THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN CLIPPED FROM THE GUARDIAN, UK ON OCT 2, 2004.    

 

 
Iraq timeline: February 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004

December 29 2004
At least 28 people - including 10 policemen - die in Baghdad in a huge explosion at a suspected militant safe-house that may have been booby-trapped. US army experts estimate that up to 1,800lb of explosives have been detonated.
Explosion in house kills 28 in Baghdad

 

December 27 2004
Iraq's largest mainstream Sunni Muslim party pulls out of the election race, saying the violence plaguing areas north and west of Baghdad makes a "free and fair vote" on January 30 impossible.
Main Sunni party pulls out of Iraqi election

 

December 24 2004
The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, pays a surprise visit to American troops in Iraq, telling them the insurgency in the country can still be quashed.
Rumsfeld drops in on Iraq troops

 

December 21 2004
Tony Blair becomes the first serving British prime minister to visit Baghdad since Stanley Baldwin in 1924. He enters the Iraqi capital by RAF helicopter with an escort of six US Black Hawk helicopters.

Meanwhile, Iraqi insurgents inflict their deadliest single attack on US forces since the start of the war, killing at least 24 people, including 19 soldiers, and wounding more than 60 in an explosion that spews fire and shrapnel into a lunchtime queue at a crowded mess tent.

Also, four months and a day after they were kidnapped outside Baghdad, two French journalists are unexpectedly freed by their Iraqi captors.
Blair 'feels the danger' on visit to Baghdad
19 US troops killed in explosion at mess tent
Iraqi captors free French journalists

 

December 20 2004
The US president, George Bush, admits he expects violence in Iraq to continue in the run-up to the country's elections, with no halt to the killing of "hundreds of innocent" citizens.
Iraqi deaths likely to continue, says Bush

 

December 19 2004
The pressure on the beleaguered US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, intensifies amid revelations he used a mechanical signature writer to sign his name on letters of condolence to relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Meanwhile, at least 60 are killed in bombings in the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala.
Signature row turns up heat on Rumsfeld
Bloody day hits Iraq poll hopes

 

December 14 2004
The family of an Iraqi civilian allegedly beaten to death by British troops wins a high court challenge against the government's refusal to order an independent inquiry into his death.
UK must investigate Iraqi civilian's death

 

December 13 2004
A suicide car bomber kills at least 13 people in Baghdad, as Iraq's interim president says the decision to disband Saddam's army was a contributing factor to the violence over the last 18 months.
Suicide car bomber kills 13 in Baghdad

 

December 11 2004
Scenes of jubilation greet the homecoming to the UK of 200 soldiers from the Black Watch after completing a six-month mission in Iraq.
First Black Watch troops return

 

December 7 2004
The number of US troops killed in action in Iraq hits 1,000, after a soldier was shot dead on patrol in Baghdad. In all, 1,275 US service personnel have died since the invasion on March 20 2003. A total of 9,765 US troops have been wounded.
US death toll in Iraq hits 1,000

 

December 5 2004
Insurgents in Iraq mount a third straight day of serious attacks, killing 17 people when they open fire on buses delivering workers to an ordnance disposal site. At least 70 Iraqis, many of them members of the police and security forces, have been killed since Friday.
70 die as Iraq violence escalates

 

December 4 2004
The Black Watch return to Basra after their controversial month-long mission to Camp Dogwood near the "Triangle of Death". Soldiers declared "mission accomplished" as the battle group convoy of more than 200 vehicles arrived at the relative safety of Shaibah Logistics Base.
Black Watch return to Basra

 

December 3 2004
Up to 30 people, including at least 16 Iraqi police officers, are killed when insurgents launch two major attacks in Baghdad against a Shia mosque and a police station.
Insurgents kill 30 in Baghdad attacks

 

December 2 2004
Former Labour MP George Galloway wins his libel action against the Daily Telegraph and is awarded £150,000 in damages. High Court judge David Eady rules the allegations that he was in the pay of Saddam Hussein were "seriously defamatory".
Galloway wins libel case against Telegraph

 

November 30 2004
The US-led war in Iraq has created a healthcare disaster in a country where 20 years of war, mismanagement and sanctions had already left public health in a fragile state, according to Medact, a UK-based medical charity.
Charity blames invaders for Iraq 'health disaster'

 

November 24 2004
Four Gurkhas working for a British security firm in Baghdad are killed and another 15 injured in a mortar attack on their base in the capital's heavily fortified Green Zone.
Four Gurkhas die in Baghdad Green Zone mortar attack

 

November 22 2004
NBC cameraman Kevin Sites, who shot footage of a US marine appearing to kill an injured, unarmed Iraqi, tells why he published the images.
'Something was not right'

 

November 21 2004
Iraqi election officials announce that the first democratic elections in decades will be held on January 30, despite the relentless violence of the insurgency. The decision, taken by the independent electoral commission of Iraq, reflects a determination in Washington and London to press ahead with the political process, however fragile, in the hope it will eventually resolve the security crisis.
Iraq vote to be held in ten weeks

 

November 18 2004
The January deadline for Iraq's first post-Saddam elections looks increasingly in doubt after a senior aide to the interim prime minister predicted a delay.
Pressure grows for Iraq election delay

 

November 16 2004
The family of Margaret Hassan accepts she has probably been murdered, after analysis of a video showing a masked gunman shooting a blindfolded woman in the head.
Kidnapped aid worker blindfolded and shot
Obituary: Margaret Hassan

 

November 15 2004
US troops call in air strikes on the Iraqi city of Baquba as they fight gun battles in the street with crowds of insurgents.
Fighting spreads to more towns as Falluja operation continues

 

November 13 2004
The human cost of the battle of Falluja emerges as large numbers of wounded civilians are evacuated to hospitals in Baghdad.
Civilian cost of battle for Falluja emerges

 

November 12 2004
It is revealed that three British soldiers and an army interpreter are suing the American military after their vehicle was rammed by a US tank transporter in Iraq.
British soldiers sue Pentagon

 

November 8 2004
Thousands of American troops fight their way into the most dangerous parts of Falluja at the start of an all-out assault to win back control of the Iraqi insurgent stronghold

