 others in one of the bloodiest days since the US invasion of Iraq...
, killing at least 88 people and wounding 160 others. The blasts at the Baghdad market were aimed at a Shiite area and seemed timed to inflict maximum damage, occurring at noon local time, one of the busiest times of day. In addition to the market attacks, a bombing in a Shiite town north of Baghdad killed 15 people. Later same day, a Sunni mosque in the Dura section of Baghdad was blown up; there were no reports of casualties.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16749430/ - January 23 - Five US civilians working for Blackwater USA are killed in Baghdad when their helicopter came under fire and crashed. The helicopter was coming to the aid of a US Embassy convoy that had come under fire, a US diplomatic official said. NBC News reports that four of the contractors were shot execution style. Two Sunni insurgent groups claimed responsibility for the attack.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16783885/
- January 25 - Two mortars slam into the Green Zone and a suicide car bomb detonates in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad, killing at least 26 and injuring 54. A second explosion in Baghdad occurred later. The attacks came hours after a pledge from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that the upcoming security crackdown in Baghdad will track down militants and make the city safer.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16803740/
- January 28 -
- Battle of Najaf (2007)Battle of Najaf (2007)The Battle of Najaf took place on 28 January 2007 at Zarqa near Najaf, Iraq, betweenIraqi Security Forces The Battle of Najaf took place on 28 January 2007 at Zarqa (alt. Zarga) near Najaf, Iraq, betweenIraqi Security Forces The Battle of Najaf took place on 28 January 2007 at Zarqa (alt. Zarga)...
, more than 280 people are reported killed. - First of the 2007 chlorine bombings in Iraq happens in RamadiRamadiRamadi is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad. It is the capital of Al Anbar Governorate.-History:Ramadi is located in a fertile, irrigated, alluvial plain.The Ottoman Empire founded Ramadi in 1869...
killing 16 people.
- Battle of Najaf (2007)
February
- February 2 - National Intelligence EstimateNational Intelligence EstimateNational Intelligence Estimates are United States federal government documents that are the authoritative assessment of the Director of National Intelligence on intelligence related to a particular national security issue...
on Iraq released by U.S. intelligence.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16945029/ - February 3 - A large truck bomb exploded in a busy market in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad3 February 2007 Baghdad market bombingThe 3 February 2007 Baghdad market bombing was the detonation of a large truck bomb in a busy market in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on 3 February 2007...
. The suicide attack killed at least 135 people and injured a further 339 others. The bomb brought down at least 10 buildings and coffee shops and obliterated market stalls in a largely Shiite enclave less than a half a mile from the Tigris River.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16957259/ - February 5 - A car bomb in Baghdad at a petrol station killed 15 people and wounded 65 in the Saidiya district.
- February 6 -
- A Chinook helicopter crashes in western Iraq, killing 7; the fifth US helicopter to crash in two weeks.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17021136/
- A car bomb at a market in Fallujah killed 10 people, including two children, and injured 30 others.
- February 7 -
- The much-awaited security crackdown was implemented in Baghdad.
- A car bomb killed 20 and injured 45 others at a market in Aziziya.
- February 12 - Three car bombs explode in Baghdad12 February 2007 Baghdad bombingsTwo car bombs exploded in Baghdad, Iraq at 12:20 on 12 February 2007 in the Shorja market district, killing 76 people, and injuring 155-180.The explosions set market stalls, shops, and an adjoining 7-storey building on fire, causing further casualties, and local fire-crews struggled for hours to...
, killing about 76 and wounding some 150 people. The bombings coincided with the first anniversary, according to the Muslim lunar calendar, of the destruction of the Shiite Golden Dome Mosque in Samarra.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17111509/ - February 14 - Operation Law and Order, a joint Coalition-Iraqi security plan conducted throughout Baghdad, begins.
- February 15 - Operation Shurta NasirOperation Shurta NasirOperation Shurta Nasir or Operation Police Victory or the Battle of Hīt was an operation led by U.S. troops and Iraqi SWAT teams trying to capture the town of Hīt from Al-Qaeda forces. The goal of the mission was to eject the Al-Qaeda from the city and establish three Police Stations there to...
