The updated page on the new 2008 Israel-Hamas Gaza War is now available at:
http://www.historyguy.com/gaza_war.htm
An overview of the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, as a part of the longer and larger overall Israel-Palestinian and Arab-Israeli conflicts.
With the world economic crisis dominating the news, little attention is currently placed on the ongoing tensions between the United States and Israel, on one side, and the Islamic Republic of Iran and its allies, Hezbollah and Hamas, on the other.
While many pundits and analysts in the U.S. and abroad wondered about a Bush/Cheney "October Surprise" to damage or destroy Iran’s growing nuclear capability, and to perhaps aid John McCain’s campaign, the likelihood of such an attack is now greatly diminished due to the above-mentioned economic crisis. Below is a history of the wars involving Persia and Iran from the late 1700s to the present day.
From the History Guy Website at: http://www.historyguy.com/wars_of_iran.htm
The modern nation of Iran is also known throughout much of history as the ancient nation of Persia. This is the same Persia which overran the Spartans at Thermopylae; the same Persia which fell to the conquering Macedonian, Alexander the Great; the same Persia which fought the Romans and their successors the Byzantines for centuries for dominance in the Near East. This is also the same Persia which fell rather easily to the expanding Arab Muslim Empire led by the successors to Islam’s founder, the Prophet Muhammad. Persia became the center of the Shia branch of Islam. The Shia, who are also known as Shiites, often fight against the larger and more dominant Sunni branch of Islam. Most Turks and most Arabs are Sunni. The Persian, or Iranian people are not Arabs. They speak the Farsi language and are largely Shiite. Iran also has large ethnic minorities, mostly along the nation’s borders. These minority groups occasionally rebel in favor of autonomy within Iran, or for outright independence. The larger minorities include the Arabs of Khuzistan, the Kurds along the northwestern borders with Iraq and Turkey, and the Azeris along the Azerbaijan border to the northwest. Baluchis inhabit the border region near Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Several themes emerge as the military history of Iran and Persia is examined. One is religious: The Shiite Iranians/Persians engaged in many wars against their Sunni neighbors, whether they were the Ottoman Turks, the Sunni-ruled Iraqis, the Sunnis of Afghanistan or the Sunni monarchies of the Persian Gulf. Another theme is geographic and economic. Wars and conflicts with an expanding Russia to the north, and an imperial Britain to the south, both looking for ways to dominate the lucrative Gulf region. And, in the 20th and 21st centuries, conflicts with the United States, which based its policies toward Iran on a need to contain Soviet communism, and on a perceived need to ensure continued access to Iranian and Gulf oil. Persia officially changed its name to Iran in the early 20th Century.
This page on the wars of Persia and the wars of Iran covers conflicts from the late 18th Century to the Present day.
Persian Civil War-(1779-1794)-The revolt of the eunuch general Agha Mohammed led to this 15-year civil war. Agha Mohammed eventually won the war and became the Shah of Persia.
Georgian-Persian War-(1795-1796)-After consolidating his power, Agha Mohammed invaded the Caucasian kingdom of Georgia, which had previously been a part of the Persian Empire, but had broken away following the death of Nadir Shah in 1747. Persian forces invaded Georgia and defeated the Georgian King Heraclius.
Afghan-Persian War-(1798)-The new Shah of Persia, Fath Ali, supported a pretender to the Afghan throne against the Afghan King. The pretender, Muhammad Barakzai overthrew his brother, Zaman, with help from an invading Persian army.
Russo-Persian War-(1804-1813)-Following Russia’s invasion and annexation of Georgia and Karabakh, Persia gave aid to rebels resisting Russian rule. Russia then attacked Persia, and put the city of Erevan under siege in 1804. The siege was lifted upon the arrival of Persian reinforcements led by Shah Fath Ali and Crown Prince Abbas Mirza. Warfare continued in the Caucasus region and along the Caspian coast until 1813. The most significant battle after the initial invasion and siege was the Battle of Aslanduz (Oct. 21, 1812), in which the Russians defeated an army led by Abbas Mirza. A peace treaty was signed on October 12, 1813 at Gulistan. In this treaty, Persia recognized Russian rule over Georgia and other disputed Transcaucasian areas.
Afghan-Persian War-(1816)-Persia invaded Afghanistan and occupied the western Afghan city of Herat. Local Afghan guerrillas forced the Persians to exit Afghanistan.