Meanwhile, a fourth Black Watch soldier is killed and two are injured by a roadside bomb.
US troops enter Falluja as jets pound rebel-held city
Black Watch soldier killed and two injured

 

November 4 2004
Three die, eight injured as fears grow for safety of British troops at Camp Dogwood.
Suicide bomber kills Black Watch soldiers

 

October 29 2004
Study claims 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died in Iraq since the invasion, mostly as a result of airstrikes by coalition forces.
100,000 Iraqi civilians dead, says study

 

October 26 2004
Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, says that "negligence" by US-led forces brought about the massacre of 49 Iraqi soldiers and warned of further "terrorist acts".
Allawi blames US 'negligence' for massacre

 

October 25 2004
The militant group led by the Jordanian extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi signals a fresh escalation of the Iraq insurgency crisis by claiming responsibility for the massacre of about 50 members of the national guard found dead on a remote road in eastern Iraq.

 

The UN confirms that a huge cache of 340 tonnes of conventional explosives has gone missing from a military facility that once played a key role in Saddam Hussein's efforts to build a nuclear bomb.
Massacre of 50 Iraqi soldiers
340 tonnes of Iraqi explosives missing

 

October 22 2004
A video showing Margaret Hassan, the kidnapped director of aid agency Care International, pleading for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq is broadcast on Arabic television. The al-Jazeera channel screens footage showing the Dublin-born Ms Hassan, who has lived in Iraq for more than 30 years, weeping as she appeals for help.
Hostage Hassan pleads for her life

 

October 21 2004
A US soldier at the centre of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal is sentenced to eight years for sexually and physically abusing detainees.
Eight years for US soldier who abused prisoners

 

October 20 2004
A US soldier on trial for abusing Iraqi prisoners tells a Baghdad court martial that he hooked up wires around a hooded detainee in a mock electrocution at the behest of military and civilian intelligence officials.
Soldier says interrogators told him to stage mock execution

 

October 19 2004
The humanitarian aid group Care International announces that the British-born head of its Iraqi operation has been kidnapped in Baghdad.
Charity worker kidnapped in Iraq

 

October 18 2004
The death toll from suicide car bombings in Iraq continues to rise with at least 13 people killed in Baghdad and Mosul in the last two days, as the US and Iraqi army siege of Falluja continues unabated.
Death toll climbs as Falluja siege continues

 

October 16 2004
The MoD announces that Black Watch soldiers will be redeployed in central Iraq during US assault on Falluja.
UK troops set to patrol in key Iraq flashpoints

 

October 15 2004
US forces continue a wave of air and ground assaults on the rebel-held city of Falluja after local officials break off peace talks, saying US and Iraqi authorities are making impossible demands.

In Baghdad, a car bomb explodes near an Iraqi police patrol in southern Baghdad, killing ten people and wounding four others.
US forces continue strikes of Falluja
Baghdad blast kills 10

 

October 14 2004
Insurgents kill five people and wound 18 others after breaching the heavy fortifications of Baghdad's green zone and setting off bombs they carried into an outdoor market and a cafe.
Five dead in Baghdad green zone blasts

 

October 13 2004
A US-led team of investigators working in northern Iraq discovers a mass grave containing hundreds of bodies, including that of an infant with a gunshot to the back of the head.
Secrets of Iraqi mass grave revealed

 

October 11 2004
Equipment and materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons have disappeared from Iraq, says the UN's nuclear watchdog.
Nuclear items go missing in Iraq

 

October 8 2004
The family of British hostage Ken Bigley confirm that he has been murdered. In a statement, Mr Bigley's younger brother, Phil, says: "It's been three long weeks of waiting and agony, and we can confirm that the family has received absolute proof that Ken was executed by his captors."
Hostage Ken Bigley is killed

 

October 7 2004
A senior aide to rebel Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr offers to disarm his militia fighter loyalists as part of a peace initiative in Baghdad's Sadr City and other areas.
Rebel cleric in Baghdad offers peace deal

 

October 6 2004
The Iraq Survey Group announces that 15 months of searching have uncovered no evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed significant weapons of mass destruction before the Iraq war.

Iraq's insurgency spreads to a relatively calm area near the Syrian border when a suicide car bomber kills at least 16 people at an Iraqi National Guard centre.
Iraq had no WMD - inspectors
Suicide bomb kills 16 at guard centre

 

October 4 2004
At least 21 people are killed and 90 wounded in three car bombings in Iraq. Baghdad's green zone, one of the capital's main streets and a primary school in the northern city of Mosul are all hit by insurgents.
21 killed in Iraq blasts

 

October 2 2004
High-profile deal to liberate journalists held by Iraqi militants clashes with Chirac's diplomatic manoeuvres.
Chaos grips bid to free hostages held in Iraq


October 1 2004
US offensive in Samarra kills almost 100 insurgents as army begins pre-election pacification push.
US forces battle for Iraqi rebel city
Bigley's kidnappers may trade hostage for cash


September 30 2004
Dozens of children killed when three car bombs explode in a coordinated attack in Baghdad that leaves 44 dead.
Dozens of children among 44 killed by Baghdad bombings


September 29 2004
Kidnappers should contact us, says PM as video shows hostage's plight.
Caged and chained, Bigley makes new plea


September 28 2004
Two Italian aid workers held hostage in Iraq for three weeks return home to an emotional welcome. Meanwhile, last minute changes by Tony Blair to his Labour conference speech water down an apology over Iraq.
Italian aid workers freed in Iraq
Blair refuses to say sorry


September 26 2004
Tony Blair's refusal to take decisive action on behalf of Ken Bigley amounts to a "death warrant", the hostage's brother claims.
Brother attacks Blair's refusal to act
Muslim leaders appeal to captors


September 23 2004
The 86-year-old mother of the Iraq hostage Kenneth Bigley appears in public for the first time to plead for her son's release . "Will you please help my son? He is only a working man who wants to support his family. Please show mercy to Ken. Send him home to me alive. His family need him and I need him," Lil Bigley said.