, the attack on the town of HītHītHīt is an Iraqi city in Al-Anbar province. Hīt lies northwest of Ramadi, the provincial capital.On the Euphrates River, Hīt is a small walled town built on two mounds on the site of the ancient city of Is; bitumen wells in the vicinity have been utilized for at least 3,000 years and were used in...
by Iraqi and U.S. troops, begins and ends in an allied victory. - February 18 -
- Three suicide bombs detonate in Baghdad18 February 2007 Baghdad bombingsThree car bombs exploded in mainly Shia areas of Baghdad, killing at least 63 people and injuring more than 120 on February 18, 2007. It happened despite a huge military offensive was going on, led by US and Iraqi troops.-External links:*...
, killing 63 and injuring more than 129.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17214272 - Operation SinbadOperation SinbadOperation Sinbad was an operation led by the Iraqi Security Forces and supported by British, Danish and other Multi-National Forces in southern Iraq. The operation began during the early hours of September 27, 2006. The stated goal of the operation was to root out corrupt police as well as offer...
ends with the partial stabilisation of Basra, eventual British troop withdrawal.
- Three suicide bombs detonate in Baghdad
March
- March 1 - At Amaryit al Fallujuh, a village in western Anbar province where local tribes had opposed al Qaeda, Iraqi forces killed some 80 militants and arrested 50 more.http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/YAT152789.htm
- March 5 -
- A suicide car bomber blew himself up in a crowded book market in Baghdad killing at least 38 people and injuring 105.
- Thirty bullet-ridden bodies showing signs of torture were found across Baghdad. Blamed on Shiite death squads, the figure was the highest in weeks.
- March 6 -
- Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of Shiite pilgrims streaming toward the holy city of Karbala killing at least 120 people and injuring more than 190.
- As many as 300 al Qaeda-led militants attacked Mosul's Badoush prison and freed up to 140 prisoners, mostly believed to be insurgents.
- Twelve US soldiers were killed in one of the deadliest days suffered by American forces in Iraq since the start of the war.http://www.kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2007/03/07/7642.shtml
- March 7 -
- A March 7, 2007 survey of more than 2,000 Iraqis commissioned by the BBC and three other news organizations found that 51% of the population consider attacks on coalition forces "acceptable," up from 17% in 2004 and 35% in 2006. Also:
- 64% described their family's economic situation as being somewhat or very bad, up from 30% in 2005.
- 88% described the availability of electricity as being either somewhat or very bad, up from 65% in 2004.
- 69% described the availability of clean water as somewhat or very bad, up from 48% in 2004.
- 88% described the availability of fuel for cooking and driving as being somewhat or very bad.
- 58% described reconstruction efforts in the area in which they live as either somewhat or very ineffective, and 9% described them as being totally nonexistent.
- A March 7, 2007 survey of more than 2,000 Iraqis commissioned by the BBC and three other news organizations found that 51% of the population consider attacks on coalition forces "acceptable," up from 17% in 2004 and 35% in 2006. Also:
- March 11 - Three blasts in Baghdad aimed at the returning Shiite pilgrims killed at least 47 people and injured 35. In the most deadly attack, a suicide car bomber hit a flatbed truck killing at least 32 and injuring 24. This latest violence occurred just one day after Baghdad hosted a conference on security, attended by the US, Syria and Iran.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6439165.stm?ls
- March 16 - Three suicide truck bombers detonated their chlorine-laden vehicles in Al Anbar province, killing two policemen and leaving 350 civilians and six US soldiers sick from poisoning.http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/17/iraq.main/index.html
- March 22 - Insurgents attempt to assassinate United Nations Secretary-GeneralUnited Nations Secretary-GeneralThe Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat of the United Nations, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations....