Turkish-Persian War-(1821-1823)-The regime of Crown Prince Abbas Mirza launched an attack on Ottoman Turkey due to Turkish aid to Azerbaijani rebels in Persia. The rebels had fled from Persia and were given refuge by the Ottomans. The war opened with a Persian invasion of Turkey in the Lake Van region, and a counter-invasion by the Ottoman Pasha of Baghdad (Iraq belonged to the Ottoman Empire), who invaded western Persia. This invasion force was driven back across the border, but the newly modernized Persian army of 30,000 troops defeated 50,000 Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Erzurum near Lake Van in 1821. A peace treaty in 1823 ended the war with no changes to their mutual border.
Russo-Persian War –(1825-1828)–This war resulted from the ongoing border disputes arising from the Treaty of Gulistan (1813) between Persia and Russia. Persian forces were initially successful, capturing the Georgian capital of Tbilisi in 1825. Russian forces led by General Ivan Fedorovich Paskievich went on the offensive against the invading Persians and defeated them at the Battle of Ganja (also known as the Battle of Kirovabad) on September 26, 1826. Abbas Mirza led a Persian force of 30,000 which was defeated and routed by a Russian army of 15,000 troops. In 1827, General Paskievich captured Erevan and Tabriz in the the northwest of Persia. The Russians captured the Persian capital of Tehran in the winter of 1827-28, along with the Persian army’s total inventory of artillery pieces. The resulting peace Treaty of Turkomanchi recognized Russian rule of Armenia, forbade Persia to station warships on the Caspian Sea, and forced Persia to pay a war indemnity to Russia. A war indemnity was a financial payment from a defeated nation to the winner to pay the cost of the war. This defeat basically ended Persia’s role as a major power among the nations of the Gulf and the Caucuses region.
Afghan-Persian War-(1836-1838)-Persia invaded Afghanistan partly in response to Britain’s influence in the region, and laid siege to the western Afghan city of Herat. The Herat defenders were aided by a British military advisor named Eldred Potter. Potter offered his services to the Afghans and set about organizing the city’s defenses. Persian assaults on the city failed, and the invading army gave up the siege (September 28, 1838), and returned home.
Afghan/Anglo-Persian War-(1855-1857)-Persia again invaded Afghanistan, this time successfully capturing Herat. This upset the British, who claimed influence over Afghanistan. The British Empire declared war on Persia (Nov. 1, 1856), and proceeded to invade Persia both by sea and by land. British forces landed and took the Persian port of Bushire in January, 1857. An Anglo-Indian army invaded Persia, which soon gave up and agreed to evacuate Herat.
Persian Revolution -(1906-1909)-Persia was beset by internal political violence and rebellions against the rule of the tyrannical Shah Mohammed Ali. Actual warfare broke out in 1908 by a rebellion in the city of Tabriz. The Shah’s forces besieged Tabriz, but the rebellion did not end until an intervening Russian army brutally seized Tabriz in March of 1909. While this was occurring, other rebel factions marched on Tehran, capturing the capital city on July 12, 1909. The Shah abdicated his throne, and his young son, Ahmad Mirza became the new Shah.
Mohammed Ali’s Invasion -(1911)-With Russian approval and aid, the exiled former Shah, Mohammed Ali, landed on the Caspian coast on June 17, 1911,in an attempt to recapture his throne. His forces were defeated by a government army and he returned to exile on September 5, 1911.
Anglo-Russian Invasion and Occupation of Persia -(1911)-Russia invaded and occupied northern Persia on the pretext of restoring order in the country and also to protect Russian financial and economic interests. British forces also invaded and occupied most of the oil-producing southwestern Persia. This was partly to counter Russian influence, and partly to protect British oil supplies.
World War One -(1914-1918)-Though Persia officially did not take part in this war, Russian and Ottoman Turkish forces used Persia’s Caucasus region as a battleground throughout the war. British forces continued and expanded their occupation of southern Persia while also pursuing invasions of Ottoman Iraq.
Soviet Invasion of Persia -(1920-1921)-The new Communist regime in Russia (now renamed as the Soviet Union), invaded northern Persia and established Soviet satellite states in Gilan, Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, and Khorasan. Following the coup of Persian General Reza Khan Pahlavi in February of 1921, a peace treaty with the Soviets was ratified, and Soviet forces withdrew.
Persian Revolution -(1921)-Reza Khan Pahlavi overthrew the corrupt Shah Ahmad Mirza and crushed the separatist regimes in Gilan, Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, and Khorasan.
