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Events

January

• Hundreds of Saddam Hussein supporters protest the ousted Iraqi dictator's December 30, 2006, execution and vow revenge. Protests are held in Baghdad, Tikrit, and Samarra. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6222975.stm

• The Wall Street Journal publishes a December 24, 2006 interview with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Maliki said that he only accepted his job out of duty and that he wished he could resign as PM before his term ends in 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6228857.stm

• Three officials are arrested in connection with the filming of Saddam Hussein's execution. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13259309/
• A video of five kidnapped contractors in Iraq--four Americans and an Austrian--is delivered to the Associated Press. They spoke briefly and appeared unharmed. The five were kidnapped on November 16, 2006. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16455755/

• Two car bombs explode in Baghdad at a gas station, killing 13 and wounding more than 20 others. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6230187.stm
• CENTCOM commander -- Navy Admiral William J. Fallon replaces General John Abizaid as CENTCOM commander^[1]
• Commander of Multinational Force Iraq -- General David Petraeus replaces General George Casey as Commander of Multinational Force Iraq.^[2]
• U.S. ambassador to Iraq -- Zalmay Khalilzad, now U.S. ambassador to Iraq, nominated as the next ambassador to the United Nations to replace Alejandro Daniel Wolff as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. If Khalilzad is confirmed by the Senate, he will be the first Muslim to serve in the position, and he will be the highest serving Muslim American official in the U.S. government.^[3]

• Battle of Haifa Street begins; in the next three days more than 120 people are killed, mostly insurgents.

• President Bush announces new strategy that includes an additional 20,000 troops, eliciting vocal resistance from the US House and Senate.^[4]
• A Moldovan cargo plane mysteriously crashes in Balad. The official cause is fog, but there are claims it was shot down. http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/545

• 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/

• Sixty-five people are killed in a suicide car bomb explosion outside the Baghdad's Al-Mustansiriya University, 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/

• The first in the series of 2007 chlorine bombings in Iraq; a failed chemical attack results in 16 deaths from explosives.

• 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 raid, 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

• Moqtada al-Sadr announces his political bloc will return to parliament, ending his two-month boycott.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16732376/

• Two powerful car bombs ripped through a market in central Baghdad, 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.^[5]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16749430/

• 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/

• 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/

• Battle of Najaf (2007), more then 280 people are reported killed.
• First of the 2007 chlorine bombings in Iraq happens in Ramadi killing 16 people.

February

• National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq released by U.S. intelligence. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16945029/

• A large truck bomb exploded in a busy market in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. 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/

• A car bomb in Baghdad at a petrol station killed 15 people and wounded 65 in the Saidiya district.

• 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.

• The much-awaited security crackdown was implemented in Baghdad.
• A car bomb killed 20 and injured 45 others at a market in Aziziya.

• During a raid, U.S. troops raided the health ministry building and arrested Hakim Zamili, the deputy health minister.http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1261318.php/Joint_US-Iraqi_forces_detain_deputy_health_minister__2nd_Roundup_
• At least 212 Iraqis were reported killed or found dead today in Iraq; another 123 were wounded in various incidents, victims of death squads and terrorist bombings. http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=10489

• Near Tikrit, a suicide truck bomber attacked the Adwar police station; at least 30 people were killed and 50 wounded in the explosion, including 21 dead police officers.http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=10503

• Three car bombs explode in Baghdad, 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/

• Operation Law and Order, a joint Coalition-Iraqi security plan conducted throughout Baghdad, begins.

• In Kirkuk, a double car bombing at a marketplace killed 10 and wounded 83 others.http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=10541

• Three suicide bombs detonate in Baghdad, killing 63 and injuring more than 129.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17214272
• Operation Sinbad ends with the partial stabilisation of Basra, eventual British troop withdrawal.

• Just north of the capital near Taji, a chemical attack killed nine people and sicken over 150 others; a bomb placed on a chlorine truck exploded releasing the truck’s toxic gases near a roadside restaurant.http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=10555

• In Bayaa, a car bomb that contained chlorine gas canisters as well as explosives killed three people and wounded or sickened 55 others.http://antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=10561

• A truck bomb in Habbaniyah killed 40 people and 64 more were injured. The attack occurred just as worshippers were leaving the mosque.http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=10576
• In Baghdad 40 people were killed and 55 more wounded by a female suicide bomber who detonated her vest near the entrance to the Mustansiriya University's business annex.http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=10577

March

• 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

• 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.

• 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

• 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.^[6]

• 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

• 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

• Insurgents attempt to assassinate United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during his visit in Baghdad. The rocket attack caused no injuries but rattled the heavily guarded Green Zone. 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.

• 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

• 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 in March 27.

• 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.

April

• 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

• Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for George W. Bush's re-election campaign in 2004^[7], 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."^[8]

• Suicide truck bombs destroyed the al-Sarafiya bridge 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 Bombing. Seven of the wounded were members of Parliament. The building where the bombing occurred was inside the heavily fortified Green Zone. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18072203/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18087543/

• 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/

• 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/

• Four bombings occur in Baghdad, killing at least 198 in the 18 April 2007 Baghdad bombings. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18169833/

May

• Roadside bombs killed eight American soldiers in separate attacks in Diyala province and Baghdad as sectarian tension rises. In all, at least 95 Iraqis were killed or found dead nationwide.^[9]

• 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."^[10] Under Iraqi law, the speaker must present a resolution called for by a majority of lawmakers.^[11] 59% of those polled in the U.S. support a timetable for withdrawal.^[12]

• 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)

• 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)

• 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.^[13]

June

• British forces allegedly release large numbers of man eating Badgers in the vicinity of Basra.^[14][15]

July

• 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 Republicans voted to advance the bill. ^[16]

August

• Extremists continue to hit Iraqi residential communities with indirect fire attacks
• Attack on street sweeper kills five Iraqis in eastern Baghdad
• Extremists detonate VBIED against villagers, kill and injure dozens
• Rogue JAM company commander detained during Marne Avalanche
• Task Force Marne Soldiers attacked
• Twenty Iraqis injured in bus bombing
• IA find night vision goggles, detain two during Operation Marne Avalanche
• 15 suspected al-Qaeda terrorists detained
• Suicide car bomb Explodes in Doura
• Iraqi Army, U.S. Special Forces detain suspected rogue JAM recruiter; ISOF detain

September

• September 3, the British Army garrison in Basra completes a "planned withdrawal" from the city to an out-of-town airport, leaving the Iraqi security forces in command of the city.^[17]
• September 10, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker issue the Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq and testify before Congress.

Deaths

• January 15 - Awad Hamed al-Bandar (b. 1945), former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court, and Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti (b. 1951), half-brother of Saddam Hussein, both executed by hanging
• March 20 - Taha Yassin Ramadan (b. 1938), Iraqi vice president of Saddam Hussein, executed by hanging
• April 12 - Mohammed Awad, member of Iraqi Parliament, killed by a suicide bomber during the 2007 Iraqi Parliament bombing
• August 02 - Haythem Sabah Shaker Mahmud al-Badri, also known as Haythem Sabah al-Badri, was the al-Qaeda in Iraq emir of Greater Samarra and was the mastermind behind the first bombing on Samarra’s Golden Mosque in February 2006, as well as the second bombing June 13 of 2007. Was killed by coalition forces during an operation east of Samarra.

Notes