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Iraq
timeline:
From
handover
to
elections
A timeline of selected events since handover from US administration, highlighting the troubled road to scheduled elections in Iraq on 30 January 2005:
30
January:
Scheduled
election
day. 28
January:
Official
campaign
period
ends. 25
January:
Last
day
for
Iraqi
expatriates
to
register. 24
January:
The
party
headquarters
of interim
Iraqi
Prime
Minister
Iyad
Allawi
is
targeted
in
a
car
bombing
that
injures
10
people. An
Iraqi
man
is
shown
the
voting 22
January: The
interim
government
orders
the
closure
of Baghdad
airport
and
a wide
ranging curfew
for
next
week's
elections. 21
January:
Shias
are
targeted
in
two
attacks:
A
bomb
attack
on
a
Shia
mosque
in
Baghdad
kills
at
least
15
people
and
injures over
40.
A
second
bomber
detonates
an
ambulance
at
a
Shia
wedding
party
in
a
village
south
of
Baghdad,
killing
at
least
seven. 17
January:
The
interim
government
announces
that
Iraq's
borders
will
be
closed
in
an
attempt
to
secure
the
country
before
elections,
but
violence
still
shows
signs
of
spreading
to
so-called
safe
areas,
warn
election
officials. 12
January:
The
White
House
confirms
that
the
search
in
Iraq
for
weapons
of
mass
destruction
has
now
officially
ended,
with
no
evidence
of
their
existence. Assailants
kill
Mahmud
al-Madahaini,
a
Shia
cleric
and
senior
aide
to
Shia
leader
Grand
Ayat
Allah
Ali
al-Sistani.
Another
Sistani
aide,
Halim
al-Muhaqiq,
is
killed
in
Najaf. 10
January:
An
extra
400
British
troops
are
to
be
sent
to
Iraq
ahead
of
the
planned
elections,
British
Defence
Secretary
Geoff
Hoon
announces. 9
January:
US
commanders
order
an
investigation
after
admitting accidentally
bombing
a
civilian
house
in
the
northern
Iraqi
city
of
Mosul
which
killed
14
people. 5
January:
Allawi
insists
that
the
general
election
will
go
ahead
as
planned
on
30
January,
despite increasing
calls
for
a
delay. 4
January:
The
governor
of
Baghdad
is
assassinated
in
the
capital
in
the
most
high-profile
killing
for
several
months.
January,
the
month
of
scheduled 1
January
2005:
Process
of
distributing
ballots
begins. 30
December:
Iraqi
groups
Ansar
al-Sunna,
the
Islamic
Army
in
Iraq,
and
the
Mujahidin
Army
issue
joint
statements
warning
Iraqis
not
to
participate
in
the elections. Armed
men seize
Abbuud
al-Tufaili,
head
of
Iraq's
chamber
of
commerce,
from
his
office
in
Baghdad. 29
December:
At
least
28
people
-
including
10
policemen
-
die
in
Baghdad
in
a
huge
explosion
at
a
suspected fighters
safe-house
that
was
booby-trapped. 27
December:
Iraq's
largest
mainstream
Sunni
Muslim
Iraqi
Islamic
party
pulls
out
of
the
election
race,
complaining
that
the
violence
plaguing
areas
north
and
west
of
Baghdad
makes
a
free
and
fair
vote
on
30
January
impossible. 24
December:
US
Defence
Secretary
Donald
Rumsfeld
-fighting
criticism
at
home
-
pays
a
surprise
visit
to US
troops
in
Iraq.
A
delegation
from
the
Kurdish
Referendum
Movement
delivers
a
petition
with
more
than
1.7
million
signatures
to
the
UN
calling
for
a
referendum
on
Kurdish
independence
in
northern
Iraq. Tony
Blair
travelled
to
Iraq
on
a 21
December:
Tony
Blair
visits
Baghdad,
the
first
serving
British
prime
minister
since
1924
to
do
so.