Arab Rebellion in Khuzistan -(1932)
Anglo-Soviet Invasion and Occupation of Persia -(1941-1946)-The Soviet Union and the United Kingdom once again occupied large areas of Iran due to their war with Germany during World War Two. This time, no combat took place in Iranian territory, but the Soviets did aid separatist movements among the Kurds and Azeris.
Kurdish Rebellion -(1941-1944)
Azeri Rebellion -(1945)
Kurdish Mahabad Rebellion -(1946)–This Soviet-supported Kurdish separatist movement fell to the Iranian army after the Soviets withdrew their troops in 1946.
Anti-Mossadeq Coup -(1953)–The American Central Intelligence Agency planned and executed a coup against Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq. Britain was concerned that Mossadeq was going to nationalize the oilfields of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now known as British Petroleum, or BP) and the United States feared that Mossadeq may ally Iran with the Soviet Union. The plan for the coup was called "Operation Ajax," and it succeeded in overthrowing Prime Minister Mossadeq and installing a more pliable Prime Minister. The Shah assumed greater powers, and Iran was a firm ally of the Western powers during the Cold War until the Shah’s overthrow in 1979.
Iran-Iraq Border Battles -(1969-1970)–Disputes over the Shatt al-Arab waterway, claimed by both nations, led to hostilities in the late 1960s. Iran supported a rebellion by Iraqi Kurds until 1975, when the Shah and Saddam Hussein reached an agreement
Kurdish Rebellion -(1970-1980)–During the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini against the Shah, Iranian Kurdistan rose in rebellion. The Iranian Army and the Revolutionary Guards crushed the rebellion. Kurdish losses were around 10,000.
Iranian Seizure of Gulf Islands -(1970-1980)–Iran occupied several Persian Gulf islands claimed by the United Arab Emirates.
Dhofar War-(1973-1975)–Iran sent troops to Oman to aid the Sultan of Oman, who was fighting against Marxist rebels aided by South Yemen. The Shah of Iran reportedly wanted to not only support a fellow pro-Western Gulf Monarch, but also wanted to give his troops combat experience in the field.
Islamic Revolution in Iran -(1979-1980)–Iran was swept with anti-Shah protests, culminating in the Shah going into exile and the Ayatollah Khomeini taking power and installing an Islamic Republic. During the resulting instability in Iran, several ethnic groups rebelled, including the Kurds and Azeris. A Marxist group known as the Mujahadeen Khalq also became active against the Islamic Republic.
U.S.-Iran Hostage Crisis–(1979-1981)–Radical Iranian students seized control of the American Embassy in Tehran, sparking a crisis that nearly resulted in war. A badly-planned and badly-executed U.S. military rescue attempt ended in disaster in 1980.
The First Persian Gulf War (also known as the Iran-Iraq War)—(1980-1988) - In 1975, Iraq and Iran came to an agreement on the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway which provides Iraq’s only outlet to the sea. In exchange for Iran stopping support for Kurdish rebels, Iraq agreed to share the Shatt al-Arab with Iran. This and other disputes over their common border, plus the belief that the 1979 revolution had weakened Iran, led Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to launch an invasion of Iran on September 22, 1980. After initial successes, the Iraqi army ground to a halt and soon retreated under repeated assaults by the numerically larger Iranian Army and Revolutionary Guards. After the Iranians pushed the war into Iraq, Saddam’s forces began using chemical weapons. By 1988, both nations faced exhaustion and, after nearly a million casualties between them, agreed to end the conflict.
The Tanker War -(1984-1988)–Iran and Iraq each attacked oil tankers and oil facilities in the Persian Gulf in an effort to damage each other’s economy. The United States entered the fray in 1987 by "reflagging" several Kuwaiti oil tankers, thereby providing them with American legal and military protection. Iran continued to attack these ships, provoking violent American responses.
Iran’s Proxy War with Israel -(1980s-Present)–Iran openly supports and arms Israel’s enemies, Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah. Israel and the United States consider Iran to be a party to the warfare waged by Hamas, Hezbollah, and the tensions with Syria.
PEJAK Kurdish Rebellion -(1998-Present)–The Party for a Free Life in Iranian Kurdistan (PEJAK) is a Kurdish guerrilla force fighting for freedom from Iran. Believed to be supported by the Kurds in Iraq as well as by the United States.
Proxy War with the United States -(Current)–Iran and the United States are, for all intents and purposes, engaged in a mutual proxy war against each other. The United States alleges that Iran is supplying weapons, training, money, and cross-border bases to anti-American forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran is meanwhile alleging that the United States is arming and encouraging Kurdish, Azeri, Arab (Khuzistani), and Baluchi militants in rebellion against Tehran. This all serves as a backdrop for the possibility of a new war between the United States and Iran. Such an "Iran War," in addition to the current Iraq War and Afghanistan War could destabalize the Middle East and jeopardize the West’s oil supplies.