Parliament has the power to impeach Tony Blair over his decision to invade Iraq, lawyers acting for an all-party campaign to use the ancient right say. "Impeachment is appropriate where there is no other means of calling a person to account, either legally or politically, for some serious wrong," according to lawyers from Matrix chambers, the firm of which the prime minister's wife, Cherie Booth, is a member.
A mother's plea for mercy
Lawyers say PM could be impeached over Iraq


September 22 2004
At least 21 people are killed and 150 injured as two suicide car bombers strike in Baghdad and US forces pound suspected insurgents in the east of the capital. The first car bomb attack appears to be aimed at men applying to join the Iraqi national guard.

Kidnapped Briton Kenneth Bigley appears in internet video footage pleading with Tony Blair to take action which could save his life. The 62-year-old addresses the prime minister directly, telling him he was the only person on earth who could save his life.

The confusion surrounding the decision over whether two "high-value" women prisoners being held in Iraq would be released underlines the limits of the interim government's authority. The apparent differences between the statements of Iraqi ministers and US officials raise renewed questions over the coherence of the new administration and the degree of independence it actually enjoys.
22 die in Baghdad violence
'Mr Blair, I don't want to die'
Clash over prisoners exposes power struggle


September 21 2004
The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, deliveresa stern rebuke to nations that "shamelessly disregard" international law. Mr Annan, who last week branded the US-led war in Iraq "illegal", told the UN general assembly that international law remained the cornerstone of global stability in a speech laced with many veiled - and at least one explicit - criticism of the US.
Annan rebukes law breaking nations


September 20 2004
Fears grow for the safety of Kenneth Bigley, the Briton taken hostage in Iraq, after an Islamist website posted a video showing the beheading of one of the two Americans being held with him.

A later message claims that an al-Qaida related group has slaughtered a second American hostage in Iraq, an announcement that came as the group's 24-hour deadline for meeting its demands ran out.
Fears for Briton as hostage killed
Second US hostage murdered


September 19 2004
US jets bomb a militants' checkpoint in Falluja as frustrated military commanders appear to be moving closer to an all-out offensive against the city. At least four people are killed in the attack, the latest in a series of near-daily bombing raids conducted by the US in Falluja in the past two weeks.

In Britain, Tony Blair uses a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Ayad Allawi, to say: "Whatever the disagreements about the first conflict in Iraq to remove Saddam, in this conflict now taking place in Iraq, this is the crucible in which the future of this global terrorism will be decided."
Daily US raids seen as anticipating all-out Falluja attack
Blair: we must win this new conflict


September 18 2004
Looking tired and defeated, the British hostage Kenneth Bigley pleads for his life on videotape. In a tape shown by the Arabic TV station al-Jazeera, Bigley's captors also say they will execute him and the American hostages, Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong, within 48 hours, unless the US frees Iraqi women prisoners.
Iraq hostages plead for their lives


September 17 2004
The comprehensive 15-month search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq concludes that the only chemical or biological agents that Saddam's regime was working on before last year's invasion were small quantities of poisons, most likely for use in assassinations.
Iraq had no WMD: the final verdict


September 16 2004
Gunmen kidnap a Briton and two Americans from a house in central Baghdad. The three men were employed by GSCS, a building contracting firm based in the United Arab Emirates.
Briton among three kidnapped in Baghdad


September 15 2004
The Ministry of Defence admits for the first time that senior British officers were working closely with American commanders at Abu Ghraib, the Baghdad prison where Iraqi prisoners were systematically abused and humiliated.
UK officers linked to torture jail


September 13 2004
Allegations that American soldiers routinely tortured and maltreated detainees emerge from a third Iraqi city, renewing fears that abuse similar to that inflicted in Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad has been systematic and widespread.
US troops face new torture claims
Australian contractors kidnapped in Iraq


September 12 2004
Allawi says Saddam trial will go ahead despite rising violence.
Thirteen die in US attack on Baghdad crowd


September 7 2004
The number of US military personnel killed in Iraq reaches 1,000, with no sign of an end to the insurgency amid the news that gunmen abducted two Italian aid workers and two Iraqis in Baghdad in a brazen attack.
US military death toll in Iraq hits 1,000
Soldier charged with murder of Iraqi
Fierce fighting returns to Sadr City


September 1 2004
The fate of two French journalists kidnapped in Iraq remains unclear last as a deadline passes with no word on their fate.
Drivers free but no word on newsmen


August 28 2004
Jason Burke in Iraq reports on the aftermath of a long and brutal siege and describes the ruthless tactics used by US forces to oust Moqtada al-Sadr. Meanwhile, an Iraqi militant group kidnaps two French journalists and gives the French government 48 hours to end a ban on schoolgirls wearing Muslim headscarves.
Uneasy peace in rubble of Najaf
French journalists kidnapped in battle to end headscarf law


August 27 2004
International press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders expresses revulsion at the 'barbaric' death of Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni.
Killing of Italian journalist condemned as 'barbaric'
Sistani's intervention pulls Najaf back from the brink


August 24 2004
An army reservist charged with abusing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison announces that he will plead guilty to some offences when his pre-trial hearing begins tomorrow in Germany. Staff Sergeant Ivan "Chip" Frederick, of the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company, is one of seven US soldiers charged with abusing prisoners at the jail.
~Sergeant will plead guilty to abusing Iraqis in Abu Ghraib
Italian journalist held hostage in Iraq


August 20 2004
The Iraqi prime minister, Ayad Allawi, announces the first of several "final calls" for Moqtada al-Sadr to call off fighters holding Najaf's revered Imam Ali shrine or face an assault by US-backed Iraqi soldiers.
~Najaf faces final assault


August 19 2004
Iraq's national conference finally elects the country's interim assembly, which will serve as a watchdog over the interim government until national elections are held in January.
~Chaos and farce as Iraq chooses first assembly


August 17 2004
A delegation from Iraq's national conference flies to Najaf to offer a peace deal to Moqtada al-Sadr. The proposal offers amnesty and political involvement to Sadr's Mahdi army in exchange for an immediate ceasefire.
~Peace delegation arrives in Najaf