Meanwhile,
fighters
inflict
their
deadliest
single
attack
on
US
forces
since
the
start
of
the
war,
killing
24
people,
including
19
soldiers,
when
an
explosion
rips
apart
a
military
mess
tent. 19
December:
Car
bombings
by
fighters
in
Najaf
and
Karbala
kill
67
Iraqis
and
wound
120
others.
In
Baghdad,
fighters kill
three
election
officials
after dragging
them
from
their
cars. 17
December:
US
secretaries
Colin
Powell
and
John
Snow,with
interim Iraqi
Finance
Minister
Adil
Abd
al-Mahdi,
sign
an
agreement
cancelling
Iraq's
$4.1
billion
debt
to
the
US. 16
December:
The
Iraqi
election
campaign
officially
begins
in
preparation
for
the
30
January
elections. 15
December:
Deadline
for
registration
for
elections
ends.
Election
campaigns
begin.
The
UN
announces
it
is
expanding
its
presence
in
Iraq
beyond
Baghdad
to
Arbil
and
Basra
to
help
coordinate
the
30
January
elections. 13
December:
A
car
bomber
kills
at
least
13
people
in
Baghdad. 12
December:
Eight
US
marines
are
killed
in
three
separate
attacks
in
Anbar
province,
which
encompasses
Falluja
and
Ramadi. 9
December:
Twenty-three
Shia
political
groups
form
the
United
Iraqi
Alliance
in
preparation
for
the
elections.
The
coalition
is
backed
by
leading
Shia
cleric
Grand
Ayat
Allah
Ali
al-Sistani. 3
December:
Up
to
30
people,
including
at
least
16
Iraqi
police
officers,
are
killed
when
fighters
launch
attacks
in
Baghdad
against
a
Shia
mosque
and
a
police
station. 1
December:
Recruitment
of
polling
station
staff
begins.
The
Pentagon
announces
a
force
increase
in
Iraq
of
nearly
12,000
troops.
The
addition
brings
the
total
number
of
US
soldiers
to
near
150,000,
the
highest
level
since
the
US
invaded
the
country
in
March
2003.
US
air
strikes
reduced
parts
of 16
November:
British-born
charity
worker
Margaret
Hassan
is
presumed killed
by
her
kidnappers. 15
November:
US
troops
call
in
air
strikes
on
the
city
of
Baquba
as
they
wage
gun
battles
in
the
streets
with
groups
of
fighters. 9
November:
Iraq's
most
prominent
Sunni
party,
the
Iraqi
Islamic
Party,
says
it
is
withdrawing
from
the
interim
government.
The
Association
of
Muslim
Scholars,
a
group
of
respected
Sunni
clerics,
calls
for
a
boycott
of
coming
elections.
In
Baghdad,
fighters seize
three
relatives
of Allawi. 8
November:
Allawi
declares
emergency
martial
law
for
60
days
across
most
of
Iraq.
Thousands
of US
troops
fight
their
way
into
parts
of
Falluja
at
the
start
of
an
all-out
assault
to
win
back
control
of
the city. 4
November:
The
IECI
announces
overseas
Iraqis
will
be
allowed
to
vote.
The French medical
relief
agency
Doctors
Without
Borders (MSF) announces
it
is
ending
operations
in
Iraq
because
of
deteriorating
security. 1
November:
Iraqi
voter
and
candidate
registration
begins. 30
October:
Nine
marines
are
killed
and
others
wounded
near
Abu
Ghraib
prison
when
a
car
bomb
rams
into
their
convoy.
In
central
Baghdad, anti-US fighters detonate
a
car
bomb
that
kills seven
people
and
wounds
19
others
outside
the
offices
of
Al-Arabiya
news
channel. 29
October:
A study
says
100,000
Iraqi
civilians
have
died
in
Iraq
since
the
invasion,
mostly
as
a
result
of
air
attacks
by
US-led
forces.