Sources:
R. Ernest, Dupuy, and Dupuy Trevor N. The Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 B.C. To The Present.
Kohn, George C. Dictionary of Wars.
WHKMLA : List of the Wars of Persia / Iran
Iran faces challenges from within--by Chris Zambelis of Asia Times Online
The Kurds Begin To Revolt In Iran, Turkey & Syria – Encouraged By Iraqi Kurdistan
Kurdish Secessionism Looms Over the Middle East--May 11, 2006, by Robert Lindsay: Independent Left Journalist From California
Iranians shell anti-Iranian Kurdish PEJAK guerrillas in Kurdistan region-Iraq–May 23,2007, by KurdNet
Further steps in the lead-up to the war with Iran — October 12, 2007, by Atlantic Free Press
With the recent publicity surrounding the ongoing repression in Tibet by the Chinese Communist Party, and the public protests around the world as the Olympic torch makes its way to Beijing, I have received several queries from readers about the history of conflicts between Tibet and China.
There is a new web page on the historyguy.com site detailing some of these Sino-Tibetan Wars and Conflicts. It is at: http://www.historyguy.com/tibet_china_wars_conflicts.html
While normally I take as neutral a position as possible while explaining world conflicts on the main historyguy.com website, and leaving my more opinionated commentary for this blog, I come down against the continued repression by the Chinese Communist Party in Tibet. I see a distinction in identifying the brutality and evil of the occupation as sourced in the Communist ideology than in any innately Chinese cultural aspects. When an authoritarian, dictatorial regime conquers a smaller, basically defenseless nation, it can never be justified. I liken the Chinese occupation of Tibet with the other evil occupations of history, such as the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, or the Soviet conquest of the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia).
Those once-captive nations eventually regained their freedom, and one day too, Tibet may once again see the back-end of the Communist occupying forces, just as, after the 1911 Revolution, Tibet saw the last of the Manchu Imperial occupation army.
On March 19, 2008, the world noted the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. The Iraq War is now the third longest war in American history, after the Vietnam War and the continuing war in Afghanistan.
Below is a look at America’s major wars and their length in months. Time periods are rounded up or down for ease of comparison. Current conflicts are italicized and are colored red. The longest wars are listed first in descending order by length. The start dates reflect when the United States entered the wars.
Vietnam War–August, 1964 to April, 1975= 129 months (American involvement began in the late 1950s, but major U.S. combat forces began taking part in large-unit combat in 1964. August, 1964 is the month of the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the U.S. bombing of North Vietnamese targets.)
American Revolution–April, 1775 to September, 1783= 100 months
Afghanistan– October, 2001 to Present (as of March, 2008)= 78 months
Iraq War–March, 2003 to Present (as of March, 2008)= 60 months
U.S. Civil War–April, 1861 to April, 1865= 48 months
World War II–December, 1941 to September, 1945= 45 months
World War I–April, 1917 to November, 1918= 19 months
Korean War– June, 1950 to July, 1953= 37 months
War of 1812–June, 1812 to February, 1815= 32 months
U.S.-Mexican War– May, 1846 to February, 1848= 21 months
Spanish-American War–April, 1898 to August, 1898= 5 months
Gulf War–January, 1991 to March, 1991= 3 months
Source: http://www.historyguy.com/american_wars_by_length_of_time.html
For hundreds of years, the people of Serbia have considered the region of Kosovo to be the homeland of their history and culture. From the late 1300′s until 1912 however, this area was ruled by the Ottoman Turks, an Islamic people who once controlled a vast empire. Over the course of Ottoman Turkish rule, many Serbs either left Kosovo or converted from Christianity to Islam. Also, the Albanian Muslim (a Muslim is someone who believes in Islam) population of the area grew, until the majority of Kosovo inhabitants were no longer Serb Christians.
Albanians and Serbs are quite different in terms of language, religion and culture. Ever since Serbia acquired Kosovo in the First Balkan War (1912), conflict between these two groups has erupted periodically in this disputed region.
Below is a listing of these conflicts accompanied by a brief description.
NOTE: For the purposes of categorizing these conflicts, the term "Kosovo War" is used to name the wars between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians. Also, the use of the Serb term "Kosovo" rather than the Albanian version "Kosova" is not meant to imply favoritism or bias. "Kosovo" is the name that most Americans and Westerners know the region by and that is the name used here for clarity.
