Iraq War Era Events Timeline

This is a collection of links and dates that I stopped updating in 2003. Many of the external links from it are probably dead by now, but since I just found it browsing through the archives, I thought it might be worth posting.

Date	Event
11 Sep 1951	Liaquat Ali Khan shot dead while addressing public meeting in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, by Afghan fanatic. 50 years later to the day? Nah this may be a dud link, I am not as yet an expert on Pakistan's international relationships in the 50's. but there's a lot of digging to do.
Mar 1982	Dr. Keith Bowden, British scientist working on a pilot program for America's Strategic Defense Initiative--better known as Star Wars dies.
19 Dec 1983	Rumsfeld meets Saddam Hussein with message from Reagan supporting Iraq in the Iran / Iraq war.
1984	Reagan wins US election
5 Mar 1984	US State Department issues statement saying “available evidence indicates that Iraq has used lethal chemical weapons.”
24 Mar 1984	Rumsfeld meets Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz the same day the UN reports Iraq using chemical weapons against UN.
1985	Americas CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) sends samples of a strain of West Nile virus to Iraq. European explosives cartel around 1985 and 1986 smuggled arms and explosives to Iran and Iraq in cooperation with Bush and Ollie North in the USA, working closely with with the KGB and STASI who helped them to smuggle weapons to the Middle East and to the Contras in Nicaragua
1986	Americas ATCC (American Type Culture Collection) ships three strains of anthrax, six strains of the bacteria that make botulinum toxin and three strains of the bacteria that cause gas gangrene to Iraq.
Aug 1986	Vimal Dajibhai, British scientist working on a pilot program for America's Strategic Defense Initiative--better known as Star Wars dies.
28 Oct 1986	Ashaad Sharif, British scientist working on a pilot program for America's Strategic Defense Initiative--better known as Star Wars dies.
22 Feb 1987	Peter Peapell, British scientist working on a pilot program for America's Strategic Defense Initiative--better known as Star Wars dies.
Mar 1987	David Sands, British scientist working on a pilot program for America's Strategic Defense Initiative--better known as Star Wars dies.
1988	Americas ATCC ships four anthrax strains and one strain of Clostridium botulinum to Iraq. George H. Bush wins US election
Aug 1988	Alistair Beckham, British scientist working on a pilot program for America's Strategic Defense Initiative--better known as Star Wars dies. A total of 22 scientests working in this field are reported to have died in various circumstances.
2 Oct 1989	National Security Directive 26 signed by G Bush issued.
Dec 1989	Dick Cheney (then the Secretary of Defense), sets up project to study role of US after the Cold War. Participants include Paul Wolfowitz (then Deputy Secretary of Defense), Lewis Libby (then Cheney's chief of staff), Eric Edelman (Senior foreign-policy adviser) & Colin Powell. The Five-Twenty-One brief.
9 Nov 1989	The fall of the Berlin wall.
21 May 1990	The Five-Twenty-One participants present to Cheney. Wolfowitz's vision is embraced.
2 Aug 1990	Bush Senior presents foreign-policy address based on Cheneys Five-Twenty-One think tank. Iraq invades Kuwait.
1991	Zalmay Khalilzad joins Cheney's team. His views (from "From Containment to Global Leadership?"), "preclude the rise of another global rival for the indefinite future." ... "It is a vital U.S. interest to preclude such a development—i.e., to be willing to use force if necessary for the purpose."
1992	William J. Clinton wins US election The Pentagon, under Cheney's direction, pays Texas-based Brown & Root Services a total of $8.9 million to produce a classified report detailing how private companies -- like itself -- could help provide logistics for American troops in potential war zones around the world.
Spring 1992	Draft of the Defense Planning Guidance(DPG) released, arguing that the core assumption guiding U.S. foreign policy in the 21st century should be the need to establish permanent U.S. dominance over virtually all of Eurasia. (Wolfowitz and Libby at work).
27 Jul 1992	Henry Gonzalez revealed that George Bush signed a top secret National Security Decision directive, known as NSD 26, ordering closer ties with Saddam Hussein and Iraq before congress.
Jan 1993	Dick Cheney produces Defense Strategy for the 1990's: The Regional Defense Strategy suggesting that the US shape the rest of the world, and prevent the rise of rival superpowers.
1996	William J. Clinton wins US election After Bill Clinton's election cost Cheney his government job, he becomes CEO of Halliburton Company, the Dallas-based oil services giant -- which just happens to own Brown & Root Services. (See 1992)
1997	Khalilzad, as paid adviser to the oil multinational Unocal, takes part in talks with Taliban officials regarding the possibility of building highly lucrative gas and oil pipelines. At the same time, he urges Clinton to take a softer line on the Taliban.
Spring 1997	The Project for the New American Century is formed.
Dec 1997	Khalilzad joins Unocal officials at a reception for an invited Taliban delegation in Texas.
26 Jan 1998	Rumsfield, Khalilzad, Perle, Wolfowitz and others send a letter to Clinton from the Project for the New American Century stating that a war with Iraq should be initiated even if the United States could not muster support from its allies in the United Nations.