The
Pentagon
orders
about
6500
soldiers
in
Iraq
to
extend
their
tours
in
preparation
for
securing
elections
in
January. 28
October:
Fighters
release
a
video
showing the
killing
of 11
Iraqi
National
Guard
troops
held captive
for
several
days.
A
poster
of
al-Zarqawi,
the
man 21
October:
Voter
registration
materials
distributed.
Britain
announces
that
850
British
troops
in
southern
Iraq
will
be
deployed
near
Baghdad
to
replace
US
fighting
units,
and
are
expected
to
mount
an
assault
on fighters
near
Falluja. 19
October:
The
humanitarian
aid
group
Care
International
announces
that
the
British-born
head
of
its
Iraqi
operation,
Margarat
Hassan,
has
been
kidnapped
in
Baghdad. 17
October:
Fighters
firebomb
five
churches
in
Baghdad,
injuring
dozens. 15
October:
US
forces
continue
a
wave
of
air
and
ground
assaults
on
the
resistance-held
city
of
Falluja
after
peace
talks
fail. 14
October:
Fighters
kill
five
and
wound
18
others
after
breaching
the
heavy
fortifications
of
Baghdad's
Green
Zone. 12
October:
Election
regulations
published
by
the
Independent
Electoral
Commission
in
Iraq
(IECI). 8
October:
A group
releases
a
video
that
shows
the
beheading
of
Kenneth
Bigley,
a
British
engineer
who
was
seized
in
Baghdad
on
16
September. 6
October:
The
US
Iraq
Survey
Group
announces
that
15
months
of
searching
have
uncovered
no
evidence
that
Saddam
Hussein
possessed
weapons
of
mass
destruction. 4
October:
At
least
21
people
are
killed
and
90
wounded
in
three
car
bombings
in
Iraq. 1
October:
The
US
offensive
in
Samarra
kills
up
to
100
fighters.
A
coordinated
string
of
car
bombs explodes
during
a
street
celebration,
which
US
troops
had
organised
for
the
opening
of
a
new
sewage
plant.
The
attack
kills
42
Iraqis,
35
of
them
children,
and
wounds
139.
Foreign
aid
workers
have
been 28
September:
Two
Italian
aid
workers
held
hostage
in
Iraq
for
three
weeks
return
home
to
an
emotional
welcome. 25
September:
US
forces
launch
airstrikes
on
suspected fighters
in
Falluja,
killing
nine
and
wounding
16. 22
September:
At
least
21
people
are
killed
and
150
injured
as
two
car
bombers
strike
in
Baghdad
and
US
forces
pound
suspected
fighters
east
of
the
capital. 21
September:
UN
Secretary-General
Kofi
Annan
delivers
a
stern
rebuke
to
nations
that
"shamelessly
disregard"
international
law.
The
previous
week,
he
branded
the
US-led
war
on
Iraq
as
illegal. 20
September:
The group
associated
with
Jordanian
Abu
Musab
al-Zarqawi
posts
an
internet
video
of
the
beheading
of
US
civilian
engineer
Eugene
Armstrong. 17
September:
US
airstrikes
south
of
Falluja
kill
44
people
and
injure
27.
It
is
the
latest
in
a
series
of
near
daily
bombing
raids
conducted
by
the
US
in
Falluja
in
the
past
two
weeks. 16
September: Armed
men kidnap
a
Briton
and
two
Americans
from
a
house
in
central
Baghdad. 14
September:
In
Baghdad,
a
car
bomb
packed
with
artillery
shells
kills
47
people
and
wounds
114
outside
police
headquarters. 12
September:
Coordinated
hours-long
attacks
using
car
bombings, missile
and
mortar
fire
in
Baghdad
and
other
sites
around
the
country
kill
78
Iraqis
and
wound
more
than
200
others.
In
a
hasty
response, 13
die
in
a
US
attack
on
a
Baghdad
crowd. 7
September:
The
number
of
US
military
personnel
killed
in
Iraq
tops
1000. Armed
men
seize
two
Italian
aid
workers
in
Baghdad. US
planes
strike
a fighters'
stronghold
near
Falluja.