First Kosovo War (1912-1913)–In the brief First Balkan War (1912-1913), Serbia, along with other Balkan nations, succeeded in ending Ottoman Turkish rule in south-eastern Europe. As a consequence of this war, Albania became independent and the largely Albanian-inhabited region of Kosovo became a part of Serbia. Serbs had long claimed this area, citing its history as a part of the Serbian Kingdom which existed in the Middle Ages.
The Kosovars had already begun a rebellion against the Turks and wished to join with the new nation of Albania. Occupying Serb and Montenegrin troops and Kosovo guerrillas clashed. In the fighting and subsequent repression, approximately 20,000 Kosovars perished, while tens of thousands more fled to other countries. Many atrocities were carried out by the "kamitadjis," Serb paramilitary forces which officially operated independently of the Serb army but engaged in brutal repression of the civilian population. Note that in the Bosnian and Kosovo Wars of the 1990′s, Serb paramilitary forces in the same vein as the kamitadjis operated freely.
Second Kosovo War (1915-1918)–This conflict can be considered a part of World War One. Serbia was invaded by the armies of Austria-Hungary, Germany and Bulgaria (along with Turkey they were known as "The Central Powers"). The Serb army and government fled before the armies of the Central Powers in the winter of 1915. They marched through the mountains of Kosovo and Albania toward the sea where naval ships of the British and French (known as "The Allies") rescued them to continue the war from bases in Greece. During this retreat through Albanian-populated areas, the Kosovars exacted revenge on the Serbs for their conquest a few years earlier. Albanian guerrillas ambushed small units, killed and mutilated soldiers who became cut off from the main Serb forces and generally made the retreat as difficult as possible for the Serb army. Between the attacking Central Powers, the Albanians and the weather, roughly half of the 300,000 Serb soldiers who began the retreat never made it to the sea. The Albanian rebels, or "kaçaks" as they were called, also fought against the Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian occupiers of Kosovo.
Third Kosovo War (1918-1924)–With the defeat of the Central Powers, Serbia joined with Montenegro and the formerly Austro-Hungarian areas of Slovenia, Bosnia and Croatia to form the new nation of Yugoslavia. The new kingdom’s government and army were dominated by Serbs. The king of Serbia became the first king of Yugoslavia, and the Yugoslav army was created with the old Serb army as its nucleus.
The Serb/Yugoslav army reoccupied Kosovo in 1918 but faced resistance from the Albanian Kosovar kaçaks, who did not want a return to Serb rule. As the army re-imposed government rule, many atrocities occurred, in part fueled by Serb desire for revenge over the harassment they suffered in the retreat of 1915. Massacres and the burning of villages were tactics employed to break the back of the rebel resistance. The Yugoslav government also banned the teaching of the Albanian language in the schools and encouraged immigration of Serbs and Montenegrins into Kosovo from other parts of Yugoslavia.
The rebels based in northern Albania formed the Committee for National Defense of Kosovo, also known as the Kosovo Committee or "KK" for short. The KK smuggled arms across the border and conducted raids against government forces. In May, 1919, the KK called for a mass uprising in Kosovo, and nearly 10,000 poorly armed rebels were driven into the mountains by a Yugoslav army equipped with modern machine guns and artillery. The KK continued the guerrilla struggle from bases in northern Albania until 1924. In that year, Yugoslavia’s military helped Ahmed Zogu, Albania’s former Prime Minister, regain power. In 1923, the KK had aided in Zogu’s overthrow from their bases in northern Albania. In return for Yugoslavia’s military aid, Zogu (who later became King Zog), closed down the KK’s guerrilla bases and effectively ejected them from Albania. This brought an end to the armed struggle in Kosovo.
Fourth Kosovo War (1941-1944)–This conflict can be considered a part of World War Two. In 1941, Germany, Italy and Bulgaria (the "Axis") invaded Yugoslavia and divided the country between them. Kosovo was occupied by the Italians, who attached it to Albania, which had been conquered by Italy in 1939. Most Kosovar Albanians welcomed the Italian occupiers, especially when Axis forces stood by and did not interfere as gangs of Kosovar Albanians attacked Serb and Montenegrin settlers. It is estimated that between 3,000 and 10,000 Serbs died and 30,000 and 100,000 fled Kosovo in this period. After Italy’s surrender to the Allies on September 8, 1943, German forces occupied Kosovo and Albania. The Germans encouraged attacks against the Serbs and used local Albanians to help them round up local Jews for their death camps.