29 May 1998	Rumsfield, Wolfowitz & Kristol send a letter to Newt Gingrich stating that the U.S. should establish and maintain a strong U.S. military presence in the (gulf) region and be prepared to use that force to protect our vital interests in the Gulf—and, if necessary, to help remove Saddam from power.
26 Aug 1998	Scott Ritter resigns as UN inspector as Clinton reigns in the weapons inspectors in Iraq.
1999	Haliburton has by now registered 44 subsidiaries in tax friendly locations giving Haliburton (Cheney's company) an $85 million rebate in taxes.
7 Jan 1999	The Hawks continue to press for an assault on Iraq [PDF]
2000	Cheney and his wife Lynne pump $35,361 into Bush's campaign. George W. Bush wins US election
Jun 2000	Taliban chief Mullah Muhammad Omar bans poppy (opium) cultivation in Afghanistan.
Aug 2000	Scientists at USAMRIID see Steven Hatfill taking some old biosafety cabinets from a hallway, throwing them in the back of his car, and driving off. Theoretically, the cabinets could have enabled a knowledgeable user to cultivate deadly germs off-site.
27 Nov 2000	Henry Gonzalez dies of unknown causes (see 27 Jul 1992).
2 Mar 2001	Dr. Paul Wolfowitz sworn in as Deputy Secretary of Defense
23 May 2001	Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad appointed as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Gulf, Southwest Asia and Other Regional Issues.
19 Jul 2001	Wolfowitz welcomed as the deputy secretary of Defense and the head of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. The administration has chosen, in Secretary Wolfowitz' words, to "move beyond" the treaty (ABM Treaty)
11 Sep 2001	World Trade Center destroyed in terrorist attack. Pentagon also suffers damage. Wolfowitz suggets immediate action against Iraq to the President.
16 Sep 2001	Anti-terrorism bill proposed.
18 Sep 2001	Envelopes containing letters and granular substances (anthrax) are sent to NBC News in New York and the New York Post. Both are mailed from Trenton, N.J.
20 Sep 2001	G W Bush declares "Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen." ... "Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime" The Hawks present Bush with a letter naming Iraq, Iran, and Syria as potential targets, the letter also addresses Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
7 Oct 2001	America attacks Afghanistan.
13 Oct 2001	President Bush says: “The anthrax attacks might be tied to Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida terrorist network.”
16 Oct 2001	U.S. Senate offices close as hundreds line up for anthrax tests. It is announced that the anthrax mailed to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle is a pure and highly potent version.
24 Oct 2001	House passes the final version of the Patriot Act (anti-terrorism bill) and other previously unpopular Bush projects: Alaska oil drilling, $25 billion in tax cuts for corporations, taps into Social Security funds and cuts in education.
29 Oct 2001	Tests in Florida on cars used by two of the Sept. 11 hijackers found no traces of anthrax.
31 Oct 2001	Kathy Nguyen dies from anthrax exposure (see 14 Dec 2001) she has no connection with postal anthrax attacks.
9 Nov 2001	The FBI says it is increasingly convinced that the person behind the recent anthrax attacks is a lone wolf within the United States who has no links to terrorist groups but is an "opportunist" using the Sept. 11 hijackings to vent his rage.
12 Nov 2001	Dr. Benito Que, a cell biologist working on infectious diseases like HIV, is found dead outside his laboratory at the Miami Medical School
16 Nov 2001	Dr. Don C Wiley, one of the United States foremost infectious disease researchers declared missing (dies in unexplained circumstances)
23 Nov 2001	Dr. Vladimir Pasechnik, a former microbiologist for Biopreparat, the Soviet biological-weapons production facility found dead following submitting research into anthrax to the government.
10 Dec 2001	Dr. Robert M. Schwartz (Founder of the Virginia Biotechnology Association) found murdered in Leesberg, Virginia. Dr. Schwartz was a well-known DNA sequencing researcher.
14 Dec 2001	Set Van Nguyen a skilled microbiologist killed at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's animal diseases facility in Geelong, Australia.
31 Dec 2001	Bush Administration announces appointment of Zalmay Khalilzad as special envoy to Afghanistan
Jan 2002	Bush Administration issues a "Nuclear Posture Review". The report openly discussed the possible use of nuclear weapons, naming seven countries that could be targets of the American nuclear arsenal: Russia, China, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Libya and Syria
29 Jan 2002	Bush's State of the Union Address names North Korea, Iran and Iraq and their terrorist allies "an axis of evil" and warns that America will use pre-emptive force. Also mentioned is the raising of Americas missile defense shield, along with the largest increase in defense spending for two decades.
11 Jul 2002	Protesters gather in front of the Fort Detrick military base in Frederick, Md., to demand an end to U.S. germ warfare programs and call for a people's investigation into the anthrax deaths of postal workers.
20 Jul 2002	Scott Ritter (Ex-UN inspector) publishes article in Boston Globe dismissing potential chemical / biological weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
