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World War l
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Birth of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein was born into a torn family. His father was a shepard that left months before his birth, and because of his older brother's death from cancer his depressed other was unable to care for his effectively. Hussein went to live with his uncle Khairallah Talfah a Sunni Muslim and Arab nationalist whose political stand influenced Hussein in his upbringing. -
World War ll
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Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor
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The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) places the Office of the Coordinator of Information
Will J. Donovan appointed director of the OSS -
OSS Abolished
The OSS is abolished and its branches are spread throughout the government. Research and Analysis moves to the Department of State; Espionage and Counterintelligence become part of the War Department. The War Department is then renamed the Strategic Services Unit (SSU). -
United Nations Formed
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President Truman creates the Central Intelligence Group (CIG)
The position of the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) -
Admiral Sidney W. Souers appointed to be the first DCI
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National Security Act of 1947 creates the Central Intelligence Agency
The Act also forms the National Security Council, the Office of Secretary of Defense, and the US Air Force -
CIA formally comes into existence
CIA comes into existence and replaces the CIG -
National Security Council authorizes CIA to perform covert action
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CIA establishes the Office of Policy Coordination
The Office of Policy Coordination was put under the leadership of Frank G. Wisner to manage covert action -
Hussein joins the Ba'ath Party
The ultiamte goal of the political party that Hussein joined was to unite all of the Arab states in the Middle East -
Birth of Osama Bin Laden
Osama Bin Laden was one of 52 siblings born to his billionare father Mohammed Bin Laden. Later in life, when Mohammed Bin Laden passed away, Osama inherited a large sum of money. -
Ba'ath Party Assassination attempt of Abd al-Karim Qasim
The political party Hussein belonged to attempted to assassinate Iraq's then president Abd al-Karim Qasim because he oppposed joining the United Arab Republic. The political party also didn't like him because of his alliance with Iraq's Communist party. Qasim survived the attempted assassination, although he was shot several times. While a few of the others in the plot were captured, Saddam Hussein managed to escape to Egypt were he attended law school. -
Bay of Pigs
After the failed invasion in the Bay of Pigs, the Agency's reputation was ruined. Kennedy himself said that he would "splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds." -
Cuban Missile Crisis
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Ramadan Revolution
Iraq's president Qasim, that Hussein's political group had attempted to assassinate, was overthrow and as a result Hussein chose to return home to Iraq. However, Hussein was arrested the following year for fighting withing the Ba'ath Party. -
Ba'athist Coup
This was the bloodless coup that resulted in Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr becoming president of Iraq and Saddam Hussein becoming his deputy. During this presidency Hussein modernized Iraq's infastructure, industry, and health-care system, and raised socail sevices, education, and farming subsidies until they very vastly superior than those of the other Arab countries in the region. Revenues increased for the country when Hussein nationalized Iraq's oil industry right before the energy crisis of 1973. -
Hussein's accomplishments for Iraq
Hussein helped to develop Iraq's fisrt chemical weapons program and created a powerful security apparatus to protect against coups. This security apparatus included bothe the Ba'athist paramilitary groups as well as the People's Army. Their tactics included torture, rape and assassination to achieve its goals. -
Hussein's position threatened
President of Iraq, al-Bakr, made plans to unite Iraq and Syria which would have left Hussein powerless. Because of this Hussein forced al-Bakr to resign as president. -
Saddam Hussein becomes President of Iraq
On this date Hussein became president of Iraq. Less than a week later he called an assembly of the Ba'ath Party. During this assembly 68 names were read out loud and each of those 68 names were arrested and taken out of the room. All 68 were tried and found guilty of treason. 22 of the 68 were setenced to death. By early August 1979, Hussein has executed hundreds of his political foes. -
Islamic Revolution in Iran
The same year the Hussein took presidency, Ayatollah Khomeini led a succesful Islamic revolution in Iran, Iraq's neighboring country. Because his political power rested on the minority population of Sunni Muslims, Hussein worried that the developments in Shi-ite Muslims in Iran could lead to a similar uprising in Iraq. As a result, Hussein ordered his forces to invade the oil-rich area of Iran, Khuzestan. This conflict soon became an all-out war between Iran and Iraq. -
