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A historical thread about the 14 July revolution (
)
The secrets of the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état ()
)The secrets of the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état (
)
To begin with, one simple thread is no way near enough to cover and unfold the secrets of this revolution but I'll try my best. This revolution is by all means a 'classical ' and elegant revolution. It was engineered and orchestrated by some of the brightest minds in Iraq.
Firstly , this revolution brought down the Hashemite dynasty in Iraq which played a key role in motivating other countries to topple the monarchy aswell. The Hashemite monarchy was depicted as an imperalist family which had very close ties with the British monarchy.
Questions always arise about this revolution and yet till this day there are many unanswered ones. Many secrets have been kept undisclosed by the leaders of this revolution , who are known as the 'Free officers '.
This revolution was foreseen by many internal and external intelligence forces in Iraq. The earliest warning came from the Turkish Foreign minister, Adnan Modris who passed the Intel down to Tawfiq Al-Suaidi, the former PM of Iraq. This was then passed down to Nouri Al-Said (PM).
The news of the upcoming revolution quickly reached the acting PM Ahmad Mukhtar who went straight to the royal palace to report his findings with Nouri Al-Said.After the reports reached the Crown Prince,Abd Al-Ilah of Hejaz, hurringly called the office of Colonel Abdul Salam Arif
The Colonel dismissed the reports and assured the Crown Prince there are no imminent threats to the country. During the same time, another report came from an Iranian General Taymour Bakhtiar, from the Iranian secret police (Savak) that an attempt on seizing power in Baghdad -
-is very likely. He ordered a Syrian journalist to send the message directly to the Crown Prince of Iraq telling him to leave Baghdad with King Faisal II and head to Istanbul where it would be safe for them. The Crown Prince was furious when he heard this , but he was still more
Enraged with the Iranian meddling in Iraq's internal affairs. The patronising arrogant ego of his forced him to reassure the Iranian General and remind him that
"We are the Ahlulbayt , we are promised martyrdom , we only get killed and don't die normal deaths"
"We are the Ahlulbayt , we are promised martyrdom , we only get killed and don't die normal deaths"
Nevertheless, the threat to topple the Hashemite monarchy was felt by all the countries ruled by the family who traces their ancestry back to the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh).
King Faisal II was personally warned by his cousin King Hussein of Jordan about the imminent threat.
King Faisal II was personally warned by his cousin King Hussein of Jordan about the imminent threat.
The King requested to see Colonel Abdul Salam Arif. The Colonel arrived quickly and he was met with the top military officials of Jordan. The report of an upcoming revolution was confronted infront of the suspicious Colonel who kept a 'straight-face ' throughout the meeting.
According to journals of the Jordanian delegates, the Colonel looked bored and uninterested in the security meeting until he was confronted by King Hussein Ibn Talal , King Faisals cousin. The Colonel looked into the King's Eyes and smiled, telling him:
"The Iraqi army does not need to prove its might and strength , it is known for it however the threat of a revolution is only imminent in Jordan."
The ironic warning angered the young King but the Colonel promised and reassured the king of no imminent threats.
The ironic warning angered the young King but the Colonel promised and reassured the king of no imminent threats.
However, in reality, the Colonel who denied this was actually one of the main engineers of this revolution. He also played the main role of marching to Baghdad and executing the immaculate plan.
During his military court hearing (after the revolution) he spoke fondly of
During his military court hearing (after the revolution) he spoke fondly of
His comrades in the 'Free-Officers movement'.He spoke very eloquently about his revolutionary ambitions and avoided all questions regarding his comrades in order to protect them and protect the secrecy of this revolution.
The King and the Crown Prince both had well-known about the secret meetings of the Iraqi 'Free-Officers' through many intelligence agencies however an unanswered question till today , is why did they not stop them?
The revolution was first initiated by Colonel Abdul-Wahab Al-Amin, who released the general army staff book named:
H-Falcon 893
(05/06/1958)
H-Falcon 893
(05/06/1958)
This allowed the movement of troops from the 20th brigade of the 3rd division (which was commanded by Colonel Arif) to take a new route to Fallujah which uncoincidentally went through the capital Baghdad.
On th 1st of July 1958, Colonel Arif visited the ministry of defence in Baghdad and revealed his plans to the assistant chief of army , Mizhir Al-Shawi . Mizhir knew the revolution was inevitable and he did not want to stand against the 'Free-Officers' so he asked about the fate
-the king and the royal family, in which the Colonel symbolically ran his hand by his throat to illustrate the beheadings. Mizhir then told the Colonel that he doesn't want to become the Shimir ibn Thil-Jawshan and murder the Hashemites out of respect to their roots to Ahlulbayt.
On 14 July 1958, Colonel Arif marched to Baghdad in the early morning with his 20th Brigade whilst his comrade Abul Kareem Qasim and the 19th Brigade remained in their position. He seized control of Baghdads main broadcasting station, which became the revolutions headquarters.
A national announcement was broadcasted in which the Colonel denounced Imperalism and proclaimed the new Republic country of Iraq.Two detachments from his regiment headed to execute King Faisal II and the Crown Prince.Despite the presence of the royal guards, they were commanded
-to stand down and offer no resistance. This command came from the Crown Prince himself surprisingly, which adds more peculiarity to the whole revolution. The royal family was all brutally murdered in their palace at 8am and this brought the demise of the Iraq Hashemite dynasty.
After a few hours, Colonel Abdul Kareem Qasim arrived in Baghdad and set up headquarters in the ministry of defence.
This event lead to a spiral of mob violence in Iraq, the bodies of the royal family was even mutilated in the streets of Baghdad. Unfortunately that's what most people remember of the revolution, but till this day there are many unanswered questions about this secret revolution.