Ban Ki-moonBan Ki-moonBan Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
during his visit in Baghdad. The rocket attack caused no injuries but rattled the heavily guarded Green ZoneGreen ZoneThe Green Zone is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a area of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental center of the Coalition Provisional Authority and remains the center of the international presence in the city...
. It struck right after Prime Minister al-Maliki, standing next to Ban, had finished telling reporters that Ban's visit was a sign that Iraq was on the road to stability. - March 27 - Insurgents have blown up two trucks in the Iraqi town of Talafar, killing 85 people and injuring 183. It was one of the largest attacks in Talafar since US President George Bush used the town to illustrate progress in Iraq. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6500617.stm
- March 28 - Gunmen are reported to have killed at least 70 Sunni men in the north-western Iraqi border town of Talafar, in reprisal for the forementioned bombings on March 27.
- March 29 -
- A series of deadly bomb attacks kills more than 100 people in Shia areas of Baghdad and the town of Khalis. Earlier, more than 40 people died and 80 were injured in three co-ordinated blasts in Khalis.
- The US Congress passed supplemental funding authorization bills to pay $122 billion for emergency war operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, including requirements that the US withdraw its troops from Iraq by August, 2008. Bush threatened to veto any bill including such a withdraw provision.
- March 30 - The United States SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
approved on March 30, 2007 the goal, not a requirement, of getting all combat soldiers out by March 31, 2008.
April
- April 1 - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says the Shia militia known as the Mehdi Army has stopped its activities on the orders of its leader, Moqtada al-Sadr.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6515111.stm
- April 3 - Matthew DowdMatthew DowdMatthew John Dowd is an American political consultant who was the chief strategist for the Bush-Cheney '04 presidential campaign. In December 2007, he was introduced on ABC's Good Morning America as its new political contributor...
, chief strategist for George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's re-election campaign in 2004, told The New York Times that his son was about to be deployed to Iraq, and partly for that reason he now opposed U.S. policy there and backs a withdrawal. Bush dismissed Dowd's opinion in an April press conference, calling him "obviously intensified" and "emotional." - April 11 - In April, Secretary of Defense Robert GatesRobert GatesDr. Robert Michael Gates is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W....
announced that all active-duty Army soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will serve for sixteen months, instead of the twelve month tours they expected. "Without this action, we would have had to deploy five Army active-duty brigades sooner than the 12-month at-home goal", Gates said. Statistics released in April indicated that more and more soldiers have been deserting their duty, a sharp rise from the years before. - April 12 -
- Suicide truck bombs destroyed the al-Sarafiya bridgeAl-Sarafiya bridgeThe al-Sarafiya bridge crosses the River Tigris in Baghdad. It was built in the 1940s or 1950s under the British Mandate of Mesopotamia and connected the two northern Baghdad neighborhoods of Waziriyah and Utafiyah....
over the Tigris River, killing at least 10. The bridge was reportedly over 75 years old and constructed by the British. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18033283/ - A suicide bomber detonated a bomb inside a cafeteria outside the Iraqi Parliament chamber, killing one member of Parliament (down from eight killed including three members of Parliament as previously reported), and wounding 22 in the 2007 Iraqi Parliament Bombing2007 Iraqi Parliament bombingOn April 12, 2007, the canteen of the Council of Representatives of Iraq building was attacked by a suicide bomber, killing one MP and wounding 23 other people. The attack, in the heavily fortified Green Zone of Baghdad, occurred ten minutes after the Council of Representatives had adjourned for...
. Seven of the wounded were members of Parliament. The building where the bombing occurred was inside the heavily fortified Green ZoneGreen ZoneThe Green Zone is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a area of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental center of the Coalition Provisional Authority and remains the center of the international presence in the city...
