2009 in Iraq
Encyclopedia
Incumbents
- PresidentPresident of IraqThe President of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of...
- Jalal TalabaniJalal TalabaniJalal Talabani is the sixth and current President of Iraq, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish....
- Prime MinisterPrime Minister of IraqThe Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraq's head of government. Prime Minister was originally an appointed office, subsidiary to the head of state, and the nominal leader of the Iraqi parliament. Under the newly adopted constitution the Prime Minister is to be the country's active executive authority...
- Nouri al-MalikiNouri al-MalikiNouri Kamil Mohammed Hasan al-Maliki , also known as Jawad al-Maliki or Abu Esraa, is the Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Al-Maliki and his government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government. He is currently in his second term as Prime Minister...
- Iraqi Kurdistan Regional GovernmentKurdistan Regional GovernmentThe Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
(autonomous region)- PresidentKurdistan Regional GovernmentThe Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
- Massoud BarzaniMassoud BarzaniMassoud Barzani is the current President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Barzani was born in Mahabad, Iran, during the rule of the Republic of Mahabad... - Prime MinisterKurdistan Regional GovernmentThe Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
- Nechervan Idris BarzaniNechervan Idris BarzaniNechirvan Idris Barzani , or ) is a Kurdish politician in Iraqi Kurdistan. He served as the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government from March 2006 to August 2009...
until August 31, Barham SalihBarham SalihBarham Ahmad Salih is an Iraqi Kurdish politician. He is currently the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He is married and has a daughter who attended Princeton University and a son who graduated from King's Academy in Madaba, Jordan and currently attends Columbia.-Early life:Dr....
- President
January
- 1 January - The United States officially hands over responsibility for security in the Green ZoneGreen ZoneThe Green Zone is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a area of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental center of the Coalition Provisional Authority and remains the center of the international presence in the city...
to Iraqi forces - The U.S. opens its embassyEmbassy of the United States in BaghdadThe Embassy of the United States in Baghdad is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Iraq. It is located in Baghdad and is home to the Ambassador to Iraq. Ambassador James F. Jeffrey is currently the Chief of Mission....
in Baghdad. - 22 January - The EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n and SalvadoranEl SalvadorEl Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
missions to Iraq end. - 26 January - Four U.S. soldiers died when two helicopters crashed, after they came under enemy fire, in northern Iraq.
- 31 January - Iraq holds its provincial elections with a minimum of violence.
February
- 1 February - A total of 191 Iraqis were killed in violence during January, the lowest monthly toll since the US-led invasion2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
of March 2003. - Sixteen U.S. troops died in Iraq in January 2009.
- 9 February - Three U.S. soldiers were killed by a suicide car bomber in MosulMosulMosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
. A fourth U.S. soldier died later of wounds suffered in the attack. - 10 February - Nicolas SarkozyNicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
became the first FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
president to visit Iraq in a surprise stopover during a Persian Gulf tour. - 11 February - Twin car bombings at a BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
bus station kill 16 people. - 12 February - The United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
suffered its first Iraq War fatality of 2009 when a British soldier was shot and killed in BasraBasraBasra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
. - 13 February - A female suicide bomber kills 40 Shiite pilgrims south of Baghdad.
- 23 February -
- A U.S. soldier and an interpreter were shot dead by Iraqi policemen who opened fire on them as they toured Iraqi police positions on a bridge in MosulMosulMosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
during fighting north of Baghdad. Three others were wounded. - Three U.S. soldiers and an interpreter were killed and a fourth U.S. soldier wounded in a firefight with insurgents in the Diyala Province.
- A U.S. soldier and an interpreter were shot dead by Iraqi policemen who opened fire on them as they toured Iraqi police positions on a bridge in Mosul
- 27 February -
- Christopher R. HillChristopher R. HillChristopher Robert Hill is an American diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq.On July 1, 2010, Hill was chosen to be the dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver...
was named to succeed Ryan CrockerRyan CrockerRyan Clark Crocker is a Career Ambassador within the United States Foreign Service and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He currently is the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan. He was the United States Ambassador to Iraq until 2009; he previously served as the U.S...
as U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. - Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, announced 31 August 2010 as the deadline for the withdrawal of "combat troops" from Iraq. A "transitional force" of 35,000 to 50,000 support, advisory, and counterterrorism personnel is slated for withdrawal by the end of 2011. Obama declared that this strategy for withdrawal was in line with the American goal of "a full transition to Iraqi responsibility" for the sovereign nation of Iraq. He congratulated the Iraqi people and government for their "proud resilience" in not "giving into the forces of disunion", but cautioned that Iraqis would have to remain vigilant against "those ... who will insist that Iraq's differences cannot be reconciled without more killing" even after the U.S. drawdown in 2010 and withdrawal in 2011. - The Iraqi death toll for February leapt substantially from January's count to 258, a 35% increase.