5 Feb 2002	CIA reports no evidence Iraq has engaged in any terrorism directed at the US or its allies.
22 Feb 2002	John Bolton (Arms control and disarmament office at the State Department) - tells Washington Times that: that the world had changed so dramatically on Sep. 11, 2001, that it was no longer unthinkable to use nuclear arms against rogue states thought to possess weapons of mass destruction.
13 Jun 2002	USA formally withdraws from the 1972 ABM Treaty.
12 Oct 2002	A New York Times reported leak reveals that Wolfowitz sees war with Afghanistan falling short of turning the “war on terrorism” into a full-blown “Clash of Civilizations". The aim being to turn the Islamic religion into the next cold war enemy. In case you didn't know, Wolfowitz has been described as a "nut" by certain senators. Sadly I am unable to find a direct link to this article yet, although it is widely quoted. (NYT is pay for view).
2 Oct 2002	American Gulf War Veterans Association call for the resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after he denied the U.S. sent biological weapons to Iraq during the 1980s.
13 Nov 2002	Scott Ritter (ex-UN inspector, resigned 1998) believes that the UN inspectors destroyed 90-95% of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction in the seven years they spent there. He also argues that it would be impossible for Iraq to build new weapons in the three years since inspectors left, without being detected. (The audio is worth a listen)
6 Feb 2003	British government accused of basing its latest Iraq dossier on old material, including an article by an American post-graduate student.
26 Feb 2003	The UN International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) reports that Afghanistan produced 3,400 tonnes of heroin last year, up from 185 tonnes in 2001. 95% of heroin in Europe is believed to come from Afghanistan. The heroin trade is a well established financial resource for terrorist and criminal activity.
Mar 2003	Intelligence documents that U.S. and British governments said were strong evidence that Iraq was developing nuclear weapons dismissed as forgeries by U.N. weapons inspectors.
20 Mar 2003	War on Iraq begins
7 Apr 2003	US troops enter Baghdad.
8 Apr 2003	Ole Rothenborg reports American soldiers initiated looting in Baghdad.
9 Apr 2003	The "historic" toppling of the statue of Saddam. The looting of Baghdad begins. Any records that survived the bombing are destroyed by looters wrecking government buildings and stealing computer hardware.
11 Apr 2003	Russian President Vladimir Putin puts the pressure on the US to begin the UN role in Iraq, supported by French and German allies at a summit in St Petersburg. Looting in Baghdad continues, fear of civil war increases. Kurdish forces report withdrawal from Kirkuk. Rumsfeld looses rag over media coverage of looting in Iraq.
12 Apr 2003	Chaos continues in Iraq. Sunni Muslims fight gun battles with their Shia neighbours. Kurds and Arabs fight in Mosul. The People's Mujahedin reports fighting near its camps in north-eastern Iraq. It accuses Tehran of sending agents into Iraq. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warns civil war could erupt in Iraq unless American and British forces restore law and order.
13 Apr 2003	Bush declares that Syria holds chemical weapons and warns against Syria harbouring Iraqi fugatives. It's nigh on official Syria will be next. Iraq remains in turmoil leaving hospitals in Baghdad looted and with no water or electricity.
28 Apr 2003	General Tommy Franks under investigation for war crimes in case using Belgian international law. North Korea "mis-reported" during talks with America. North Korea warned of extraordinary measures if the United States played its "usual tricks."
29 Apr 2003	Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas announced as new Palestinian prime minister. (The US favoured option). The "Road map to peace" looks hopefull. US announces withdrawal of troops from Saudi Arabia 13 dead and 75 wounded Iraqis after American troops open fire on demonstration in Fallujah, Iraq.
Now	No Weapons of Mass Destruction uncovered. Saddam not found dead or alive. Iraq in turmoil. What were the mission aims again? Syria?
11 Jun 2003	Next OPEC meeting. Will America play Iraq's hand?
References	THE NEXT WORLD ORDER by NICHOLAS LEMANN 25th Mar 2002 Zalmay Khalilzad - Envoy for Islamic Terror U.S. Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strike Plan War and Oil The Saddam in Rumsfeld's Closet US supplied the kinds of germs Iraq later used for boilogical weapons The Road to War Fake Iraq documents 'embarrassing' for US UK accused of lifting dossier text Cheney's Multi-Million Dollar Revolving Door Bush-Cheney Contributions Testimony Before the House Armed Services Committee on Ballistic Missile Defense Wolfowitz Looks Forward to Future Without ABM Treaty

ENDNOTE:
The above list is intended as a means of drawing the various threads together into a cohesive form. Some of the threads may not be attributable to America, however I felt they were worthy of inclusion in the timeline, and I hope the friends and families concerned someday find an answer.

In creating this page, I am constantly amazed at how easy it is to dig dirt on the current American ruling elite. I am also suprised and alarmed to find Bush and Powell appear as Doves amongst the Hawks.

Last updated 21 Apr 2003 unless I forgot to change this line! DOH!

[See? Apart from this line at the bottom and the header edit at the top, unchanged since 2003]