While no extensive resistance to the Axis developed in Kosovo, most of the central portion (Bosnia-Hercegovina and Montenegro) of the old Yugoslavia was embroiled in bloody warfare against the Germans and Italians. The Communist Partisan army of Josip Broz Tito waged an effective guerrilla campaign which tied down hundreds of thousands of Axis soldiers. Most Kosovo Albanians distrusted the Partisans due to the perception that it was a largely Serbian organization and because most Muslim Albanians were anti-Communist. Some Kosovo Partisan units were formed and began striking at Axis forces in early 1943, but by and large, the Communist Partisan organization in Kosovo was quite weak.
In order to encourage more Kosovo Albanian participation in the war against the Axis, Tito announced in January, 1944, that after the war Kosovo would have the right to secede from Yugoslavia and join with Albania. Tito never intended to abide by this declaration and when Partisan units liberated Kosovo from the Germans in late 1944, a new conflict began in the Drenica valley of Kosovo.
Drenica Rebellion (or Polluzha’s Rebellion) (Late 1944-March 1945)–Shaban Polluzha was a Kosovar Albanian Partisan leader who believed Tito’s declaration that Kosovo could join with Albania. When he was ordered to take his 8,000 Kosovo Partisans north into Croatia to combat German troops, he refused, sparking an attack by the Titoist Partisan army. It is estimated that 20,000 Kosovar Albanians joined his rebellion. During the fighting and later Yugoslav Partisan reprisals, some 44 villages were reported destroyed. Tito’s forces put down the rebellion completely. After the war, Tito became the dictator of a Communist Yugoslavia. During his reign, Tito managed to suppress nationalist and ethnic tensions thoughout Yugoslavia.
Pristina Student Demonstrations (Spring, 1981)–After Tito’s death in 1980, Yugoslavia began to show signs of dissolution. On March 11, 1981, a small university student demonstration in Kosovo’s capital of Pristina turned into a general plea for democracy and Albanian nationalism. The students were somewhat influenced by the recent rise of the Solidarity movement in Communist Poland. On March 26, students and police clashed, leaving 37 injured. High school students and factory workers joined the protests demanding either Kosovo independence or union with Albania. At this point, Yugoslav special police with tanks entered Pristina. In the violence that followed, the government claims only eleven died and 57 were injured. Other reports put the death toll at hundreds. After the protests were broken up, thousands were arrested and put on trial.
It should be noted though, that administration of Kosovo was in the hands of local Albanian Communists, and this should not be interpreted as a strictly Serb-Albanian conflict. The protests were directed more at the Yugoslav government as a whole.
Sixth Kosovo War (1998-1999)–The Kosovo Liberation Army began a guerrilla war in February, 1998 against Serb Yugoslav authority. On March 24, 1999, in response to atrocities committed by the Serbs and their unwillingness to negotiate at the peace table (The Rambouillet Conference), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began a 78-day air campaign which succeeded in causing Serb leader Slobodan Milosovic to withdraw his army from Kosovo.
Kosovo Secession from Serbia (Feb. 17, 2008)–After existing as a UN-Administered part of Serbia since the 1998-1999 Kosovo War, the government of Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. The Serbian government opposed this secession.
LINK: http://www.historyguy.com/kosovar_serb_warfare.html
SOURCES:
1. Judah, Tim. Kosovo: War and Revenge. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
2. Ignatieff, Michael. Virtual War: Kosovo and Beyond. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2000.
3. Stavrianos, L.S. The Balkans Since 1453. New York,New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966.
History: Independent Albania–http://www.albanian.com/main/history/independent.html
Please cite this source when appropriate:
Lee, Roger A. "The History Guy: Warfare and Conflict Between Kosovar Albanians and Serbs Since 1912"
http://www.historyguy.com/kosovar_serb_warfare.html
Copyright © 1998-2008 Roger A. Lee and History Guy Media; Last Modified: 02.17.08
Pakistan’s Violent Political History Continues
With Bhutto’s Assassination
With the political assassination of former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007, Pakistan’s bloody
tradition of political violence continues to plague an already
fractured and unstable country.
A short list of significant acts of political
violence in Pakistan. Note that Pakistan has been an independent
nation only since 1947.
–1947-Independence from the British and the
violent separation from India (several million killed in Pakistan and
India)
–First Kashmir War
(1947-1948) with India
–1948–Pakistani
annexation of Baluchistan, military suppression of Baluch
nationalists.