.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18072203/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18087543/
- Suicide truck bombs destroyed the al-Sarafiya bridge
- April 14 -
- Insurgents detonated a car bomb inside at a bus station in Karbala, killing at least 37 and wounding more than 150.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18104441/
- A bomb detonated on a bridge in Baghdad spanning the Tigris River, killing 10, the second in two days. The bridge was only slightly damaged.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18104441/
- April 16 - Moqtada al-Sadr's Parliament bloc resigns again in protest of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for US troop withdrawal.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18131236/
- April 18 - Four bombings occur in Baghdad, killing at least 198 in the 18 April 2007 Baghdad bombings18 April 2007 Baghdad bombingsThe 18 April 2007 Baghdad bombings were a series of attacks that occurred when five car bombs exploded across Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq, on 18 April 2007, killing nearly 200 people.The attacks targeted mainly Shia locations and civilians...
.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18169833/
May
- May 6 - Roadside bombs killed eight American soldiers in separate attacks in Diyala province and BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
as sectarian tension rises. In all, at least 95 Iraqis were killed or found dead nationwide. - May 8 - More than half of the members of Iraq's parliament rejected the continuing occupation of their country for the first time. 144 of the 275 lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition that would require the Iraqi government to seek approval from parliament before it requests an extension of the U.N. mandate for foreign forces to be in Iraq expiring at the end of 2007. It also calls for a timetable for the troop withdrawal and a freeze on the size of the foreign forces. The U.N. Security Council mandate for U.S.-led forces in Iraq will terminate "if requested by the government of Iraq." Under Iraqi law, the speaker must present a resolution called for by a majority of lawmakers. 59% of those polled in the U.S. support a timetable for withdrawal.
- May 9 - Vice President Cheney began his tour of the Middle East with a previously unannounced visit to Baghdad, his second since the invasion. In 12 hours of meetings with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and other leaders, he urged the Iraqis to act decisively on issues that have divided Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, and he told them that political progress in Baghdad is essential if American military support is to be sustained in the face of strong Congressional and popular opposition in the United States. (NY Times)
- May 10 - Moderate Republicans gave President Bush a blunt warning on his Iraq policy at a private White House meeting this week, telling the president that conditions needed to improve markedly by fall or more Republicans would desert him on the war. Participants in the Tuesday meeting between Mr. Bush, senior administration officials and 11 members of a moderate bloc of House Republicans said the lawmakers were unusually candid with the president, telling him that public support for the war was crumbling in their swing districts. (NY Times)
- May 25 - On May 24, 2007, the US congress passed H.R. 2206, a supplemental funding authorisation bill to pay almost $95 billion for emergency war operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The bill established benchmarks for the Iraqi government, but continued U.S. military spending is not tied to these benchmarks. Bush signed the bill on May 25.
June
- June 3 - British forces accused of releasing large numbers of man eating badgers in the vicinity of Basra.
July
- July 12 - July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike, (associated with WikiLeaksWikileaksWikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
in 2010), in which two ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
photographers were killed - July 18 - A bill in the US Senate falls eight votes short of the required 60 votes to pass it, with a 52-47 vote. The vote came after an all-night debate session, and would have required all US troops to be out of Iraq by April 30, 2008. The vote was primarily along party lines; only four RepublicansRepublican 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...
voted to advance the bill.
August
- August 27 - Karbla fallen in chaos and clashes between unknown gunmen and the authority of the city during the pilgrame of Shias to Imam Al-Hussien Tomb in the mid sha'ban rituals .
September
- September 3 - The British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
garrison in 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...
completes a planned withdrawal from the city to an out-of-town airport, leaving the Iraqi security forces in command of the city. - September 10 - General David PetraeusDavid PetraeusDavid Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...
and Ambassador Ryan CrockerRyan CrockerRyan Clark Crocker is a Career Ambassador within the United States Foreign Service and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He currently is the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan. He was the United States Ambassador to Iraq until 2009; he previously served as the U.S...
issue the Report to Congress on the Situation in IraqReport to Congress on the Situation in IraqThe Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq was a two-part report released on September 10, 2007 by General of the Multinational force in Iraq David H. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker on progress by the Iraqi government in the ongoing Iraq War...
and testify before Congress. - September 13 - Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al-Rishawi(is a Sunni leader in the Al-Anbar province one of the leader in a movement of Sunni tribesmen, the Anbar Salvation Council.)was killed along with two of his bodyguards by a roadside bomb near his home in Ramadi, Anbar, Iraq.