- Seventeen U.S. troops died in February 2009 in Iraq. One U.K. serviceman was also killed.
- Christopher R. Hill
March
- Nine US soldiers die in Iraq this month, the lowest since the start of the war.
- 12 March - The trial of Muntadhir al-ZaidiMuntadhar al-ZaidiMuntadhar al-Zaidi is an Iraqi broadcast journalist who served as a correspondent for Iraqi-owned, Egyptian-based Al-Bagh. , al-Zaidi works with a Lebanese TV channel....
, on charges of assault for throwing his shoes at George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, resumes at the Central Criminal Court of IraqCentral Criminal Court of IraqThe Central Criminal Court of Iraq, or CCCI, is a criminal court of Iraq. The CCCI is based on an inquisitorial system and consists of two chambers: an investigative court and a criminal court...
following an adjournment in late December, 2008 so the court could determine whether Bush was in Iraq on an official visit, since he had entered the country uninvited by Iraqi officials and had been greeted by the U.S. military. Al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years in prison, although on April 7, 2009 the sentence was reduced to one year from three years. The maximum sentence facing al-Zaidi was 15 years.
April
- 7 April - U.S. President Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
makes a surprise visit to troops in Iraq. - 10 April - Suicide bomber in truck kills five US troops in Iraq
- 23 April - Two suicide bombings23 April 2009 Iraqi suicide attacksThe 23 April 2009 Iraqi suicide attacks were two separate suicide attacks which occurred in Baghdad and Muqdadiyah, Iraq, on 23 April 2009. At least seventy-six people are known to have died in the attacks, including several Iranian pilgrims. The Los Angeles Times puts the death toll at seventy-nine...
kill over eighty people in BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and near Baquba, the worst violence in 2009
May
- 11 May - Sgt. John Russell opens fire at a clinic at Camp LibertyCamp LibertyCamp Liberty is a large coalition military installation located northeast of the Baghdad International Airport and is part of the U.S. military's Victory Base Complex . It was formerly known as Camp Victory North and renamed in mid-September 2004, as part of an effort to give U.S...
in Baghdad, killing five fellow soldiers, before being subdued. - 15 May - The Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
commemorates the end of their nineteen years of operations in Iraq. - 27 May - The last of the U.K.'s combat troops are withdrawn.
June
- 4 June - RomanianRomanian Armed ForcesThe Land Forces, Air Force and Naval Forces of Romania are collectively known as the Romanian Armed Forces...
forces officially end their Iraq mission - 22 June - Sherif Kamal ShahineSherif Kamal ShahineSherif Kamal Shahine is an Egyptian diplomat. Formerly the ambassador to Zambia, Shahine became his country's ambassador to Iraq on 22 June 2009. Shahine is the first Egyptian ambassador to Iraq since former ambassador Ihab al-Sharif was kidnapped and killed in July 2005.-References:...
is appointed EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
's ambassador to Iraq, replacing Ihab al-SharifIhab al-SharifIhab al-Sharif was an Egyptian diplomat. He was Egypt's ambassador-designate to Iraq in July 2005, when he was killed by Al-Qaeda in Iraq. He had previously served as Egypt's deputy ambassador to Israel prior to the Second Intifada....
, who was killed in July 2005 by Al Qaeda in Iraq. He was the second Egyptian ambassador to Iraq since the Fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in April 2003. - 24 June - A bomb explodes24 June 2009 Baghdad bombingThe 24 June 2009 Baghdad bombing was one of the bombings in Iraq and a bombing that occurred in the Muraidi Market of the Sadr City area of Baghdad, Iraq. At least 69 people were killed and 150 others injured. An official said that the explosion was caused by a bomb hidden underneath a motorised...
in a market in Sadr CitySadr CitySadr City is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim and later unofficially renamed Sadr City after deceased Shia leader Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr....
, BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
killing at least 69 and injuring at least 150. - 30 June -
- US troops formally handed over security duties to Iraqi forces and withdrew from towns and cities in Iraq. US troops continue to be embedded with Iraqi forces.
- A car bombing kills at least 27 people in Kirkuk.
July
- 28 July - AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
end their Iraq troop presence, leaving the United States with the only foreign combat troops in the country.