–1951–Assassination of
Pakistan’s first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan
–Pakistan’s first President, Iskandar Mirza,
throws out the constitution and declares martial law on October 7,
1958
–General Ayub Khan overthrows Iskander Mirza in a
bloodless coup d’etat on October 7, 1958.
–1958-1960–Pakistani military suppression of
Baluch nationalists
–Second Kashmir War (1965)
with India
–Bangladesh War of
Independence (1971) from Pakistan (Bangladesh had, from 1947 to 1971,
been part of Pakistan, best known as East Pakistan). India intervened
in the war to aid Bangladesh against Pakistan
–1973-1976-Rebellion in
Baluchistan, a province in southwestern Pakistan
–1977–Military coup
overthrows Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He was replaced by
General Zia al-Huq.
–1979–Former Prime
Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed after a controversial
trial.
–Kargil
War (Kashmir Border Conflict) border
war with India
–October, 1999–General Pervez
Musharraf overthrows
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless military coup
–Waziristan
War
(2004-Present)-against tribal rebels and al-Qaida fighters in the
Northwest border region
–2003–Two unsuccessful
assassination attempts against President Pervez
Musharraf
–July, 2003–Siege and Battle at the Red Mosque–over 100 killed.
–October 18,
2007–Assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
upon her return from exile
–December 27,
2007–Assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in
Rawalpindi
Turkish forces bombed Kurdish PKK rebels based in northern Iraq in aerial attacks on December 1st and on December 16th, with both attacks aided by intelligence supplied by the United States. Earlier in the Autumn, Turkey hinted at an invasion of northern Iraq to get at the rebels, a move opposed by both the U.S. and the Iraqi government.
While the Turks are within their rights to strike at an enemy combatant force with whom they have been at war with since the 1980s, the U.S. is not the sovereign power in Iraq; officially, sovereign power rests with the Iraqi government in Baghdad, and reports indicate that the government, especially the Kurdish members of the government are quite angry at this attack and at U.S. complicity.
While the U.S. can claim that it is aiding a fellow NATO member defend itself, and that the PKK is considered a terrorist group, allowing the Turks to strike inside Iraq does open up the question of what the Bush Administration would do if Iran launched a similar cross-border strike against their own Kurdish rebels who also use northern Iraq as a base.
U.S. Helps Turkey Hit Rebel Kurds In Iraq: Intelligence Role Could Complicate Diplomacy–Washington Post, December 18, 2007
Turkey’s U.S.-Backed Strike in Iraq–Time, Dec. 17, 2007
Some war casualty figures were released by a human-rights group in Somalia. The figures are unverified, but, in the History Guy’s opinion, are not outside the realm of possibility. Mogadishu has seen heavy combat between the insurgent Islamic forces and the heavily-equipped Ethiopian military. Also, the insurgents are using Iraq-style bombing techniques and tactics, which tend to inflict large numbers of casualties among civilians.
According to Somalia’s Elman Human Rights group, 5,960 civilian fatalities occurred in the capital of Mogadishu in 2007. Also, the group claims that 7,980 civilians were wounded and over 700,000 displaced from their homes due to the continuing war between the Somali government and the Islamic insurgency. Ethiopia is aiding the Somali government; providing troops and air power to fight the insurgents. In December of 2006, Ethiopian forces, with American aid, invaded Islamic forces-held Somali territory and overthrew the extremist Islamic regime and helped install a pro-Western government in its place.
Source:
Somali group: 5,960 killed this year–Associated Press, December 2, 2007
This page lists and explains the five wars fought between the United Kingdom and Iraq. The word "Anglo" refers to England, once known as "Angle Land," which is part of the island of Great Britain, which is the primary part of the United Kingdom.
1st Anglo-Iraq War: May 1920 to Feb. 1921
The Great Iraqi Revolution (known in Iraq as Ath Thawra al Iraqiyya al Kubra and by the British as the Arab Revolt of 1920-Rebellion by Iraqi Arabs against the rule of the British Mandate. The rebellion was suppressed by the British military. This can be considered the First Anglo-Iraqi War.
The immediate causes of this conflict arose out of the results of the British conquest of the Mesopotamian region from the Ottoman Turks during World War I. Following that war, the British established, with League of Nations approval, a colonial-style Mandate over the region now named “Iraq.” Many Iraqi nationalists, who believed independence would result from the ejection of the Turks, were severely disappointed with the establishment of the British Mandate. Other, related events and issues also inflamed Iraqi Arab opinion against the British. The Mandate government almost completely excluded Iraqis, as the British imported experienced civil servants from India (also ruled by Britain) to help administer the country. In northern Iraq, the British allowed thousands of Christian refugees escaping persecution in Turkey, to settle in mostly Muslim Iraq.