August 15 2004
Peace talks collapse between Iraqi officials and Moqtada al-Sadr as fighting between the radical cleric's Mahdi soldiers and US troops continues in the holy city of Najaf.
~Najaf peace talks collapse


August 13 2004
James Brandon, a 23-year-old British journalist, is kidnapped by insurgents demanding the withdrawal of US forces from Najaf and then released when Moqtada al-Sadr intervenes to secure his freedom. In Najaf, an uneasy truce holds as the US and Iraqi leaders negotiate with Mr Sadr.
Rebels release UK journalist


August 12, 2004
The most volatile day of the Mahdi army uprising sees US commanders vow to destroy the militia and US troops set up a cordon around Najaf's Iman Ali mosque and ancient cemetery. The military action - led by Iraqi troops - nevertheless inflames some Shia disticts of Baghdad and parts of majority Shia Basra. Earlier, at least 68 people were killed when US war planes and Iraqi police attacked militia fighters in Kut.
US closes in on rebel Shia cleric
Inside the shrine, wounded return from bloody battle


August 11, 2004
The Guardian interviews two Iraqi-born Britons who have gone to Najaf to join the Mahdi army.
From London to Iraq - the latest recruits to the Mahdi army


August 9, 2004
The price of crude on futures markets rises to record levels in both London and New York after the threat of sabotage by rebels forces Iraq to shut down production in its southern oilfields.
Iraq sabotage fear deepens oil crisis


August 8 2004
Salem Chalabi, the man organising the trial of Saddam Hussein, is left facing a murder charge after an Iraqi judge issues a warrant for his arrest.
Saddam trial chief faces Iraqi murder charge


August 6 2004
American forces say they killed at least 300 militia fighters during a ferocious two-day battle in the holy city of Najaf.
US troops kill 300 in Najaf raid


August 2 2004
An important supply chain for US forces is disrupted when Turkish lorry owners suspend deliveries in an attempt to secure the release of two drivers being held hostage.
Turkish truck firms quit Iraq


August 1 2004
Coordinated explosions in Baghdad and Mosul add to fears of beleaguered minority.
Twelve killed as bombers attack Christians in Iraq


July 30 2004
Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, makes a surprise visit to Iraq and admits that Washington is becoming increasingly concerned about Iran's attempts to gain influence in the south of the country.
Powell uses Iraq visit to sound Iran warning


July 28 2004
68 people are killed when a suicide car bomb explodes outside a police recruiting centre in central Baquba.The bombing comes amid an intense surge in violence: 35 insurgents and seven Iraqi police are killed in clashes south-east of Baghdad, a US soldier dies killed in a bomb attack and a police officer is assassinated.
68 dead in Iraq blast


July 22 2004
The Pentagon acknowledges in a long-awaited report that abuse of Iraqi and Afghan prisoners by their US army guards occurred on a far greater scale than previously disclosed, with at least 94 confirmed cases of death in custody, sexual and physical assault, and other mistreatment.

Meanwhile, US marines shoot dead 25 Iraqis in several hours of fighting in the troubled city of Ramadi.
Pentagon admits 94 abuse cases
Marines kill 25 Iraqis in battle after ambush


July 20 2004
Insurgents in Iraq free their hostage, Filipino lorry driver Angelo de la Cruz, less than 24 hours after Manila defies international criticism and withdraws its 51-member humanitarian force to prevent his execution.

Tony Blair accepts that intelligence 'caveats' should have been included in the British government's dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, as he defends his decision to go to war in a packed and turbulent House of Commons.
Filipino hostage gains his freedom
Blair: dossier should have kept caveats


July 15 2004
Hans Blix, the head of the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq before the war, accuses Tony Blair of misleading the British people by failing to "think critically about the evidence at hand". Mr Blix says he found Lord Butler's 196-page report "surprisingly" critical of the British government, even though the prime minister was personally exonerated of acting in bad faith.
~Blix accuses PM of ignoring arms inspectors


July 14 2004
Lord Butler clears Tony Blair of any deliberate attempt to "mislead" the country before the war - but the body of his report is widely interpreted as telling a different story.
~The devil for Mr Blair remains in the detail


July 9 2004
A Senate intelligence committee report blames the CIA for the Bush administration's apparently unfounded claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The report admonishes the outgoing director, George Tenet, and CIA analysts who, one Republican senator claimed yesterday, made "wholesale mistakes" in the collection and processing of intelligence.
~Iraq errors were CIA's fault, says Senate



Meanwhile, it is announced that a Lebanese-born US marine who disappeared in Iraq only to re-emerge under mysterious circumstances in Beirut will be swiftly repatriated. Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun has been the subject of conflicting reports since he went missing from his unit more than two weeks ago.
~Marine in kidnap mystery turns up in Lebanon


July 6 2004
The family of US Marine Wassef Ali Hassoun, reportedly beheaded in Iraq, say they are confident that he is free and well. "We have received reliable information the guy is free," says Sami Hassoun, speaking from the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.
~US hostage "free and well" in Iraq


July 5 2004
Iraq's new government announces an amnesty offer for Iraqi insurgents in an attempt to draw a line under the occupation of the country.
~Amnesty for Iraqi insurgents


July 3 2004
An Islamic militant group claims to have beheaded American Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun in the second reported killing last week of a kidnapped US soldier in Iraq.
~Third US hostage killed by militants


July 2 2004
It is revealed that Islamist militants have released three more hostages, including two Turks freed yesterday after their company agreed to cancel its contracts with the US military. The third man, a Pakistani driver, phoned home yesterday to say he was safe and well.
~Militants release three more hostages


July 1 2004
Much of the world's press is excluded from Saddam Hussein's court appearance. John Burns of the New York Times is the only western print journalist to witness the historic hearing, which is held in top secret, with even the judge's identity remaining confidential.
~Media blocked from Saddam hearing


June 29 2004
Saddam Hussein will be shown in public for the first time since his capture as the long process of bringing him to account begins, it is announced. Ayad Allawi, Iraq's new interim prime minister and the man whose failed coup in 1996 ended in the torture and execution of scores of his co-conspirators by Saddam's regime, says the former tyrant and 11 others will be charged with a series of crimes.
~Saddam in court as Iraq calls time on public enemy number one