- September 19 - The US private security firm BlackwaterBlackwater WorldwideXe Services LLC, better known by its former names, Blackwater USA and Blackwater Worldwide, is a private military company founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark.. Xe is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department's three private security contractors...
claim they acted "lawfully and appropriately" in a shooting incident which left 11 Iraqi civilians dead.
October
- October 8 - Gordon BrownGordon BrownJames Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
announces that British troop numbers in Iraq will be reduced to 2500 by the spring of 2008. - October 13 - Retired US military commander Ricardo SanchezRicardo SanchezRicardo Sanchez is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General and a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for the Senate election in 2012 for the seat of retiring Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.-Early life and education:...
warns that Iraq is "a nightmare with no end in sight". - October 18 - Turkish MPs give the government permission to fight Kurdish rebels in Iraqi territory.
- October 21 - 12 Turkish soldiers die in clashes with the Kurdish PKK guerrilla group near the border with Iraq, raising fears that Turkey will launch incursions into northern Iraq.
November
- November 1 - Statistics for October suggest that violence in Iraq has dropped dramatically since the beginning of the US "surge".
- November 2 - The US declares the Kurdist separatist organisation PKK "a common enemy" in an attempt to prevent Turkey invading northern Iraq.
- November 7 - 2007 becomes the most deadly year for American troops in Iraq.
- November 30 - Australian prime minister-elect Kevin RuddKevin RuddKevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
declares that the country's 550 combat troops will withdraw from Iraq by Summer 2008.
December
- December 6 - In the wake of the Blackwater affair, new rules are issued by the US for private security firms in Iraq.
- December 9 - Gordon BrownGordon BrownJames Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
announces that the province of Basra will be handed over to Iraqi Control within the next two weeks. - December 16 -
- British troops hand control of Basra over to Iraqi authorities. A BBC survey finds that 86% of local residents think the presence of British troops since 2003 has had an overall negative effect on the province.
- Turkey launches air strikes against Kurdish rebel positions inside Iraq for the first time.
- December 17 - US Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno claims that violence in Iraq has decreased to the lowest level since the first year of the occupation.
- December 18 -
- TurkishTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
troops cross overnight into the Iraqi Kurdish province of Dahuk, about 200 km (124.3 mi) north of KirkukKirkukKirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
. - US Secretary of State Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
makes an unscheduled visit to KirkukKirkukKirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
before proceeding to Baghdad, where she calls on Iraqi leaders to urgently implement a national reconciliation roadmap. - The United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security CouncilThe United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
unanimously approves resolution 1790United Nations Security Council Resolution 1790United Nations Security Council Resolution 1790 was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on December 18, 2007, extending the mandate of the multinational force in Iraq until December 31, 2008...
, extending the mandate of the multinational force in Iraq until December 31, 2008.
- Turkish
Notable deaths
- January 15 - Awad Hamed al-BandarAwad Hamed al-BandarAwad Hamad al-Bandar was an Iraqi chief judge under Saddam Hussein's presidency. He was the head of the Revolutionary Court which issued death sentences against 143 Dujail residents, in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on the president on July 8, 1982 Awad Hamad al-Bandar ...
, 61, former chief judge of 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....
, execution 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...
. - January 15 - Barzan Ibrahim al-TikritiBarzan Ibrahim al-TikritiBarzan Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti was one of three half-brothers of Saddam Hussein, and a leader of the Mukhabarat, the Iraqi intelligence service...
, 55, half-brother of 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...
, former leader of the Iraqi Intelligence ServiceIraqi Intelligence ServiceThe Iraqi Intelligence Service , also known as the Mukhabarat, General Directorate of Intelligence, or Party Intelligence, was the main state intelligence organization in Iraq under Saddam Hussein...
, execution 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...