War between Iraq and Iran
Although the invasion broke international law, most of the Arab world as well as Western nations supported Hussei out of fear for the srpread of Islamic radicalism. These fears of a spread of Islamic radicalism would also lead them to ignore Iraq's chemical weapons, genocide of its Kurdish population, and nulcear program. -
Ceasefire agreement between Iraq and Iran
After years of fighting and terrible bloodshed between the two countries, a ceasefire agreement was finally reached. -
Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
Seeking means of revilalizing Iraq's ravaged economy and infastructure, Hussein ordered an invasion of Iraq's wealthy neighbor Kuwait. He claimed that Kuwait was a historical part of Iraq. -
Deadline for Iraqian soldiers leaving Kuwait
A UN Security Council resoluton was passed that imposed economic sanctions on Iraq and set a deadline for when Iraqian soldiers needed to leave Kuwait. This deadline of January 15, 1991 was ignored. As a result a UN coalitiong force led by the United State's confronted the Iraqi forces. Six weeks laters, the forces were pushed out of Kuwait. A ceasefire was signed between Kuwait and Iraq. However, the imposed economic sanctions against Iraq remained in place. -
Start of Al-Qaeda
Bin Laden migrated to Sudan from Afghanistan and from there built up Al-Qaeda -
Iraqi forces violated a no-fly zone imposed by the United Nations
After the violation, the United States launched a damaging missile on Baghdad. -
Bin Laden becomes benefactor of Taliban
Bin Laden forced to leave Sudan and returns to Afghanistan. Once there, he becomes a benefactor to Taliban. In fact, the leader of the Taliban marries Bin Laden's daughter. -
Hussein appointed deputy secretary of the Regional Command
Even while in prison Hussein remained active in politics, and after he escaped the prison holding him, he continued to build up his political power within Iraq. -
Bin Laden's call for Muslims
Bin Laden called on Muslims to "kill Americans wherever they are found." -
Further violations on fly-zones by Iraq
Because of these further violations and the alleged continuation of its weapons programs that were supposed to be shut down after Kuwait, more missile strikes continued in Iraq. These attacks continued until February of 2001 -
Al-Qaeda's Suicide Bombings
On this date the United State's Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by Al-Qaeda suicide bombers. -
Twin Towers Terrorist Attack
Osama Bin Laden was the mastermind behind the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York as well as several other intentional plane crashes designed to waste American lives. -
State of the Union Address--George W. Bush
Shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Soviet intelligence relayed to the United States that indicated that Iraq was planning a further attack. Because of this news, during his 2002 State of the Union Address, George W. Bush named Iraq as part of his "Axis of Evil." He claimed that the country was developing weapons of mass destruction and supporting terrorism. -
President Bill Clinton demands Bin Laden
As a result of the suicide bombings, United State's President Bill Clinton made a demand to the Taliban for Bin Laden. They refused. -
US-led coalition invades Iraq
Under the pretense that Iraq did in fact have a covert weapons program and that is was planning further terrorist attacks, a US-led coalition invaded Iraq. Within weeks the government and military were destoryed -
Bahgdad falls
Bahgdad falls as a resuolt of the US-led coalition invasion into Iraq. Saddam Hussain manages to elude capture. -
Capture of Suddam Hussein (Operation 'Red Dawn')
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Saddam Hussein found
In the months that follwed the fall of Baghdad, an intensive search for Hussein began. During this time severa audio recording of Saddam Hussein's were released that called for resistance to the "invaders." Finally, on December13, 2003, Saddam was found hiding in a small undergrund bunker near a farmhouse. From there he was moved to a US base in Baghdad -
Saddam Hussein goes on trial for his crimes
Hussein was tried by the interim Iraqi government from crimes against humanity. -
Saddam Hussein found guilty for his crimes against humanity
Saddam Hussein was found guilty of his crimes and sentenced to death. Although the sentencing was appealed, it was untimately upheld. -
Execution of Saddam Hussein
Despite his request to be shot, Saddam Hussein was hanged for his crimes against humanity at Camp Justice, an Iraqi base in Baghdad. He was buried in his birthplace. -
Death of Bin Laden
US Navy Seals stormed into the fortified compund were surveilence showed that Bin Laden was in. Their objetive? Kill Osama Bin Laden. The team consisted of 24 Navy Seals. They had been practicing for weeks on a mock-up of the compound. The Seals arrived flying low in Black Hawk helicopters to reduce rotor noise and avoide radar detection. Bin Laden was found in his bedroom, along with his wife, wearing pajamas. He was first shot by the Seals in the chest, followed by a second shot to the head -
Death of Bin Laden
("kill shot"). The operation lasted only 38 minutes. To avoid his body being used as a shrine, Bin Laden was buried in the North Arabian Sea.