June 28 2004
Iraq's US-led administration transfers sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government in a surprise move two days ahead of the scheduled handover. Paul Bremer, the outgoing US governor, signs over control of the country and responsibility for dealing with its escalating security troubles to the interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, in Baghdad.
~US hands over power in Iraq


June 24 2004
Insurgents launch coordinated car bomb and grenade attacks in several Iraqi cities, killing at least 69 people and injuring 270 in one of the worst days of violence since George Bush declared the end of major combat, in May 2003.
~69 dead as violence sweeps Iraq


June 22 2004
The body of a South Korean hostage in Iraq killed by his captors is found between Baghdad and Fallujah, the South Korean government confirms.
~ Hostage beheaded


June 20 2004
Military police investigate claims that British soldiers mutilated the bodies of Iraqi insurgents after a firefight near the southern Iraqi town of Majar al Kabir. The allegations are contained in official death certificates, seen by the Guardian, written by Dr Adel Salid Majid, the director of the hospital in Majar al Kabir on May 15, the day after the battle.
~UK troops accused of mutilating Iraqi bodies


June 17 2004
George Bush responds to the 9/11 report by insisting there were links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, while the Iraqi PM vows tough action after a suicide attack on an army base.
Bush: Saddam and al-Qaida were linked
Baghdad bomb kills at least 35


June 16 2004
The commission investigating the 9/11 attacks finds "no credible evidence" of a link between Iraq and al-Qaida, contradicting President George Bush's assertion that such a connection justified the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
Also, the political handover is dealt a blow as insurgents wreck pipelines and assassinate a top oil industry executive.
9/11 commission discounts Saddam-Bin Laden link
Vital oil exports halted after sabotage


June 14 2004
A car bomb rips through a convoy of vehicles carrying western contractors in central Baghdad, killing at least 13 people, including two Britons.
Two Britons among 13 killed by bomb in Iraq
Briton killed in Iraq was ex-soldier


June 13 2004
More than a dozen people killed, including a senior government official, in the latest in a wave of attacks on Iraqi politicians and security forces in Baghdad.
Wave of killings in bid to disrupt Iraq handover


June 12 2004
Gunmen kill a top Iraqi diplomat in the first high-profile assassination in the country since an interim government took over on 1 June.
Top Iraqi diplomat assassinated


June 10 2004
European, local and London mayoral elections are held in Britain in the largest test of electoral opinion since the war. The Liberal Democrats and the Respect coalition stand on an explicitly anti-war agenda.


June 9 2004
Tony Blair and George Bush issue a joint call for greater Nato involvement in Iraq. France rejects the plan. In Iraq, 12 resistance fighters and former members of Saddam's army are killed in Falluja.
Bush and Blair call for greater Nato role in Iraq
12 killed in attack on Iraqi security force


June 8 2004
Iraq's new government is given international legitimacy by a UN security council vote to support the transfer of sovereignty from the US-led occupation.

15 people are killed by car bombs in Baquba and Mosul.
Security council vote backs transfer of Iraq sovereignty
Iraq car bombs kill 15


June 7 2004
Americans and Mahdi army quit Najaf amid new releases from Abu Ghraib but the violence continues.
US drops call for Sadr's arrest in peace deal


June 4 2004
The Pope subjects George Bush to a very public, relentlessly critical assessment of the US administration's performance in Iraq, attacking "deplorable" abuses of prisoners and calling for an international solution to the country's crisis.
Bush takes a tongue-lashing from the Pope over Iraq


June 1 2004
The governing council names a tribal leader as president of the new government, after the US-backed candidate refuses to accept the post.
Bombs welcome new Iraqi president


May 28 2004
The 25 members of Iraq's US-appointed governing council choose a former Ba'athist turned CIA supporter to serve as the country's interim prime minister after the June 30 handover.
Allawi chosen as Iraqi prime minister


May 26 2004
The New York Times admits its coverage in the run-up to the Iraq war was 'not as rigorous as it should have been', while Downing Street denies claims that Tony Blair is at odds with George Bush over the extent of the new government's control of coalition troops.
New York Times admits failures in run-up to war
No 10 denies rift with Bush over control of troops


May 25 2004
PM Tony Blair falls out of step with the US on post-handover security arrangements, as Washington replaces its most senior general in Iraq over the prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.
Blair jumps the gun on Iraqi veto
General in jail abuse scandal replaced


May 24 2004
US launches inquiry into Tehran's role in starting conflict as top Pentagon ally Chalabi accused of passing information.
The Bush administration tries to erase the recent shameful images of postwar Iraq by saying it would demolish Abu Ghraib prison, and discipline its commander.
US to demolish Abu Ghraib jail and punish its general
Two British civilians die as convoy ambushed


May 23 2004
Testimony puts Gen Sanchez on the spot.
Commander of coalition forces witnessed prisoner abuse, lawyer claims


May 20 2004
Ahmad Chalabi, the Pentagon's one-time protege, is humiliated when US officials and Iraqi police ransacked his private office in Baghdad.
Pentagon protege humiliated as US and Iraqi police raid Baghdad villa


May 19 2004
Iraqis claim more than 40 killed in US helicopter attack as a US soldier is sentenced to one year in prison in the first court martial relating to events at Abu Ghraib prison.
Wedding party massacre
Abu Ghraib soldier gets one year in jail


May 17 2004
The New Yorker magazine claims Donald Rumsfeld personally authorised the expansion of a special programme which ultimately led to the abuses in Abu Ghraib prison.

The head of the Iraqi Governing Council is killed in a suicide car bombing as he waits in his vehicle at a US-controlled checkpoint.
Rumsfeld accused on abuse
Car bomb kills head of Iraq ruling council


May 14 2004
The Daily Mirror admits that photographs it published of British soldiers apparently abusing Iraqi detainees are fake and says it has been the victim of a cruel hoax. Editor Piers Morgan is sacked.