The
US
military
claims
the
strikes
killed
up
to
100
fighters.
The
Imam
Ali
shrine
in
Najaf
was 1
September:
An
Iraqi group
broadcasts
the
execution
of
12
Nepalese
contractors
working
for
the
US
military
on
a
website. 28
August:
A
long
and
brutal
siege
of
Imam
Ali's
shrine
is
brought
to
an
end
with
the
US
claiming
hundreds
of al-Mahdi
Army
fighters
killed.
Both
US
and
al-Sadr's
forces
retreat
in
a
negotiated
deal.
Meanwhile,
an
Iraqi group
kidnaps
two
French
journalists. 19
August:
Iraq's
national
conference
closing
day
elects
the
country's
100
seat
interim
assembly,
which
will
serve
as
a
parliament,
until
national
elections
are
held
in
January. 8
August:
Iraqi
officials
order
the
arrest
of
Iraqi
National
Congress
leader
(and
potential
leading
election
candidate)
Ahmad
Chalabi
on
counterfeiting
charges. 7
August:
The
Iraqi
interim
government
orders
the
closing
of
Aljazeera's
Baghdad
bureau,
accusing
the
Arab
television
network's
coverage
of
encouraging anti-US and
anti-Iraqi
activities. 6
August:
US
forces
say
they
have
killed
at
least
300
fighters
during
a
ferocious
two-day
battle
in
the city
of
Najaf. 4
August:
Iraqi
police
announce
that
Shia
cleric
Muqtada
al-Sadr's
al-Mahdi
Army
has
kidnapped
18
police
officers
and
has
demanded
the
release
of
detained
fighters. 2
August:
A
brigade
of
3600
US
troops
departs
from
South
Korea
for
Iraq.
Car
bombs
have
been
a
favoured 30
July:
US
Secretary
of
state
Colin
Powell
makes
a
surprise
visit
to
Iraq
and
repeats
accusations
that
Iran
is
attempting
to
gain
political
influence
in
the
south
of
the
country. 28
July: Sixty-eight
people
are
killed
when
a
car
bomb
explodes
outside
a
police
recruiting
centre
in
central
Baquba. 18
July:
A
US
airstrike
on
suspected
fighters
in
Falluja
destroys
a
house
and
kills
14
people. 15
July: Attackers
assassinate
the
governor
of
Mosul,
Usama
Kachmula,
ambushing
his
convoy
on
a
highway
to
Baghdad. 14
July:
In
Britain,
Lord
Butler
clears
Prime
Minister
Blair
of
any
deliberate
attempt
to
mislead
the
country
before
the invasion
of
Iraq -
but
the
body
of
his
report
contains
contradictory
evidence.
The
Philippine
government
announces
the
early
withdrawal
from
Iraq
of
its
troops
to
meet
the
demands
of
men
holding
a
Filipino
truck
driver. 11
July:
Three
US
soldiers
are
killed
in
attacks,
two
by
a
roadside
bomb
near
Samarra,
a Sunni
Arab Muslim
city
north
of
Baghdad. 9
July:
Fighters
in
Samarra
attack
a
military
headquarters
with
mortars,
killing
five
US
soldiers
and
at
least
one
Iraqi
guard.
The
US's
Paul
Bremer
(R)
with 7
July:
Allawi
signs
into
law
broad
powers
that
allow
him
to
impose
a
state
of
emergency. 29
June:
Three
US
Marines
are
killed
by
a
roadside
bomb
in
southeastern
Baghdad. 28
June
2004:
Iraq's
US
occupation
administration
transfers power
to
the
interim
Iraqi
government
in
a
surprise
move
two
days
ahead
of
the
scheduled
handover.
Legal
control
of
the
country
and
responsibility
for
dealing
with
its
growing
security
troubles
is
handed
over
to
the
interim
prime
minister
Allawi,
in
Baghdad.
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