2nd Anglo-Iraq War: April 18, 1941 to May 30, 1941
The Anglo-Iraqi War of 1941, also known as the Rashid Ali Coup, was a relatively small, but very significant part of the Second World War. Since the ending of the British Mandate and the advent of full Iraqi independence in 1932, Britain retained a great deal of military influence in Iraq, despite lingering opposition from many Arab nationalists. One of these nationalists, Rashid Ali, seized power in Baghdad and refused British requests to allow British military forces to enter Iraq. Britain at this time was fighting German and Italian forces in North Africa and were preparing to invade Vichy French-held Syria. (The Vichy French were working with the Germans and British and Free French forces needed to secure the region). Believing promises of German support, Rashid Ali ordered his forces to attack British bases in western Iraq and to oppose the landing of British forces at the southern city of Basra. German support appeared in the form of a small number of Luftwaffe fighter planes, and the British forces quickly defeated the Iraqi military.
3rd Anglo-Iraq War: Aug. 2, 1990 to Feb. 1991
The Second Persian Gulf War (Also known as “Operation Desert Storm”)— On August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces invaded and quickly conquered the small, oil-rich emirate of Kuwait. Almost immediately, an international coalition of nations gathered a powerful military force under the authority of the United Nations and the leadership of the United States, first to defend the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and secondly, to force Iraq to withdraw from occupied Kuwait. From the beginning of the crisis, the United Kingdom, led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, worked very closely with the U.S. in assuming a determined posture against Saddam Hussein’s territorial ambition. Click on the blue link above for more detail on the war.
4th Anglo-Iraq War: 1991 to March 19, 2003
The "No-Fly Zone War" pitted the air and naval forces of the United States and the United Kingdom against the air defenses of Iraq. This conflict was a direct result of the agreements which ended the fighting in the Second Persian Gulf War (Also known as “Operation Desert Storm”). Click on the blue "No-Fly Zone War" link above for more detail on the war.
5th Anglo-Iraq War: March 19, 2003 to Present
The Third Persian Gulf War , known as "Operation Telic" by the British, and "Operation Iraqi Freedom" by the U.S., ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from power and led to the occupation of Iraq by British and American forces. Click on the blue link above for more detail on the war.
Please cite this source when appropriate:
Lee, R. "The History Guy: Anglo-Iraq Wars
http://www.historyguy.com/anglo-iraq_wars.html
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Waziristan War—(2004- Present): In the rugged and remote region of Waziristan on Pakistan’s northwest border with Afghanistan, Islamic rebels allied to the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida are fighting to establish an Islamic Republic.
The fighting began in 2004, when Pakistan’s army entered the region inhabited by the Waziri tribe in search al-Qaida and Taliban fighters who were using Waziristan as a base for attacks against American and Allied forces in Afghanistan.
Since the fighting began, Pakistani forces suffer almost daily casualties due to roadside bombs and ambushes. The authority of the central government is almost nonexistent in the rebellious tribal borderlands.
The United States aids the Pakistani forces with intelligence information and with tactical air strikes on suspected rebel bases and safe houses. The best known U.S. airstrike occurred at the village of Damadola, on January 13, 2006. The attack occurred in the Bajaur tribal area, about 4.5 miles) from the Afghan border. This Predator-drone attack killed at least 18 people, including several non-Waziri foreign al-Qaida fighters.
In July, 2007, following nearly ten months of an uneasy peace, the Islamic militants of Waziristan once again began fighting the Pakistani government in response to the siege and army assault on the Red Mosque in Islamabad. The Red Mosque had been held by Islamic militants and the Pakistani Army ousted the militants in a bloody battle.
The U.S. had been quietly critical of Musharaff’s government for letting the militants in the Waziristan border region regroup during the ten-month truce. After the border region violence renewed, Washington offered assistance to Pakistan in terms of arms and other aid. Rumors of possible American intervention against the Taliban and al-Qaida in Waziristan sparked a rebuke from the Pakistani government that any such cross-border action would be opposed.
Reports: Pak Army strikes in Waziristan–July 25, 2007
US points out 9 terror camps in Waziristan–July 25, 2007
60 dead in Pakistan border fighting –April 4, 2007
Copyright © 1998-2007 Roger A. Lee and History Guy Media; Last Modified: 10.07.07
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