The Guardian reports that ministers and Labour backbenchers have urged Tony Blair to recalibrate his approach to foreign affairs and publicly detach himself from the Bush administration.
Blair urged to loosen ties with US
Mirror editor sacked over hoax


May 13 2004
Donald Rumsfeld arrives in Iraq on a surprise visit aimed at boosting troop morale in the wake of the prison abuse allegations.

The UK government says the alleged prisoner abuse photographs published by the Daily Mirror were 'categorically not taken in Iraq'.
Rumsfeld pays surprise Iraq visit
Ingram: Mirror photos were faked


May 12 2004
Members of the US Congress see further images of abuses at Abu Ghraib, including photographs of guard dogs snarling at cowering prisoners and Iraqi women being forced to expose their breasts.
1,800 new pictures add to US disgust


May 11 2004
Nick Berg, a US hostage in Iraq, is shown being beheaded by Islamic militants in a video released on a website sympathetic to their cause. His killers claim the execution was to avenge the abuse of Iraqi detainees by US troops.
American beheaded in revenge for torture


May 10 2004
Iraq's first human rights minister, Abdel Bassat Turki, tells the Guardian that Paul Bremer was warned repeatedly last year that US soldiers were abusing Iraqi detainees. Tony Blair denies that he or his ministers knew about "specific allegations" of abuse of Iraqi prisoners by British troops before they read about them in the newspapers. Defence secretary Geoff Hoon, facing intense criticism over the government's handling of a Red Cross report into alleged abuses, admits that British forces broke the law when they forcibly placed hoods over the heads of Iraqi captives last year.
Bremer knew, minister claims
Blair: no prior knowledge of abuse claims
Troops broke the law, admits Hoon


May 7 2004
Donald Rumsfeld struggles to contain America's prisoner abuse crisis as he faces allegations at a Senate grilling that the maltreatment of Iraqi detainees is widespread and systematic.

A new recording attributed to Osama bin Laden offers rewards in gold for killing senior American and United Nations officials or citizens of any country that has troops in Iraq.
Rumsfeld: I won't quit
'Bin Laden' tape offers gold rewards


May 6 2004
Six Iraqis and one US soldier are killed when a car bomb explodes at a checkpoint on the edge of the US administrative zone in Baghdad.

The Washington Post publishes a new batch of photos showing abuse of Iraqi prisoners by the American military.
Seven killed in Baghdad suicide blast
New Iraq abuse photos published


May 5 2004
President George Bush tells Arab TV viewers that the treatment of prisoners by some members of the US military in Iraq was 'abhorrent' and will be thoroughly investigated
Arab world scorns Bush's TV 'apology'


May 3
Seven more US soldiers are disciplined over the torture scandal, as it emerges that CBS delayed its initial report for two weeks in response to a request by the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
Seven US officers disciplined for failing to stop abuse
CBS delayed report on prison abuse after military chief's plea


May 1 2004
Chilling new evidence of the torture and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers emerges in a secret report accusing the US army leadership of failings at the highest levels.
Shock new details of torture by US troops


April 30 2004
The controversy over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners deepens when the Daily Mirror publishes photographs apparently showing the torture of an Iraqi detainee by a British soldier. These photographs are later revealed as fakes (see May 14).
British troops in torture scandal


April 29 2004
Graphic photographs showing the torture and sexual abuse of Iraqi captives at Abu Ghraib prison are shown on CBS television news in America. The images emerge from a military inquiry that resulted in charges against six military policemen.

US forces announce an end to their siege of Falluja, saying they will pull out immediately to allow a newly-created, Iraqi security force to secure the city.
US military in torture scandal
US forces to pull out of Falluja


April 28 2004
US warplanes pound Falluja with 500lb laser-guided bombs and marines battle with insurgents on the ground while commanders in Baghdad insist a ceasefire is holding.
Gunships pound Falluja despite ceasefire claims


April 27 2004
Withdrawal of reconstruction workers because of deteriorating security has left work almost at a standstill, risking summer power cuts, coalition officials say.
Attacks halt rebuilding of Iraq


April 26 2004
Aid agencies warn that the Geneva convention is being breached in Falluja, Iraq, amid serious concern about the safety of civilians in the city where at least 600 people have been killed by coalition forces.
Geneva convention 'breached', agencies warn


April 24 2004
A series of explosions rips through one of Iraq's main oil facilities in one of the most daring attacks by local insurgents or Islamic militants to date.
Suicide bombers in boat attack on Iraq oil terminal


April 23 2004
The US administration in Baghdad says it will begin hiring former Ba'ath party members and senior army officers as it relaxes some of the key ideological concepts behind the past year's occupation.
U-turn on hiring of Ba'ath party members


April 21 2004
At least 68 people, including Iraqi police recruits and children on a school bus, are killed in a series of bomb attacks in the British-controlled city of Basra. A Danish businessman who was believed to have been kidnapped last week is found dead, and fighting flares again around Falluja.
68 dead in Basra blasts
Danish citizen found dead in Iraq


April 20 2004
The US military is on the brink of striking a deal with the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, after two days of secret negotiations. Meanwhile, 22 prisoners die in a mortar attack on a Baghdad jail.
Deal with Sadr near as tension eases


April 19 2004
There is progress in the talks between the US and leaders from the city of Falluja. John Negroponte, the senior US envoy at the UN, is named ambassador to Iraq, and will replace the chief administrator, Paul Bremer, once the transfer of power is complete on June 30.
Negroponte to be Bush envoy
US reaches deal with leaders in Falluja


April 16 2004
Five foreign hostages are freed but two more are seized, and the insurgency claims about another 30 lives as US officials struggle to conclude negotiations to halt the violence.
Five hostages freed while 30 die in clashes
Overview: kidnappings in Iraq


April 14 2004
An Italian security guard becomes the first hostage to be murdered. Three Japanese hostages held for a week are released. It emerges Russia will evacuate 800 civilian contractors amid fears over security.
Italian hostage 'died a hero'
Japanese hostages released
Russia to evacuate 800 experts


