2019 in Iraq

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See also:	Other events of 2019 List of years in Iraq

Events of 2019 in Iraq.

Incumbents

• President: Barham Salih
• Prime Minister: Adil Abdul-Mahdi

Events

January

• 24 January – Iraqi parliament approves the yearly budget after weeks of deadlock. ^[1]
• 26 January – After a 16 months ban, Türkiye allows flights to the city of Sulaimaniyah to resume. ^[2]

March

• 11 March – Iranian president Rohani visits Iraq for the first time since becoming president in 2013. ^[3]
• 21 March – Mosul ferry sinking in the Tigris river results in about 100 dead revelers who were celebrating the Kurdish the new year and Iraqi mothers day. ^{[4] [5]}

April

• 17 April – The Iraqi parliament votes on a bill to ban several video games, such as PUBG and Fortnite, accusing them of being harmful and too violent. ^[6]

May

• 20 May – A rocket lands near US embassy in Baghdad with no casualties. ^[7]

June

• 27 June – Iraqi protesters storm the embassy of Bahrain in Baghdad over the country hosting a US sponsored workshop on Palestine. Bahrain responded by recalling their envoy to Iraq. ^[8]

July

• 5 July – The ancient ruins of Babylon are listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list after decades of campaigning. ^[9]

August

• 20 August – Popular Mobilization, a Shia-dominated military group, blames the United States and Israel for an explosion at Balad airbase in Salahuddin province, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad. ^[10]

September

• 10 September – 31 people killed and 100 injured due to a stampede that occurred during Ashura commemorations in the city of Karbala. ^[11]

• 20 September – A bomb planted in a bus explosion kills 12 and wounds several others outside the city of Karbala. ^[12]
• 30 September – Iraq reopens a border-crossing with Syria after 8 years of closure. ^[13]

October

• 1 October – anti government Protests break out all across Iraq. The Iraqi government declared a curfew in few cities as well as limit social media and internet access in an attempt to suppress the protests. ^[14]

• 

  Protesters in Baghdad, 1 October 2019

  9 October – The death toll of classes between security forces and protesters rises to around 110 with 6,000 wounded since the beginning of the protests. Iraq's prime minister declares 3 days of mourning for those killed. ^[15]
• 11 October – Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s senior Shia cleric demands the Iraqi government investigate the violence against demonstrators. ^[15]
• 25 October– A fresh wave of protests is met with violence leaving 40 dead and hundreds injured. ^[16]
• 28 October – The Iraqi government institutes a curfew as the total death toll of the protests climbs to 200 since their start on the 1st of October. Protesters defy the curfew and refuse to disband. ^[17]

Protesters occupy the building known as the Turkish restaurant in Baghdad

November

• 4 November – Iraqi protesters storm the Iranian consulate in Karbala, 3 people are killed as security forces fire on the protesters to disperse them. ^[18]
• 17 November – The protest expand as protestors seal of several bridges and vital roads in Baghdad contracting traffic. Thousands of students join the protests as calls for a general strike continued. ^[19]
• 27 November – Iraqi protesters storm and burn down the Iranian consulate in southern city of Najaf. ^[20]
• 28 November – 34 protesters are killed in the city of Nasiriyah, and another 18 are killed in Najaf, in what was described as the deadliest day of the protests. ^[21]
• 30 November – Iraqi prime minister Adel Abd al- Mehdi formally submits his resignation to the parliament. ^[22]

Prime Minister Adel Abd Al-Mahdi, Resigned on November 30, 2019

December

• 1 December – Iraqi parliament accepts the prime minister's resignation during an emergency session, without naming a replacement. ^[23]
• 6 December – Unidentified gunmen open fire on protesters camped at Al-Tahrir square in Baghdad, killing 25 and wounding another 130 protesters. ^[24]
• 29 December – The united states launch airstrikes at a base associated with the Kataib Hezbollah Iraqi militia, killing 25 people. ^[25]
• 31 December – Iraqi protesters, angry at the American airstrikes, attack the US embassy compound in Baghdad. ^[25]

Deaths

• 18 January- Lamia Al-Gailani Werr, 80, Iraqi archaeologist.
• 28 January- Tahseen Said, 86, Iraqi politician, Emir of the Yazidis (since 1944).
• 2 February - Alaa Mashzoub, 50, Iraqi novelist and writer, expert on the History of the Jews in Iraq, shot.
• 3 May - George Hanna, 90, Iraqi-American basketball player.
• 13 May - Kochavi Shemesh, 75, Iraqi-born Israeli lawyer and social activist, leader of the Black Panthers protest movement.
• 26 May - Qays Abd al-Hussein al-Yasiri, 78, Iraqi media scholar, academic and poet.
• 7 July- Mohammad Hussaini Shahroudi, 93, Iraqi Marja'.
• 29 October - Safaa Al Sarai, 26, activist

References

1. "Iraq parliament approves budget ending weeks of deadlock". Middle East Monitor. 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
2. "Turkey resumes flights to Iraq's Sulaimaniyah after 16-month ban". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
3. "الرئيس الإيراني حسن روحاني يزور العراق لأول مرة سعيا لتخفيف تأثير العقوبات الأمريكية". BBC News عربي (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-02-26.
4. "Overloaded ferry sinks in Tigris River near Iraq's Mosul, killing 71". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
5. "Mosul ferry sinking: Iraq orders arrest of ex-governor". 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
6. "سخرية وغضب في العراق بعد قرار حظر "ببجي و فورتنايت"". BBC News عربي (in Arabic). 18 April 2019. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
7. Cornish, Chloe (2019-05-19). "Rocket lands near US embassy in Iraq as tensions rise". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
8. "Bahrain recalls envoy to Iraq after protest at embassy". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
9. "بابل القديمة تدخل قائمة مواقع التراث العالمي". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-02-26.
10. "Iraq paramilitary force blames US and Israel for mystery blasts", BBC News, August 21, 2019, retrieved August 21, 2019
11. "Iraq stampede kills 31 at Ashura commemorations in Karbala". 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
12. "Iraq: At least 12 killed in bus bombing outside Karbala". Al Jazeera. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
13. Aboulenein, Ahmed (30 September 2019). "Iraq reopens Syria crossing in win for mutual ally Iran".
14. "Iraq protests: Curfew imposed in Baghdad amid widespread unrest". 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
15. "Iraq protests: All the latest updates". Al Jazeera. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
16. "Iraq protests: 40 dead as mass unrest descends into violence". 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
17. "Iraq protests: Baghdad curfew declared as unrest continues". 2019-10-28. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
18. "Three killed as Iraq protesters attack Iran consulate in Karbala". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
19. "Protesters seal off Baghdad bridges as thousands join general strike". France 24. 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
20. Rubin, Alissa J.; Hassan, Falih (2019-11-27). "Iraq Protesters Burn Down Iran Consulate in Night of Anger". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-02-28.
21. Ibrahim, Arwa. "Iraqi families mourn their dead after protests' 'bloodiest day'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
22. Rubin, Alissa J.; Hassan, Falih (2019-11-30). "Iraqi Prime Minister Resigns in Deepening Political Crisis". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-02-28.
23. "Iraq unrest: Parliament approves PM Abdul Mahdi's resignation". 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
24. "Iraq protests: Death toll jumps to 25 in Baghdad attack". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
25. "US Baghdad embassy attacked by protesters angry at air strikes". 2019-12-31. Retrieved 2025-02-28.