Donald Henry Rumsfeld was an American politician,government official and businessman who served as secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford,and again from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He was both the youngest and the oldest secretary of defense. Additionally,Rumsfeld was a four-term U.S. Congressman from Illinois (1963–1969),director of the Office of Economic Opportunity (1969–1970),counselor to the president (1969–1973),the U.S. Representative to NATO (1973–1974),and the White House Chief of Staff (1974–1975). Between his terms as secretary of defense,he served as the CEO and chairman of several companies.
The Saudi Arabian Armed Forces (SAAF),also known as the Royal Saudi Armed Forces,is part of the military forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It consists of the Royal Saudi Army,the Royal Saudi Navy,the Royal Saudi Air Force,the Royal Saudi Air Defense,and the Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force. The King of Saudi Arabia is the Supreme commander-in-chief of all the Military Forces and forms military policy with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior. The five Armed Forces are among eight military forces of Saudi Arabia,with the others including the Royal Saudi National Guard,the Royal Saudi Guard Regiment and the Royal Saudi Border Guards.
The House of Sabah is the ruling family of Kuwait.
The prime minister of the Republic of Iraq is the head of government of Iraq and the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces. On 27 October 2022,Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani became the incumbent prime minister.
Haider Jawad Kadhim al-Abadi is an Iraqi politician who was Prime Minister of Iraq from September 2014 until October 2018. Previously he served as Minister of Communication from 2003 to 2004,in the first government after Saddam Hussein was deposed.
Sulṭān Hāshim Aḥmad Muḥammad al-Ṭāʾī was an Iraqi military officer,who served as Minister of Defense under Saddam Hussein's regime. Considered one of Iraq's most competent generals,he was appointed to the position in 1995. During his over 30 year military career,Sultan commanded two brigades,three divisions,and two corps of regular army corps before assuming responsibilities as Minister of Defense.
Lloyd James Austin III is a retired United States Army four-star general who has served as the 28th and current United States Secretary of Defense since January 22,2021.
The Iraqi Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Iraq. They consist of the Ground forces,the Army Aviation Command,the Iraqi Air Force,the Air Defence Command and the Iraqi Navy. Along with these primary service branches,there exists the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service and the Popular Mobilization Forces. The Prime Minister of Iraq acts as the commander-in-chief according to Article 78 of the constitution of Iraq. The president of Iraq according to Article 73 of the constitution is the ‘high command’for ceremonial and honorary purposes,such as approving the appointment of the chief of the general staff. The armed forces are administered by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The Ministry of Defence is the cabinet-level ministry responsible for defence in Iraq. It is also involved with internal security.
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was the tenth ruler of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait from 29 March 1921 until his death on 29 January 1950. He was the longest reigning ruler of Kuwait having reigned for a total 28 years and 305 days.
On 15 June 2014 U.S. President Barack Obama ordered United States forces to be dispatched in response to the Northern Iraq offensive of the Islamic State (IS),as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. At the invitation of the Iraqi government,American troops went to assess Iraqi forces and the threat posed by ISIL.
Khaled Yassin al-Obaidi is an Iraqi politician who served as the defense minister of Iraq from 2014 to 2016.
Najah Hassan Ali al-Shammari is an Iraqi politician and military officer who served as the Minister of Defense from June 2019 to May 2020. He holds Swedish citizenship.
A series of demonstrations,marches,sit-ins and civil disobedience took place in Iraq from 2019 until 2021. It started on 1 October 2019,a date which was set by civil activists on social media,spreading mainly over the central and southern provinces of Iraq,to protest corruption,high unemployment,political sectarianism,inefficient public services and foreign interventionism. Protests spread quickly,coordinated over social media,to other provinces in Iraq. As the intensity of the demonstrations peaked in late October,protesters' anger focused not only on the desire for a complete overhaul of the Iraqi government but also on driving out Iranian influence,including Iranian-aligned Shia militias. The government,with the help of Iranian-backed militias responded brutally using live bullets,marksmen,hot water,hot pepper gas and tear gas against protesters,leading to many deaths and injuries.
On 29 December 2019,the United States conducted airstrikes against Kata'ib Hezbollah's weapons depots and command centers in Iraq and Syria,reportedly killing at least 25 militiamen and wounding 55 more. The U.S. Department of Defense said the operation was in retaliation for repeated attacks on Iraqi military bases hosting Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces,particularly the 27 December 2019 attack on a Kirkuk airbase that left an American civilian contractor dead. Kata'ib Hezbollah,an extremist Shi'ite militia funded by Iran,denied any responsibility for the attacks.
On 3 January 2020,Qasem Soleimani,an Iranian major general,was killed by an American drone strike near Baghdad International Airport,Iraq,while travelling to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.
On 8 January 2020,in a military operation code named Operation Martyr Soleimani,Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched over 12 ballistic missiles at the al-Asad Airbase in Al Anbar Governorate,western Iraq,as well as another airbase in Erbil,in response to the assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani by a United States drone strike.
Mustafa Abdul Latif Mishatat,known as Mustafa al-Kadhimi,alternatively spelt Mustafa al-Kadhimy,is an Iraqi politician,lawyer and bureaucrat and former intelligence officer who served as the Prime Minister of Iraq from May 2020 to October 2022. He previously served as columnist for several news outlets and the Director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service,originally appointed in June 2016. He briefly served as Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs in an acting capacity in 2020. The latter part of his tenure closely followed the 2022 Iraqi political crisis.
The 2020 Camp Taji attacks were rocket attacks that took place on 11 March and 14 March 2020,targeting Camp Taji,north of Baghdad,in Baghdad Governorate,which hosts Coalition and United States Forces in Iraq.
Abu Yasser al-Issawi was a senior ISIS commander and Iraqi terrorist with the title of deputy caliph,and leader of the ISIS group in Iraq. He was killed in a military strike by Iraqi security forces in Al-Chai Valley,southern Kirkuk. The successful military strike and his death was announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi after an intelligence-led operation.