April 13 2004
The US gives up on its demand for the handover of the people who killed four American security guards and mutilated their bodies in Falluja, according to senior Iraqis. Meanwhile, President Bush agrees to send more troops to Iraq.
Americans 'drop demand for handover of killers
Bush ready to send more troops to Iraq


April 12 2004
The US military vows to "kill or capture" the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has led an uprising against the occupation authorities. A British civilian is released after a week-long ordeal.
US pledge to arrest or kill Shia cleric
Freed Briton feared the worst
On the brink of anarchy


April 9 2004
Nine US civilians are killed in a convoy near Falluja while further south the Shia militias fight on. Up to 200,000 Iraqi Muslims, many of them Shias, crowd into the precinct of Baghdad's largest Sunni mosque in the largest show of joint support against the US. Mike Bloss, a former British paratrooper, is killed while working as a security guard.
Former soldier died protecting contractors
Nine killed in US convoy as Shia militias fight on
Sunni and Shia unite against common enemy


April 8 2004
Widespread fighting leaves 460 Iraqis and 36 Americans dead in Falluja. Meanwhile, local militias take control of the cities of Najaf and Kut amid the Shia insurgency, and three Japanese civilians are taken hostage as the coalition shows signs of fracturing.
Chaos, killing and kidnap
Get out of Iraq or we burn hostages alive, Japan told


April 7 2004
The coalition loses control of several areas as the Sunni and Shia uprisings spread from Kirkuk, in the north, to Kut, in the south. Dozens die as bombs and missiles are used near a mosque in Falluja.
Battles rage from north to south


April 6 2004
Coalition forces fight Shia gunmen and Sunni insurgents on several fronts, with British, Italian and US troops involved in battles that kill dozens of Iraqis and at least 15 coalition soldiers.
Scores die as clashes spread


April 5 2004
Apache gunships strike against Shia supporters of the hardline cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who attack a US patrol in the Shuala district of Baghdad. Insurgency by Shia is reported in other towns including Basra, where gunmen loyal to Mr Sadr occupied the governor's offices. Paul Bremer, the US administrator in Iraq, calls Mr Sadr an outlaw and vows to put down the revolt.

Falluja is surrounded by US forces at the start of an operation to pacify insurgents.


April 4 2004
Demonstrations by supporters of Moqtada Sadr descend into riots in the Sadr city area of Baghdad, as well as in Najaf, Nasiriyia and Amara. Nine coalition troops and more than 50 Iraqis are killed in the clashes, which are described as the worst unrest since Saddam Hussein fell.
Violent upsurge across Iraq


April 3 2004
Mustapha Yacoubi, an aide of the cleric Moqtada Sadr, is arrested on suspicion of complicity in a murder. The cleric's group deny he is involved.


March 31 2004
Four US contractors are attacked in Falluja and their bodies burned, dragged by cars and strung up from a bridge by a mob. Five US soldiers are killed by a roadside bomb outside Falluja.
Americans burned and mutilated by Iraq mob


March 28 2004
Al-Hawza, a newspaper representing the cleric Moqtada Sadr, is closed down by the coalition for allegedly inciting violence against US troops.


March 24 2004
Amec wins part of a $1bn (£550m) contract to rebuild water and sewerage networks in Iraq. The deal is the biggest so far by a UK company for reconstruction work in the war-torn country, but otherwise British firms lose out.
Amec deal saves government blushes in Iraq


March 23 2004
Nine Iraqi police officers and trainees die when gunmen spray bullets into a minivan in which they were travelling south of Baghdad near the town of Mussayab, as attacks spread throughout Iraq.
Nine Iraqi police killed


March 22 2004
Fourteen British soldiers are injured, three of them seriously, in Basra when hundreds of Iraqis throw stones and petrol bombs during protests about job shortages.
British soldiers injured in Basra


March 19 2004
Arab journalists walk out of a Baghdad press conference given by the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, in protest at the shooting dead of two of their colleagues by US soldiers.
Journalists walk out of Powell conference


March 18 2004
Insurgents carry out two more deadly attacks in Iraq, underlining the worsening security situation as the coalition prepares to mark the first anniversary of the US-led invasion.

Jay Garner, the US general dismissed as Iraq's first occupation administrator after a month in the job, says he fell out with the Bush circle because he wanted free elections.
Seven dead as Iraq attacks continue
General sacked by Bush says he wanted early elections


March 17 2004
An explosion destroys a hotel in central Baghdad, killing at least 27 people and injuring 40, including two Britons. The blast, three days before the anniversary of the US-led invasion, leaves a crater 20ft across and 10ft deep outside the Mount Lebanon hotel.
Baghdad hotel blast kills 27


March 16 2004
A cross-party committee of MPs say in a highly critical report on the conflict and its aftermath that military commanders invading Iraq were hampered by poor intelligence and government fears about inflaming anti-war opinion.
MPs attack MoD planning for war


March 14 2004
The British head of the ruling Coalition Provisional Authority in southern Iraq warns of serious inflation as signs of economic take-off emerge.
Inflation threat adds to fears for Iraq recovery


March 11 2004
Three UK firms pick up reconstruction work in Iraq worth £43m in the latest round of contracts awarded by the Pentagon.
UK firms win Iraq contracts


March 10 2004
Lawyers acting for Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general, succeed in preventing his advice to the government on the legality of the war against Iraq from being revealed in court.
Judge says advice on war is irrelevant


March 8 2004
Iraq's twice-delayed interim constitution is signed in a Baghdad convention centre after the country's leading Shia cleric stepped out of the row over its contents.
Iraqi interim constitution signed


March 7 2004
Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, who led Britain's forces to war in Iraq, reveals how Britain was on the brink of a constitutional crisis after he demanded 'unequivocal... legal top cover' before agreeing to allow British troops to fight.
War chief reveals legal crisis


March 6 2004
President Bush hails a new interim constitution for Iraq but the scheduled signing of the document is cancelled when five key Shia members of Iraq's governing council refuse to sign it.
Shia boycott of signing widens Iraqi divisions


March 5 2004
Former UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix rubbishes the government's argument that war in Iraq was legalised by existing security council resolutions.

