Storms After The Storm
Post-Revolutionary Iraq
In the wake of Saddam's fall, the old Sunni order was toppled. Over 400,000[1] US troops occupied Iraq and secured Baghdad and Basra. Initially, chaos erupted. Shi'ite militias ran rampant across Iraq. However, within weeks order was restored. US troops took the government offices and guards were sent to protect the Baghdad Museum.
The new interim government restored order to Iraq. Ahmad Chalabi was interim President and Ibrahim al-Jafaari was Prime Minister. The army was re-organised. Ba'ath party supporters were rooted out. It was agreed that Saddam Hussein would be tried by Iraqis, with the trial starting in April 1992. Elections were arranged for July 1993.
The issue of Kurdistan became very tense in the following years. Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani refused to relinquish Kurdish independence. Chalabi in turn refused to recognise Kurdistan. Turkey threatened to intervene in order to crush the 'Kurdish terrorists'.
Most of northern Iraq, including Kirkuk, was under Kurdish control. The Kurds declared Kirkuk capital of the Republic of Kurdistan.
Violence renewed in Iraq. Sunni militias began a wave of bombing attacks against US forces. Tikrit and Anbar Province were the most violent regions. In Baghdad, Ba'athists began attacks on Shi'ite militias. Shi'ites, supported by Iran, responded with retalitory attacks on Sunnis. The US troops moved in and began a surge to Tikrit. Most violence was quelled, for the moment.
US bases were established in Baghdad, Tikrit, Basra and across Central Iraq. In 1992, US elections were held. President George H.W.Bush lost with 40% of the vote against Democrat Bill Clinton. The new Clinton administration announced a plan for Iraq. By 1994, the majority of US troops would leave Iraq, with roughly 50,000 to stay and keep security in Iraq. The Clinton administration would work to secure security and democracy in Iraq. Funding and arms were sent to Iraq.
Most of Saddam's chemical arsenal was found and destroyed by the US. Chemical facilities were demolished and closed. Chemical weapons were handed over to the UN and dismantled. Evidence was found of Saddam's nuclear program. Much of this was handed over to the UN. However, rumour had it that parts of Iraq's nuclear and chemical weapons program fell into Iranian hands.
Elections were indeed held in Iraq in 1993. Ahmad Chalabi ran for the Iraqi National Congress(INC). Prime Minister Jafaari ran for the Dawa Party. Former Ba'athist Ayad Allawi also ran. Tariq al-Hashimi ran as candidate for the Iraqi Islamic Party(IIP). In the end, Chalabi gained a term as President, while Jafaari became Prime Minister. Allawi gained the vice presidency. Iraq's first elections endured intimidation and attacks on booths, and proved to be a turning point in Iraq's history turning it towards democracy.
Meanwhile, in the north, the Kurdistan War was about to begin. In 1992, the US organised the Geneva Talks between Kurdistan and Iraq. These failed to solve the Kurdistan issue. Talks bogged down on Kurdistan's level of autonomy or where an autonomous zone would be. Turkey repeatedly declared it would use force to crush an independent Kurdistan 'if necessary'. In Kurdistan, Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party(KDP) rivalled Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan(PUK). In August 1994, Iraq walked out of the Geneva Talks. The peshmerga mobilised for war with Iraq and Turkey. In November, war erupted. President Chalabi vowed to crush the Kurds, declaring " We shall not tolerate the terrorists" Iraq began a bombing campaign against the Kurds. The Iraqi army advanaced north, taking Kirkuk. The peshmerga continued guerilla resistance against Iraqi forces. From the north, Turkey intervened, sweeping into northern Iraq and capturing Mosul. Thousands of Kurds fled in the wake of the war. The Kurdistan War continued into 1995 and the peshmerga made an offensive south, re-taking Kirkuk. Turkish troops meanwhile were bogged down and made an offensive towards Erbil. The Kurdistan War continued to cause instability in Iraq and the Middle East...
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[1]There were 550,000 US troops in Saudi Arabia in 1991.
