| Feb. 22, 2005 | The United Iraqi Alliance, the group of Shiite political parties that won the most votes in Iraq's Jan. 30 election, selects Ibrahim al-Jaafari to be the prime minister of Iraq. The 58-year-old doctor served as Iraq's interim vice-president of Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Jaafari is a popular politician who is seen as acceptable to the Sunnis and Kurds as well as the dominant Shiites. | | Feb. 27, 2005 | Syria hands over Sabawi Ibrahim Hassan, a half brother of Saddam Hussein, and other fugitives to the Iraqi government. Hassan is believed to have organized and financed the insurgency in Iraq. | | Feb. 28, 2005 | In the deadliest attack ever by insurgents, suicide bomber blows up a car in Hilla, killing about 115 people who were seeking employment with the Iraqi police. | | March 5, 2005 | U.S. soldiers shoot at car carrying Giuliana Sgrena, an Italian journalist who had been held hostage by Iraqi insurgents and just released from captivity. Sgrena was wounded and an Italian intelligence agent was killed. Relations between Italy and the U.S. grow strained. | | March 16, 2005 | Diverse group of 275 newly elected leaders to the Iraqi assembly convene for the first time in a largely ceremonial meeting. Shiites and Kurds, who fared best in January elections, have not yet appointed leaders. On March 29, the assembly meets for the second time and fails again to agree upon the composition of the new Iraqi government. | | March 31, 2005 | Panel set up by President Bush calls assessment on Iraq's weapons capabilities"dead wrong" and finds that intelligence agencies exaggerated evidence and relied on shaky sources in making the case for war in Iraq. | | April 3�?, 2005 | On April 3, Iraqi Assembly name Hajim al-Hassani, a Sunni, as speaker, and Hussain al-Shahristani, a Shiite, and Arif Taifour, a Kurd, as deputies. On April 6, Iraq Assembly selects Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as president; Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite politician, as vice president, and Sheik Ghazi al-Yawar, the Sunni president of the interim government, as the second vice president. On April 7, the Iraq Assembly names Shiite Ibrahim al-Jaafari as prime minister. Interim prime minister Ayad Allawi resigns. | |
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