Shia members of Iraq's governing council refuse to sign the interim constitution at the last minute.
Blix dismisses argument that war was legal
Shia reject interim constitution


March 4 2004
Plans by the US to beef up security on Iraq's borders in the wake of suicide bombings will not be enough to stem the influx of foreign insurgents, experts fear.
Bremer's plan to tighten security fails to allay fears


March 3 2004
Governing council vows to forge ahead with political process as all sides try to stop blasts from aggravating conflict between Sunnis and Shias.
Feuding factions united in mourning
US troops question 15 over attacks
New clash over advice of attorney


March 2 2004
Iraq suffers its worst day of violence since the war's end, when its majority Shia community is targeted in a series of sophisticated and simultaneous attacks that kill as many as 223 people.
Festival time in Iraq. But by the end of the day 220 lay dead


1 March 2004
Iraq's US-appointed governing council announces the interim constitution that will form the backbone of the country's laws when sovereignty is returned on June 30.
Iraqis strike deal on new constitution


February 27 2004
Chief UN weapons inspector believes he was bugged.

The deadline for finalising Iraq's interim constitution, which is to underwrite the transition to full sovereignty, will not be met, senior officials say.
Blix: I was a target too
Divisions over Islam delay moves towards sovereignty


February 26 2004
Former minister Clare Short's claim that Britain spied on the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, ahead of the Iraq war, described as "deeply irresponsible" by the prime minister, Tony Blair.
Short claims UK spied on Annan


February 25 2004
Insurgents assassinate the deputy police chief of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun demands why the case against her of disclosing information and breaking the Official Secrets Act collapsed after the prosecution offered no evidence.
Mosul deputy police chief assassinated
GCHQ whistleblower cleared


February 23 2004
At least 13 people are killed when a suicide bomber rams an explosives-laden car into a police station in Kirkuk, northern Iraq, in the Kurdish district of the city.
Suicide bomb kills 10 in Kirkuk


February 19 2004
Two US soldiers and one Iraqi are killed by a roadside bomb attack on a military convoy in Khalidiyah, which is 60km (38 miles) west of Baghdad.

Meanwhile, the UN endorses Washington's timetable for the transfer of power, saying that elections should wait until after the handover on June 30.
Three killed in Iraqi roadside bombing
United Nations backs US date for handover in Baghdad


February 18 2004
Thirteen Iraqis are killed, and many civilians and coalition troops injured, in an apparent suicide attack when two explosive-laden trucks drive towards a Polish military camp in Hilla, a town south of Baghdad.
13 killed in Hilla military camp blast


February 16 2004
Saddam Hussein is unlikely to stand trial for another two years, the Guardian reports. Salem Chalabi, a senior Iraqi official involved in setting up the court which will try the former dictator, claims that a need to guarantee "due process of law" will delay the beginning of any trial.
Two-year wait for Saddam trial


February 15 2004
Two US soldiers are killed during a late night raid in Baghdad, hours after troops arrest a senior member of Saddam Hussein's former Ba'ath party regime at his home in western Baghdad. Mohammed Zimam Abdul Razaq was number 41 on the US most wanted list.
Two US soldiers killed in Iraq


February 14 2004
Iraqi insurgents launch an organised raid on a police station in Fallujah, killing 23 fellow Iraqis seen as collaborators with the US occupation. The police compound comes under attack by around 25 heavily-armed Iraqi fighters but provoked little immediate response from US troops.
23 killed as Iraqi rebels overrun police station


February 13 2004
Following the talks with Iraq's leading Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, the UN indicates its support in principle for early elections but concedes that they are unlikely to happen in the current climate.
UN says early elections unlikely


February 12 2004
Insurgents in Fallujah open fire on a convoy carrying the US senior commander in Iraq, General John Abizaid. The attack comes as Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani holds talks with senior UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi at his home in Najaf.
Grenade attack on US general as UN consults Iraqis on elections


February 11 2004
At least 36 Iraqis are killed in a suicide car bomb attack on an army recruitment centre in Baghdad.
36 dead in Baghdad suicide bombing


February 10 2004
A car bomb by a police station in the central Iraqi town of Iskandariya kills around 50 people and injures dozens more.
50 die as bombers target police


February 9 2004
The US releases a letter it says is from an anti-US fighter to al-Qaida's leadership asking for help in launching attacks against the Shia Muslims to undermine the future Iraqi government.
US claims to uncover war plot


February 8 2004
Prince Charles makes a surprise visit to British troops stationed in Basra, meeting 200 soldiers at one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, now a coalition headquarters. In London, it is revealed that British intelligence staff 'spied' on members of the UN security council in the run-up to the crucial vote on a second resolution last spring.
Prince Charles seeks to boost troop morale in Basra
Britain spied on UN allies over war vote


February 5 2004
Iraq's leading Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, survives an assassination attempt near his office in the central Iraqi city of Najaf. In London, Tory leader Michael Howard calls for Tony Blair to resign over his admission that he did not know whether the controversial '45-minute' claim publicised in September 2002 referred to battlefield weapons or long-range missiles.
Cleric 'survives assassination bid'
Blair should resign over WMD claim: Howard


February 4 2004
Dr Brian Jones, a former branch head at the Defence Intelligence Staff, admits that intelligence chiefs ignored warnings that they could not be certain whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to war.
Intelligence chiefs 'ignored WMD warnings'


February 3 2004
Tony Blair bows to intense pressure to agree to set up an inquiry to establish why Iraq appears to be devoid of weapons of mass destruction
Iraq's missing weapons: an inquiry is forced upon Blair


February 2 2004
The failure to find WMDs in Iraq has damaged the credibility of Britain and the US in their battle against terrorism, a committee of MPs warn.
MPs say credibility of war on terror has been damaged


February 1 2004
At least 67 are killed and 247 wounded when two suicide bombers blow themselves up at the offices in Irbil of the two main Kurdish factions in northern Iraq. In Washington, the White House announces an inquiry into the use of intelligence before the war.
They came to celebrate. Minutes later, 70 were dead
Bush yields to pressure for independent WMD inquiry