September
- 16 September - U.S. Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenJoseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
made his second visit to Baghdad in as many months and met with Prime Minister al-Maliki even as insurgents fired mortars and rockets at the Green ZoneGreen ZoneThe Green Zone is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a area of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental center of the Coalition Provisional Authority and remains the center of the international presence in the city...
to protest his presence. Although said to be in "listening mode", Biden addressed issues of security, political reconciliation, and foreign investment in Iraq's oil-rich but weakened economy with various leaders in the capital and Iraq's Kurdish regionKurdistan Regional GovernmentThe Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
. Biden said, "We will also move ahead on other aspects of our security agreement by removing all US combat brigades from Iraq by the end of August 2010 and all remaining US troops by the end of 2011." - 18 September - At least 7 people have been killed and another 21 injured when a car bomb detonated at a busy market place in the Iraqi town of Mahmudiya, 30 km (18.6 mi) south of the capital Baghdad.
October
- 11 October - A series of apparently coordinated bombings aimed at a meeting for national reconciliation killed 23 people and wounded 65 others in western Iraq, but they did not injure the officials who were at the gathering. The first bomb exploded about 11 a.m. outside the headquarters of RamadiRamadiRamadi is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad. It is the capital of Al Anbar Governorate.-History:Ramadi is located in a fertile, irrigated, alluvial plain.The Ottoman Empire founded Ramadi in 1869...
’s main government building, where the provincial governor and council have offices. About seven minutes after the first bomb, a second car in the parking lot exploded, wounding security force members and others who had responded to the original explosion; this bomb caused most of the casualties. About one hour after the first two bombings, a man driving a car filled with explosives attempted to speed through a security checkpoint near the Ramadi General Hospital; he was shot by a police officer at the checkpoint but managed to explode the car, killing himself and wounding two others. - 25 October - At least 155 people have been killed and around 721 injured, after two large car bomb explosions25 October 2009 Baghdad bombingsThe 25 October 2009 Baghdad bombings were attacks in Baghdad, Iraq which killed 155 people and injured at least 721 people.-Attack:The attack was caused by two suicide car bombs, in a minivan and a 26-seat bus, which targeted the Ministry of Justice and the Baghdad Provincial Council building in a...
detonated in central Baghdad. The explosions are believed to have been detonated in the green zone of central Baghdad, close to several ministry buildings. These are the largest attacks since 19 August when truck bombs exploded near two ministry buildings killing at least 100 people. Iraq has blamed foreign fighters for this attack and has accused Syria of involvement in these bombings. Iraq is demanding a UN investigation over the incident.
December
- 8 December - At least 127 people are killed and more than 200 injured in a series of car bombings8 December 2009 Baghdad bombingsThe 8 December 2009 Baghdad bombings were attacks in Baghdad, Iraq which resulted in the deaths of at least 127 people and injuries to at least 448 more. The attacks have been condemned internationally as acts of terrorism...
, the deadliest attacks in Iraq since the 25 October bombings. The attacks were coordinated and aimed at important government buildings. - 18 December - Iranian forces invade and seize East Maysan oilfield 4.
- 31 December - The US suffers only three troop deaths, and no combat deaths, the lowest monthly figure since the war began.
Notable deaths
- May 27 – Ammo BabaAmmo BabaEmmanuel Baba Dawud better known as Ammo Baba , was a former Iraqi and ethnic Assyrian international football player and coach of the Iraq national football team...
, 74, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i footballer and athletic trainerAthletic trainerAn athletic trainer is a certified, health care professional who practices in the field of sports medicine. Athletic training has been recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care profession since 1990....
, diabetes. - August 7 – Taha Muhie-eldin MaroufTaha Muhie-eldin MaroufTaha Muhie-eldin Marouf was an Iraqi politician and served as Vice President of Iraq from 1975 until the U.S. invasion in 2003.-Political life:Marouf joined the Baath Party in 1968 and held several ministerial posts....
, 80, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, Vice PresidentVice President of IraqAs currently constituted, the state of Iraq has two vice presidents or deputy presidents. The office of Vice President is largely ceremonial but prestigious...
(1975–2003). - August 26 – Abdul Aziz al-HakimAbdul Aziz al-HakimSayyed Abdul Aziz al-Hakim was an Iraqi theologian and politician and the leader of Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a party that enjoys approximately 5% support in the Iraqi Council of Representatives....
, 56, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, lung cancerLung cancerLung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. - September 3 – Alec MacLachlan, 30, BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
hostageHostageA hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
in IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
(death confirmed on this date).