. - February 20 - Ihab KareemIhab KareemIhab Kareem was an Iraqi footballer who played in an attacking midfield position for Al Sinaa.He died in a hospital after bombings in Baghdad on February 18, 2007, at the age of 26.-References:...
, 26, 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 footballerFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, bombing18 February 2007 Baghdad bombingsThree car bombs exploded in mainly Shia areas of Baghdad, killing at least 63 people and injuring more than 120 on February 18, 2007. It happened despite a huge military offensive was going on, led by US and Iraqi troops.-External links:*...
. - March 14 - Sa'dun HammadiSa'dun HammadiSa'dun Hammadi was briefly Prime Minister of Iraq under President Saddam Hussein from March until September 1991. He succeeded Hussein, who had previously been prime minister in addition to being president, but was forced out due to his reformist views.Hammadi was born in Karbala and was a...
, 76, 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 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...
(1991), leukemiaLeukemiaLeukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
. - March 20 - Taha Yassin RamadanTaha Yassin RamadanTaha Yasin Ramadan al-Jizrawi was a prominent Iraqi Kurd, serving as Vice President of Iraq from March 1991 to the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003....
(b. 1938), Iraqi vice president of 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...
, executed by hanging - April 12 - Mohammed AwadMohammed AwadMohammed Awad was a political party member of the Iraqi National Dialogue Council that represented them in the National Assembly of Iraq.On April 12, 2007, he was killed in the Green Zone at the convention centre canteen of the parliament building in Baghdad, Iraq, in the 2007 Iraqi Parliament...
, member of Iraqi Parliament, killed by a suicide bomber during the 2007 Iraqi Parliament bombing2007 Iraqi Parliament bombingOn April 12, 2007, the canteen of the Council of Representatives of Iraq building was attacked by a suicide bomber, killing one MP and wounding 23 other people. The attack, in the heavily fortified Green Zone of Baghdad, occurred ten minutes after the Council of Representatives had adjourned for... - May 26 - Khalil al-ZahawiKhalil al-ZahawiKhalil al-Zahawi was one of Iraq's most prominent Arabic calligraphers. An ethnic Kurd and a native of Diyala Governorate, he began studying calligraphy in 1959, and moved to Baghdad in 1963, where he gave his first exhibition in 1965. He later graduated from the Fine Arts Institute of Baghdad,...
, 60/61, 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 calligrapherCalligraphyCalligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
, shot. - June 7 - Sahar Hussein al-HaideriSahar Hussein al-HaideriSahar Hussein al-Haideri was an Iraqi female print and radio journalist.She was murdered by extremists on June 7, 2007, becoming the 108th journalist, including 86th Iraqi journalist, to be killed covering the Iraq War since its outbreak in 2003. -Early life:Al-Haideri was born in Baghdad, Iraq,...
, 44, 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 journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, shot. - June 17 - Jamal Abdul Karim al-DabbanJamal Abdul Karim al-DabbanSheik Jamal Abdul Karim al-Dabban was a moderate Sunni cleric in the city of Tikrit, Iraq.al-Dabban was the senior Sunni religious leader between July 2004 and his death...
, 68, 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 Sunni religious leader, heart attackMyocardial infarctionMyocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. - June 20 - Nazik Al-MalaikaNazik Al-MalaikaNazik Al-Malaika , Al-Malaika in English: Angels , she was an Iraqi female poet and is considered by many to be one of most influential contemporary Iraqi female poets....
, 84, 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 poet, old ageOld ageOld age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...
. - June 26 - Fasal al GaoodFasal al GaoodSheik Fasal al Gaood was a former governor of Al Anbar province, Iraq and an important Iraqi Sunni Muslim ally of the United States.Fasal al Gaood helped to form an umbrella group of tribal Sunni leaders called the Anbar Salvation Council. The goal of the organization was to ally themselves with...
, 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 former governor of Al Anbar, Sunni tribal sheikhSheikhNot to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
prominent in alliance against Al Qaeda, suicide bomb victim. - July 12 - Saeed ChmaghSaeed ChmaghSaeed Chmagh was an Iraqi employed by Reuters news agency as a driver and camera assistant. He was killed, along with his colleague Namir Noor-Eldeen by American military forces in the New Baghdad district of Baghdad, Iraq, during an airstrike on July 12, 2007.-Life and career:Chmagh was born...
and Namir Noor-EldeenNamir Noor-EldeenNamir Noor-Eldeen was an Iraqi freelance photojournalist. He was killed, along with his assistant Saeed Chmagh and a number of others, by American military forces in the New Baghdad district of Baghdad, Iraq, during an airstrike on July 12, 2007.- Early life and career :Noor-Eldeen was born on...
, two ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
news staff, were killed in the July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike (associated with WikiLeaksWikileaksWikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
in 2010) - July 13 - Khalid HassanKhalid HassanKhalid W. Hassan was an interpreter and reporter in the Baghdad bureau of The New York Times. Hassan was shot and killed on the way to work in the Saidiya district of south central Baghdad...
, 23, 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 reporter for The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, shot. - August 2 - Haitham al-BadriHaitham al-BadriHaitham Sabah Shaker Mohammed al-Badri was an Iraqi government official under Saddam Hussein and is described as the Al-Qaeda mastermind behind the February 22, 2006 Al Askari Mosque bombing in Samarra....
, 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 al Qaeda emirEmirEmir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
of Salahuddin province and Golden Dome bomber, airstrikeAirstrikeAn air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
. - August 24 - Abdul Rahman ArifAbdul Rahman ArifHajj Abdul Rahman Mohammed Arif Aljumaily was president of Iraq from April 16, 1966 to July 17, 1968.-Biography:...
, 91, 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 politician, President of IraqPresident 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...
(1966–1968). - September 13 - Abdul Sattar Abu RishaAbdul Sattar Abu RishaAbdul Sattar Abu Risha - Sheikh Abdul Sattar Eftikhan al-Rishawi ad-Dulaimi الشيخ عبد الستار افتيخان الريشاوي الدليمي - was a high-profile Iraqi tribal sheikh...
, 35, 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 leader of the Anbar Salvation CouncilAnbar Salvation CouncilAnbar Salvation Council is a collection of tribal militias in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, formed by former Baathists and nationalists to fight al-Qaeda in Iraq and other associated terrorist groups. In Arabic the council is known as Sahawa Al Anbar, abbreviated SAA when referred to by the US Army...
, bombBombA bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
. - September 19 - Bassem Hamad al-DawiriBassem Hamad al-DawiriBassem Hamad al-Dawiri was an Iraqi sculptor and artist. He helped create a Baghdad artist association, called the "Survivors' Group" following the fall of the Saddam Hussein government in 2003.Al-Dawiri was born in Iraq...
, 34, 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 sculptor, replaced 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...
statue toppled during 2003 invasion of 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...
, car accidentCar accidentA traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
. - October 14 - Salih Saif AldinSalih Saif AldinSalih Saif Aldin was an Iraqi journalist and correspondent for the Washington Post. Aldin was shot to death while on assignment in Baghdad. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Aldin was believed to be the 119th journalist killed in Iraq since the March 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq at...
, 32, 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 correspondentCorrespondentA correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
for The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, shot. - October 22 - Sargon BoulusSargon BoulusSargon Boulus was an Iraqi-Assyrian poet and short story writer.He was born in Habbaniyah, Iraq. In 1967, he left for Beirut, where he worked as a journalist and a translator. He later emigrated to the United States, and from 1968 lived in San Francisco. He studied comparative literature at the...
, 63, 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 poet. - December 1 - Rassim al-JumailiRassim al-JumailiRassim al-Jumaili was a well known Iraqi comedian and actor.He was born in 1938 in a poor neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq. He attended and graduated from Baghdad's College of Fine Arts in 1964. Al-Jumaili joined the Iraq military following his graduation as an officer. He became an active member of...
(b. 1938), Iraqi comedian and actor, kidney failure.